In the end, it was Jiang Xuesui who pulled Wen Qiao away from the battered Shen Lin, preventing a fatality. If Shen Lin had truly been killed, the Shen clan would not have let the matter rest. Moreover, it could easily be used by those with ulterior motives to escalate the conflict into a struggle between the northern officialdom and the southern gentry. Shen Lin, his head covered in blood and unable to open his eyes, was supported by his Shen guards to a guest courtyard in the Xiao residence for treatment. The crowd gathered in the议事厅 to discuss Xiao Wang's punishment. The members of the Xiao clan's fourth, fifth, and sixth branches had directly carried the coffin of Xiao Shisanlang into the hall, demanding that the Xiao clan elders give them an explanation. The second and third branches fanned the flames from the sidelines. Each of these Xiao clan members harbored their own hidden agendas. Madam Jiang calmly watched the women and children wailing around the coffin, the corner of her mouth twitching. Suddenly, she slammed her teacup heavily on the ground. All six south-facing doors of the议事厅 were closed by Xiao clan guards. The shadows of densely packed archers appeared outside the doors. "What does Madam mean by this?" someone asked first. Madam Jiang stood tall and declared sternly, "The death of Shisanlang was originally a family matter. These uncles of Wang'er insisted on making a public spectacle of it, clearly intending to bully us widows and orphans. When my husband was alive, he left me the token to command the Xiao clan's Divine Concealment Guard. Since all the clan elders are here today, let them witness that I, Jiang Hanzhang, will purify the Lanling Xiao clan. Pass my command: all collateral branches of the Xiao clan present in this hall shall be executed." "Madam, think twice!" "Madam, you cannot!" "Please, Madam, revoke the order at once. If hundreds of lives are lost by your hand, you will be a eternal sinner in Xiao clan history." ... Everyone tried to dissuade Madam Jiang. But they underestimated a mother's determination to protect her son. Even Xiao Wang knelt before his mother, begging her to revoke the order. Yet Madam Jiang remained unmoved. A bloody slaughter began— Wen Qiao stood behind Jiang Xuesui, raising his sleeve to cover her eyes. She could not see, but could hear and smell the agony of those dying, desperate Xiao clan members, slaughtered like pigs and dogs... Madam Jiang was a woman of great skill and boldness. Though she had secluded herself in Guanju Hall over the years, she had gathered enough evidence to condemn Xiao Wang's five uncles to death, making her claim of "purification" valid. The clan elders had no room to argue, forced to watch coldly and wait for the slaughter to end. Jiang Xuesui felt tight in her chest, suppressing the urge to vomit. But when she stepped on something sticky and soft that rolled to her feet, just as she was about to look down, Wen Qiao gently lifted her chin from behind. "Yuanyuan, don't look down." Wen Qiao was also restraining himself. What Yuanyuan had accidentally stepped on was an eyeball. He too was seeing such a horrifying scene for the first time—limbs and remains scattered on the ground. In the north, there were also clan internal struggles, but compared to what he saw today, they were as mild as children's games. * It was after midnight when Jiang Xuesui finally returned to Jiangxue Residence. She felt no drowsiness, afraid that if she slept, she would have nightmares. She had just sat down at her dressing table to comb out her hair when Yuming, holding the comb, let out a startled cry. Yuming quickly covered Jiang Xuesui's nose, which was bleeding. In a moment, the handkerchief was completely soaked red. Jiang Xuesui fainted into Yuming's arms. Wen Qiao, having just washed up, entered the inner chamber. Hearing crying inside, he rushed to the bedside and saw his wife lying there, her nightgown covered in blood. Yuming had already changed several blood-soaked handkerchiefs and blown medicinal powder into the unconscious Jiang Xuesui's nose, but the bleeding would not stop. Wen Qiao sat on the edge of the bed, wanting to hold her, but afraid that moving her would make the blood flow faster. All he could do was take a clean handkerchief from Yuming and wipe the blood from her face and neck. When the on-duty female physician arrived, she used crushed dragon blood herb to temporarily stop the bleeding from Jiang Xuesui's nose. Jiang Shaohua, learning that his daughter had suddenly fallen critically ill, rushed over without even bothering to put on his clothes or shoes. The physician, sweating profusely, examined her carefully and concluded: "When Madam was slapped, there was likely intracranial bleeding. I can use acupuncture to stop the bleeding and remove the stasis. Her life is not in danger, but after the needles, she may forget many things when she wakes." Jiang Shaohua, frantic, said that saving his daughter's life was the most important thing, nothing else mattered. Wen Qiao shared the same thought. * Three days later, the first person Jiang Xuesui saw when she opened her eyes was her father, who had been watching by her bedside. "Father, you have so many more white hairs," Jiang Xuesui said in surprise. Jiang Shaohua had not slept for over three days, staying by his daughter's side. Seeing her finally awake, he wept with joy. And when he heard her call him "Father," he knew she hadn't forgotten him, making him even happier. "Father, why are you crying?" Jiang Xuesui raised her sleeve to wipe her father's tears, puzzled. "You nearly scared me to death. It's good you're awake. I'll send word to A Qiao at the Shuntian Prefecture office immediately, so he doesn't have to worry about both the river embankment repair in the southern suburbs and your condition." It happened that on the night Yuanyuan fell unconscious, the river embankment in the southern suburbs collapsed in a heavy rainstorm, destroying the fields and homes of over a thousand households. A Qiao had to go to the Shuntian Prefecture office overnight to handle the matter with other officials, and Jiang Shaohua understood his difficulty. "Who is A Qiao?" Jiang Xuesui asked. "He is your cousin and also your husband," Jiang Shaohua sensed something wrong. Jiang Xuesui pressed further about how the marriage came about. After Jiang Shaohua explained in detail, he repeatedly emphasized that she had agreed to the marriage. But Jiang Xuesui had no memory of it, not even her husband's face. "Father, I don't want to marry. Even if I agreed before, I don't like him now. What's the difference between this and an arranged marriage? Besides, he's my cousin. What I don't understand is, with so many fine young men among the Ten Clans to choose from, why would I pick a young man from my maternal grandmother's family?" "Yuanyuan, wait until A Qiao comes back. See him once, and you'll know why you chose him as your husband," Jiang Shaohua said, though he had no confidence. He would rather his daughter forgot him than have her forget A Qiao. This was very tricky. "I don't want to see him. I'll write a letter of divorce, and you can hand it over for me." Jiang Xuesui asked her maid for brush, ink, and paper. She got out of bed, sat at the table, and quickly wrote a letter of divorce. Then she handed it to her father, asking him to give it to her "never-before-seen" cousin. Jiang Shaohua could only feign agreement, then coaxed his daughter into eating a bowl of bird's nest congee and a few light dishes. Jiang Xuesui felt her mouth was tasteless and planned to sneak out for something delicious. As soon as she left Jiangxue Residence, she didn't recognize the paths well, but followed her instincts through twists and turns until she reached the northeast corner of the garden, where she encountered two young men with somewhat similar features. The one in the green official robe was truly striking, with a bright and beautiful appearance, cool and noble, even more handsome than the young man in the scarlet python robe beside him. She felt a little flutter in her heart. Jiang Xuesui, thinking they didn't look like bad people, approached to ask for directions and also to strike up a conversation with the handsome young man. He Lanlin couldn't believe that Yuanyuan truly didn't recognize him, calling him "young master" in a distant tone. But when he heard Jiang Xuesui also call Wen Qiao "young master," her voice was noticeably sweeter and softer than when she addressed him. He Lanlin was speechless—why was she being sweet and soft to her cousin but not to him, even though she had forgotten both of them? He Lanlin spoke first and pointed out a path through the flowers. "Follow this path to the end, and you'll find a side gate. Cross the lane beyond, and you'll reach the street outside." Jiang Xuesui curtsied to both of them in thanks. He Lanlin: "I gave you the directions, why are you thanking him?" Jiang Xuesui's face flushed with shyness as she was about to speak, when she heard her father's voice calling after her. She quickly lifted her skirt and ran down the flower path, turning back with a smile: "If my father asks if you've seen me, don't say I went out to the street." Then she met Wen Qiao's gentle, clear gaze. "This young master, though I don't know your name, once I divorce my cousin, I will definitely marry you." He Lanlin pointed at Wen Qiao and shouted to Jiang Xuesui: "His name is He Lanlin! Once you divorce your cousin, you must marry He Lanlin!" Wen Qiao flicked He Lanlin's forehead hard. "Have you no shame?" He Lanlin rubbed his reddened forehead and said, "Cousin, just a joke. See, even if Yuanyuan has forgotten who you are, she can't help but like you at first sight." Wen Qiao didn't know whether to be happy or worried. He Lanlin added, "Cousin, do you think Yuanyuan will come home for dinner tonight?"
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