Chapter 143
Chapter 143
Life is short, so one must enjoy it to the fullest.
After drinking, people feel lightheaded.
Jiang Huaisheng wasn't drunk, he had just had too much to drink and felt unwell.
It had been a long time since he'd drunk so much alcohol. He used to occasionally drink a little by himself, and Jing'er would sometimes keep him company.
He rarely attended social events.
Given his former position as the son of a Grand Tutor, others wouldn't have forced him to drink.
Even on his wedding day, when he was happy, he only drank a bit more than usual.
He lay down and had a dream.
He dreamt that he left Ming County, returned to the Capital City, was restored to his original position, and worked diligently, yet his life was more tedious than when he was in Ming County.
Later, the Seventh Prince ascended to the throne, and his sister Yu Luan became the Empress.
He suddenly became the Empress's brother.
His status skyrocketed.
For a time, his house was filled with visitors.
His former superiors treated him with respect, and he advanced rapidly, becoming the Minister of Rites.
Though his hair had turned white, he had reached the highest position a subject could attain, sitting high in the royal court, surrounded by distinguished guests.
Yu Luan found a good match for Wan'er, from a family of equal status with few complications. Wan'er would surely have a blissful life after marrying into that family.
His son was a bit useless, but fortunately hadn't caused any major troubles. He married a woman from a lower-status family, and though their life together was a bit chaotic, they had a pair of children.
His mother was still in good health, and the whole family lived together happily and boisterously.
He smiled slightly, suddenly feeling thirsty.
He wanted to drink some water.
He opened his eyes and saw the bed curtains swaying.
There seemed to be the sound of heavy breathing.
He called out, "Jing'er."
The bed curtains stopped moving, the breathing sounds ceased, and he heard the sound of a door opening and closing.
He suddenly wondered if some lowly maid had taken advantage of his sleep to engage in improper behavior in his room. That would be too outrageous.
He had drunk too much, and his mind was still a bit fuzzy.
The curtain lifted, and it was actually Jing'er.
There were tear stains on her face.
Her clothes were disheveled.
Jiang Huaisheng was too shocked to react for a moment.
"Husband, get up and go kill that Heir Apparent Han for me," Wu said, standing there, her whole body trembling.
Jiang Huaisheng's blood surged, sobering him up considerably.
He stumbled to his feet, grabbed the sword from the wall, and rushed out.
Heir Apparent Han hadn't left; his father had told him to pay respects to the late Mr. Jiang.
He was in Old Lady Jiang's room, talking.
Jiang Huaisheng burst in with his sword raised.
He lunged at Heir Apparent Han with the sword.
Old Lady Jiang was startled, as was Jiang Wan.
Heir Apparent Han dodged left and right, very agile, even hiding behind Old Lady Jiang. Clearly, this wasn't his first time in such a situation.
Jiang Huaisheng had always been skilled in martial arts. Since being stabbed in the face by his brother, he had been practicing sword techniques frantically, making rapid progress. His improvement during this period exceeded all his previous progress combined.
Now, drunk and shocked by his wife, his blood was boiling, and he had a kind of reckless courage that made him feel no pain.
He quickly cornered Heir Apparent Han, pointing his sword at Han's throat.
"You wretched creature, what madness is this?" Old Lady Jiang, who was right there, exclaimed in shock and anger.
Heir Apparent Han looked at the trembling sword tip in front of him, then at the flushed face of the man opposite him, feeling both terrified and exhilarated.
"Brother, why do you raise your sword against me?" he said, feigning innocence.
Heir Apparent Han had feminine features and was quite handsome. Despite his age, he still looked like a young boy, with red lips and white teeth, lacking any sense of propriety.
"You deserve to die, you..." Jiang Huaisheng couldn't continue in front of his mother and daughter.
Heir Apparent Han smiled and said, "Brother, you misunderstand. I was just helping your wife take care of you. Seeing that she was dizzy, I supported her from behind for a moment. We didn't do anything before you woke up."
Jiang Huaisheng also felt that he hadn't been asleep, just in a daze where he had dreamed that his sister Yu Luan had become the Empress.
But just now, Jing'er's tear-stained face, disheveled clothes, the swaying bed curtains, the sound of heavy breathing...
"I'm going to kill you," Jiang Huaisheng's face flushed red, his sword pressing closer, now touching Heir Apparent Han's neck.
Old Lady Jiang, sitting nearby, heard Heir Apparent Han's words and felt her vision darken, her mind buzzing.
She had always kept an eye on this child, knowing that his life wasn't as pleasant as it appeared on the surface. Hui Yun never favored him, not even seeing him. This boy just liked older women, and with his wife's death, there was no mistress in the back courtyard, inevitably leading to improper behavior.
But she never imagined that such a thing would happen right before her eyes.
Hearing him casually say he had just hugged his sister-in-law and done nothing else.
Who would believe that?
Old Lady Jiang felt dizzy, even feeling bile rising in her throat. She spat into her handkerchief, and there was even a trace of blood.
She was furious.
But right now, Huaisheng was holding a sword to Heir Apparent Han's throat.
Heir Apparent Han was also cursing his bad luck. It was all his father's fault, insisting that he must pay respects to the late Mr. Jiang's tablet, saying he should offer three incense sticks on his behalf. Now he had been caught red-handed.
If only he had left immediately and come back another time.
He wondered if his followers thought he was trying to take liberties with the old lady again. Couldn't they see the man with the sword? Why hadn't they made a move?
Jiang Wan was also stunned, never imagining such a scene would unfold before her.
She had a good impression of Heir Apparent Han because in her dreams, he had always treated her extremely well. Several times, thanks to Heir Apparent Han, she had narrowly escaped danger. He had given her many valuable gifts and treated her like his own child.
Now her father was pointing a sword at Heir Apparent Han.
Jiang Huaisheng, hearing this man's nonsensical words, became even more enraged. His mind was filled with images of the swaying bed curtains and the sound of heavy breathing.
Back then, when Aunt Yao said his brother harbored improper thoughts towards Jing'er and had hidden her undergarments, he had been disgusted and completely fell out with his brother, severing their relationship.
But this man before him now was even more despicable.
"You deserve to die," Jiang Huaisheng's sword pressed harder. Despite his emotional state, his body didn't waver, and the sword advanced another step.
The sword had drawn blood.
Old Lady Jiang, watching this scene of brothers turning on each other, could barely breathe.
"Huaisheng, don't be rash. Wu is just a worthless woman. She... she seduced Chang Tian back then. To protect her reputation and ensure your marriage would be harmonious, I painfully sent Chang Tian away. Really, this time it's not Heir Apparent Han's fault. Let him go."
Hearing Old Lady Jiang's words, Heir Apparent Han's mouth twitched slightly. Surely not, he thought. Wu had resisted fiercely, showing no signs of being willing. She didn't seem like someone who would engage in illicit affairs. He had experience with such matters, having done this many times before.
Suddenly, Jiang Huaisheng roared at Old Lady Jiang, "Shut up!"
Old Lady Jiang was too shocked, tears instantly rolling down her face.
In her entire life, her eldest son had never shouted at her. Let alone shouting, he had never even disagreed with her once.
Jiang Huaisheng was also too shocked, his face showing an expression of guilt.
He had never yelled at his mother in his life. Forget yelling, he had never even spoken a word of opposition.
He always felt that with his father's early death, his mother had a difficult time alone, so he wanted to be doubly filial, giving her the filial piety meant for both parents.
But he never imagined his mother would say such things.
If it were before, he would have believed her.
But thinking about his brother's appearance, thinking about when he knocked on the silent room, those densely packed vertical lines in the corner, the word "mother" deeply etched stroke by stroke.
Why would there be such a silent room in the house, where not a sound could be heard once inside, pitch black, and his brother had been locked in there so many times.
He nearly went mad just once.
His brother's eyes held only murderous intent when looking at them, no love at all, and it was the same when looking at Jing'er, as if they were strangers.
That Chang Tian who used to ride on his back, head pressed against his back, calling him "brother," was dead.
"Mother, stop talking. You drove my brother to his death. Before, he almost died from a high fever, almost died from eating the wrong thing and being poisoned, almost drowned in the river. You always said, 'Why won't this little beast die?' Mother, he's already died many times over. The Chang Tian now is not my brother anymore. Are you satisfied? Do you now want to drive Jing'er to her death too? What wrong has Jing'er done?"
Old Lady Jiang saw that Heir Apparent Han's fair neck was bleeding, and she was both angry and anxious.
Heir Apparent Han was a bit mentally unstable. Hearing the words of the elder brother before him, he was rather curious. "This Jiang Er must be that rebel Jiang Er, right? He's been through so much and still hasn't died, he's quite tough. This Old Lady Jiang is quite fierce, no wonder sister-in-law is like a little white rabbit, knowing nothing."
He explained again, "Elder brother, don't be rash. Sister-in-law is truly a good girl. She definitely wouldn't have anything to do with Jiang Er. When I hugged her, she struggled fiercely and threatened to kill herself. I didn't do anything."
Everyone: ......
Jiang Huaisheng's face showed blue veins, the wound on his face seeping blood, looking terrifying.
"I'm going to kill you."
Heir Apparent Han closed his eyes. Oh my, he finally met a husband with some spirit.
"Come out quickly, I'm really going to die. Your entire clan will be executed."
Heir Apparent Han shouted.
Sure enough, there was a clang.
The sword was knocked aside.
But at this moment, Heir Apparent Han's body was pushed away, and the deflected sword pierced Old Lady Jiang.
Heir Apparent Han opened his eyes in shock.
This Old Lady Jiang must have some serious illness to come save him personally. She couldn't be in love with him, could she? That would be terrifying.
He liked his good sister-in-law, not grandmother-in-law.
Old Lady Jiang hadn't expected this either. She couldn't bear to see flesh and blood hurting each other, but now the sword had fallen on her own body.
Huaisheng had actually stabbed his own mother with a sword because of that wretched girl.
She looked down at the sword in her chest in disbelief, watching the blood drip.
Jiang Huaisheng stared at the sword in his mother's chest in disbelief, watching the blood drip.
......