Chapter 32 The Sole Beneficiary of the Disaster

Chapter 32: The Only One Who Benefited from the Disaster

After a long while, Xiao Xiuzhan seemed to have savored his fill of the Jiang family's terror and suffering before he drawled, "Stop!"

As soon as the guards stepped back, Jiang Shuning rushed forward, crying out with a heart-wrenching sob, "Brother! Brother!"

She knelt beside Jiang Tianen, unable to bear the sight of his mangled, bloody back.

Jiang Tianen's breathing was faint, his eyes glazed and lifeless.

Jiang Shuning felt as if her heart were being sliced by a knife. She frantically called out, "Someone, go fetch a physician immediately!"

Just as Ling Wu was about to leave the estate, she was stopped by the Third Prince's men.

Xiao Xiuzhan strolled up to Chancellor Jiang, looking down at him from his superior position. "Chancellor Jiang, this prince has taught your eldest son a lesson on your behalf today. Do you accept this?"

Chancellor Jiang knelt on both knees, his back hunched, forcibly suppressing the grief and humiliation in his heart. His voice was hoarse but each word was uttered with utmost deference. "This old minister failed in teaching his son, causing my eldest to offend Your Highness. Your Highness deigning to discipline him on my behalf fills me with boundless gratitude. I harbor no resentment whatsoever."

"Very good." The corner of Xiao Xiuzhan's mouth lifted slightly, but his gaze suddenly shifted to Jiang Yaozhen standing nearby, carrying a hint of a meaningful smile. "Second Miss Jiang, in a few days, I will request an imperial edict of marriage from His Majesty the Emperor. At that time, you will be the betrothed Third Prince's Consort."

Hearing this, Jiang Yaozhen immediately burst into tears.

They were tears of joy.

Jiang Shuning, however, felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet.

Jiang Tianen had been beaten half to death, the Jiang family had suffered an immense disgrace, yet Jiang Yaozhen had actually achieved her wish amidst this storm of bloodshed, obtaining the position of Third Prince's Consort she had always dreamed of.

She was the only one who benefited from this disaster!

After Xiao Xiuzhan left, Ling Wu hurriedly went to fetch the best physician in the capital.

By the time Jiang Tianen was carefully carried to his bed, he was already on the verge of death. There wasn't a single patch of intact skin on his body. Blood seeped from his wounds, soon staining the bedding a glaring crimson.

The room was filled with a heavy, nauseating smell of blood, chilling everyone's hearts.

The physician rushed over, felt Jiang Tianen's pulse, examined his injuries in detail, then frowned deeply. A look of pity flashed in his eyes before he helplessly shook his head.

Chancellor Jiang staggered back a step, as if all his strength had been drained. He slumped to the ground, tears streaming down his aged face.

Madam Jiang, who had just regained consciousness, saw this scene and was overcome with unbearable grief, fainting once again.

Ignoring everyone's attempts to stop her, Jiang Shuning knelt by the bedside, crying as she dressed his wounds.

"It can't be! Brother has always been strong and healthy since childhood. He can definitely pull through!" She grabbed Ling Wu's hand. "Quick, go get angelica root and red dates! I need to make a tonic soup for brother! Once he drinks my soup, he will surely recover!"

Anyone could see that Jiang Tianen was already beyond taking in any food or drink.

Ling Wu couldn't bear to disappoint her, so she could only agree.

Chancellor Jiang retrieved the family's treasured thousand-year-old ginseng, ordering servants to brew it into a soup to feed Jiang Tianen, barely keeping his last breath from fading.

That night, Jiang Tianen developed a high fever, his forehead burning hot, all his wounds festering.

Jiang Shuning and the maidservants kept vigil by his bedside all night, using damp cloths to wipe his forehead and lower his temperature.

It wasn't until dawn began to break in the east that the fever slightly subsided.

Jiang Shuning's tightly strung heart relaxed a little. She secretly vowed: Even if elder brother is left disabled, she would devote her entire life to taking care of him.

After all, besides her parents, he was her only blood relative in this world.

As the first light of dawn appeared, Jiang Tianen's eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Overjoyed, Jiang Shuning hurriedly tried to wake her sleeping parents, but he stopped her with a weak look.

"Ning..." His voice was as faint as a wisp of smoke. "There are some things... I only want to tell you. That night... it wasn't me who asked Zhen to take wine to the Third Prince. She went on her own... and said... she was going with the Sixth Prince..."

Tears streamed down Jiang Shuning's face. Choking back sobs, she said, "Brother, I know. Don't talk anymore. I'll go find the physician!"

She stood up to leave, but he stopped her with a feeble lift of his finger.

"It's no use, Ning... I'm afraid I won't make it." A layer of mist formed in his eyes as he gazed at her steadily, with a hint of something like relief. "Fortunately... the one marrying the Third Prince... is Zhen... not you..."

Before his words fully faded, his pupils gradually lost focus, his arm fell limply, and there was no more sound.

"Elder brother!" Jiang Shuning's heart-rending cry pierced the morning mist.

Chancellor Jiang and Madam Jiang were startled awake. They rushed to the bedside, only to find Jiang Tianen had already stopped breathing. Grief like a tidal wave engulfed them.

The entire Jiang estate was instantly plunged into boundless sorrow. The morning wind swept through the courtyard, swirling up a few withered leaves, as if whispering of this senseless calamity.

The Jiang family's funeral bell tolled lowly, spreading throughout the capital.

Outsiders only said that the Jiang family's eldest son, Jiang Tianen, had been mistakenly beaten to death by Chancellor Jiang in a fit of rage for his wrongdoing. Little did they know that the one who truly took his life was the ruthless and merciless Third Prince, Xiao Xiuzhan.

Jiang Tianen's funeral rites lasted for seven days. The entire Jiang household was immersed in endless grief.

White mourning drapes hung low, paper money fluttered in the air. In the mourning hall, incense and candles flickered, making Jiang Shuning's face appear even paler and more haggard.

She had no appetite for food or drink. It was as if her soul had been sucked out of her. She shed tears for no reason all day long, her sorrow finding no place to settle.

In truth, her relationship with Jiang Tianen couldn't be described as close.

He was rough and unrestrained by nature, mischievous since childhood, fond of galloping his horse down the long streets. She, however, was quiet and reserved by nature, taciturn.

Compared to his introverted younger sister, Jiang Tianen preferred to ride side by side with the lively and bold Jiang Yaozhen, laughing and talking while hunting. Only now did she truly understand what it meant that blood is thicker than water.

With Jiang Tianen dead, Jiang Shuning felt as if a piece of flesh had been brutally carved out of her heart, the pain so intense she could hardly bear it.

How could this be?

In her previous life, Jiang Tianen clearly hadn't died this early.

He had no talent for scholarly pursuits, repeatedly failing the imperial examinations. Chancellor Jiang, having no other choice, had him join the Third Prince's faction, where he became a military officer.

Though he achieved no illustrious military feats, he was loyal and upright, serving diligently without complaint.

Later, due to the struggle for the throne between Xiao Lingchuan and the Third Prince, she and Jiang Tianen gradually grew apart, hardly seeing each other more than a few times a year.

Until she died from poisoning, Jiang Tianen was still alive.

But in this life, he had actually died under the blows of clubs before she even got married. How could she accept this?

She stared at Jiang Tianen's memorial tablet in the mourning hall. Tears blurred her vision. She felt the vastness of heaven and earth, yet there was no one she could rely on. How utterly hopeless.

Seeing her crying again, Ling Wu tried to console her. "Eldest Miss, the dead cannot return to life. If you grieve like this, the young master, knowing from the netherworld, would surely be pained."

Jiang Shuning tightly grasped her hand. "The matter I asked you to inquire about regarding the Fourth Prince, have you found out anything?"

Ling Wu nodded: "I heard that the Fourth Prince was poisoned with a toxin secretly concocted by Nanyue—insidious and vicious. The imperial physicians of Daye have never encountered such toxicity before. Every physician from the Imperial Hospital has been mobilized, working day and night to develop an antidote, hoping to save the Fourth Prince's life."

Jiang Shuning clasped her hands together, her expression devout as she prayed: "May the heavens grant the Fourth Prince the fortune to overcome this calamity and recover soon."

"Heaven watches over the Fourth Prince—he will surely turn danger into safety!" Ling Wu comforted her.

A flicker of cold malice flashed in Jiang Shuning's eyes.

Xiao Lingchuan, you must live!

As long as he lives, she will have hope of using his hand to make the Third Prince, Xiao Xiuzhan, pay in blood!