C76 (1/2)
Xue Longhu's eyes were bloodshot as he watched the four servants carry a stretcher in front of him. The stretcher was covered with a thick layer of white cloth, but he could still tell who it was from the silhouette.
The head manservant anxiously asked, ”Master, this was brought out from the palace. Eldest Miss …”
Xue Longhu held back the tears in his eyes and asked with difficulty: ”How did she die?”
The servant replied, ”The Hall of Supreme Harmony was flooded with water. The twelve palace maids were buried in a sea of fire. Coincidentally, Eldest Miss was also in the hall, so …”
Xue Longhu's finger trembled slightly as he lifted the white cloth. The servant immediately stopped him: ”Old master, the face of Eldest Miss has been burnt to the point that it has become unrecognizable.”
Xue Longhu took a deep breath, ”I know, let me see her again. No matter how terrifying her fever is, I want to see his again.”
The manservant responded and took off the white cloth. A charred face appeared in front of him, its facial features were difficult to discern, it was impossible to tell that it was Xue Liuhua. Everyone was so frightened that they turned their faces away, not daring to look at this ghost-like thing again.
Xue Longhu stopped beside the corpse in shock, sized her up, and asked curiously: ”Is this the big miss?”
”Yes, old master,” the servant nodded, ”Her clothes are of the same length as Eldest Miss, and she has the Prime Minister's Mansion emblem on her body.” He handed over a charred token that could only show the word 'Xue'.
Xue Longhu did not persist anymore, as a few tears finally fell down his face, ”Did you tell this to Madam?”
The attendant said hesitantly, ”Madam is lying on the bed.”
Xue Longhu suddenly remembered that the poison in the Madam Ye was already deep, and he had completely become a cripple. He had to lie on the bed all day without being able to move or eat, and could only wait for his days to come to an end.
Xue Longhu wiped his tears, ”Carry her to the East Garden, let the butler choose a good day to bury her.”
Although Xue Liuhua had done many wrong things, she was still his beloved daughter after all. Now that she had ended up like this, it made his heart feel as if it was being stabbed by knives. It was all his fault as a father, she couldn't remind him to be careful before she entered the palace.
”Master,” the manservant said gently, ”The eunuch by the emperor's side is waiting for you in the study.”
The young miss of Prime Minister's Mansion had tragically died in the Imperial Palace. Presumably, the Emperor wanted to pacify him by offering him some gold, silver, and jewelry. Xue Longhu nodded sadly, ”I know.”
The servants did not even dare to look at the charred corpse, and hastily covered it with a white cloth.
”Sigh,” Xue Longhu called out to a servant. ”Go and tell Second Young Miss that she has been waiting for Liuhua to return these past few days, and has finally returned.”
”Miss,” Little Zhui smiled as she came in and bowed to her. ”Congratulations Miss, you're about to become the big Miss of the Xue Manor.”
Xue Ronghua nodded slowly, then put down the history book in his hand, ”Did you send Xue Liuhua's corpse into the palace?”
Little Zhui laughed: ”He's here. In order to pacify the old master, the Emperor even sent someone to deliver many things to the palace.”
”When Master saw Xue Liuhua's corpse, what expression did she have?”
Little Zhui rolled her eyes, ”Master is crying so bitterly.”
Xue Ronghua's hands froze. Even if Xue Liuhua committed the crime of killing her sister and her mother, she was still the direct descendant whom Xue Longhu had doted on for so many years. Now that she had suddenly died in the sea of fire and could no longer meet him, she would definitely feel extreme sorrow.
A manservant knocked on the door and said, ”Is the second young miss here? The master asked me to come over and tell the young lady that the young lady's corpse has been brought into the mansion.”
Xue Ronghua pretended not to know about it, ”Corpse?”
The manservant swallowed hard and replied slowly, ”When First Miss entered the palace, she encountered a huge fire … ”Second Miss, please don't be too sad. Be careful of your body.”
”No wonder I didn't see you even after waiting for a long time,” Xue Ronghua and Little Zhui smiled at each other, then asked, ”Where is the old master right now?”
”The lord is in the study. He is entertaining the eunuch sent by the emperor.”
”Oh, then where is the young lady's corpse?”
”The young miss' corpse is lying on the East Garden. Master ordered the housekeeper to choose a good day to bury it.”
Xue Ronghua thought for a while, then said: ”Alright, I understand. You can go now.”
The attendant replied and hurriedly left.
”Miss,” Little Zhui asked, ”Do you want to go to East Garden to see Eldest Miss?”
Xue Ronghua smiled, ”Of course we are going. We sisters will be the ones to send her off.”
”But,” Little Zhui bit her lips, ”The young miss was burned to death, her corpse must have been a horrible sight to behold.”
Xue Ronghua took a light sip of tea and said, ”No matter how she's burnt, I will go and take a look even if it's just a charred corpse.” No matter how it was burnt to, it was still not Xue Liuhua's corpse. She was currently in the palace, standing in front of her own Imperial Concubine Hua.
”Then miss, I'll go with you.”
”If you're afraid, then you don't need to go,” Xue Ronghua said as she looked around, ”Zhu Tong went out to play again?”
Little Zhui said with a smile, ”It's not spring yet, that girl went out of the city to admire the flowers.”
”You should keep an eye on her,” Xue Ronghua said worriedly. ”She's just a little girl from Chiron;
Little Zhui laughed: Miss, do not worry, Zhu Tong is poisonous, no one will bully her.