Chapter 179: When Will the Cycle of Vengeance End?
The next day.
Jiang Changtian received the news.
His nephew, Jiang Rong, had drowned.
His body was currently lying in state.
Jiang Changtian decided that he must rush back.
Sister Xia was worried about him and insisted on accompanying him back.
Qin Luoxia rode a horse, and Jiang Changtian rode with her to save time.
He had to make it back to see him one last time.
He worried that if he didn’t see him, he would definitely have regrets.
Qin Luoxia understood; she understood her husband’s thoughts.
On the night Fenger almost died, she had wanted to find Jiang Rong and fight him to the death, to slaughter him.
In the end, only Jiang Rong’s guard, Guard Wu Liu, died.
Guard Wu Liu was just a blade; the one wielding the blade was Jiang Rong, yet Jiang Rong had lived on, free from worry.
Qin Luoxia admitted that she was vicious inside; she simply wanted to see him dead.
Jiang Changtian was the same. He had always felt that he was sick, that his inner self was more or less abnormal, and all of this was thanks to Old Madam Jiang. Seeing them living poorly made him feel a bit better.
He knew that the Lin Yang he had killed last time was actually a son of the Seventh Prince. He hadn’t figured out exactly which one, but perhaps Jiang Wan knew.
The Seventh Prince looked upright, gentle, and devoted, but looking at what he had done—three illegitimate sons and not a single legitimate son, with all three illegitimate sons having grown up safely—one could tell that this person had deep schemes.
The style of the Rebels in the Northwest was to seek revenge for the slightest grievance and to kill without blinking.
Since they also seemed to have official backing, Jiang Changtian had always felt it was related to the Seventh Prince.
This was a true villain who could endure; he would definitely retaliate.
That was also the reason he went to the Prefecture City, fearing that Ming County was too small and might be besieged one day.
Sure enough, he hadn’t made a move, but Jiang Rong had died.
Jiang Changtian and Qin Luoxia arrived at Jiang Rong’s mourning hall, dusty and tired.
It gave Jiang Wan a fright.
Jiang Huaisheng was also stunned when he saw the people who had arrived.
Just a moment ago, when he closed his eyes, he had seen two people: one in a shabby long gown, hair turning white, skin and bones, his face revealing a sickly flush; the other walking like a beast, hands and feet rough, nose and cheeks bright red, looking utterly disheveled.
Opening his eyes, he saw two people: one in a magnificent white robe, black hair oily and bright, spine straight, his face peerlessly beautiful; the other tall and upright, waist slender and legs long, complexion ruddy and pretty, looking open-minded and grand.
They were like a perfect couple, walking to the front of the mourning hall.
They burned incense and paid their respects.
When Old Madam Jiang heard that the beast had actually come to pay respects, she shouted from her bed: “Beast, you beast, it must have been you who killed Ronger! It was you, it was you…”
Every time Jiang Wan saw Jiang Changtian in person, she felt a strong sense of unease in her heart.
Jiang Huaisheng looked at all of this blankly, feeling it was somewhat absurd.
Jiang Changtian saw the bloated corpse lying in the coffin, which was already slightly stinking.
Qin Luoxia also stared at it intently for a while, confirming that this person was indeed Jiang Rong.
The couple breathed a sigh of relief in unison.
“You…” Jiang Huaisheng wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to phrase it.
“Big Brother, please accept my condolences. It is always painful for a parent to bury a child, but think about it: Jiang Wan is still alive, and Shushu should also be alive. Out of three children, two are still left, right?” Jiang Changtian said gently.
Jiang Huaisheng heard his younger brother’s light, airy words and suddenly burst into loud sobs.
He felt that what he had seen when he closed his eyes was as if it were real—reincarnation.
He cried and said: “Changtian, this brother was wrong, wrong. Please let us go. When will the cycle of vengeance end? Ronger is already dead. He is dead, but Fenger is still alive.”
Jiang Changtian patted his brother’s shoulder and said: “Although Ronger’s death has nothing to do with me, Magistrate Huang said that his death was not an accident; someone did it on purpose. The place where he fell into the water had been tampered with. When you have the energy, Big Brother, you can look into the Seventh Prince. After all, the Seventh Prince’s son died because he came to pick you up. By the way, Big Brother, you can pass this sentence on to the Seventh Prince: ‘When will the cycle of vengeance end?’ I’m going to see Mother.”
Jiang Changtian took Qin Luoxia to see Old Madam Jiang.
Jiang Wan shrank to the side of her grandmother, trying to minimize her presence.
Qin Luoxia was startled when she saw Old Madam Jiang.
In her mind, this exquisite noble lady had always been as powerful as a great mountain, insurmountable.
Now, lying on the bed, there were finally a few white hairs on her head, and she looked aged. Before, she had always been like a young girl. In their village, many young wives worked hard and looked older than this mother-in-law.
The Old Madam Jiang of the past seemed as if she would never age.
But seeing her now, she had a sense of old age about her, and she was aging rapidly.
Seeing Jiang Changtian and Qin Luoxia, Old Madam Jiang was startled, then cursed: “Beast! Get out! Get out!”
She reached out to grab something to throw, likely having the habit of doing so, but Jiang Wan had already cleared away the things around her.
Jiang Changtian said: “Mother’s voice when scolding people is so full of vigor; it seems you can live for a long time. Then I am relieved.”
“Cough, cough, cough, cough…”
Old Madam Jiang coughed violently.
Jiang Wan could only keep helping her grandmother rub her chest.
Jiang Changtian said: “Hearing the news of Ronger’s death, Sister Xia and I rode fast to get here, worried that we wouldn’t see him one last time. It’s not that we had any affection; after all, he always looked down on us. We were just worried that you might have used a golden cicada to shed its shell, swapping him for someone else. Now that I’ve confirmed it’s him, I’m at ease.”
Jiang Wan was stunned to hear this; how could there be such a vicious person?
Jiang Changtian looked at Jiang Wan, who was trying hard to minimize her presence, and continued: “Just now, Big Brother told me, ‘When will the cycle of vengeance end?’ and asked me to let go of my hatred. I thought about Mother’s teachings to me since childhood. Indeed, ‘When will the cycle of vengeance end?’—one must cut the weeds and dig up the roots early. Mother, take good care of your illness. When you are better, I will take you to the Prefecture City to enjoy life.”
The couple rarely traveled together.
They left Jiang Mansion.
The two rested for a while, then decided to rush back to the Prefecture City again.
Because the children were at home.
When away from home, one thinks of home, thinks of the children.
No matter how beautiful the scenery outside, one would still think of home, wanting to see the children sooner.
Although, when seeing the children, she might be making trouble and making one’s teeth itch with the desire to spank her.
On the way back, they weren’t in such a rush.
Magistrate Huang had prepared a carriage, so the two could ride back in the carriage and rest on the way.
Perhaps they were tired from the journey.
Jiang Changtian lay on Sister Xia’s lap.
The carriage curtain fell, and the light and shadow from outside shone in, flickering on and off. The sound of the carriage wheels clattered, but at this moment, his state of mind was peaceful, and he didn’t feel it was noisy.
“Sister Xia, I used to always teach Fenger that he must be a good person, that he must be a good person, and that good people gain convenience everywhere. Perhaps I taught him wrong.”
He grabbed Sister Xia’s hand.
“In the future, when teaching Mianmian, I must let her be a bad person. She must be arrogant and domineering, not submissive. She must be ruthless and not hesitate. Be a bad person; you can laugh very loudly, have strong vitality, and always be full of fighting spirit. Being a bad person means being arrogant and happy for a lifetime. Anyway, it’s death in the end. Even doing one good deed can move people and gain redemption. If a good person does good deeds for a lifetime but takes one wrong step, they are doomed. I always feel that the good are bullied, so let’s be a bad person and go bully others…”
Jiang Changtian fell asleep as he spoke.
The carriage swayed.
Pillowed on Sister Xia’s lap, he slept very soundly.
Qin Luoxia supported her husband with one hand, leaning against the carriage wall, but she was very energetic.
The mountain breeze blew, lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, and one could see the pines and cypresses outside, still emerald green.
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