Chapter 82: He Wanted to Hold Her and Comfort Her

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: He Wanted to Hold Her and Comfort Her

As the silver needles sank in one by one, Doctor Liu’s expression grew increasingly grave, and beads of sweat formed on his brow.

On the bed, Mrs. Shen finally showed a reaction.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she began to regain consciousness.

Before Mrs. Li could feel a glimmer of joy, she saw Doctor Liu slowly shake his head. "There is nothing more I can do. If you have any last words, it is time to say them."

Just as he finished speaking, Mrs. Shen slowly opened her eyes.

Mrs. Li muffled a sob with her hand, crying out to Cui Lingyao, "Quick, come and speak with your mother. You’re the one she worries about most."

She had shed a lifetime of tears for this daughter of hers.

Cui Lingyao stumbled to the side of the bed.

Mrs. Shen’s head was a pincushion of silver needles. Her lips parted, and though her voice was a hoarse, unintelligible rasp, her gaze was clear as it fixed upon her daughter.

"Please, rest assured," Cui Lingyao said, knowing what her mother wanted to hear. She squeezed her hand, promising, "I’ll do everything you say. I’ll take you back to Pingzhou to be buried with Father. I will only mourn for one year, and after that, I will marry..."

Behind her, the gaze that had been fixed upon her suddenly turned vicious, like a knife’s edge pressed against her back.

A chill ran down Cui Lingyao’s spine, and she abruptly changed her tune. "After a year, I will marry, and I will never be anyone’s concubine."

Tears welled in Mrs. Shen’s eyes. She lifted her other hand toward her nephew, who stood by the bed.

Shen Tingyu quickly took it in his.

"You must... take care of each other..."

Shen Tingyu nodded gravely. "Rest assured."

A look of relief washed over Mrs. Shen’s face. She turned to her daughter, a rattling sound coming from her throat as she struggled to form the words. "My child... when you marry, you will be the mistress of a household. You cannot be so willful and reckless anymore."

"Yes," Cui Lingyao sobbed. "I won’t be willful anymore."

With her daughter’s future settled, a great weight seemed to lift from Mrs. Shen’s heart, and her whole body relaxed.

She managed a faint smile, bringing the two youths’ hands together and whispering, "I really can’t bear to leave..."

Before she could finish, the strength suddenly drained from her withered hands.

Her last breath left her.

Mrs. Li collapsed onto her daughter’s body, wailing in grief.

The heart-wrenching wails carried outside the door. Duke Shen shuddered, looking up at the fading colors of the sunset.

The Duchess raised a handkerchief to dab at her eyes, consoling him softly, "My lord, my condolences."

Beside them, several of their children also offered words of comfort.

Duke Shen stood frozen for a moment before turning and walking inside.

His daughters-in-law followed him in as well.

She was, after all, a lady of the Duke Mansion who had died tragically young. As the wives of the family’s young masters, they couldn’t appear too unfeeling.

Soon, the women were all weeping together.

Meanwhile, the men began to arrange for their sister’s funeral.

The servants, too, began to bustle about.

The room descended into chaos.

It was hardly a place for an outsider.

But Xie Jinbai did not leave.

He stood rooted to the spot, his gaze locked on Cui Lingyao.

...She was weeping from the depths of her soul, looking utterly heartbroken.

Xie Jinbai had never seen her in such a state. An overwhelming ache filled his heart, suppressing the immense, bitter pain that had amassed from Mrs. Shen’s final act.

’He wanted to hold her, to comfort her.’

’But there were too many people here.’

’She might not want the complexities of their relationship laid bare for all to see, not under these circumstances.’

’So he couldn’t make a move.’

’All he could do was watch.’

’Watch her weep, and watch Shen Tingyu comfort her so tenderly.’

’That damned man... he was so good at consoling people.’

’His voice was soft and his words gentle; the only thing he hadn’t done was pull her into his arms.’

As if torturing himself, Xie Jinbai watched, his gaze unwavering.

’He had clearly done his best.’

’He knew she had a kind heart. Having taken over Pei Shuyao’s body, she would inevitably feel a debt to Mrs. Shen.’

’She was bound to see Mrs. Shen as her own birth mother.’

’That was why, upon hearing that Mrs. Shen was gravely ill, he had hurried over with Doctor Liu in tow.’

’Who would have thought he would arrive just in time to hear Mrs. Shen’s dying wish?’

Xie Jinbai drew a sharp breath, averted his gaze, and turned to walk out.

Inside, with some weeping and others bustling about, no one noticed him leave.

Mrs. Li cried so hard she nearly passed out.

Duke Shen stood behind her. When her storm of grief had subsided, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "That is enough. Let Zhu’er go in peace. If you keep crying like this, the child will find no rest in the afterlife."

The pain of a parent burying their child was immense, but Duke Shen was a man and a statesman; he was naturally calmer than Mrs. Li.

Besides, his daughter had been bedridden with a serious illness for years. She had been on the verge of death several times, only to be saved each time. As her immediate family, they had long been as prepared as they could be.

Duke Shen helped Mrs. Li from the room.

The others in the room were also asked to withdraw.

Only the maids and matrons remained behind to change Mrs. Shen’s clothes, comb her hair, and prepare her body for its final journey.

Once married, a woman belongs to her husband’s family. Traditionally, a married daughter’s body should not lie in state at her maiden home.

Mrs. Shen’s dying wish was also to be buried in the Pei Family’s ancestral tomb with her husband. With the summer heat, the body would not keep well. Transporting the coffin back to Pingzhou would take at least half a month on the road, so they needed to depart immediately.

But Mrs. Shen had drawn her last breath in her maiden home, and she was the Lord Duke’s only sister. He could not bear for her final arrangements to be so rushed, so he decided to have her body lie in state at the Duke Mansion for three days, to receive three days of incense and offerings from her nephews and nieces.

That very night, a mourning hall was set up.

Dressed in mourning clothes, Cui Lingyao knelt before the coffin. Beside her, arranged by the elders to keep the vigil with her, was Shen Tingyu.

The two of them kept vigil until late into the night, when two of her elder maternal cousins came to relieve them.

After kneeling for hours, her knees were sore and aching.

Shen Tingyu helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

Cui Lingyao shook her head slightly. "I’m fine."

She pulled her arm free and made to walk away, but Shen Tingyu stopped her.

"Your courtyard is a long way from here. It’s better if you take a sedan chair."

"Listen," Shen Tingyu said, cutting her off just as she was about to refuse. "You have to kneel for three consecutive days. If you still want to be able to use your legs after this, don’t be stubborn."

He wasn’t wrong.

What he didn’t mention was that after three days, they would also have to escort Mrs. Shen’s coffin back to Pingzhou.

There would be little rest on the journey.

Cui Lingyao didn’t object further.

Shen Tingyu glanced at her, then called for Shen Er to ready the sedan chair.

He helped her walk out.

Inside the mourning hall, the two young Shen masters exchanged a glance, each seeing the same astonishment in the other’s eyes.

With all the day’s commotion, they had of course heard about the engagement between their eldest cousin and their younger cousin. They had been skeptical at first, but now they were thoroughly convinced.

Outside in the courtyard, just as Cui Lingyao was about to step into the sedan chair, Shen Tingyu called out to her.

He looked at her and said, "Let me walk you back."

’Mrs. Shen’s death had been so sudden; he was worried she might be scared.’

’He also worried that, alone with the pain of losing her mother, she would only cry more.’

’With so many worries, he was reluctant to let her out of his sight.’

’In any case, they were betrothed now.’

’Under the circumstances, the elders wouldn’t object to him escorting his fiancée to her room at night.’

Cui Lingyao, however, paused for a moment. She assumed he wanted to speak with her about the engagement.

’Mrs. Shen’s dying wish had indeed been to promise her to him.’

’But they had already reached an understanding about this marriage—that there was no rush to make it official.’

After a moment’s thought, Cui Lingyao slowly shook her head. "I’m exhausted today. I just want to rest. Whatever you have to say, can we discuss it another day?"

Shen Tingyu did not insist, merely watching as she departed.