met free Chapter 208 Fainting
Chapter 208 Fainting
Chapter 208
The next morning, under the care of Liu Gongquan, Concubine Liu washed and dressed neatly, and was supported by him to the main room for dinner. After dinner, Concubine Liu wanted to help Liu Gongquan straighten his clothes, but Liu Gongquan stopped her with his hand: "You are not in good health. Don't overwork yourself. Get some rest."
Aunt Liu lowered her eyes, bowed her head and said nothing, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Seeing this, Liu Gongquan sighed silently, held her in his arms, and patted her back gently. Aunt Liu raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and looked at Liu Gongquan with tearful eyes: "I want to go to Xi'er's courtyard to take another look. I dreamed that Xi'er asked me for help last night."
Liu Gongquan sighed again: "Forget it, go ahead, and take a few servants with you. Come back if you feel unwell."
"Yes, Master, go and do your work, and don't worry about me."
Liu Gongquan raised his hand and gently brushed away the hair that was stuck to her forehead. Then he beckoned the attendant beside him and solemnly instructed, "For the next few days, you will stay with my aunt. If anything happens, please inform me immediately."
Upon hearing this, the attendant hurriedly bowed and replied, "Yes, sir."
Liu Gongquan turned to Aunt Liu again, gave her a few more instructions, and then turned and left.
Aunt Liu stood there, and only turned back to the house after she could no longer see Liu Gongquan.
She dismissed the servants, using the excuse of changing clothes. Then, Madam Liu pulled a slip of paper from her sleeve, smiled, and slowly held it toward the oil lamp. The flames licked the paper, and in an instant, the paper was engulfed in flames, quickly reducing it to ash. No one could tell what was written on it.
…………
Liu Gongquan had been busy in his study for a while when he suddenly heard a commotion outside. He stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out, shouting, "What's going on? What's all this noise?"
The noise outside the courtyard suddenly fell silent. The servant he had sent to accompany Concubine Liu rushed in from outside the door, knelt down in front of him with a "thump", and shouted in panic: "Master, this is bad! The eldest son's grave has been dug up, and even the body is missing!"
"What?" Liu Gongquan was furious upon hearing this. His face instantly darkened, and the veins on his forehead throbbed slightly. But he had been an official for many years and was well versed in the art of concealing his emotions. He quickly took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, suppressed his anger, and said in a deep voice, "Tell me in detail, what exactly happened?"
The servant was also very articulate and quickly explained the whole story: "This morning, I went to the eldest young master's courtyard with Concubine Liu. I didn't find anything at first, but just as I was about to leave, I found a jade pendant in the corner of the courtyard. Concubine Liu was really worried about the eldest young master, so she wanted to investigate thoroughly. Who knew that the investigation was shocking? The gold, silver, and several precious ornaments in the eldest young master's room had disappeared. I originally wanted to come and tell you as soon as possible, but Concubine Liu stopped me. She said that you are busy with your affairs recently and cannot disturb you."
The servant's eyes welled with tears as he spoke, his voice choking with sobs. "Madam Liu said someone in the mansion might have been in trouble, so they took the remains. Now that the young master is dead, there's no point in pursuing the matter. So, they decided to go and see where he was buried. But when they got there, they discovered his grave had been disturbed and turned upside down. The diggers hadn't even covered the grave properly, so stray dogs carried off the young master's body. Now, the young master isn't in the grave, and even the burial objects are gone."
Hearing this, Liu Gongquan's vision went dark, he felt dizzy, and his body fell straight to the ground without control. The servants around him immediately panicked, "Master! Master! Are you okay?"
"Go and call the doctor! Call the doctor!"
Fortunately, Liu Gongquan was supported in time and did not fall to the ground. He just leaned on the servant, his face pale and his lips trembling, but he still tried his best to order: "Help me up, I'll go take a look."
The servants looked at each other, not daring to disobey, and hurriedly helped Liu Gongquan to stand up, prepared the sedan chair, and carried him quickly towards the ancestral tomb.
Outside the city, at the Liu family's ancestral tomb, a scene of mournful desolation reigned. In a corner of the tomb, Concubine Liu leaned helplessly against the headstone, weeping bitterly. Her cries echoed through the empty countryside, filling even the listeners with sorrow. She wept until she nearly fainted, her voice wailing: "My son, my son, how could you have such a tragic fate? Not only did you lose your innocent life, but you didn't even leave behind your body."
The servant stopped the carriage behind her, but Aunt Liu was completely unaware.
Liu Gongquan was helped down from the carriage. As he took in the scene, he felt a surge of energy and a sweetness in his throat. The grave was in a state of disarray, with clods of earth scattered everywhere. One corner bore clear signs of digging. The coffin lid was now half-open, revealing the young master's body. There were no burial objects left, only scattered scraps of clothing.
The servants around didn't even dare to breathe. They all had sad faces, lowered their heads, and didn't dare to make a sound.
Liu Gongquan felt as if all his strength had been drained from him. He slowly slumped to a sitting position in front of the grave, his fingertips trembling. This was his eldest son. From the moment he was born, he had placed high hopes on him, his heart and eyes filled with love. Normally, even if the child acted erratically, he would never reprimand him. But now, he had suffered a tragic end, with no remains left. How could he not feel pain? How could he not be sad?
No matter how painful and sad he was, what could he do now that things had come to this? Liu Gongquan could only grit his teeth and shout angrily, "When I find out who did this, I will tear him into pieces and make sure he dies a miserable death!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Liu burst into tears again. Her cry was heart-wrenching, as if she wanted to vent all the sorrow in her heart.
The maidservant beside Concubine Liu fell to her knees with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to Liu Gongquan, her face covered in tears as she pleaded, "Master, you are the eldest son's biological father. The eldest son has always respected and loved you the most. Please do something for him. Our eldest son was murdered, murdered!"
Liu Gongquan turned around abruptly and looked at the maid. He paused for a moment, then said coldly, "Why do you say that? Do you have any evidence?"
The maid hurriedly pulled out two items from her bosom and handed them to Liu Gongquan, crying as she handed them over: "This man has not only harmed the eldest young master, but also left his body and bones untouched. Even after his death, he cannot rest in peace. We have evidence, but the concubine is afraid of embarrassing you and refuses to tell you. Master, please do something for the eldest young master."
Liu Gongquan suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. He slowly took the item from the maid's hand, then took a closer look. In an instant, he felt as if all the blood in his body seemed to solidify, and a chill came out from the bottom of his heart.