roccoschili Chapter 146 The Sinister Son's Sister-in-Law 22
Chapter 146 The Sinister Son's Sister-in-Law 22
Hearing Aunt Xin say this, Xie Qingyu could roughly tell how beautiful Aunt Liu must have been back then.
Qin Shenzhi's beautiful appearance was only inherited by her in part.
"My second brother is indeed handsome, and he doesn't resemble the Marquis at all. It turns out he looks like Consort Liu. With Consort Liu's good looks, she should be very favored. How could she..."
Aunt Xin's smile faded slightly. "Good looks may bring favor, but this is the inner quarters. No matter how favored you are, you still have to make a living under the mistress's command."
"My second brother has really had a tough time these past few years. This morning I saw that his clothes were all torn and there was no one around to help him take care of them. He must have suffered a lot," Xie Qingyu said, seemingly unintentionally.
Aunt Xin's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this, and she couldn't help but show a hint of concern, "Is the Second Young Master not doing well these days?"
"It's not that it's bad, but as you know, my husband is in prison now, and my mother is really worried. Especially when she sees my second brother, she says things without thinking. My second brother has been running around outside for my husband's sake and hasn't been home for two days. My second brother cares a lot about my husband."
"The second young master is a good boy. I never expected him to care so much about the eldest young master." Aunt Xin's tone was hard to describe, as if she was relieved, but also disappointed.
"The second young master also said that your embroidery skills are excellent, and that you are a kind and good person, which is why I dared to come." Xie Qingyu first made up a few things before asking what she really wanted to know.
Upon hearing Xie Qingyu ask about the cause of Aunt Liu's death, Aunt Xin paused, lowered her eyes and thought for a while before raising her head and saying, "If the young mistress wants to know, I will tell you. Anyway, it's all old news."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie," Xie Qingyu said, simply looking at her.
Aunt Xin paused for a moment before saying, "Knowing these things might not do the young mistress any good, but the young mistress is also a good person. Caiyue always says she likes you, so I'll just tell you. You can listen to it as a story."
Caiyue is Aunt Hu's child from the next courtyard. She's a lovely little girl, and Xie Qingyu always greets her whenever she meets her.
"It is said that Consort Liu was brought back from Jiangnan by the master back then. She is from the same place as me. I don't know about what happened before. When I entered the manor, she had already been serving the Marquis for more than a year." Consort Xin recalled with a smile on her face.
"At the time, she was the most favored in the courtyard, and everyone who came afterward heard about her story. Unlike me, we were all put in there when the Marquis was entertaining guests. She was different; the Marquis met her outside and was so impressed by her that he insisted on bringing her back."
"She has a very good temperament. Despite being favored, she treats us all like her own younger sisters. When she looks at you with her expressive eyes, even if you hate her for being favored, you can't bring yourself to say a harsh word to her."
"At that time, the Lady of the Marquis had not gotten pregnant, and all the concubines in the mansion drank contraceptive soup. That soup was bitter and harmful to the body. Concubine Liu drank a lot of it at that time, and her health was not as good as ours."
Aunt Xin's expression turned somewhat sad when she said this.
"Later, when the madam became pregnant, the contraceptive soup in the back courtyard was stopped. Before the eldest young master was even born, the concubines in the back courtyard became pregnant one after another. This was good news, but after three women miscarried unexpectedly just a few days after becoming pregnant, everyone realized that it must be..."
Aunt Xin didn't finish her sentence; it was left to be understood implicitly.
"And then?" Xie Qingyu asked.
Qin Shenzhi and Qin Lingrong are only about half a year apart in age.
“Aunt Liu’s health was a bit weaker, and she got pregnant later. After several of the concubines had miscarried, she finally realized what was going on and didn’t dare to tell anyone about her pregnancy. It just so happened that the Marquis was going on an inspection tour in another region at that time, so he sent Aunt Liu along. When the Marquis returned, she had already brought the second young master back with her.”
"From then on, Aunt Liu humbled herself before the Madam, hoping to leave a way out for the Second Young Master. But children don't know how to hide their talents, especially when they are four or five years old. The Eldest Young Master's health was poor for a long time, and he couldn't even attend his early childhood education, while the Second Young Master not only knew how to read, but he could also recite poems after just one reading..."
"Not long after, the madam found a fault and punished the second young master. Concubine Liu went in and pleaded for him. Later, I don't know what Concubine Liu said to the madam, but the madam spared the second young master's punishment. A few days later, it happened that Concubine Liu deliberately caused Concubine Zhao to miscarry. The madam blamed Concubine Liu for the children that had not been born in the manor before and punished her on the spot. She was beaten to death in front of the second young master. When the marquis arrived, the madam only used the three words 'her father' to persuade the marquis to stop. Concubine Liu was beaten to death."
Tears welled up in Aunt Xin's eyes.
That gentle woman, Sister Liu, who often sang folk songs from her hometown to her, was beaten to death like a worthless object and thrown into a mass grave, without even a place to be buried.
"So that's how it is..." Xie Qingyu murmured.
I can't imagine what it would feel like for a four or five-year-old child to watch his mother be beaten to death right in front of him. Even if he didn't know what death meant at the time, he could still feel the pain of each blow to his mother.
His heart-wrenching cries could not rouse the mercy of the mistress of the house, and even his father, who had always doted on his concubine, could only watch her die in front of him.
Moreover, his birth mother's death might have been an attempt to give him a chance at survival.
Who wouldn't hate it!
Let everyone in this Marquis's mansion experience that feeling.
That helpless and painful memory remains vivid in Qin Shenzhi's mind from the age of five until now.
Facing these people every day, how could he possibly feel any joy? He would probably be living in that painful situation all the time.
No wonder Qin Shenzhi deliberately mentioned Qin Lingrong's misfortunes in prison to provoke Lady Hou.
The deep bond between mother and son allowed Lady Hou to experience that feeling as well.
At this moment, Xie Qingyu suddenly understood some of Qin Shenzhi's actions.
For example, why not deal with Qin Lingrong directly?
He wanted to make these people suffer, to make them run around and help, only to find it was all in vain, and to watch helplessly as his own son died before it was their turn.
"Young Madam only heard a story. At that time, Aunt Liu was dressed in white, and when she died, her clothes were stained with blood. The mansion was in turmoil for a long time. Since then, no one in the mansion is allowed to mention Aunt Liu. Young Madam, please remember not to let it slip in front of Madam."
"Thank you for reminding me, Aunt Xin." After Xie Qingyu finished speaking, she noticed the change in the light in the room, turned her head and saw a person standing in the doorway.