Read Novel Full Chapter 1604 - 1597: The Death of Qin Ge
Chapter 1604 -1597: The Death of Qin Ge
Qin Ge originally thought that when Li Yunshu came over, she was seeking clemency for herself, hoping that Qin Ge would help to speak favorably on her behalf to Qin Muyan.
After all, the ceremony for concluding the enthronement hadn’t finished, and Qin Muyan hadn’t visited Li Yunshu again.
However, Li Yunshu’s visit today was to bring up the matter of wanting to go to the ancestral temple to pay homage to the Empress Dowager.
Kneeling before her, with eyes brimming with tears, Li Yunshu spoke earnestly, “At that time, I wasn’t far from the Empress Dowager’s courtyard, yet I was unable to go and save her. She was stabbed so many times and passed away; I am deeply ashamed. Night after night, as I dream, I see the harrowing sight of the imperial grandmother’s death. I truly miss her.”
Tears immediately welled up in Qin Ge’s eyes, “Mother… she died so tragically!”
At that time, Li Yunshu had sent people to protect Qin Ge as she fled. She had sent someone to find her mother, but unexpectedly, her mother still met with disaster and died so miserably.
How cruel must the rebel soldiers have been to lay such a vicious hand on an old lady?
No wonder, afterwards, Qin Muyan had Zhao Wang executed by dismemberment with a thousand cuts.
This was his debt to mother!
Qin Ge changed into a plain dress and, together with Li Yunshu, went to the ancestral temple.
They worshiped the Empress Dowager and knelt for nearly four hours.
Exhausted from crying, Qin Ge was helped by Li Yunshu to rest in the wing. Qin Ge was about to fall asleep when she overheard the voices of passersby:
“Have you heard? That child in the courtyard cries day and night, it’s driving me nuts!”
“What can be done about it? Who asked for him to be a bastard! Yet we mustn’t neglect him, his status is unclear, what if he really turns out to be a prince in the future?”
“Are they talking about Qin Yu?”
Qin Ge sat up from the bed.
Li Yunshu turned to Chun Xing, instructing her, “Have them quiet down outside, don’t disturb mother.”
Chun Xing bowed and was about to leave at once.
“Wait!”
Qin Ge called out to her.
She stood up, holding Li Yunshu’s hand, “Since I’m here, I might as well go see Qin Yu. His status is not yet clear, but he is still a child…”
Qin Ge’s words were gentle, wary of Li Yunshu recalling her infertility and becoming saddened by it.
But on Li Yunshu’s face, there was no sign of such sadness; instead, she was quite magnanimous as she assisted Qin Ge, “If mother wishes to see him, then I shall accompany you. Rong Yun, a pampered princess, may inevitably neglect something while taking care of a child on her own. If I go, I might be able to do something to help her.”
Qin Ge patted her hand comfortingly, “Your magnanimity is more than appreciated.”
She had previously thought that Li Yunshu’s shrewdness and tactics made her suitable to be the empress, but she was too sharp and intolerant. However, with her current demeanor, she felt much more at ease.
Li Yunshu accompanied Qin Ge to the courtyard where Rong Yun resided. It was an independent small courtyard, located behind the ancestral temple, guarded by Qin Muyan’s personal soldiers.
If Li Yunshu had come alone, she would definitely have not been allowed to enter.
But when Qin Muyan’s personal soldiers requested Qin Muyan’s order, they allowed Qin Ge and Li Yunshu to go in.
Li Yunshu’s lips curled into a cold smile as she clenched a small packet of medicine hidden in her sleeve.
Her intent to kill Qin Ge was not originally so intense, and there was even a bit of reluctance, a bit of fear.
But when she saw how tenderly Qin Ge treated Rong Yun, even helping her take care of the child and cherishing her as if she were her own daughter, the jealousy in her heart suddenly spread through her body like a sea of blood.
How she hated it!
“Rong Yun, feed the child some milk before he sleeps, then you can rest well. At least get three hours of sleep before getting up to feed again. If you wake more often than he does at night, he’ll become dependent, and that will also wear you out,” advised Qin Ge gently as she held Qin Yu in her arms.
Rong Yun leaned against the head of the bed, looking pale and haggard, “Thank you, mother, for the guidance. But Shunshun is not used to the dampness here; he has developed a rash and cries from discomfort throughout the night, which prevents me from sleeping.”
She was confined here where clothes, water, and food were plentiful, but she was the only one taking care of the child, which was indeed exhausting.
“I’ll leave my personal maidservant with you for some guidance, and you should also get some rest.”
Qin Ge handed the child over to a nearby maidservant, tenderly stroking Rong Yun’s hair for the first time, “You’ve lost a lot of weight, Mu Yan would be heartbroken to see you like this.”
She never understood why Rong Yun was so likable; aside from herself, her mother, Qin Rulie, and the late empress, all favored her greatly.
Not to mention, Qin Muyan adored her deeply.
She always felt that this Miss was too timid, unable to withstand even the smallest of tests.
But during her visit this time, she found Rong Yun taking care of the child alone without collapsing in tears daily, or making the child ill with fret; rather, she was very sturdy in her company of the child.
Even as the tiny child cried day and night, she had grown haggard and thin, yet the child in her arms remained ruddy-cheeked.
After all, she could indeed be a good mother.
“This child is indeed endearing; let Her Majesty hold him.”
Li Yunshu cast a sideways glance at Rong Yun with a fake smile on her face, wanting to take the child from the maidservant’s arms.
“Don’t touch him!”
Rong Yun immediately jumped off the bed and took Qin Yu from the maidservant’s arms, staring at Li Yunshu warily, “You’re a bad person, don’t touch my child!”
For the first time, she physically pushed Li Yunshu away.
Li Yunshu stumbled and nearly fell over.
“What did you say!”
She was instantly furious.
“Yunshu!”
Qin Ge shielded Rong Yun behind her, her eyebrows lightly swept, “Don’t scare the child, she didn’t mean it.”
Having raised Qin Muyan, she understood how urgent a mother is in protecting her child, not allowing the slightest harm to come to them.
Li Yunshu glanced outside the courtyard, her dissatisfaction with Qin Ge growing, “Mother, have I not treated you well? Why do you, too, start favoring Rong Yun over me?”
“I’m not biased.”
Qin Ge turned to look back at Rong Yun and the child, a soft light shining in her eyes, “I just wish for Mu Yan to be happy, and for his child to be… Ah!”
Qin Ge suddenly widened her eyes in shock.
Rong Yun, holding the child, trembled in her arms, utterly puzzled, “Mother, what’s… what’s the matter?”
“Li Yunshu, you… you…”
Qin Ge was in so much pain she couldn’t find the words. She couldn’t believe that Li Yunshu would stab her in the back!
Li Yunshu covered Qin Ge’s mouth, silencing her, and whispered darkly into her ear, “Mother, if you only loved me, you wouldn’t have ended up like this! But who made you… bias towards Rong Yun?”
“Mother! Li Yunshu, what are you doing!”
Rong Yun placed the child down on the bed and rushed to Qin Ge’s side, “Mother!”
“Run…”
Qin Ge sobbed, struggling to push Rong Yun away, this child… she was no match for Li Yunshu!
If Li Yunshu hurt her, Rong Yun and the child would surely suffer as well!
“Mother, she’s as weak as a chicken; where do you expect her to run?”
Li Yunshu’s chilling laugh echoed in Qin Ge’s ears.
Regret surged in Qin Ge’s heart, she had wronged Rong Yun!