Chapter 1370: Side Story: Qi Xiuyuan (1)Editor: Atlas Studios

The young Qi Xiuyuan carefully carried the medicine bowl to his mother’s bed with both hands and said crisply, "Mother, it’s time for you to drink the medicine."

Zhu Wan looked up and saw that her son’s round face was covered in sweat. She couldn’t help but smile. After propping herself up, she took the bowl and downed it in one gulp. Smiling at her son, she said, "Alright, Mother has taken the medicine. Xiuyuan, go take care of your younger brother."

Qi Xiuyuan cheered up and asked, "Mother, Little Brother is getting more and more adorable by the day. You can give him a name now."

Zhu Wan hesitated. "Your father has to be the one to come up with the name."

Qi Xiuyuan was a little displeased. Although he was young, he could already differentiate between those who were close to him and those who were not. Though he did not have a good impression of his father, he rarely refuted his mother. Therefore, he could gaze at his mother expectantly with those round eyes of his.

What Zhu Wan could not stand the most was when her son would gaze at her like this. When she thought about how her husband was solely focused, both physically and mentally, on Madam Wu now, she felt that he probably didn’t care much about their youngest son.

Since even her eldest son’s name was given by her, she presumed he would not care about his youngest son’s name either. So Zhu Wan paused for a moment and took out the name that she had come up with after much pondering. "Let’s call him Haoran then. It’s from ’Meng Zi: Gongsun Chou (Part 1)’: ’I am skillful in nourishing my great spirit... The great spirit can be exceedingly great, and exceedingly strong and nourished by rectitude without injury; it fills up all between heaven and earth.’ " Zhu Wan looked at her eldest son with a smile. "What do you think?"

Qi Xiuyuan’s eyes were starry. At his young age, he didn’t understand much of it, but still, he felt that it was very impressive. He repeated the name a few times and nodded fiercely after memorizing it.

He said happily, "I’ll tell Little Brother that he now has a name."

Zhu Wan smiled as she watched him run and jump away. No one expected this to be the last time they would meet.

It had been some time since his little brother was born. Fair and tender, Qi Xiuyuan was very much fond of him. He could just hold his little hand and play with him for an entire day.

It was only when the child was hungry and needed milk that Qi Xiuyuan left his brother regretfully and bounced out of the room. Looking at the time, he realized that it was lunchtime. So, he planned to find his mother to take a lunch break together.

Though the Qi family’s matriarch had just given birth, everyone knew that the master didn’t like the matriarch and her sons. Therefore, they treated Qi Xiuyuan very lightly and pretended not to see him.

Not minding it, Qi Xiuyuan skipped to his mother’s courtyard and realized that it was so quiet that even the maidservants guarding the door were gone.

He could not help but frown. Slowing down, he searched for his mother in confusion.

A voice came from the room, and this voice belonged to Madam Wu whom he hated the most.

Qi Xiuyuan couldn’t help but stop in his tracks before slowly walking into the house.

As he leaned against the window and looked in, he saw Madam Wu lowering her head and talking to his mother. Her voice was soft and timid, but the content made a shiver run down his spine. "Sister, don’t worry. After I become his co-wife, I will definitely respect you and serve my husband and children well."

Zhu Wan looked at Qi Feng, who was standing at the side, with a pale face. She asked, "What do you have to say about this?"𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Frowning, Qi Feng looked very displeased. "What else can I say? This is Mother’s idea. Mother is currently bedridden and needs a celebration to flush away the bad luck. Since you can’t serve her, let Rou’er attend to Mother. Since she’s a great contributor to the family now, she deserves the position of co-wife."

Zhu Wan’s eyes were filled with despair, and in an instant, endless hatred erupted. She glared at Qi Feng, but when she saw the little figure leaning against the window behind him, the fury in Zhu Wan’s heart dissipated. She thought that she could not let her son see such a dirty scene.

A sense of danger rose in Zhu Wan’s heart. She felt that she did not have long to live. At this moment, her son definitely mustn’t get into a conflict with Qi Feng. Hence, her gaze was filled with sorrow and pleading as she looked past Qi Feng at the small figure at the window.

However, Qi Feng thought that she was looking at him. Seeing how sad she was, he couldn’t help but sigh. He softened his voice and said, "She’ll just be my co-wife, and you’ll still be the matriarch of the Qi family. This hasn’t changed. Why are you so narrow-minded?"

Madam Wu also quickly expressed that she would not snatch the position of matriarch from Zhu Wan.

Instead of responding to them, Zhu Wan retracted her pleading gaze and pointed at the door. "Get out!"

Qi Feng was furious. As if he had been greatly humiliated, he turned around and strode out.

Madam Wu quickly chased after him. At this moment, the little figure leaning against the window had already slid behind the flowers in the courtyard. He covered his mouth with his hand to stop himself from crying and waited for his father and Madam Wu to leave before running into the house.

Zhu Wan felt that her lower body was wet. Thinking back to how she had felt drowsy after drinking the bowl of medicine in the afternoon, and how her servants had disappeared, how could she not understand that she had fallen into a trap?

However, her son had personally brewed the medicine and brought it over personally. Zhu Wan gritted her teeth to prevent herself from revealing any abnormality. Knowing that she did not have long to live, she reached out to stroke her son’s face and instructed in a low voice, "Xiuyuan, my son, Mother is about to die. You have to take good care of your younger brother, understand?"

Qi Xiuyuan opened his mouth wide and tears fell. He wanted to wail, but his mother grabbed him.

Zhu Wan grabbed the child’s arm, covered his mouth, and instructed seriously, "Don’t tell anyone what you saw today. Though Mother was angered to death by Qi Feng and Madam Wu, it won’t do you any good to tell others. You have to keep this a secret. When you grow up, kill Madam Wu and avenge Mother. Remember, your ultimate goal is to take good care of yourself and your younger brother. If killing Madam Wu doesn’t make you feel good, don’t kill her. As long as you and your brother live well, Mother will be happy."

Qi Xiuyuan looked at his mother with teary eyes, but Zhu Wan was in an unprecedentedly clear state of mind. She cautioned him, "Don’t trust the people around me. Go find your Aunt Xia and ask her to take care of you. When your two uncles come, you and your brother will leave with them and only return when you grow up."

Zhu Wan repeatedly reminded him, "Child, Mother loves you and your brother, so you must live well. Remember, as long as you live well, Mother will be at ease. Revenge is not a big deal. If you wrong yourself in order to take revenge, Mother will die with grievances. You can always seek revenge after you become successful, and by then crushing Madam Wu would be like crushing an ant, okay?"

The young Qi Xiuyuan nodded fiercely. At this moment, he could also smell the strong stench of blood.

Zhu Wan’s breathing became heavier. She muttered, "I was angered to death by Qi Feng and Madam Wu. Tell your uncles to take good care of you and not to leave you guys with the Qi family. Don’t stay in the Qi Residence..."

She must not let her son know that she died because of that bowl of medicine. Otherwise, he would never be able to live in peace for the rest of his life.

Seeing as the Qi family was like a tiger’s den, staying here was no different from courting death.

Zhu Wan closed her eyes, her heart clouded with worry. Qi Xiuyuan lay by the bed and cried. At this moment, Zhu Wan’s servants gradually returned. Hearing something amiss, they hurriedly rushed in. Seeing Zhu Wan lying on the bed with a pale face, they were shocked. They went forward to lift the blanket and saw that the blanket on the bed was soaked in blood. The servant girl screamed and ran out to shout, "Madam is bleeding profusely. Madam is bleeding profusely—"

As Qi Xiuyuan looked at the blood under his mother with hatred, he clenched his fists and bit his lip.

Zhu Wan had overestimated Qi Xiuyuan’s obedience. After her death, he refused to leave the Qi family. He had to watch his enemy day and night; only then could he feel at ease.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.