Chapter 32.1 â She Didnât Regret (1)
Lu Qipei promised her yes, but she didnât actually ask for Qi Yangâs help for anything. Of course, she didnât need to ask for help either, because she had not seen Lu Qicheng ever since her came to her courtyard to cause trouble that day.
Her days in the Lu Mansion became calm and quiet, and the servants seemed to have become more respectful towards her. She completely ignored Lu Qicheng â it was only when she was dreaming at night that she remembered her brother, who had changed beyond recognition.
The love between the siblings had long been emptied by the two bowls of poisonous soup. She chose the most painless way to die for him, but there was no stopping his march towards death.
By the beginning of May, the weather had gotten hotter, and the thin spring clothes were replaced by cool summer clothes.
On a sunset evening, Lu Qipei came home late as usual. She was in a good mood because the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching, and the court would have a day off. Qi Yang had made an appointment to go to Qingshui river with her to watch the dragon boats together.
However, this good mood did not last. When her carriage stopped outside the Lu Mansion, Lu Qipei saw white flags hung on the entrance when she lifted the carriageâs curtain.
This was something that would only by hung if someone in the mansion died. Lu Qipei almost didnât need to think to know who had died.
She was temporarily in a trance, and even the hand that was lifting the curtain was trembling.
Qi Bo came out, his face gloomy with white cloth tied around his waist. âYoung Master, Young Lord he⦠is gone.â
Lu Qipeiâs hand shook violently, and the opened carriageâs curtain fell down again, separating the inside and outside. The light dimmed, and the carriageâs inside became dark and gloomy.
Lu Qipeiâs face turned pale for a moment, and her mind went completely blank. She thought that she still felt sad â even though she did it with her own hands, even though the love between the siblings had been long gone, but when the moment really came, she couldnât help feeling distressed.
But then she couldnât help but think â did Lu Qicheng ever had a moment of heartache and regret when he learned the news of her death in her previous life?
Probably not. She did not regret it, but she could not help feeling an ache in her heart.
After sitting inside the carriage for a while, Lu Qipei quickly regained her composure and opened the curtain again.
Qi Bo was still waiting outside, his expression as sad as you would expect it to be. Seeing that Lu Qipei had collected her feelings and was ready to appear again, he handed her the white cloth in his hand. âYoung Master, my condolences. The Young Lord went in his dreams, so he shouldnât have felt any pain.â
That he would die this way was not unexpected, but to say he didnât feel any pain wasnât exactly right.
Lu Qipei didnât want to torture Lu Qicheng, but she didnât want to make things too obvious and chose a slow-acting poison. The deep sleep everyday was painless, but when he woke up, he would clearly realize that he was moving closer to his death. It was a kind of mental torture.
Lu Qipei didnât see Lu Qicheng the past month, and didnât witness his final breakdown and madness. Right now, she just silently nodded after hearing what Qi Bo said, then got off the carriage. She took the white cloth in Qi Boâs hand and tied it around her waist.
When she opened her mouth again, her voice was a little hoarse, suppressing complex emotions that she might not be able to sort out. âI will go see him.â
Without saying anything else, Qi Bo led her to the door and towards the mourning hall that had been set up.
Lu Qipei saw Lu Qicheng once again. He was lying quietly in the narrow coffin, his expression calm and serene. Even his face looked as good as he was in life. If not for the fact that he had stopped breathing, people might think he was just soundly asleep.
However, death was death. There was no longer the person who looked exactly like her, and once called her âolder sisterâ â she didnât know why things came to this point, but she didnât want to die. So, she lost her younger brother who had lived with her ever since she was a child, and her last living relative.
Lu Qipei still did not regret it, but her eyes turned red the moment she saw Lu Qicheng. The thin layer of mist in her eyes condensed into a teardrop that slid down, hitting her heart and causing her deep pain.
Qi Yang didnât receive the news much later than Lu Qipei. She cared about what happens in the Lu family, and her spies always delivered her news in a timely manner.
At that moment, she had just separated from Lu Qipei and was still on the way back to the palace. When she received the news, she immediately stopped the carriage.
Zhi Ting was riding the carriage with her. Seeing her stop it, she asked, âYour Highness, do you want to go to the Lu Mansion to pay your condolences?â Before Qi Yang could answer, she added again, âYoung Master Lu just returned, it might be too early to go now.â
However, Qi Yang only glanced at her and immediately told the coachman outside, âTurn around and go to Ronghua Street.â
The coachman outside immediately turned the horseâs head when he heard this, and did not hesitate at all hearing Her Royal Highness The Princessâs command. Zhi Ting inside the carriage was surprised when she heard the order, because Ronghua Street was very far away from the Lu Mansion, and was the place where famous shops were gathered in the capital.
Her Highness looked like she was going shopping instead of offering her condolences!?
Zhi Ting secretly took a peek at Qi Yang found that Her Royal Highness The Princess unexpectedly seemed to be in a good mood, with a smile on her lips⦠But this was not right, her belovedâs brother had just died. Even if she didnât feel the same way, what was with going shopping with a smile!?