Please, Don’t Die - Chapter 49.1

The Ying Residence.

Ying Qujie had just stepped through the gates when he was intercepted by Su Lan, the old madam’s personal maid.

“Does Grandmother have any instructions?” Ying Qujie made to head toward the old madam’s courtyard.

Su Lan hesitated, then sighed. “Young Master, come with me.”

She led the way toward the eastern side of the Ying residence.

“Young Master, the old madam has been thinking of you all these years. She knows you’ve suffered some grievances since returning home, but even the most impartial judge cannot settle family disputes. Human emotions are the most complex, sometimes, one has no choice but to act against their will.”

Su Lan spoke earnestly along the way, her words layered with meaning, ambiguous in intent. Ying Qujie responded smoothly, leaving no room for further probing.

The usually tranquil family shrine was packed with people today.

Ying Qujie swept his gaze across the scene. The old madam sat solemnly in the seat of honor, Ying Yuanqi attending to her with exaggerated deference. Lady Su knelt on the ground, weeping and wailing, while General Ying berated her harshly.

He Qingsheng peeked out from the side. “Well, Physician Ying, looks like they’ve set up a stage just for you.”

Ying Qujie remained silent, stepping forward unhurriedly.

General Ying’s furious voice grew clearer.

“You jealous shrew!”

“Even if Qujie isn’t your own child, I never expected you to treat him kindly, but how could you stoop to such petty tricks during his coming-of-age ceremony?!”

“General, this humble wife was blinded by greed. It’s all my fault.” Lady Su’s voice trembled with remorse, sounding genuinely contrite.

“You, this… Ugh! Foolish woman! How can I even face Qujie after your lack of maternal kindness?” General Ying exhaled sharply, clearly beside himself with anger.

Lady Su raised her hand in a vow. “By our ancestors, I am willing to atone for my sins with death. I only beg the General and Mother to plead with Qujie on my behalf. Qi’er is still young, his official career just beginning, and he has yet to marry, he cannot be disfigured!”

“Mother!”

Ying Yuanqi called out urgently, then knelt before the old madam. “Grandmother, my face is of little consequence. Mother may have strayed, but her crime does not warrant death. I am willing to take her place in begging forgiveness from Elder Brother and accepting punishment.”

The old madam’s gaze followed Ying Yuanqi’s movements, lingering on the wound marring his cheek. The more obedient he appeared, the more grotesque the injury seemed.

The old madam rubbed her temples wearily, her expression flickering with a moment of sympathy.

Seizing the opportunity, Lady Su crawled to the old madam’s feet, pleading desperately, “Mother, a disfigured face is a taboo for officials. Please, help Qi’er. He’s still so young, his career cannot end here!”

General Ying also looked troubled. “Mother, Qujie has no interest in officialdom, but Qi’er can accompany me in the military. To be disfigured in peacetime… it would indeed reflect poorly.”

A disfigured official was a grave taboo. Though this unwritten rule was less stringent for military officers, the current lack of warfare made it a sensitive issue.

If someone with ill intentions made an issue of it, Ying Yuanqi’s career would likely be forever confined to the title of “Young General.”

The old madam understood these intricacies. She wasn’t without affection for her younger grandson, but Lady Su’s foolishness had dragged the household’s dirty laundry into the open. She had to hear Ningning’s thoughts first.

General Ying and Lady Su took turns pleading, while Ying Yuanqi knelt pitifully before them. Surrounded by the three, the old madam remained stern, refusing to relent.

General Ying pressed, “Mother, once we are gone, Qujie and Qi’er are still brothers, bound by blood. They must rely on each other. Please, speak to him.”

The old madam scoffed coldly. “Oh? So now you admit Ningning is your child?”

“Mother,” General Ying whispered a reminder, and the old madam immediately fell silent.

“Grandmother,” Ying Qujie’s voice was clear and bright. “What does that phrase mean?”

“Ah, Ningning is here. I was just scolding your father,” the old madam beckoned Ying Qujie over, deftly changing the subject. “Ningning, your aunt did something foolish, making you come back and suffer. It was my oversight.”

From the old madam’s tone, it seemed she thought Lady Su’s actions were trivial.

It appeared General Ying had concealed much on her behalf.

Suppressing the venom in her eyes, Lady Su kowtowed frantically to Ying Qujie. “Qujie, it’s my fault. I admit everything. Please don’t take it out on your brother.”

She played her part well, after three kowtows, her forehead was swollen and faintly bleeding.

The old madam said, “The other day, Hongfeng’s wife acted foolishly and even hurt your brother-”

“Grandmother,” Ying Qujie, accepting Lady Su’s obeisance, coldly interrupted. “I returned today precisely to settle this matter.”

“Bring them in.”

Ying Hongfeng entered with case files, followed closely by Yan Xingyi.

“General Ying,” Yan Xingyi clasped his hands in greeting.

“Imperial Preceptor,” General Ying nodded in return, frowning with displeasure. He thought Yan Xingyi, a charlatan who relied on superstition to win imperial favor, had no business meddling in his family affairs.

The next moment, Ying Qujie’s words shocked him.

“Lady Su is ruthless and has repeatedly plotted against me. When her schemes failed, she resorted to witchcraft during my coming-of-age ceremony, nearly causing a disaster.”

The old madam exclaimed, “What did you say?”

General Ying said, “Qujie, don’t speak nonsense.”

“Qujie, tampering with your coming-of-age attire was wrong of me, but witchcraft is a baseless accusation. Such acts are despised throughout the Great Su Dynasty. How can you make such claims without proof?” Lady Su sobbed behind her sleeves, feigning injustice.

Ying Hongfeng stepped forward to present the case files but was yanked back by General Ying. “What nonsense are you aiding Qujie in now?”

Having been married to Lady Su for years, it was impossible for General Ying to be entirely unaware of her deeds.

Sensing he couldn’t let Ying Hongfeng testify, he immediately ordered Le Bo to take him away.

“General Ying is in such a hurry to silence witnesses. Could it be you fear your own plot to hire assassins against your son will be exposed?” A crisp female voice mocked.

“Who’s there, hiding like a ghost?” General Ying scanned the room, finally locating the source, a wooden doll perched on Ying Qujie’s shoulder, carved in the likeness of a beautiful woman.

Though its expression was fixed, the doll’s face sent a chill down his spine.

“Imperial Preceptor! Imperial Preceptor! There’s a demon here!”

“General Ying, mind your words,” Yan Xingyi said with a hollow smile. “This is my master’s dear friend, Senior Immortal He of Wuci Mountain.”

General Ying wiped sweat frantically. He had met Wei Chunfeng, a cold yet compassionate woman, revered for her grace. She exuded an immortal aura, but this doll evoked something indescribably sinister, chilling him to the bone.

It felt deeply unnatural.

Yet Yan Xingyi vouched for it, leaving General Ying no room to question. He hurriedly apologized, “My ignorance is vast. I beg the immortal’s forgiveness.”

Yan Xingyi winked at He Qingsheng.

“Not inclined to forgive, General Ying,” He Qingsheng ignored Yan Xingyi’s smug look and continued, “Today, we’ll also settle your account for hiring assassins against your own son.”

Ying Qujie hadn’t expected He Qingsheng to speak up so abruptly. By the time he realized what was happening, the other man had already begun aggressively listing all the despicable deeds General Ying and Lady Su had committed.

From the assassination attempt during their return to the capital, to the false accusations at the welcome banquet, and finally connecting all the large and small schemes during the coming-of-age ceremony.

As He Qingsheng recounted each part, Ying Hongfeng presented corresponding evidence.

The old madam’s frown deepened with every word.

Lady Su was drenched in sweat, and General Ying wasn’t faring much better. Every time he tried to refute, his hiring of assassins and his cover-up of Lady Su’s schemes at the welcome banquet would be brought up again.

By the time He Qingsheng reached the end, the nameless fury in her heart had grown into an inferno. “At the welcome banquet, Lady Su resorted to underhanded methods to frame Physician Ying, leading to the wrongful deaths of many innocent people. Yet General Ying, with his considerable influence, suppressed the matter and allowed Lady Su to continue her evil deeds.”

“Today, I’m not just seeking justice for Physician Ying…”

Understanding the deeper implication behind his words, General Ying immediately drew the ancestral sword from the memorial tablet stand in the ancestral hall, intending to stab Lady Su, silencing her to eliminate any future troubles.

The sword thrust forward but stopped mere inches from Lady Su’s heart.

“What’s the hurry, General Ying?” He Qingsheng intercepted the blade with a flick of his hand, sending General Ying flying backward to the ground.

Lady Su was too terrified to even cry. She had been confident that Ying Qujie had no evidence and had planned with General Ying to play good cop, bad cop in front of the old madam, forcing Ying Qujie to heal Ying Yuanqi’s face.

Just as the old madam was about to relent, He Qingsheng had appeared out of nowhere.

The power disparity was too great, this was no opponent she could handle with tears and pitiful pleas.

Though his tone remained unchanged, Lady Su could hear the unmistakable killing intent in his words. She tried to flee but found herself rooted to the spot by an unseen force.

Like the whisper of death itself, she heard:

“Yan Xingyi, proceed.”

The sound of silver chains clinking.

Lady Su collapsed to the ground, writhing and moaning in agony.

“Mother!” Ying Yuanqi lunged forward.

In the next moment, he too was tightly bound by ropes.

Yan Xingyi completed the technique as He Qingsheng had taught him.

Lady Su’s memories gradually unfolded before everyone’s eyes.

Twenty-five years ago…

Ling Yu and Ying Song had grown up together as childhood sweethearts. It was because of this bond that, after all the twists of love and hate, the renowned beauty of the capital married a then-unknown young general.

The outside world lamented the match.

Ling Yu, proud and aloof, paid no heed to idle gossip, believing that as long as she and Ying Song remained devoted, time would dispel the rumors.

But Ying Song genuinely felt unworthy of Ling Yu.

In her presence, he was always plagued by insecurity.

Even though, among all the young nobles and rising stars of the court, he was the one who had won Ling Yu’s hand, he remained suspicious and paranoid, constantly fearing loss.

He was especially fixated on Ling Yu’s relationship with a mysterious figure. No matter how many times she explained, his doubts never faded.

Lady Su had staged a damsel-in-distress scenario during his triumphant return from battle, seducing Ying Song along the way.

Ying Song, long burdened by inferiority, was at the peak of his fame and success when he encountered someone who worshipped him wholeheartedly. His vanity immensely gratified, he brought her into the household without consulting Ling Yu.

The existence of Concubine Su turned the “one love for life” vow Ying Song and Ling Yu had made in their youth into a cruel joke.

With Concubine Su’s deliberate schemes, cracks soon appeared in their relationship, growing wider and more rigid over time.

When news spread that Ling Yu was pregnant, their relationship reached its lowest point.

Because Aunt Su had deliberately schemed and repeatedly hinted, Ying Song began to suspect that Ling Yu’s child was not his.

Not long after Ling Yu became pregnant, Aunt Su was also diagnosed with a pregnancy.

As a result, Ying Song not only intentionally neglected Ling Yu, often picking fights and showing her a cold face whenever they met, but also frequently hurled cruel words at her.

The old madam only knew that the two were quarreling but was unaware of the specific grievances. No matter how she tried to persuade Ying Song, it was futile.

As the arguments grew more frequent, Ling Yu spent her entire pregnancy in a state of melancholy.

In the end, due to Ying Song’s negligence, enemies took advantage of the situation. In a frantic escape, Ling Yu went into premature labor in the wilderness. She struggled to give birth to Ying Qujie but was left with chronic illness and passed away soon after.

At the moment of Ling Yu’s death, Ying Song was still in Aunt Su’s chambers, keeping her company.

Yet, he hypocritically claimed deep affection, showing no care while she was alive, only to lose his mind after her death, blaming all the fault on the newborn Ying Qujie.

He believed the child had caused his wife’s death.

During Ying Song’s period of despondency, Aunt Su remained by his side with gentle attentiveness. Not long after, Ying Yuanqi was born, and Aunt Su was elevated to the status of the official wife.

Ying Song doted on Ying Yuanqi.

Meanwhile, Ying Qujie, the sickly child left behind by his deceased wife, was completely neglected. Fortunately, the old madam took him in and raised him.

“You vile woman, how dare you deceive me!” Years too late, General Ying, upon learning the truth, flew into a rage.

He scrambled frantically, trying to strangle Lady Su.

He Qingsheng was irritated, but the old madam was quicker, she slapped Ying Song with such force that he stumbled and fell to the side. “You worthless fool, get out of here! Back then, you turned a deaf ear to all my good advice, and now you pretend to be heartbroken?”

It was only long after Ling Yu’s death that the old madam learned the real reason behind Ying Song’s quarrels with her. She had carried this guilt ever since.

Regret gnawed at her for failing to uncover her son’s absurd actions sooner.