BVAHEDLA[W Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Ancient Era 9 – A Fleeting Glimpse

Chu Li-fei’s gaze followed Feng Rao’s movements into the room, where he saw an old woman lying in bed, the corners of her mouth and the quilt stained with fresh blood.

Feng Rao carefully helped the old Madam Qi up, wetting a handkerchief and gently wiping the blood from her lips.

“Mother…” Feng Rao’s voice revealed a hint of worry and pity.

The old Madam Qi’s eyes were cloudy and white. Although her clothes were neat, she seemed to lack all energy. Her body was limp and weak as she leaned heavily against the cushions behind her.

Qian Ming led Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen forward.

The old Madam Qi seemed unable to see or hear, showing no reaction and just sitting there blankly.

Fragments of sunlight shone through the window, illuminating the old Madam Qi’s eyes but failing to dispel the gloom within them.

Sensing the warmth of the sunlight, the old Madam Qi, as if experiencing a final burst of vitality, raised her hand and trembled, reaching forward, even trying to stand up.

Feng Rao immediately stopped her, and the old Madam Qi took the opportunity to touch her hand.

Feeling the slender, soft hand that belonged uniquely to a woman, the old Madam Qi froze instantly. After a moment, she trembled, moving her arm to grab Feng Rao’s hand, then moved upwards with as much strength as she could muster, grasping Feng Rao’s forearm and leaving red marks on it.

The old Madam Qi forced a smile, looking at the empty space in front of her, her eyes filled with hopeful light, “Rao’er, is Shou’er back?”

Seeing this, Feng Rao’s eyes immediately filled with tears. She sniffled, forcing back her tears as she pulled her arm from the old woman’s grasp, wiped her eyes, and took her hand again.

“Mother… Third Brother, he…” A hint of hesitation flashed in Feng Rao’s eyes. She looked at Chu Li-fei and the other two with pleading eyes, “Yes, Third Brother is coming back soon. He must be on his way already. Please take care of yourself, Mother, and wait for Third Brother to come back in good health.”

As Feng Rao spoke, she picked up the bowl of medicine. She tested the temperature before scooping a spoonful and offering it to the old Madam Qi’s lips, “Mother, here—”

Hearing Feng Rao’s words, the old Madam Qi repeatedly said “good,” her eyes glistening with tears, as if anticipating something. She drank the bowl of medicine from Feng Rao’s hand, and soon fell into a deep sleep again.

Seeing that the old Madam was asleep, Feng Rao gently sighed, as if all her strength had left her. She gave Chu Li-fei and the others a wry smile and hastily drank some water before leading them into the courtyard.

“Thank you, esteemed officials, for your understanding,” Feng Rao said, wanting to kneel, but Qian Ming quickly stopped her.

Qian Ming looked at this girl with pity and admiration. Pity for her, a woman, having to support the Qi household alone while the old Madam Qi was seriously ill. Admiration for her, a woman, being able to be so strong.

“You’ve worked hard, Miss Feng.”

Seeming to understand Qian Ming’s gaze, Feng Rao smiled and shook her head, “I am nothing compared to your hard work, esteemed officials. I am only doing what I should. After marrying into the family, the old Madam Qi, although not my birth mother, took care of me in many ways. Now that the old Madam is seriously ill, I should serve her by her bedside.”

Her tone was gentle, but her words held strength, “I still need to thank the three of you for being willing to help me conceal the truth. My mother is seriously ill and cannot hear any bad news. Now, my mother is thinking about Qi Shou, if there is no hope, I am afraid that it will be soon gone.”

Speaking of this, Feng Rao’s voice inevitably carried some sadness. But when she mentioned “Qi Shou,” a hint of resentment flashed in her eyes.

She felt resentment for her husband—Qi Lu.

With Qi Fu disabled, Qi Shou chronically ill, and the old master gone early, it could be said that the entire Qi family was supported by Qi Lu. But the old Madam Qi favored her youngest son, and even her dying wish was for Qi Shou, never mentioning Qi Fu and Qi Lu.

Why?

She didn’t understand, but she never revealed any of this to the old Madam Qi.

Chu Li-fei looked at the tired woman before him, his eyes showing a hint of pity, but also some confusion, “Why are you the only one taking care of the old Madam Qi? Where is Qi Fu’s wife? Why haven’t we seen her?”

Mentioning Lu Ying, Qi Fu’s wife, Feng Rao frowned immediately, and her expression became strange.

Feng Rao shook her head, as if thinking and recalling something. After a moment, she cautiously said, “I don’t have much contact with my eldest sister-in-law. I only saw her from afar when we married into the family together.”

In Feng Rao’s gentle tone, Chu Li-fei and the others slowly pieced together an image of Lu Ying from her words.

At that time, Qi Fu and Qi Lu had both reached the age of marriage.

As the heir to the marquisate, matchmakers who came to propose marriage for Qi Lu were endless, almost breaking down the threshold of the Marquis’s mansion.

On Qi Shou’s side, it was much quieter.

The young ladies from noble families in the capital naturally looked down on a “discarded son” who was unrelated to the marquisate and unable to walk properly. In the end, the old master and old Madam Qi gradually lowered their standards before finding a merchant’s daughter willing to marry Qi Fu.

The old master and old Madam Qi also knew that they were wronging the girl, so they sent out twice as many betrothal gifts than they did for Qi Lu.

Later, the two brothers married at the same time.

Feng Rao was the daughter of the Minister of Revenue. Since childhood, she had only known the noblewomen of the capital. If it weren’t for the two brothers in the Qi family, she would never have associated with a small merchant’s daughter. Therefore, she didn’t know much about Lu Ying.

Feng Rao only knew that the Lu family originally lived by fishing, but later got lucky, and their business grew bigger and bigger. The whole family moved to the capital and became well-known wealthy merchants in the area.

Lu’s parents only had one daughter, Lu Ying. On the day she got married, the dowry was a full one hundred and eighty loads, which was no less than that of the daughter of the Minister.

Two unfamiliar girls sat in carriages, finally gathering in the Qi residence from different places.

The wedding day was a rare good day, with bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky.

Feng Rao and Lu Ying came down from the carriages together in their red wedding dresses. A light breeze lifted Lu Ying’s veil, and Feng Rao saw the girl’s blushing cheeks and bright smile.

As if noticing Feng Rao’s gaze, Lu Ying smiled and nodded to her. Feng Rao was stunned, feeling as if she had been caught peeking and feeling a little embarrassed, she nodded to the other party.

She originally thought that this elder sister-in-law would be easy to get along with, and wanted to make friends with her.

But who knew that when it came time to serve tea the next day, Lu Ying directly claimed to be ill and did not show up. Although the old Madam Qi looked a little unhappy, she didn’t say much after all.

For the next few days, Feng Rao didn’t see Lu Ying again.

Until one day, the two accidentally bumped into each other at a corner.

Lu Ying first exclaimed in surprise, and physiological tears welled up in her eyes due to the pain. But when she saw that the person was Feng Rao, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. She said nothing and hugged her injured arm, lowered her head, and hurried away.

Feng Rao stood in place in surprise. She turned her head to look at Lu Ying’s receding figure, but felt a little strange in her heart.

There was something awkward about the way Lu Ying walked. It seemed that she put all her weight on her left foot.

Did she hurt her just now? Feng Rao thought. Because she grew up in the Minister’s mansion, her mother was particularly strict about her upbringing. For example, the speed of walking couldn’t be too fast, and even the distance of each step had to be particular. If there was a mistake, she would be punished by her mother.

Therefore, Feng Rao knew that even if she bumped into someone at her speed, it wouldn’t cause such a serious injury.

Moreover, if Lu Ying was really injured by the collision just now, then she should feel pain. Feng Rao carefully examined herself again, only to see that there wasn’t even a red mark left on her body.

Then Lu Ying was injured before? But why did she run when she saw her? She wasn’t some kind of monster.

With these questions, Feng Rao went to visit Lu Ying the next day with a food box, but who knew that she would be directly stopped outside the door. Lu Ying didn’t even see her, and sent her maid to dismiss Feng Rao without even showing her face.

From then on, Feng Rao labeled this eldest sister-in-law as “strange.” She came from the Minister’s mansion and naturally had some pride. She couldn’t do such a thing as offering a warm face to a cold reception.

Over the years, Feng Rao had only seen Lu Ying at large-scale banquets in the Qi mansion. But whether it was winter or summer, Lu Ying wrapped herself up tightly. Even in the hot summer, Lu Ying covered herself from head to toe, and she had never been seen wearing those lighter clothes.

Moreover, when she appeared in front of everyone, Lu Ying would always wear a veil.

When asked, she said that her face was allergic and shouldn’t be seen.

Lu Ying’s eyebrows and eyes were always shrouded in a layer of faint haze, making Feng Rao always think that the fleeting glimpse that day was just her illusion.

The smile from that day had long been deeply engraved in Feng Rao’s mind, but now looking at Lu Ying’s appearance, it only made Feng Rao feel like it was another lifetime.

Later, Lu Ying became even stranger.

She became more and more afraid of strangers and always huddled alone in a corner. If there was nothing to do, she wouldn’t even step out of her yard.

But Feng Rao felt that she was more and more like an empty shell that had lost its soul.

Later, Lu Ying’s parents passed away.

The belongings of her parents were all moved to the Qi mansion, but Lu Ying just sat on the side and watched coldly.

Feng Rao saw Lu Ying’s eyes fall on her, but her eyes were very strange. There seemed to be sorrow, struggle, fear…

Lu Ying’s lips moved. She seemed to want to stand up. But in the next moment, the light in her eyes went out, as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

A servant pushed Qi Fu in a wheelchair. He skillfully put his arms around Lu Ying, and Lu Ying moved listlessly, like a puppet.

So Feng Rao had never expected anything from Lu Ying. Moreover, since her husband inherited the marquisate, the power to run the Qi family had fallen into her hands, and Lu Ying had nothing to do with it.

Speaking of which, she didn’t have the energy to care where her eldest sister-in-law was in this situation.

After Chu Li-fei and the other two left the Qi mansion, the things Feng Rao told them still lingered in their minds for a long time.

There were still too many mysteries here.

The strangeness of Lu Ying was also very concerning. Perhaps only by unraveling the mystery surrounding Lu Ying could there be new progress in this case.

Unfortunately, it was getting late.

Chu Li-fei looked at the sky and saw that Ning Yan and Liu Shuo-yu were leaning against the carriage in boredom.

Their eyes lit up when they saw him.

Chu Li-fei, “Why are you still here?”

“I am naturally waiting for you, Your Highness.”

The two voices spoke at the same time.

Ning Yan and Liu Shuo-yu looked at each other, seemingly not expecting the other to say the same thing as himself.

Chu Li-fei didn’t care and got into the carriage first. Lu Mo-chen and Qian Ming followed closely behind.

The five of them returned to the yamen together.

They still had to see what the situation was with Qi Shou’s confession.

Following Qian Ming’s guidance, the group passed through countless corridors before arriving at a relatively clean place.

Qian Ming looked at the jailer next to him, “Bring Qi Shou up.”

The jailer was just about to respond with “Yes” when Lu Mo-chen stopped him.

Lu Mo-chen calculated the relationships of the Qi family in his mind, “I want to see Qi Lu first. I wonder if Master Qian agrees.”

Although Qian Ming had some complaints about this in his heart, he still did as Lu Mo-chen said.

Soon, Qi Lu was brought up in prison uniform.

His eyes were clear, but he couldn’t hide his tiredness. His clothes were messy, and his hair was scattered, seemingly tangled.

Chu Li-fei gave Lu Mo-chen a look, signaling him to ask questions.

Lu Mo-chen walked to where he was next to Chu Li-fei. He frowned and said in a cold tone, “Do you know that your younger brother Qi Shou has confessed?”

Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen carefully observed Qi Lu’s expression, not letting go of any subtle changes.

When Qi Lu heard this news, he was first stunned, and then frowned tightly, “How is that possible? Although my third brother is mischievous, he would never dare to have such thoughts! Please, everyone, see clearly!”

Chu Li-fei, “Since you don’t plead guilty, and you don’t think it’s your younger brother Qi Shou, then who do you think is the murderer?”

Lu Mo-chen continued, “For example, your eldest brother, Qi Fu? After all, he must be very unwilling that you took the marquisate that should have been his.”

Who knew that Qi Lu would shake his head repeatedly upon hearing this.

“It’s definitely not my eldest brother!”

“My marquisate was given to me by my eldest brother!”