nycdaug Chapter 117 Blood Ties
Chapter 117 Blood Ties
"I...I...my elder brother..." Yiyi hesitated. Hu Lan said impatiently, "Tell me quickly, what happened to your elder brother? Your damn elder brother is finally dead?"
"No... not dead. My eldest brother said he has made a lot of money now and wants to take me back to live a good life."
Hu Lan said angrily, "How could they have the heart to sell you out back then, and now that they've made money they're letting you go back? That sounds a bit strange to me."
Huang Jiuyuan agreed, "I also feel that something is wrong. I have met your elder brother before, and he is not a good person. Although it is not nice to say this about your elder brother in front of you, Yiyi, you should also be more careful."
"I believe in my elder brother. We are blood relatives. If I hadn't been unable to afford food at the time, he wouldn't have sold me. Even though he sold me, he did find a good home for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met you."
He wanted to warn her, but finally, seeing Yiyi's face as if she had made up her mind, he asked, "Have you really thought it through?"
"Think about it."
"Then you wait in the courtyard. I'll send someone to take you away tonight. From now on, Concubine Yiyi in the Prime Minister's Mansion will be considered dead."
"Thank you, my husband... Thank you, sir, for your kindness!" Yiyi knelt down and kowtowed.
Hu Lan asked Huang Jiuyuan, "Are you really going to let her go?"
"Life is long. I'll do my best to provide her with some protection. As for the rest of her life, she has to decide for herself. And you... Hu Lan, if you want to leave in the future, I will let you go."
Hu Lan's eyes were filled with sadness. She had been accompanying Yi Yi for these days and had long been accustomed to her presence. Now that Yi Yi was leaving, she was still reluctant to let her go. She bent down and helped Yi Yi up from her kneeling position. "I'll see you off for the last time."
"Let's go together, grandma is still waiting for me." Huang Jiuyuan waved his hand, and the three of them walked out of the yard together.
When Hu Lan left, she took a deep breath of the air in the courtyard, feeling that she might never smell such a pleasant floral scent again after leaving the yard.
When Huang Jiuyuan arrived at his grandmother's courtyard, the old lady, his second aunt Yuan and Huang Yuantu were sitting at a stone table with some fruits and a plate of moon cakes on it.
Huang Jiuyuan was surprised. In previous years, his grandmother had only come with him and his sister, but this year, Yuan and Huang Yuantu also came. Thinking that his grandmother's appearance tonight must have been due to Yuan's tip-off, he guessed.
The old lady of the Xiangfu Mansion was talking to Yuan Shi. When she saw Huang Jiuyuan come in, her eyebrows curved and a smile appeared on her face. "Yuan'er, come and sit next to grandma."
Huang Jiuyuan walked over and sat down, picking up a mooncake from the table and began to eat. The old lady handed him a pomelo slice and said, "Yuan'er, your sister is not here for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. In previous years, we always celebrated together, but it's a little strange. Today, it's thanks to your concubine Yuan's quick tip-off, otherwise you would have suffered with your clumsy personality. You don't blame grandma for asking them to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together, right?"
"It's lively with a lot of people. Your room is usually quiet. If you have nothing to do, you can ask Aunt Yuan and Yuantu to come and keep you company. Yuantu is good at observing the celestial phenomena and is very interesting."
"It's a pity that Tu'er is not very smart, otherwise he will definitely be a talented person in the future."
Aunt Yuan sighed softly and patted Huang Yuantu's head. "I don't ask for anything else, but I hope he can be safe and happy in the future. He has relied on the old lady's care these days, but it's all thanks to Jiuyuan. When the Qiao family is angry, they always have to find a place to vent. If it's not me, then it's Jiuyuan..."
Huang Jiuyuan rarely listened to Yuan, so after hearing what she had to say, he consoled her, "How can I blame you? It's the Qiao family's wicked ambitions. They wish all the other branches of the Prime Minister's Mansion would die, leaving only theirs."
The old lady said angrily, "How dare she do that while I'm here! If they hadn't repeatedly taken advantage of you over the years and nearly killed you, I wouldn't hate them so much! Do you really think I'm dead and that you're motherless? Even though you don't have a mother, you still have a grandmother!" She suddenly became sad again, "Yuan'er, it's time for you to grow up. If your grandmother is gone and you're all alone, you must always keep in touch with your sister. You are blood relatives, and this cannot be severed. With your sister protecting you, I can rest assured in the future."
Yuan said, "Old lady, you are in good health and will surely live a long life."
"Alright, stop saying those nice things," the old lady sighed. "If I weren't here, Mrs. Qiao would have skinned you alive. And yet you gave birth to a child like Tu'er, whose father naturally doesn't want to care for him. I know my son best. It's thanks to me that I raised him with so much hardship. He should be grateful to Heaven for his filial piety today."
The old lady's personal servant poured tea for her. The old lady was so thirsty from talking that she drank it and said, "Yuan'er."
"grandmother."
"If the Third Prince ascends the throne in the future and your elder sister becomes the Empress, you will also benefit from it. If then...if Grandmother is no longer around, please do your best to look after Concubine Yuan and Tu'er for me."
"Grandma, I will definitely do this little thing. I hope you will live a long life. Don't worry so much."
Yuan started to cry and said gratefully, "Grandma, thank you for protecting us mother and daughter all these years. Otherwise, Tu'er and I would have died somewhere long ago."
Huang Jiuyuan also sighed suddenly. There were indeed troubles in the backyard of the aristocratic family. Just as Hu Lan said, he took Hu Lan in at that time because he envied her for being an orphan knight who was hunted down because she saved people and offended the bully.
If he had a choice in the future, he would also like to live a leisurely life and travel around.
Huang Jiuyuan picked up a moon ball and handed it to Huang Yuantu, "Yuantu, eat it quickly. Grandma's moon balls are the best. You can't get this taste anywhere else."
Huang Yuantu took it, and seeing Huang Yuantu eating with gusto, the three of them laughed.
Everyone was having a great time. Huang Jiuyuan looked at the moon and thought that the August Festival in Helan Mansion should be very lively too, right?
The August Festival was a day of bustle everywhere and family reunions, but the palace was deserted.
Qi Didi was carried back to the palace by Gu Shicheng by the moat. She pretended to be unconscious all the way until Gu Shicheng put her on the bed in her room and ordered Cui'er to call a doctor.
Qi Didi slowly raised her eyes and stopped Cui'er, "Your Highness, this is an old illness. I have been weak since I was a child. There is no need to call a doctor."
"Listen to me, please come and take a look."
Cui'er stopped and continued to move forward.
After the doctor was summoned, he felt her pulse and said, "The princess is a little anxious and angry, but it's nothing serious. I'll prescribe some medicine for her and she'll be fine after some rest."
The prescriptions all contained some good medicines for clearing away internal heat. This doctor was well aware of how to survive in the backyard and was considered an expert at the operation.
After Cui Er took the prescription and went out, she ran into Aunt Cui. Aunt Cui ordered her to stop. Cui Er stopped tremblingly. Aunt Cui asked, "Just now I saw the doctor go to the concubine's room, but what disease did the concubine have?"
Cui Er said, "The doctor diagnosed it as a case of anxiety and said it would be fine after taking a few doses of medicine. It's nothing serious. Thank you Aunt Cui for your concern."
"Take the medicine?" Aunt Cui's eyes darkened, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Give me the prescription."
Cui'er tucked her hands into her sleeves. Fortunately, there were no lights in this area, and it was so dark that only the moonlight could illuminate it.
She handed over the prescription, and Aunt Cui took it hurriedly without noticing her hand. Cui'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Aunt Cui found out, she would inevitably make a fuss about it, and her situation would become even more difficult.