Under the candlelight, the shadow cast on the ground made Gu Mingyue tremble violently.
"Mother, Mother, you're still alive? How is that possible?"
"You see correctly, Mother is still alive, Mother is not dead."
"No, Mother, you cannot be alive, you must not be alive. If you are alive, then how can your daughter frame that bitch Gu Qianying? Mother, how can you be alive?"
Gu Mingyue suddenly scrambled up from the ground and lunged at Meng Shi.
Her hands fiercely gripped Meng Shi's neck, attempting to strangle her.
Meng Shi was both shocked and heartbroken.
She never imagined that her daughter, upon seeing her alive, would still want her dead, all to continue framing Gu Qianying.
Seeing the ruthlessness in Gu Mingyue's eyes, Meng Shi was extremely disappointed.
Meng Shi waved her arm.
A surge of internal energy followed her palm strike, hitting Gu Mingyue's shoulder.
With a "bang!"
Gu Mingyue was sent flying a meter away, landing on the ground.
"Pfft"
Gu Mingyue coughed up a mouthful of blood.
She stared at Meng Shi in shock, as if she didn't recognize her, "Mother? You..."
Gu Mingyue had never expected Meng Shi to know martial arts.
Meng Shi slowly walked towards Gu Mingyue, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Mother thought that after Mother died for your plan, you would be eternally grateful and remember Mother's kindness forever. But now, it seems your eyes hold no regard for Mother, only your plan, your revenge. Mingyue, perhaps this is because Mother did not raise you well. Your filial impiety pains Mother deeply, and disappoints me even more. If Mother had known you would turn out this way, it would have been better to have strangled you to death back then. That way, Mother wouldn't be this heartbroken."
Meng Shi raised her hand.
Gu Mingyue, terrified, retreated backward, dodging and crying heartbrokenly, "No, don't, Mother. Mother... I'm sorry, it's daughter's fault, I'm sorry..."
Seeing Gu Mingyue crying so sorrowfully,
Meng Shi's heart softened instantly.
She slowly lowered her arm.
Her own flesh and blood, how could she bear to truly beat her to death?
But the moment Meng Shi lowered her hand,
Gu Mingyue suddenly rammed into Meng Shi's stomach, "I'm sorry, Mother, today, you must die!"
At this moment, Gu Mingyue was already bewitched. In her heart, she always believed that while outsiders hadn't discovered it, it was best for her mother to die as soon as possible.
Only when her mother died would she have a reason to frame Gu Qianying.
Suddenly.
The candlelight in the room was extinguished again.
An evil wind swept through.
Swish, swish, swish, the sound of footsteps and swords, all at once, appeared.
"Ah!"
In the darkness, someone cried out in pain.
Whoosh.
The room suddenly lit up again.
Gu Yefeng, dressed in purple with a purple sash, swayed slightly with the wind entering through the doors and windows.
He held his sword against a man in night-blooming clothes, who was slightly overweight.
The man had a bit of stubble on his chin, and the veil covering his face had fallen to the ground.
Gu Yefeng recognized the man's features, "Uncle Wang, it is indeed you."
Beside them.
Meng Shi lay on the ground, a dagger having pierced her chest, blood flowing. Her face was as pale as paper, and she looked at Gu Mingyue in disbelief.
"Daughter, you are so heartless!"
Gu Mingyue's hands tightly gripped the dagger's hilt, her arms trembling. She sat on the ground, her expression flustered.
"Mother, don't blame me, you... you must die."
The door was pushed open.
Seven or eight soldiers in military uniforms, armed with swords and sabers, rushed in.
Gu Qianying followed, supporting the Old General Gu.
Upon entering, Gu Qianying first went to Meng Shi's side, knelt down, and examined her injuries.
Meng Shi's face grew paler, her forehead covered in beads of sweat.
Lying in a pool of blood, she covered her protruding belly with one hand and waved the other towards Gu Qianying, "It hurts so much, it hurts so much, Miss Gu, I beg you, save my unborn child in my belly, I beg you..."
Gu Qianying placed her hand on Meng Shi's wrist, feeling her pulse.
When she withdrew her hand, her brows furrowed. She then took out silver needles from her pouch and inserted two into the Tanzhong acupoint on Meng Shi's chest.
"I have sealed your acupoints and stopped the bleeding. You can exert yourself now."
Gu Qianying looked at Old General Gu and Gu Yefeng, "Grandfather, Brother, Meng Shi is about to give birth. You two should leave first."
Before leaving, Old General Gu commanded Gu Yefeng, "Take Gu Mingyue and the old steward away and guard them well. Later, I will interrogate them myself."
"Yes, Grandfather."
A moment later, only Gu Qianying, Lu Zhu, and Meng Shi remained in the room.
Gu Qianying instructed Lu Zhu, "Bring a basin of clean water."
"Yes, Miss."
Lu Zhu brought a basin of clean water.
Gu Qianying rolled up her sleeves and said, "Help her undress and deliver the baby."
Lu Zhu was stunned, "Miss, this servant... this servant doesn't know how."
Gu Qianying found a pair of scissors, her expression calm, "You don't need to. I will do it."
In her past life, when her master took her on travels, they had encountered a pregnant woman in labor who had been poisoned.
Her master was a man, and it was inconvenient for him to assist in childbirth, so she took over.
The first time assisting in childbirth was inevitably nerve-wracking.
This time, with experience, she was much calmer facing this situation.
"Ah? Miss, you..." Lu Zhu was extremely surprised.
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Qianying interrupted her, "Her heart meridian is damaged, she cannot live. She only has a breath left. Whether she can deliver smoothly is up to fate. Go and boil a bowl of brown sugar water, feed it to her, quickly."
"Yes, Miss."
Lu Zhu ran out.
After a while.
The room was filled with a heart-wrenching scream.
The cry of a newborn followed.
Gu Qianying sat by the bedside, Lu Zhu holding the newborn baby, standing to the side.
Meng Shi was completely weak, extremely frail.
She looked at Gu Qianying and pleaded, "Miss Gu, this concubine begs you, out of your great mercy, do not tell him who his mother is, nor let him remain in the manor. I implore you to find an ordinary family for him, so that he may grow up safely."
"Who is his biological father?"
Meng Shi's voice paused slightly.
After a long while, she weakly replied, "A lowly servant in the manor, whom this concubine has secretly executed."
Gu Qianying looked at the dying Meng Shi before her, and ultimately could not bring herself to be cruel. She said, "The innocent child is the Fourth Young Master Gu, and also my half-brother. He was raised by my mother since childhood and named Gu Nian."
Hearing this, Meng Shi's eyes filled with tears. She tremblingly took out a handkerchief wrapped around something from her embrace and handed it to Gu Qianying, her voice choked with emotion, "Miss, thank you. I will repay your kindness in my next life. This is what you have been searching for. Handing it to you, I can finally rest in peace."
Gu Qianying placed what Meng Shi had given her aside, slowly stood up, and whispered a few words into Meng Shi's ear.
Meng Shi listened to Gu Qianying's words, first startled, then revealing an expression of complete release.
Until the moment Meng Shi closed her eyes, a faint smile remained on her face.
Gu Qianying instructed Lu Zhu to take the baby in her arms and give it to her mother, the First Madam, to raise.
After leaving Gu Mingyue's room, Gu Qianying opened the handkerchief Meng Shi had given her.
The Yijun Hall Token.
White jade plated with gold, shimmering with dazzling light around it.
Then, Gu Qianying unfolded Meng Shi's long-lost will, which was actually the will of Second Master Gu.
Upon reading the contents of Second Master Gu's will, Gu Qianying's expression became extremely solemn.
The truth of the matter was like this?