Qiu Yelan was curious, “We need to figure out a comprehensive plan. One reason is that Qiu Jinzhu will not doubt her parents as she even does not doubt what Kuang Qingwu said to her. The second reason is that she depends on her parents in every respect, including her expenses and foods, which gives the couple a good chance to kill her without costing much effort. Even she dies, the public, to some extent, will suspect of Kuang Qingwu instead of her parents!”

Jiang Yashuang smiled, “Your reasons sound right. However, Qiu Mengmin and Princess Yang are not on the same page at all.” A maid rushed in with a smile while they were reasoning the situation. She even did not salute before she said, “Young master, young madame! Old master has woken up! The imperial doctor said you could go and see him. Madame asked me to come here, asking young master to go there immediately!”

“Really?” Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan looked at each other for seconds. They both looked surprised but with happy faces: It was two days earlier than expected!

The maid seemed to remember that she forgot to salute. She saluted and said, “How dare me to lie to young master and young madame!”

“You go there now. Don’t let grandfather wait too long!” said Qiu Yelan, pushing Jiang Yashuang out of the room. They now had no time to discuss what was going on in the Prince’s Mansion of Xihe. “Su He, you go and get me some refreshment. You eat while walking there… To see grandfather is the first!”

Seeing off Jiang Yashuang, Qiu Yelan sighed for Marquess Qin’s importance to the Jiang Family after feeling an air of happiness in the house. Even her maids such as Su He and others beamed with joy after they heard old master was much better now. It seemed that the dark clouds overhead were shattered.

“But anyway, it is a good piece of news!” thought Qiu Yelan after a sigh. Her lips curved in a smile. “As grandfather wakes up, he can decide on the big events. Both the Empress and Jiang Tianao will feel relieved…”

The Empress and Jiang Tianao had their backbones now. Qiu Yelan, as a grandson’s wife, had to stand aside and watched what was going on. Although she could not voice her ideas about the national business, she had the chance to voice concern about the family business. “You go and pack some nutritious herbs. We go and visit Madame Tao Junior in Madame’s house and then go to see Sheng Shishui after we finish our breakfast!”

They were not only her sisters-in-law!

“And ask the chef to make some unique and delicious cookies. If we can come back early after seeing Sheng Shishui, we need to go to see Jiang Qizheng—” On the night when Marquess Qin felt sick, she eavesdropped the news when she chased after Xin Fubing, which was also serious! It had been days now, but no further news was heard. She was not reported that Jiang Qizheng mentioned a divorce to the seniors. The divorce must be delayed because of Marquess Qin’s sudden illness. Qiu Yelan wondered what was going on about Jiang Qizheng and Qiu Feng now.

Qiu Yelan had a quick breakfast and asked Su He and Chen Shui to go out with her. They went out after checking the herbs Chunran prepared for them.

When they arrived at Madame Tao’s house, it was just then Madame Dou Junior led Jiang Huizhi to go out. They used to have spats, but they seemed to stand on the same side now due to the misfortune Madame Tao Junior encountered. Hence, Qiu Yelan walked forward and saluted to them, “Sister, you come and see grandmother?”

Madame Dou Junior smiled, said yes and thanked her. And then she asked Jiang Huizhi to greet Qiu Yelan. After the empty words, she said, “I got time today. So I came here to visit Madame Dou Junior… But Madame Tao is busy now. So we did not bother her. Please tell her we have been here if you have a chance to meet her later.”

“I also come to see Madame Tao Junior,” said Qiu Yelan. Qiu Yelan knew that the revived Marquess Qin wanted to meet family members. It must be Madame Tao who was concerned about Marquess Qin’s health, so she stayed there in person, taking care of him. Hence, she was busy, leaving no time to meet Madame Dou Junior and her daughter — Qiu Yelan knew Madame Tao must also have no time for her, either. So, she said, “As grandmother is busy now. I dare not meet her if I am not summoned.”

Although Madame Dou Junior came to see Madame Tao on purpose but failed. Actually, she did not take it seriously. The first branch did more and severer deeds than this before. In particular, she took daughter to see Madame Tao Junior, Madame Tao’s favorite. Madame Tao, naturally, would not care about her impoliteness.

Hearing Qiu Yelan’s words, she put aside the impoliteness that she disrespected Madame Tao because she did not greet her. She said instead, “Madame Dou Junior is more haggard now. I am so concerned about her!”

“Me too!” sighed Qiu Yelan. To marry Jiang Yadan, a ruthless and inactive husband, was a disaster. Anyone who even could deal with family interpersonal relationships skillfully could do nothing about him.

They were standing in front of the Madame’s house, talking for a while. After a short time, they both realized that it was inappropriate to stand there for a long time. Hence, after some words, Madame Dou Junior mentioned that Madame Dou asked her to do something. So she said good-bye to Qiu Yelan and walked away with her daughter Jiang Huizhi.

After saying good-bye to her, Qiu Yelan walked into the room where Madame Tao Junior was living. She heard coughs when she was walking into the house. She took a deep breath, running into the room!

Madame Tao Junior looked haggard when she got sick in the capital. She looked more tired now in the Mount Dizi. Over the past ten days or so, Qiu Yelan shuttled between the Summer Palace and the side yard because of Marquess Qin’s illness. She was so busy that she had no time to see Madame Tao Junior. But now, Madame Tao Junior was almost reduced to a skeleton!

Looking at the skinny sister-in-law, Qiu Yelan couldn’t help but fall tears although she used to be a tough girl, “Madame Tao Junior, how can you become this? You have a grandmother. You have Yashuang. Even if you have a divorce with Yadan, we will be on your side and support you.”

Although Madame Tao Junior was skinny, she was full of energy weirdly. She smiled at her, “I have crept out of the divorce thing, but I am falling sick now. Maybe, this is my fate!”

Qiu Yelan had no clue how to answer her. She cried beside the bed for a while and asked, “You really want to bow your head to your fate like this?”

“Anything else I can do?” asked Madame Tao Junior, sighed slightly. She began to comfort Qiu Yelan instead, “Don’t cry for me. I feel sad when you are crying! I know mydays are numbered. I have no other requests but I want everyone to come here, talking with me for a while happily… That’s it. So, please, don’t cry. Please.”

Qiu Yelan wiped her face quickly but tears fell again. She wiped again. She did it several times. At last, she twisted her head, not showing her face with tears in front of Madame Tao Junior. Madame Tao Junior knew her meaning, though she could not see her face. She sighed, “I used to worry that I can’t get along with you and Shishui. Now I know that I am a shallow girl who mistreated you two. It’s a pity that we did not meet each other earlier… If I could turn time back, I would have met you and Shishui the day when grandmother moved to the next door of the Prince’s Mansion of Xihe!”

As a matter of fact, what she said was not totally what she was thinking at that time. Back then, Madame Tao Junior did not know so much. It was Madame Tao who worried about it actually.

With the way Madame Tao Junior bore herself, she would not drive a wedge between Qiu Yelan and the seniors even she was in her last breath. Hence, she took the blame for it all on herself.

Although Qiu Yelan did not know the inside story, she did not have misgivings about what she said, which, at least, seemed reasonable on the surface at the moment. All that she was thinking about was the sister-in-law lying on the bed now. She was soft and tolerant but she suffered a lot in the past. She tried to exercise restraints and protect the family… Only because she was not pretty, she was driven to die in her thirties. Thinking of this, Qiu Yelan couldn’t help but cry again.

Seeing Qiu Yelan was indulging in deep sadness, Madame Tao Junior tried to say something else to distract her, “Just a moment ago, Madame Dou Junior came with her daughter to see me. I know we have quarrels with them, but she came here in person with her daughter Zhi. We are a family, indeed.”

Qiu Yelan tried to hold her tears from falling. She was afraid that when she spoke, she might burst into loud sobs. Hence, she just nodded silently.

“Zhi is much more beautiful than the last time I saw her,” said Madame Tao Junior. “The day when I got married, she was a baby held in arms. At that time, she was like a ball of white meat. Shortly, look at her, a big girl now. Time flies!”

Qiu Yelan still knew that she must let her finish her sentence. So, Madame Tao Junior continued, “As I don’t have kids, my dowry will be returned to the Tao Family after I die. There is a pair of phoenix-shaped hairpins in the box. They are the most important things in my dowry. I planned to send them to Zhi as a gift when she marries… If she thinks that they are ominous gifts, it’s okay for her to refuse. There are two bracelets in my box too. I want to give them to you and Shishui as souvenirs. I will ask Cuizhan to tell grandmother my will. The reason I tell you this now is that I want you to be the witness if there is unexpected trouble occurring in the future…”

Her words made Qiu Yelan cry heavier. She knew that the reason Madame Tao Junior said this to her was not for being a witness or something else. The things Madame Tao Junior left for her husband’s family were a pair of phoenix-shaped hairpins, two bracelets, which were even not added up to a makeup box. If Madame Tao managed the things she left behind, the Tao Family would not be so stupid to try to get them back. Qiu Yelan did not need to be a witness at all.

What she wanted to underscore was the phoenix-shaped hairpins — Qiu Yelan had a big fight with the first branch when she just got married. The reason for the fight was the phoenix-shaped hairpins awarded by Marquess Qin. Now Madame Tao Junior wanted to give a pair of phoenix-shaped hairpins to Jiang Huizhi as a gift. She worried that her move might provoke Qiu Yelan. So she told her about it in advance.

“I understand. Madame Tao Junior. You just want to ease the tensions between the first branch and the fourth branch. The phoenix-shaped hairpins are the gift the first branch wanted, but it was awarded to me by Marquess Qin and you know that I will not give them to the first branch. You want to give the most important things in your dowry, the hairpins, to Jiang Huizhi to ease the tensions. To be sure, even Madame Dou, if she is here now, cannot bear to say no to you considering your situation,” thought Qiu Yelan, biting her lip tightly. Madame Tao Junior was on the verge of the cliff, but she still tried to ease the tensions between the family members…

Qiu Yelan heard Madame Tao Junior saying something while she was in deep grief, “What a pity. I have no chance to see Shishui’s kids. I have many regrets in my life, of which the most regretful one is that I don’t have kids of my own. I just wish I have one, growing up safely, no matter it is a girl or a boy… But this is my fate… Fortunately, you and Shishui are lucky girls. I will pray for you in heaven every day after I die. Beg God to give you and Shishui many kids and prevent you two from trouble!”

Fingernails unknowingly pinched into the palm. Qiu Yelan turned her head suddenly, asking Cuizhan, Su He, and Chen Shui to wait outside. And then she whispered to Madame Tao Junior, “Madame Tao Junior, you… really want to have a kid of your own?”

Seeing all maids being out of the room, Madame Tao Junior realized that Qiu Yelan must have something big to say to her. But her words shocked her anyway. She mocked herself, “Yes, definitely. I am not joking. Over the past years, I have been thinking about it, even in my dreams… But, what can I do?”

“I have a prescription. You will be pregnant after you have it once. I promise,” said Qiu Yelan, taking a deep breath. She tried to look believable, “As long as you take care of yourself from now on and after you recover, I promise…”

Madame Tao Junior looked at her, smiling, “Yelan, I know you want me to live longer. But, I really…”

“Sister-in-law, you don’t believe me?” Qiu Yelan looked at her softly. The soft eyesight had diminishing effects on Qiu Jinglan but it still worked for Madame Tao Junior. Madame Tao Junior sighed, “I know you are good to me. I just told you that I’ve been thinking about the kids like crazy. As a woman, I definitely want to have my own kids. If you have the prescription, you must have told me at the moment when you entered the room. That is your personality.”