coobybook Chapter 437 The Playboy's Divorced Woman 33
Chapter 437 The Playboy's Divorced Woman 33
Gu Shenbai followed at the back of the group and watched helplessly as Xie Qingyu's coffin was buried before he fainted.
He was in a coma for three days this time.
The Gu family has just finished one funeral; they really can't afford a second one.
The First Madam hasn't slept a wink in the past three days.
She dared not, for fear of waking up to bad news.
"Why won't he wake up?" the old lady muttered to herself as she sat in her chair.
After Xie Qingyu was buried, the old lady insisted on coming to watch over Gu Shenbai herself, not for any other reason than that she was afraid that if anything happened to Gu Shenbai, she would not even be able to see him one last time.
At this point, the First Madam had no time to care about the Old Madam.
Her attention was completely focused on Gu Shenbai, to the point of being somewhat obsessed, and she would frequently go up to check if Gu Shenbai was still breathing.
When Lord Gu returned, this was the scene before him: his son, who was barely recognizable as a human being, lay on the bed, his once handsome face devoid of any life.
The First Madam lay slumped on the couch, her usual demeanor gone, her air of decadence almost palpable.
Sitting in the chair, his mother kept muttering to herself, occasionally clasping her hands together and praying to God for protection.
The once grand Gu mansion is now eerily quiet and lifeless.
"Mother, you should go back and rest first. If he wakes up, I will send someone to inform you immediately," said Lord Gu.
He hasn't had a good time these past few days either. After the funeral, there are still many people he needs to thank, especially those who came to help a few days ago.
During his spare time, he had to keep an eye on how the investigation was going. At the very least, someone had to take responsibility for the deaths and injuries of Gu Shenbai and Xie Qingyu. Without him there, the efficiency wasn't very high.
Now that they've finally come back, seeing them like this makes me feel so sorry for them.
The First Madam was somewhat distracted, and when she saw Lord Gu return, there was no joy on her face. She looked at Gu Shenbai on the bed.
"Do you think Shen'er might not wake up? Otherwise, why don't we agree to the Cai family's request and give Shen'er a chance to have good luck?" The First Madam looked up at Lord Gu anxiously.
Her eyes were so urgent, which meant she knew this was wrong; Xie Qingyu had only been gone for a few days.
Gu Shenbai was still lying in bed; how could she make such a request?
But there was really no other way; Gu Shenbai just wouldn't wake up.
The imperial physician had said that he would be fine once he woke up, but now he has been in a coma for several days. If he doesn't wake up soon, he will die.
If she's guilty, then she's guilty; if Xie Qingyu blames her, then blame her. She really has no other choice.
"The Cai family's request is to use someone to bring good luck to Shen-ge'er. I think it's a good idea. If it weren't for Xie Qingyu, Shen-ge'er wouldn't be in this state now. It must be that the two of them don't get along. If we find someone to bring good luck, maybe Shen-ge'er will wake up." The old lady agreed wholeheartedly upon hearing this.
"No," Lord Gu refused outright.
“Why not? You know, Qingyu’s letter… Anyway, her dying wish was for us to give Cai Yue to Shen’er as a concubine. She was willing, and the Cai family was willing, so there’s no problem.” The more the First Madam spoke, the more she felt it was acceptable.
She's now desperate, willing to do anything as long as Gu Shenbai can wake up; he's her only son.
"Willing what? What do you think she's willing to do?" Gu Shenbai, lying on the bed, couldn't even open his eyes, but he still managed to utter a complete sentence.
The First Madam was startled at first, and then quickly summoned the imperial physician.
These days, the original two imperial physicians have become four, and they are living and eating here, keeping a close eye on Gu Shenbai's condition.
Everyone came forward, and it quickly became crowded.
The First Madam pulled the Old Madam back to prevent her from pushing forward, fearing it would delay the Imperial Physician's diagnosis of Gu Shenbai.
But Gu Shenbai, lying on his sickbed, paid no attention to any of that. He refused to cooperate with the imperial physician's pulse-taking and instead asked in a low, hoarse voice, "What did she want before she died? That I take a concubine before she died?"
Gu Shenbai's voice was full of disbelief.
He woke up twice and was shocked twice; he could barely catch his breath.
"Don't get agitated, don't get agitated. Let the imperial physician examine you first. I'll tell you what Qingyu said before she died later," the First Madam quickly reassured her.
She was really scared.
Fortunately, Gu Shenbai just wanted to cause trouble and didn't have much strength. Last time he woke up, he could crawl out.
When she woke up this time, she didn't even have the strength to open her eyes. Even so, she still remembered to ask Xie Qingyu what she had said.
The first wife's success calmed him down.
The imperial physician examined him, gave him some water, and put a ginseng slice in his mouth.
After the imperial physicians left, Gu Shenbai couldn't wait to look in the direction of the First Madam.
The First Madam didn't know when Gu Shenbai had regained consciousness or how much he had heard, so she simply started from the beginning and recounted the whole situation.
Gu Shenbai felt his heart break upon hearing the First Madam's words.
Especially when Xie Qingyu took out the divorce papers.
He thought... He thought...
Even though Xie Qingyu risked her life to save him.
But why are they still pushing him away?
"I disagree..." Gu Shenbai murmured, "I disagree. Xie Qingyu's word is not hers. She's dead. Does she still want to make arrangements for me?"
Gu Shenbai spoke, but his eyes were red.
The old lady wanted to try to persuade her again.
At this moment, Lord Gu spoke up, "This is impossible. Your injury is inextricably linked to the Cai family. How could we possibly allow a daughter of the Cai family to enter our household?"
Lord Gu's opening words were shocking, and the First Madam immediately stood up.
"What do you mean? You've found the murderer? How could it be the Cai family?" The First Madam couldn't understand what grudge or enmity the Cai family had against them.
She thought about it carefully, and a thought flashed through her mind: "Could it be that they want Cai Yue to enter the Gu family?"
If that's the case, then it's a truly enormous joke.
"No." Lord Gu shook his head. If the reason were that simple, then what they sought would not be the status of a concubine.
"The bandits were originally arranged by Cai Kun to rob other caravans. He paid them money to do it. Unexpectedly, the two of them happened to be passing by at that time and were kidnapped by accident. The bandits saw that they were rich and had a lot of money on them, so they decided to do what they were used to and demand a ransom."
Lord Gu has been away from home these past few days because he has already investigated the cause and effect and understood everything.
"But Cai Kun went up the mountain to rescue them..." The First Madam was still a little dazed, not understanding the key point. "Could it be that Cai Kun was one of them?"
Lord Gu shook his head.
"That's where his cleverness lies. He was waiting for news of the success near the city gate before spreading the word about the enemy's robbery, hoping to achieve the desired effect. But who knew that the first person he encountered was Shen Ge'er's servant rushing back for help."
Cai Kun led his men up the mountain after seeing this, but his main purpose was not to rescue Gu Shenbai, but to silence him.
Those bandits didn't know Gu Shenbai's identity, but Cai Kun knew how big a commotion it would cause if Gu Shenbai were kidnapped. None of these bandits would be able to escape, and they would definitely be able to find him by following the clues.
Although the Cai family didn't directly intervene in this matter, such things are easy to leave traces once they've been done.
That's why he was so eager to go up the mountain.
His act of saving Gu Shenbai was a ruse; his real purpose was to kill the bandits.
The last one to fire a stray arrow from the crowd was also a government soldier. He had drawn his bow and aimed at the arrow, but a stone hit him, causing him to lose control and the arrow flew out.
This was also done by the Cai family.
Lord Gu explained it so clearly, it's already quite obvious.
Gu Shenbai had never regretted anything as much as he did now.
Cai Kun, Cai Yue, the Cai family...
"Have they been arrested yet?" The First Madam was practically grinding her teeth to powder. Luckily, she had just been thinking about the marriage to bring good luck, so she had at least fulfilled the Cai family's not-too-excessive request.
Who would have thought it would turn out like this? It's ridiculous that she treated the murderer as her benefactor.
"I have already informed His Majesty upon entering the palace today, and the proceedings have already begun. I will personally attend the interrogation tomorrow." Lord Gu is very efficient.
If it weren't for his status as a prince consort, which limited him to a minor official position, he would have long held a prominent position in the court.
The First Madam looked at Gu Shenbai, her eyes filled with uncontrollable worry, "Don't think about it anymore. You've already given Qingyu her life for being alive. Do you want her to die with regrets?"
Gu Shenbai was completely deaf to anything else, except when he heard Xie Qingyu's name, he still showed some reaction.
“A divorce agreement…” Gu Shenbai said in a hoarse voice.
"What do you need this for?" the First Madam asked.
Seeing him like this, Lord Gu quickly sent someone to fetch it and then handed it to him.
Gu Shenbai tucked the divorce papers into his pocket. This simple action reminded him of how Xie Qingyu had deftly taken his hand, pressed his fingerprint onto the papers, and then put them into her pocket.
Xie Qingyu was so vibrant back then, and he probably started to have different feelings for her from that time on.
But his mind was like a slurred mess, with two conflicting thoughts clashing within him: one was to get close to Xie Qingyu, and the other was to stay away.
Now, this divorce agreement is the only thing Xie Qingyu left him.
Gu Shenbai lay on the bed without speaking, as if he were just an empty shell.
Xie Qingyu floated in the air, taking in everything that was happening in the room. She could only sigh silently at Gu Shenbai's current behavior.
Death is indeed inseparable from this world. Fortunately, she was prepared. She wonders if Gu Shenbai will be able to help her leave this world smoothly.