Chapter Eighteen: Blood Splatters on the Spirit Hall

  For several days, the gates of Sangyuan Mansion have been wide open, and even at night, it is as bright as day. The sound of wailing shakes the mountains and valleys, with people coming and going in a tumultuous manner.

  Lu Jing died after committing suicide, and was hastily buried in a chaotic burial mound. If it weren't for Chen Tai and others stopping him, Liu Gong would have chopped her into minced meat to sacrifice to his daughter.

  Chen Tailing suspected her because Green Brocade had died, and there was no evidence to prove otherwise. The others also didn't find any clues that would implicate her. However, it was only because Green Brocade had bitten her tongue and killed herself after saying those words that Qing Shang was still in the clear, with a clear conscience. Chen Tailing asked her some questions, and she answered truthfully, ultimately clearing herself of suspicion.

  Lu Jin is Shu Wan's maid. Since Liu Gong is convinced that it was Lu Jin who did it, he will naturally suspect Shu Wan. Moreover, the murder of Liu Shi occurred after Shu Wan was expelled from the mansion. Although it cannot be concluded that Shu Wan instructed her to do so, it is reasonable to bring her back for questioning.

  On this side, Chen Tai sent someone to find Shu Wan's whereabouts, and on the other side, the Pu family began to handle Liu Shi's funeral affairs since the murderer had been dealt with.

  Because of the injustice of her death, the old lady feared that her resentment would not disperse, so she invited a geomancer to choose an auspicious day, which was the 49th day after her death, and also invited monks to perform Buddhist rites in the main hall to help the deceased soul attain liberation.

  It is unknown whether Liu Gong had begged for imperial mercy, but Pu Jiayan was released after all.

  Pu Ji Nian returned to the mansion and saw that the mulberry garden was a vast expanse of white, grief welled up within him, and this stalwart man actually knelt in the doorway and began to wail.

  The old lady who rushed to the scene upon hearing the cry saw her son crying bitterly and couldn't help but burst into tears, saying: "My son is fine, it's all right as long as you're here, our family has a pillar now. Poor Jingxian was so virtuous and filial, yet she was harmed by someone and left us."

  Pu Jiannian heard the old lady's words, and his heart was even more sorrowful. His beloved Wu Niangzi was so unbearable that she not only abandoned him in times of trouble but also accused Yu Jin of killing her dear wife, causing their happy home to be ruined. The regret is self-evident.

  Although Pu Ji Nian was released, the emperor did not issue an edict to restore his original position, only saying that there was a funeral at home and he was specially released to mourn. Therefore, not many people came to offer incense. Qing Sang saw that her father's old friends did not come, and she deeply felt the shallowness of this world. If it weren't for the fact that Liu Shi was the daughter of the prime minister, perhaps none of these people would have come.

  The Liu family's misfortune was most heartbreaking to Qingbi. Her older sister had passed away at the beginning of the year, and now in late autumn, she had lost her mother as well. The two people closest to her in the world were both gone. Qing Sang saw her crying every day and his heart went out to her. He put aside their past grievances and accompanied her every day, while Qingbi did not reject him either. Although they didn't talk much, the sharpness was already gone from his tone of voice.

  Actually, after the Lantern Festival, Qingbi returned from the palace to visit Qingyu, and she seemed not as hostile towards her as before. Especially when Qingyu was beaten by Wu Niang a few days ago, Qingbi even helped her out, and when Liu Shi wanted to smooth things over, Qingbi also spoke up for her. Thinking about this, Qing Sang's dislike for her second sister Qingbi decreased a lot. And now that the Pu family is going through so many disasters and difficulties, they should work together as one family, supporting each other through thick and thin.

  Apart from Qingbi, Erniangzi Xiangyun also had to cry bitterly in the scented cloud chamber every day.

  Third daughter San, due to her weak body, could only occasionally cry and mourn, mostly staying in her own courtyard.

  Pu Ji Nian was too grief-stricken and didn't eat much, and after being in prison for a few days, his body wasn't feeling well either, so he couldn't bear the funeral matters.

  The old lady was originally going to show off her authority, but unexpectedly that night she was put down by Liu Gong and saw blood. Her heart was already trembling with fear, and she closed the Buddhist hall, every day only allowing the serving maids to send in porridge and small dishes. Others, except for Pu Jiannian, rarely got a glimpse of her.

  As a result, all the major and minor matters of this funeral ended up falling on Wang Shi, the fourth daughter-in-law.

  The Wang family is diligent and hardworking, every day on time, following rules and regulations, managing affairs in an orderly manner.

  Liu Gong was no longer convenient to participate in this matter, but still asked his eldest son to come and assist, saying that he was helping, but actually came to supervise. However, seeing that Wang Shi had everything under control, he returned to report to his father, and only then did Liu Gong say: "It's rare for this fourth daughter-in-law to be sensible."

  On this day, Qing Sheng was attending to the burning of paper offerings in front of the spirit tablet with Qing Bi when they suddenly heard a noise coming from inside the mourning hall. The usually tearful Erniang seemed to have fallen silent.

  The two of them supported each other and entered the mourning hall, where they saw under the dim candlelight that Erniangzi Xiangyun was lying prostrate in front of the coffin, with fresh blood sliding down the side of the coffin.

  Qingbi let out a loud shriek and suddenly fainted to the ground, Qing Sang was also frightened so much that her hands and feet went soft, she hugged Qingbi tightly, trembling with fear.

  The little servant who was standing outside the door with his head bowed heard the noise and came in, seeing this scene, all of them were flustered. Two clever ones quickly ran to report to Pu Jiannian and Wang Shi.

  Erniang Zixiangyun, who had served as a maid to the Liu family since childhood, was loyal and devoted to her master. She died after throwing herself into the coffin. When this news reached Mr. Liu's ears, he was deeply moved and praised her. He took her in as his adopted daughter and held a joint funeral for her.

  On the day of departure, all the people in the Pu family were sad and saw him off with wails.

  After Liu Xiangyun's funeral was over, winter had already arrived.

  Liu Gong had intended to take Qingbi back to the Liu manor, but was opposed by the many members of the Pu family. Qingbi herself also declined her maternal grandfather's kind intentions and decided to stay with the Pu family.

  The Ma family, who originally wanted to form an alliance with the Qingbi, was also a master of following the trend. Seeing the Pu family's current misfortune, they used the excuse that it was during the mourning period and it was not convenient to mention marriage, but secretly formed another alliance.

  The gloomy and overcast sky made the dilapidated Pu family house look even more desolate and forlorn.

  However, the pain of losing relatives has not yet faded, and the edict to offer Qingbi to the Northern Rong was transmitted.

  Qing Sang was perplexed, firstly because Qing Bi was still in her mourning period and couldn't possibly get married and leave during this time; secondly, the Liu family only had one daughter, Qing Bi, and Mr. Liu would definitely do his best to protect her, moreover, Qing Bi was born to the first wife while he himself was born to a concubine, putting him at a disadvantage in terms of status, so why did they choose Qing Bi now? Qing Bi's face looked unhappy but her demeanor was calm, and when asked by her father, it turned out that she had volunteered herself.

  For this, Qing Sang was even more shocked. Pei Ji Nian also didn't know why Qing Bi had gone to seek out the Crown Prince and volunteered to go to Beijiang. He could only sigh and say: "You and Qing Bi are both my children, how can I bear to send you to that barbaric land? Alas, I don't even know why Qing Bi went to seek out the Crown Prince."

  Qing Sang knew that his father was indeed unaware, but he didn't expect Qing Bi to have actually asked the Crown Prince for help; only by asking Qing Bi would he understand the reason behind it.

  Hurriedly went to knock on Qingbi's door, but unexpectedly Qingbi shut the door and refused to see him.

  Qing Sang refused to give up and had been waiting for an opportunity to see Qing Bi, but unexpectedly Qing Bi seemed to have steeled herself and refused to see anyone.

  Qing Sang also asked her father to ask Liu Gong, but Pu Jiannian went several times and came back shaking his head, saying that Liu Gong said Qing Bi had made up his mind and no one could help. Although Qing Sang was extremely unwilling to go to the Northern Rong, she couldn't bear to see Qing Bi leave like this. She vaguely felt that Qing Bi's behavior was all because of her. No matter how she begged and cried in front of the house, Qing Bi didn't say a word or want to see her.

  Until one day, a formal decree was issued, and it was decided that ten days later, the envoy would take ten beauties and escort 1,000 taels of white silver and 1,000 bolts of silk to the Northern Rong.

  Pu Ji Nian was reinstated

  After two rises and falls, Pu Jinyan became much more indifferent to court affairs. In addition, having lost his daughter and wife in the past year, his temperament had also become somewhat worn down, and he devoted more of his thoughts to his family.

  Especially for Qingbi, even if she refused to see him, Pu Jiayear would still come to her door every day and say a few words. As for Yu, Pu Jiayear often went to her courtyard to sit and chat with her about the latest news from outside, which made the long-ill Yu regain some vitality.

  After the funeral, Wang's family relied more and more on her. He had even revealed his intention to make her the official wife after the mourning period for Liu Shi Xiangyun was over. The family also hired a teacher to tutor at home, but it seemed that Jia Bao didn't like reading books and preferred martial arts. Pu Jiannian was initially displeased with this, but after listening to Qing Sang's advice, he also hired a martial arts instructor for him. If he could master both literature and martial arts, it would be a relief. He also thought about giving Jia Bao a great name. The original teacher suggested the name Wenbo, which meant having extensive knowledge, but Jia Bao pouted and complained to Qing Sang that he didn't like this name at all. In the end, he begged his father to change it, and the name was changed to Jingyu, which meant "topping the sky and standing on the earth" as Qing Sang said. From then on, the only son of the Pu family was named Pu Jingyu.

  On this day, Qing Sang took advantage of the opportunity to receive the imperial edict and grabbed Qing Bi's arm, refusing to let go, insisting on having a detailed conversation with her.

  Qingbi was about to leave, but Qingsheng knelt down and begged with tears in her eyes, which moved the old lady Wang Shi to wipe away her own tears.

  Qingbi raised her head and let out a sorrowful sigh, tears streaming down her face.

  He bent down and helped up Qing Sang, taking her into the house.

  The door closed, and Qing Niang asked Qing Bi why she wanted to go to Beijiang on her own.

  Qingbi stared at her tightly and said word by word: "It's because I want you to marry the prince, to avenge my elder sister."

  Nothing is as simple as it seems, bloodshed and ruthlessness forever exist in the deep palaces of those official families, one mystery after another, the truth will also be slowly revealed with Qing Sang's life trajectory. To know what happens next, please continue reading, I'm thick-skinned and asking for a collection recommendation