Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 136 Death of illness

Xie Mingshen was initially very wary of Xie Jiu's late-night departure from the palace, but seeing her now clearly flustered and relying on him as she had when she was still a young lady, he felt a little relieved.

He also straightened his body a bit.

However, his brows were still furrowed, and he looked worried.

"Now we can only hurry and send the message to your brother first. There's really nothing else we can do. Physician Yu has asserted that if your mother doesn't wake up within three days, it's probably because Physician Yu is the head of the Imperial Hospital. If he said that, I'm afraid no other doctor could do anything."

This answer avoided mentioning the robbers Xie Jiu had referred to, and only addressed the latter part of the question.

Xie Jiu held up her handkerchief, pretending to wipe away tears, but concealing the cold light in her eyes.

"This is the only way for now. I will definitely ask the Emperor to send men to hunt down and wipe out those bandits who injured my mother!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Mingshen immediately offered words of comfort.

"It is already an extraordinary favor from the Emperor that you are allowed to leave the palace. It is not appropriate to trouble the Emperor with such a trivial matter as suppressing bandits. It would only erode the friendship between the Emperor and you. Leave these matters to your father. These wicked people must all be captured so that they can no longer harm others!"

His reaction was exactly as Xie Jiu had predicted; he didn't want her to come into contact with those robbers.

However, before Xie Jiu left the palace, he had already contacted Consort Liu, and it is now estimated that the matter of suppressing the bandits has been handed over to his elder brother.

There was no problem with the city defense battalion leading troops to suppress bandits in the outskirts of Beijing.

Now that Consort Liu has gained favor, coupled with her brother's escape from the Liang family, her brother has also been promoted in the city defense camp, a far cry from what he used to be.

Xie Jiu's mention of bandit suppression to Xie Mingshen is merely a test.

This test only made her more certain that Xie Mingshen was behind her mother's danger.

“Very well, the Emperor allowed me to leave the palace, which was only possible because I repeatedly begged for it, so it's really not appropriate for me to ask again.” Xie Jiu lowered her eyes, sighed deeply, and then looked up and said, “Father, how is your cough recovering now? Is the new prescription from Physician Wang working? Mother is already like this, you absolutely cannot have any more problems, otherwise what will my brother and I do!”

When she said this, the concern on her face was completely genuine, showing her filial piety.

She seemed afraid that if Xie Mingshen also got into trouble, she would have no one to rely on.

Xie Mingshen immediately adopted a loving father's demeanor, gently comforting her, "Don't worry, although you've only taken a few doses of medicine, it's already working. It seems to be the right medicine for you. I will never abandon you siblings. I will do everything I can to support you!"

These words were truly moving.

Unfortunately, they were all fake.

At this point, Xie Jiu lost patience and could no longer play along with his act.

He said he wanted to spend some time alone with his mother, and then sent her away.

Once there were no outsiders left in the room, Xie Jiu turned his gaze back to Madam Yang.

At this moment, her face was expressionless; sorrow, helplessness, reluctance, and hatred had all vanished, leaving only a blank expression and empty eyes.

"Mother, your daughter is returning to the palace. Do you really not want to open your eyes and see your Xiao Jiu one more time?"

Xie Jiu's voice was low and hoarse as he slowly leaned down and gently rested his head on Yang's chest, almost greedily listening to the faint heartbeat from his mother.

The evening breeze blows gently, the starlight shines like water, the moon hangs in the night sky, the fragrance of flowers is intoxicating, oh my, oh my, my little darling, go to sleep, go to sleep.

The lullaby her mother used to hum when she was a child echoed in her mind, and Xie Jiu couldn't help but sing along softly. Her mother's gentle and bright smile seemed to appear before her eyes, adding a touch of warmth to the cold and quiet room.

Chunrong couldn't bear to remind her that it was almost time to leave.

Fortunately, Xie Jiu still retained some rationality.

A moment later, she straightened up.

Holding Yang's hand, she whispered, "Mother, your daughter is unfilial and really cannot stay any longer. Please wake up, okay? I will never let you suffer this injustice in vain. Those who hurt you will be torn to pieces and die a horrible death!" Her voice was suppressed and sorrowful, mixed with deep-seated resentment and an almost humble plea.

However, the person on the bed remained motionless.

Tears welled up in Xie Jiu's eyes, but she immediately raised her head high and held them back.

Just as she was about to leave, the hand she was holding in her palm suddenly moved slightly twice.

"mother!"

Xie Jiu's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Yang Shi with surprise and delight. He saw Yang Shi's heavy eyelids begin to tremble with difficulty, and finally, she opened them with great effort.

"Mother, you're awake! Chunrong, quickly go and fetch Physician Yu!"

"do not go!"

Suddenly, Yang grasped Xie Jiu's hand, a hoarse sound escaping her throat.

"Jiu'er, is that you? Mother isn't dreaming, is she?"

"Mother, it's me, Jiu'er is back. I've come back to see you. Please don't leave me, okay?" Xie Jiu eagerly grasped her hand and pressed it tightly against her face.

The tears she had just held back welled up again and soaked Yang's palms.

Madam Yang's eyes also reddened. "My dear Jiaojiao, I'm afraid I'm not going to make it. You must be careful of your father. It's my fault for being useless. I was just thinking of secretly getting rid of this scourge for you and your brother, but I never expected that he would find out."

"I guessed all of this. Mother, please don't speak yet. Shall I call the imperial physician to come and treat you?" Xie Jiu said softly.

She only wanted to keep her mother by her side for the time being; she didn't want to consider anything else.

"No." Madam Yang took a deep breath with difficulty. "I know my body is beyond saving. I just want to stay with you a little longer and not let them disturb us."

These words made Xie Jiu's tears flow even more fiercely. He shook his head violently, as if something was blocking his throat, and he could no longer speak.

Madam Yang's loving gaze lingered on her daughter's face, her eyes filled with sorrow.

“Those people weren’t robbers. Before Xu Mama died, she tore off the mask of the leader. That man was the steward’s nephew. He’s probably already taken the money and run away. If it weren’t for another caravan passing by at the time, and them being afraid of being discovered, I probably would have died on the spot.”

Knowing that time was running out, Yang told Xie Jiu the important things first.

“Your father has always been cautious. In all his years as an official, he has never left any faults for anyone to exploit. But these days, I have been personally going to his study every day to bring him soup and food. I have discovered that there seems to be a secret room in his study. There may be something you can use in there. However, his study is always guarded, so it is probably not easy to enter. You should be careful.”

At this point, Yang suddenly coughed, and blood immediately began to spill from the corner of her mouth.

Xie Jiu hurriedly picked up a handkerchief to wipe it, but she couldn't get it clean no matter what she did.

"Mother, please stop talking, please stop talking. Let's see the imperial physician first, okay?"

"Cough cough cough is useless. The fact that I am lucid for a moment is already a last burst of lucidity before death."

Madam Yang looked at her daughter with reluctance and gently stroked Xie Jiu's hair.

“It’s your mother’s fault for being so incompetent. I’ve been living in a daze all these years and haven’t been able to help you at all. You’re all alone in the palace, so you must be very careful. It’s a place that eats people. If you take one wrong step, you’ll be doomed. Your father may not be a good man, but he can still be used. At least he hopes that you will be favored.”

"And your brother, he's not as tactful as you. He might suffer if he goes back to the capital. Tell him for me that he has a family now. For the sake of his wife and children's future, he should think things through carefully before acting and never act impulsively." Madam Yang's voice grew softer and softer.

At this point, his eyes gradually closed weakly.

"Mother, you can't sleep! You have to talk to my brother about these things yourself! Don't sleep!" Xie Jiu called out anxiously.

But the next second, Yang's hand fell heavily to her side, lifeless.

"Mother, mother——!"