Liu Qingyu quietly watched the heartwarming scene before her. Everything was so beautiful, but unfortunately, her time was running out.
After the child finished drinking, Liu Qingyu turned her head to look at Hou Furen. “Mother, please have everyone else withdraw. There is something I wish to say to you.”
Hou Furen turned and ordered the crowd to leave. Once they had gone, only the family masters and a newborn baby who could not yet speak remained in the room.
Hou Furen sat on the edge of the bed and took her daughter-in-law’s hand. “Whatever you have to say, just say it.”
“Mother, your daughter-in-law has been unfilial. I will not be able to serve you in the future.” Tears streamed down Liu Qingyu’s face before she could even finish her sentence. She gripped Hou Furen’s hand tightly. “The only one I cannot let go of now is Hao Ge’er. I risked my life to give birth to him. He is my only child!”
“My husband will inevitably remarry. Your daughter-in-law truly cannot rest easy about Hao Ge’er. I need you to promise me that the successor wife must be chosen from among the Liu family girls.”
“This way, with my grandmother and mother keeping an eye on things from my maiden home, I can be more at ease.”
“Alright, I promise you.”
Hou Furen agreed without hesitation. “Don’t think about so much right now. Rest well and spend time with your child.”
At the side, Liu Laofuren and Madam Liu both breathed a sigh of relief. They had roughly guessed what Liu Qingyu wanted to say when she dismissed everyone. All the unmarried Liu family girls of suitable age were born to concubines, so they had thought it would take some persuasion. They hadn’t expected Hou Furen to agree so readily.
Hou Furen gently patted her daughter-in-law’s hand to reassure her. “Don’t you worry. We’ll leave Hao Ge’er here to keep you company. I’ll go call the servants in to attend to you. Your grandmother, your mother, and I will go freshen up first.”
She then rose, called the servants in, and personally led her in-laws to the adjacent room.
The Yongning Hou Estate was two streets away from the imperial palace. After court was dismissed, Yongning Hou, his son, and Liu Shangshu received the news and met at the palace gate. They happened to run into the Tai Yi the Hou Manor had summoned, so they all returned to the estate together.
The three men had only heard from the servants’ report that the Shizi Furen was not in a good condition; they knew nothing of what followed. The moment they entered the courtyard, they shouted for the Tai Yi to hurry and make his diagnosis.
Doctor He, who was waiting under the corridor, heard the commotion and strode forward.
“This subordinate greets the Houye, the Shizi, and Lord Shangshu. The Shizi Furen is now…”
Doctor He softly reported Liu Qingyu’s condition in detail. The Tai Yi standing beside him couldn’t help but shake his head upon hearing it. “In a situation like this, not even an immortal could save her.”
The three men were instantly dumbfounded. How could she be on the verge of death just like that?
The three madams, having freshened up, also walked over at this moment. The group decided to go to the outer hall to discuss matters first. Hou Furen spoke first, relaying Liu Qingyu’s request that the Shizi’s successor wife must be a Liu family girl, and that she had already agreed.
Setting aside what the members of the Liu family were thinking, Yongning Hou and his son had no objections. When the current emperor was still a prince, Yongning Hou had been his study companion, following him with unwavering loyalty. After the emperor ascended the throne, he married the emperor’s full-blooded sister, the Chang Princess.
The bond between them was undeniably deep, and both father and son held important positions in the court. The phrase “at the height of power” was a perfect description of the Yongning Hou Estate.
The current Yongning Hou Estate had no need to use a marriage alliance to consolidate its power.
Moreover, a parent’s love is a universal sentiment. Liu Qingyu was on the brink of death, yet she was still painstakingly planning for her child’s future. What more could they say?
The Tai Yi figured that since he was already here, he might as well go in and perform an examination, especially since Hao Ge’er had been crying his lungs out earlier. Even though the baby was now asleep, he was worried the child might be startled awake by nightmares, so he prescribed some calming medicine for the wet nurse.
At the hour of Wei, cries of mourning erupted from the Hou Manor. The Shizi Furen had passed away.
The Hou Manor hung up white lanterns, and the draperies in every courtyard were replaced with plain colors.
Liu Estate.
The three masters of the Liu family had left with joyful expressions in the morning but returned in the afternoon with heavy faces. The people in the estate who received the news had a bad premonition.
In the southeast corner of Qingzhu Courtyard.
Under a grape trellis, a fair-skinned young woman was napping on a rocking chair. A small table beside her held some fruits and tea, and mosquito-repelling incense burned at the table’s leg. Her personal maid, Lianxin, sat on a small stool, fanning her. The scene was one of perfect leisure.
A chair placed under the grape trellis was shaded by the vines and cooled by a cross-breeze, making it much more pleasant than the stuffy heat indoors.
A maidservant walked quickly into the courtyard, then closed the distance to the lounge chair in a few large strides. Seeing this, Lianxin quickly stood up. “What’s the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Lianxin-jie, Laofuren and the others are back. I heard the gatekeeper say their expressions were not good. I’m afraid something has happened,” the young maidservant said with a grave look.
“Take these inside first.”
The lounging young woman opened her eyes, rose languidly, and walked swiftly into the house. It was truly sunny out here with no cover.
Liu Qingwu sat by the window, took a sip of iced plum soup, and let out a long sigh of relief. “Cuiguo, tell me in detail.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“After I finished my errand, I happened to chat for a bit with the gatekeeper. I heard that Laofuren, the Master, and Madam just returned together, and none of them looked well. They didn’t even rest upon their return, but went straight to Laofuren’s courtyard.”
A peculiar glint flashed in Liu Qingwu’s eyes. In the morning, the estate had received good news from the Hou Manor: her eldest sister had given birth to a little nephew, and the estate was instantly filled with joy. Her grandmother and mother had even gone to the Hou Manor by carriage to offer congratulations right after breakfast.
As for her father, he must have gone directly to the Hou Manor to visit after morning court. But for the three of them to return together midway through the day before the evening meal, and with such grim faces, she feared something had happened to her eldest sister at the Hou Manor.
Sure enough, about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a message from the main courtyard arrived: “Greetings to the Third Miss. The Eldest Miss has passed away due to a difficult birth. The estate is to hang white lanterns and wear plain clothes. In one incense stick’s time, gather at the front gate to go to the Hou Manor to offer condolences.”
Taking the plain clothes from the messenger, Lianxin and Fuling quickly helped their mistress change.
Summer days were hot, and even sitting perfectly still often left one’s face beaded with sweat. Liu Qingwu always felt that makeup made her face feel stuffy. Fortunately, her new “skin” was beautiful and she was in the prime of her youth at sixteen, with a face full of collagen. So she took a shortcut; on normal days when she wasn’t seeing outsiders, she would just shape her brows and apply some moisturizing cream.
This now proved convenient for her. She didn’t need to remove any makeup. She changed into the plain clothes, wiped off her lipstick, and stuffed two pastries into her mouth to fill her stomach. Judging by the situation, the evening meal was uncertain; it might not happen at all.
She then had Lianxin put two more pastries into a pouch and tuck it into her sleeve, thinking that if she got hungry later in the evening, she could have a little something to eat.
Normally, Liu Qingwu would shirk her duties whenever she could, but today was a special situation. Besides, before her eldest sister had married, she had been quite good to her. In less than a quarter of an hour, Liu Qingwu, with her maids in tow, hurried to the front gate to assemble.
“It’s not suitable for too many people to go for the condolences. Fuling, Qingxing, I’ll leave the house to you. Lianxin, Cuiguo, you’ll come with me.”