Chapter 417: Baby Girl
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yu Qing’s thoughts couldn’t help but go back to that night six years ago. That night that she would never forget.
The son she gave birth to in nine months was taken away by Xu Yan. After that, Xu Yan brought over another baby girl for her to raise. He said that he would let their Luo’er become the future heir of the Ji’an Mansion.
She also knew that this was best for her son.
However, this was her son, her flesh and blood. How could she bear to let go?!
There was hatred and resentment in her heart. She hated that woman called Wei Wan for snatching her Xu Yan and her only son.
However, the baby girl in the swaddling clothes was crying non-stop. Her cries became sharper and sharper, making her extremely annoyed.
She ignored the baby girl and fell asleep with the blanket over her head.
When she woke up, she realized that the baby girl had stopped crying. Her small body was blue.
The baby girl was dead, frozen to death in that thin swaddling cloth.
At the thought of this painful memory, Yu Qing’s face turned even paler. Her face was as pale as a dead person’s, and her slender body trembled.
“Frozen to death?” Wei Wan’s plump and pale lips trembled violently. Her eyes were as red as blood, but there were no tears. She said sternly, “You killed her, right?!”
Wei Wan screamed emotionally. She was in a daze, and her breath was stuck in her chest. Her lips were frighteningly pale.
Gu Yanfei was quick-witted and slapped Wei Wan’s back gently.
Wei Wan’s red eyes gradually regained some clarity, and she regained her senses in one breath.
“Wah!” Wei Wan burst into tears. Tears welled up in her eyes like a broken dam. “My child!”
She seemed to want to release all the grievances, anger, lamentation, unwillingness, and other emotions of the night. Only her extremely tragic cries were left in the room.
Gu Yanfei handed a plain white handkerchief to Wei Wan. Without batting an eyelid, she glanced at her face again. Then she glanced at Imperial Duke Wei and his wife, indicating for them to rest assured as soon as possible.
The deathly aura on Wei Wan’s face finally dissipated.
Her death tribulation was completely over at this moment!
When Imperial Duke Wei and his wife received Gu Yanfei’s gaze, they heaved a sigh of relief, but their hearts were still heavy.
The truth that had been buried for six years had been revealed, but it didn’t mean that everything was over. It should be said that it has just begun…
Imperial Duchess Wei sat by the bed and gently stroked Wei Wan’s back, comforting her gently.
Wei Wan grabbed Imperial Duchess Wei’s hand tightly and sobbed.
“No, it wasn’t me.” Yu Qing shook her head and muttered non-stop, “It was just that her body was too weak and she couldn’t survive.”
“Marquis, believe me!” She gripped Xu Yan’s robe tightly with one hand. Her delicate body trembled slightly, and her breathing was rapid, as if she was about to faint at any moment.
Xu Yan gently held Yu Qing’s slender waist. “Of course I believe you!”
Gu Yanfei glanced indifferently at the lovers, who were deeply in love, and took the initiative to leave.
Wei Wan’s death tribulation was over. Now, it was family matters at Duke Wei’s Mansion. It had nothing to do with her.
“Second Lady Gu, I’ve really troubled you today. I’m really grateful…” Imperial Duke Wei cupped his hands at Gu Yanfei and said in a deep voice, “The city gate is already closed. Why don’t you rest in this manor tonight? We’ll send you back tomorrow morning.”
Gu Yanfei agreed readily. Imperial Duke Wei instructed an old woman to bring Gu Yanfei down to rest.
Imperial Duchess Wei was still comforting the sobbing Wei Wan gently, who looked at Gu Yanfei apologetically.
“Second Lady Gu, please wait!” Seeing that Gu Yanfei was about to leave, Xu Yan hurriedly shouted. He still tightly hugged Xu Luo, who was scratching his skin repeatedly and was almost going crazy.
Yu Qing also reacted. She took a few steps forward and wanted to chase after Gu Yanfei. She shouted in a trembling voice, “Second Lady Gu, please save my son…”
Without Imperial Duke Wei’s instructions, a guard stopped Yu Qing.
Gu Yanfei walked out of the room through the two curtains without looking back. Wei Wan’s sobbing came from behind, followed by Yu Qing’s sad pleading voice. “Madam… You raised Luo’er yourself. He called you Mother for six years. You can’t ignore him.”
When Gu Yanfei walked out of the room, she couldn’t hear anything.
There was a crescent moon hanging high in the night sky outside, and the stars were dazzling. The night in the suburbs of Beijing was very peaceful. A few lanterns under the eaves illuminated the dark courtyard.
“Second Lady Gu, this way please.” An old woman in green who led the way for Gu Yanfei looked at her in awe. She held a lantern and led her to the guest room to rest.
The two of them walked along the corridor.
Along the way, the old woman said to Gu Yanfei respectfully and warmly, “Miss, watch your step.”
“Miss, do you want to eat something before you rest? Although our place is simple, it’s better because mountain goods are fresh.”
“By the way, when you rest at night, remember to close the doors and windows tightly. Our manor is quiet at night. If there’s any sound, the entire manor can hear it clearly.”
The old woman in green walked all the way and rambled all the way until she led Gu Yanfei to a guest room on the northwest side.
Although the guest room was simple, it was still considered small, even if something was small it could still contain the essentials. It had everything it needed. There were also two old women specially waiting for Gu Yanfei to order them around.
Just as the old woman had said, the soundproofing of this manor was really not good. Gu Yanfei had just finished washing up when she heard the sound of horse hooves outside the house.
She looked out of a window and saw two guards galloping out of the manor on horses. The sound of horses’ hooves gradually faded…
For the people from Duke Wei’s Mansion, this was destined to be a long night. Gu Yanfei had always slept soundly.
She fell asleep to the sound of horses’ hooves and woke up again.
When she opened her eyes, she realized that the sky was already bright outside. In the silent morning, the air was exceptionally fresh, and even the slightest sound was amplified.
She could clearly hear the rapid galloping of horses approaching, hear the birds playing in the courtyard, and hear the deliberately low voices of the two old women outside the house.
Gu Yanfei got up and put on his clothes. The old woman outside heard the commotion in the house and came over. However, she stopped outside the door and didn’t dare to enter casually.
The old woman reported respectfully, “Second Lady Gu, the Duke and Madam invite you over.”
After Gu Yanfei washed up briefly, she followed the old woman who came to pass the message to the room yesterday.
The sky today was a little gloomy. The clouds in the sky were layered and continuous.
When Gu Yan flew over, Wei Wan and Imperial Duke Wei were both there. Their eyes were bloodshot, and it was obvious that they hadn’t slept well the entire night.
Wei Wan was lying on her side on the couch, like last night. A few strands of hair were stuck to her cheeks in a mess. She looked like she had aged a few years and was extremely haggard.
She stared in a daze at a small gray cloth bag on the table. It was only the size of a porcelain pillow.
Gu Yanfei only took a glance and guessed what was in the cloth bag. She sighed slightly.
After the few of them greeted each other, Imperial Duchess Wei looked at Wei Wan hesitantly. She originally wanted Wei Wan to leave, but Wei Wan had been competitive since she was young and stubborn, so she insisted on being present.
After Imperial Duchess Wei invited Gu Yanfei to sit down, she straightened her expression and said tiredly, “Yanfei, this… Imperial Duke Wei got someone to go to the place Yu Qing said last night…”
She let out a long sigh. “We don’t know what to do either. Is there any need to pay attention to the burial? Also, should we perform a ritual for this child and recite the Ksitigarbha Sutra to her?”
As she spoke, her voice became hoarse and tight, and there was a hint of bitterness in her words.
Gu Yanfei slowly walked to the table and examined the cloth bag covered in mud again. Then, she counted with her fingers under the burning gazes of the three people from the Wei family.
Soon, she put away her hand and said calmly, “Rebury the child, set up a tombstone, and perform a ritual so that she can enter the cycle of reincarnation as soon as possible.”
This child died young and was hastily buried. Her soul had no one to rely on. She would have to be reburied again so that her soul had someone to rely on.
When Wei Wan heard this, tears welled up in her red and swollen eyes again. She still stared fixedly at the cloth bag on the table.
“Then Xu Luo…” Imperial Duchess Wei frowned and said.
She didn’t sympathize with Xu Luo. She was just worried that the baby girl would become an evil ghost for revenge and would never be reincarnated.
“Don’t worry about him,” Gu Yanfei said bluntly. “The scar on his back is just a disease.”
Finally, she added, “It has nothing to do with ghosts.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
What?! Imperial Duke Wei and his wife looked at each other in disbelief. Even Wei Wan widened her red and swollen eyes in surprise.
“A disease?” Recalling what he had seen last night, even Imperial Duke Wei, who had walked out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, felt a chill on his feet. He couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.
“This is called a ‘ghost mask sore’. It’s called this because it’s shaped like a ghost mask.” Gu Yanfei explained unhurriedly, “When the first illness acts up, there are sporadic red spots on the back. The condition will gradually worsen in two months. Most of them are lighter and can heal themselves. However, in serious cases, a blood-red scar that looks like a ghost mask will form on the back. The skin is prone to itchiness and pain, causing the patient’s temper to become increasingly irritable.”
“One of his or her parents must have suffered from this illness too.”
When Gu Yanfei first saw the blood-red scar on Xu Luo’s back, she knew that it was a disease..