Chapter 138

Thud!

Li Xusheng fell heavily to the ground, and the bright red blood immediately spread from under him.

In extreme fear, Mrs. Zuo couldn’t make a sound anymore. She knelt down, trembling all over, and came to Li Xusheng’s side.

She bent down to take a look, but Li Xusheng had already lost his breath.

His eyes were wide open, his face pale, but for some reason, there was a slight smile on his lips.

Mrs. Zuo gently touched his cheek, opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, tears had already started to fall onto Li Xusheng’s face.

The previously chaotic private room suddenly fell silent.

Zuo Anning stood behind Duke Yan, her face pale as a sheet. She clenched her hands tightly, though she didn’t look up, she already knew what had happened.

“Anning, let’s go out first,” Duke Yan said heavily, turning his head to signal to Mrs. Zuo.

Mrs. Zuo took a deep breath, suppressed her fear, and escorted Zuo Anning out.

There were very few people in the private room on the second floor. When Duke Yan kicked the door, the servants quickly cleared the scene.

Zuo Anning obediently followed them out. Now that the crisis was resolved, her heart was in turmoil.

Duke Yan turned to look at Zuo Anning, his face full of heartache and pity.

“Anning, go find your aunt first. Leave the rest to your grandfather to handle.”

Zuo Anning heard this, her eyes reddening.

She grabbed Duke Yan’s sleeve, her voice trembling as she asked, “Grandfather, what about Mother… Mother?”

Duke Yan didn’t want to deceive Zuo Anning. After what had just happened, he had already figured it out. His granddaughter was capable of handling things.

“Anning, this is a serious matter. Grandfather has decided to call your maternal grandfather and your father to discuss it together.”

“Don’t worry, no matter what, she is still your mother, and Grandfather will handle it appropriately.”

Seeing how much Duke Yan cared for her, Zuo Anning couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

She knew that her grandfather must not be feeling much better than her at this moment. She shouldn’t cause any more trouble.

“Grandfather, I’ll go find Auntie first. Please take care of yourself,” Zuo Anning said with a trembling voice.

Duke Yan nodded gently, watching Zuo Anning walk down the stairs step by step, unable to help but sigh deeply.

What a misfortune for the family. After such a disaster, the most innocent one was Anning.

When he rushed to the Duke’s Mansion just now and informed them about the private meeting between his daughter-in-law and Li Xusheng, he had a premonition after discovering who Li Xusheng was. But he wasn’t entirely unprepared for this sudden revelation.

However, Qianxiang subsequently mentioned that Anning had gone with them, and his heart immediately hung in suspense.

He didn’t expect such an unbearable scene to be seen by Anning. Fortunately, this child was strong enough and discerning enough.

Let Anning stay at the Qiao Mansion with Jing for a few days. Jing was clever and would know how to comfort Anning.

After Zuo Anning left the Qianxiang Teahouse, the carriage arranged by Duke Yan was already waiting at the door.

Qiao Tianjing did not show up. He hid in the distance, watching Zuo Anning board the carriage, and then hurried back to the Qiao Mansion.

When Zuo Anning arrived at the gate of the Qiao Mansion, Qiao Tianjing personally came out to greet her.

Zuo Anning was still wearing a veil at this moment.

She was deeply saddened. She had cried again in the carriage with Mrs. Zuo. Her eyes were swollen now, and she didn’t want others to see any clues.

Qiao Tianjing was attentive. Seeing this, he didn’t ask anything. He just said gently, “Cousin, my mother has been waiting for you for a long time.”

Zuo Anning nodded and followed Qiao Tianjing into the mansion. When they reached the gate of the main courtyard, they saw Mrs. Qiao coming out to greet them personally.

“Anning!”

Mrs. Qiao was really anxious. She had already learned all the ins and outs from Qiao Tianjing and felt extremely sympathetic towards Zuo Anning.

Zuo Anning originally could hold on, but when she saw Mrs. Qiao’s genuine worry and concern on her face, she couldn’t hold back anymore and threw herself into Mrs. Qiao’s arms, bursting into tears.

“Auntie!”

Mrs. Qiao felt heartbroken, repeatedly stroking Zuo Anning’s back, softly saying,

“Anning, good children don’t need to be afraid. With Auntie here, everything will be okay.”

Qiao Jiaojiao heard the crying outside the courtyard, and her heart clenched involuntarily.

She staggered to the door, grabbed the door frame and looked outside. She saw Zuo Anning hugging her mother, crying in extreme grief.

[Alas, Cousin Anning is so pitiful…]

Qiao Jiaojiao frowned tightly.

[For a well-educated young lady of this era, everything Zuo Anning experienced today is completely subverting the traditional values.]

[The dirty deeds of the previous generation have finally affected the next generation.]

[This matter will probably become a lifelong burden for Zuo Anning.]

After Zuo Anning vented her tears, her emotions finally stabilized a bit. Mrs. Qiao gently pulled her into the house.

To avoid any gossip, Mrs. Qiao had already sent away the other servants and only left Aunt Liu to attend to them.

Aunt Liu was thoughtful, she had already prepared water and hurriedly handed a towel when she saw Zuo Anning enter.

Mrs. Qiao pulled Zuo Anning to sit down, removed her veil, and gently wiped away her tears.

Qiao Jiaojiao obediently sat aside without saying a word.

Zuo Anning felt the meticulous care and finally found some solace for her panicked heart.

She grabbed Mrs. Qiao’s hand and said with a trembling voice, “Auntie, thank you for being so good to me. I feel really unworthy. My mother… she actually…”

Zuo Anning found it difficult to speak. Her mother actually wanted to help outsiders scheme against the Qiao family!

Mrs. Qiao understood clearly in her heart. She said softly, “Anning, these matters have nothing to do with you. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

However, Zuo Anning shook her head. There was urgency on her face as she said quickly,

“No, Auntie, this matter is very important. I must remind you and Uncle.”

“That… that Li Xusheng wanted to use my mother to spy on the Qiao Mansion. Once there’s one thing, there may be others. It’s possible that the thief’s hand has reached the Qiao Mansion!”

“Auntie, you must remind Uncle to be cautious. That scoundrel has sinister intentions. I’m really scared.”

“Fortunately, Mother had already fallen out with Auntie early on, so no major mistakes were made. Otherwise, I would truly be unforgivable!”

After saying this, Zuo Anning stood up hurriedly, seemingly about to pay a big salute to Mrs. Qiao.

“Anning, don’t do this. If you do this, Auntie will also feel uneasy. You are so innocent, you don’t need to shoulder all of this!”

Mrs. Qiao quickly pulled Zuo Anning back.

This child was discerning and had a sense of justice. She was really a great girl.

Zuo Anning looked up, her eyes reddened.

“Auntie, I feel really uncomfortable in my heart. I don’t know what to do.”

Mrs. Qiao hugged Zuo Anning.

“Good child, don’t think too much. Would you like to stay with Auntie for a while?”

“Auntie really likes you, and Jiaojiao also really likes her big sister, you see!”

Zuo Anning followed Mrs. Qiao’s gaze and saw Qiao Jiaojiao coming towards her with great effort, her face showing an innocent smile.

“Sister, biscuit!”

Qiao Jiaojiao handed the favorite biscuit to Zuo Anning, her eyes sparkling.

Zuo Anning’s heart softened a bit at this sight. She took the small biscuit and touched Qiao Jiaojiao’s head.

“Thank you, Jiaojiao. Sister also loves to eat biscuits the most.”