Chapter 444 Suicide by Hitting the Wall?
She seemed to be about to stand up, but helplessly weak, and fell heavily. Hai Lan hurriedly assisted her, saying, “Madam, be careful!”
Qu Qiuyan glanced at Yu, lying on the bed, and took a step back with disgust. “What’s going on?”
“Madam can’t walk!” Hai Lan helped Yu up and wiped away a tear.
“What do you mean she can’t walk?” Qu Qiuyan asked casually.
“I don’t know. Her lower body feels weak, she can only manage a few steps with support. Right now, she can only lie down like this. I informed the second master, who said he would call a doctor, but we haven’t seen the doctor yet. It’s fortunate that you are here. You can talk to the second master. If things continue like this, what will happen to Madam’s legs!”
Tears welled up in Hai Lan’s eyes. She reached out to wipe her reddened eyes and wanted to say something, but Qu Qiuyan interrupted her directly. “I will discuss this with Father. Mother, I came here today for something more important. Do you know about the connection between Qu Moying’s mother and Minister Liu?”
“You mean the matter concerning Yue?” Yu didn’t hear clearly and asked in response.
“Yes, it’s about her, her connection with Minister Liu. Do you know about it?” Qu Qiuyan asked again, reaching into her bosom and pulling out a slip of paper. She handed it over and took a couple of steps, disgustedly passing the paper to Qing Ju, instructing her to give it to Yu.
Yu took the paper, glanced at it, and suddenly burst into laughter.
“Mother, do you know about it or not?” Qu Qiuyan asked impatiently.
Yu finally stopped, her laughter perhaps too intense, her face showing a tinge of unusual paleness, and then she started coughing forcefully.
Qu Qiuyan furrowed her brow, took a step back, and wiped her nose with a handkerchief. She truly disliked the current state of Yu.
Not only did she appear dirty and disheveled, but she also exuded a sense of desolation, lacking any vigor. Even her voice carried an unpleasant musty smell.
If it weren’t for Yu, there would be no one else who could speak so clearly about the past. Qu Qiuyan would never have come here.
Aunty Hai Lan hurriedly stepped forward to pat Yu’s back, helping her calm down.
“Yue… I had always suspected something between them, but the master didn’t believe me… He even said I was imagining things.” Yu tightly clutched the slip of paper in her hand, her voice hoarse from coughing, with a hint of a moldy smell.
“Mother, is this true?” Qu Qiuyan let go of her hand covering her nose and asked again.
“Of course, it’s true. I always felt that this newly appointed Minister Liu was overly concerned about our household affairs. It turns out… he knew that wretched woman Yue early on and had secret meetings with her. That wretched Qu Moying must not be your father’s daughter; she must be a bastard child.”
Yu smiled smugly, forcefully clutching her bony chest, her eyes filled with chaotic hatred.
“Mother, do you… believe it’s true? Is Qu Moying really not father’s daughter?” Qu Qiuyan became excited. “Can you prove it?”
“That wretched woman has been involved with Minister Liu for a long time. Minister Liu married the daughter of Duke Qi, and despite their claims of being a harmonious couple, they were nothing of the sort. I once witnessed their interaction. It was far from what a harmonious couple should be. So it turns out that Yue…”
Yu chuckled like a plucked chicken, struggling in its last moments.
“Mother, can you prove it to father?” Qu Qiuyan took another step back, as if there was something repulsive about Yu. The farther she was, the better.
The most important thing now was to make father believe.
“This is the evidence… with this, your father will believe it.” Yu said proudly. “I want to see your father, I want him to come and see me.”
She said it as if it were obvious, but Qu Qiuyan responded with a mocking smile. “Mother, I can’t bring father to you. You have to find him yourself, otherwise he will ask me where this note came from.”
“Where did you get this note?” Yu suddenly realized that there was something suspicious about the origin of the note. She stopped laughing and asked.
“I found it. I found it in Minister Liu’s residence. When you mention it, please don’t mention me. Otherwise, father will think that I’m the one causing trouble again. Lately, father has been favoring that wretched girl Qu Moying the most.” Qu Qiuyan clenched her teeth and raised her arm. “Mother, look, this is Qu Moying’s doing. She caused this to happen to me!”
Her arm had been treated with medication, but the red and swollen blisters were still visible. The burn was quite severe.
Yu’s heart ached, trembling with sorrow. From a young age, she had cherished Qu Qiuyan, nurturing her in the palm of her hand. She had never witnessed such a severe harm inflicted upon Qu Qiuyan. She forcefully pounded the edge of the bed, teeth gnashing with hatred. “She truly is a wretched girl, a bastard. Where does she find the audacity to trouble you so much?”
“Mother, as long as you pull her down from the position of the legitimate daughter, father won’t listen to her anymore. He won’t keep you locked up and torment me.” Qu Qiuyan said, partially genuine and partially deceptive.
Upon hearing this, Yu’s spirits lifted, nodding repeatedly. “You go back for now. I will discuss this matter with your father, and it won’t harm you.”
“It’s best if mother thinks that way. I fear if father finds out I came here, so I’ll return for now. After this matter is resolved, I will come to fetch you, and perhaps by then, father will be willing to let you go.” Qu Qiuyan spoke with a sweet tone, causing Yu to nod in agreement.
Yu’s face, thin and gaunt, revealed a smile that made her resemble a ghost even more.
Once Qu Qiuyan felt the situation was under control, she left without looking back, taking Qing Ju with her. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would be unable to suppress her urge to vomit.
After exiting through the back gate, they stood by the courtyard entrance. Qu Qiuyan coughed a few times, holding her chest in discomfort, and stood there for a while until she calmed down.
Qing Ju stood behind her, gently rubbing her back.
Once Qu Qiuyan had settled down, the two hurriedly left Yu’s residence and returned to the Furong House.
Yu Dong appeared in the dark night, glancing at the direction they had departed. She didn’t pursue them, instead, she pushed open the half-closed door. After entering, she followed a small path that led to the back of the main house.
The windows of the main house were shut, but the movements of people inside were visible. Yu was there. Yu Dong pressed her ear against the window, listening attentively.
Inside the main house, Yu was still holding the note in her hand, reading it. As she read, a trace of madness could be seen in her smiling face.
“Madam, think about how to meet with the Second Master!” Hai Lan, with several white hairs, worriedly spoke. During this period, the madam had tried to meet with the Second Master, but he hadn’t visited even once.
The Madam had assumed responsibility for this matter, but what could she do?
“Why are you afraid? Yue’s evidence is right here. If he comes, he’ll believe it. I just read… the day Yue and Minister Liu met, it’s almost nine months from the day this wretched girl was born. It’s highly likely that it was during that time. Yue has been concealing it in front of me. Look at her appearance… no wonder it ended up like this…”
Yu’s voice was sharp, tinged with madness.
“Madam, please refrain from speaking!” Hai Lan, in a hurry, stepped forward to cover Yu’s mouth.
Yu pushed her away, glaring at her fiercely. “What? Do you think I would blabber nonsense? Rest assured, I know what to say. Now go find the Second Master and bring him here. I’ll show him what kind of despicable person his gentle and virtuous wife truly is.”
“Madam, at this time, I cannot leave.” Hai Lan hesitated to say.
In truth, it wasn’t just during the darkness; even in broad daylight, she couldn’t leave.
“You go… and find someone. Just tell them that I want to smash my head against the wall and commit suicide.” Yu said with a hateful tone.
“Madam, you…” Hai Lan exclaimed.
“Go! What are you afraid of? It’s just a single blow. It won’t kill anyone.” Yu giggled and thrust her head toward the wall behind the bed.
Caught off guard, Hai Lan failed to hold her back, and she witnessed Yu’s head collide with the wall. Blood instantly trickled down her forehead.
“Madam…”
“Don’t just stand there! Go!” Yu weakly commanded, closing her eyes. Blood dripped down, giving her a ghastly appearance.
Hai Lan didn’t hesitate this time. She turned around and ran outside, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Someone, anyone! The Madam has hit the wall! She has attempted suicide!”
The courtyard gate was locked, and the two elderly women who served as gatekeepers had already left. They were now in an empty cottage outside the courtyard. This cottage had been designated by Qu Zhizhen for the two women to live in and oversee Yu’s confinement.
It seemed they intended to keep Yu under strict surveillance until her death, never giving her a chance to escape.
When they heard Hai Lan’s loud cry from the courtyard, they didn’t understand at first. But once they comprehended her words, they were filled with fear.
Yu’s days of recovery were over, but she still had her second son and third daughter. Rumor had it that the third daughter was about to enter the Lord Jing’s Mansion as a concubine. The situation after that was uncertain. If Yu were to die here, neither the third daughter nor the second son would spare them.
The two women hurriedly came out of the cottage. One of them approached the locked gate, and Hai Lan burst out from within, disheveled. She reached out and grabbed one of the women, shouting hoarsely, “Hurry… hurry and fetch the Second Master. The Second Madam… The Second Madam has hit her head on the wall!”
“The second… Second Madam…” the woman stammered, trembling all over.
The other woman, seemingly more composed, turned around and ran toward the outer courtyard. The Second Master should be in his study there.
If what they had heard was true, the two women would not dare to defy their orders.
The one left still stood there, but Hai Lan pulled her towards the inside, urging, “Quick… quickly come with me and save the Second Madam. Hurry and save the Second Madam.”
Inside, the situation was chaotic. Yu Dong, who was in the backyard, quietly left and returned to the Qianyue House. She went to report the incident to Qu Moying.
