Chapter 79: Perhaps Autumn and Spring Dreams Have Been Dreamed for Too Long

Xia Jiujiang rushed to Jiang Beiying’s side, calling anxiously, “Sister Jiang? Sister Jiang!” Jiang Beiying was on the verge of finally avenging her great wrongs and regaining her freedom—how could she be poisoned at such a moment?

Baizhi, trembling with worry, pleaded, “Princess, how is Miss Jiang? I know your medical skills are unmatched—please, I beg you, save Miss Jiang. She has suffered so much.”

So much suffering—a lifetime of hardship. Sold from place to place, she finally found a brief haven in the Jiang family, only for those few months of warmth to be shattered, plunging her back into endless darkness. In the Wang family, she survived by the narrowest of margins, scheming step by step until she became the Lady of the House. Jiang Beiying should not die like this.

Xia Jiujiang took Jiang Beiying’s pulse and shook her head. The poison had invaded every organ—it was far too late to save her.

Wang Zhen’s mocking voice came from the side, “Heh, she’s dead—cold as ice! She was poisoned; there’s no surviving that. After what she did to Jin Mantang and Marquis Guan, did she really think she could walk out of here unscathed?”

Xia Jiujiang uncorked a small medicine vial and waved it under Jiang Beiying’s nose. Jiang Beiying’s eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes faintly. Wang Zhen’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Impossible! What did you give her? She was poisoned—she can’t possibly wake up!”

As Wang Zhen raged and wailed, a silver needle shot from Xia Jiujiang’s sleeve, striking an acupoint and rendering him motionless and voiceless, granting Jiang Beiying and Baizhi a final moment of peace.

Turning to Baizhi, Xia Jiujiang said, “You’ve served her faithfully. Use this last moment to say what’s in your hearts.”

Jiang Beiying’s gaze was already clouded. Though the medicinal scent lent her a final breath, it would be her last. Baizhi knew what Xia Jiujiang’s words meant. Her heart ached unbearably, but she forced herself to be strong—she could not waste a single second that Xia Jiujiang had bought them.

Jiang Beiying gripped Baizhi’s hand weakly. “Baizhi... you’ve suffered so much because of me.”

Tears streamed down Baizhi’s cheeks. “No, miss, please don’t say that.”

Jiang Beiying’s voice faded in and out. “When the Jiang family was destroyed, we barely escaped with our lives. You should have lived freely—it was my stubborn need for revenge that cost you your freedom. You deserve to live well, to see the world.”

Suddenly, Jiang Beiying called out, “Princess…”

Xia Jiujiang embraced her. “I’m here, Sister Jiang.”

“Please… don’t let Baizhi live as I have, trapped in endless intrigues and schemes. It’s too painful. If you don’t plot against others, others plot against you—a never-ending cycle…”

Xia Jiujiang took Jiang Beiying’s hand, promising, “I give you my word.”

To her last breath, Jiang Beiying was thinking of Baizhi. And yet, wherever there are people, there will always be strife.

Sensing her end, Jiang Beiying’s lips curled into a smile. “I’ve avenged my family… I’m going to join my father now…”

Her final smile lingered as the strength left her hand, her body collapsing to the ground.

Xia Jiujiang and Baizhi were consumed by grief—Xia Jiujiang in silent mourning. Of all those who had suffered, Jiang Beiying had borne the most; compared to her, Baizhi’s pain was little. For the Jiang family’s sake, Jiang Beiying had submitted herself to Wang Zhen, stained her hands with blood, and spent her youth—meant for innocence—consumed by rage and calculation.

Yet, there was solace in the peace that came over Jiang Beiying as she left, a gentle smile on her lips. Baizhi cradled her, sobbing uncontrollably.

Jiang Beiying and Xia Jiujiang were alike in some ways—Jiang Beiying had basked in the Jiang family’s warmth for only a few months, while Xia Jiujiang had taken over this body. Witnessing Jiang Beiying’s revenge, only for her to be poisoned at the last moment, Xia Jiujiang was filled with sorrow and empathy, but also a growing fury.

She strode up to Wang Zhen, separated from him by wooden bars, and deftly plucked the silver needle from his body. There were too many questions she needed answered.

Xia Jiujiang had always believed that behind Marquis Guan and Jin Mantang stood the power of Xia Wentao, who served under the Seventh Prince, Jun Qianye. Yet, after the downfall of Marquis Guan and Jin Mantang, Chancellor Xia had secluded himself, his entire household growing silent and subdued, while Jun Qianye dared not show his face for fear of implication. If Jun Qianye and Xia Wentao had not acted, then who had poisoned Jiang Beiying?

This was the prison of the Ministry of Justice. With the evidence against Marquis Guan and Jin Mantang already conclusive and their execution imminent, neither Jun Qianye nor Xia Wentao had any reason to intervene now—unless someone else was pulling the strings behind them.

Once the silver needle was removed, Xia Jiujiang’s voice turned cold. “Who is truly your master?”

Wang Zhen didn’t seem to hear her; instead, he burst into laughter. “You think you’ve won just because I’m in prison? Dream on! Even locked away, I managed to have Jiang Beiying poisoned. Next, I’ll walk out of here with my head held high.”

Xia Jiujiang snorted in derision. “Dream on. With the emperor’s decree, the Wang family and Marquis Guan’s household will be executed at the Meridian Gate. Your fate is sealed.”

Wang Zhen shouted angrily, “Lies! You’re just trying to shake me, to trick me into talking. I won’t betray my master. He’ll rescue me—then I’ll rise again!”

Xia Jiujiang watched him, her anger giving way to cold amusement. “It seems your master has no intention of saving you.”

Wang Zhen retorted loudly, “Nonsense! My master killed Jiang Beiying as promised—he’ll free me next…”

Xia Jiujiang pointed at Wang Zhen’s clothes. He looked down—blood, drop after drop, was seeping through. He was stunned. Where was the blood coming from? He hadn’t coughed up any…

A sudden warmth trickled uncontrollably from his nose. He wiped it—his palm came away bright red. His hands began to tremble as he kept wiping, but the blood would not stop.

“No… This isn’t my blood… What’s happening? Why won’t it stop?!”

His eyes widened with terror. He had never imagined he too would be poisoned—he truly believed he would walk out of this prison. His voice faltered, “Why… I was promised… promised I’d be freed… why… why…”

Before he could finish, Wang Zhen collapsed to the ground with a thud, eyes wide open, filled with disbelief and unwillingness.

In a shadowy corner, as Wang Zhen died, two figures whispered together, their conversation closely entwined with the poisonings in the prison.

One man sat leisurely on a peony-carved huanghuali chair. The other said quietly, “Marquis Guan and the head of the Wang family are dead. Our master’s secrets are safe. It’s a pity, though—both Marquis Guan and Jin Mantang were powerful assets…”

The man on the chair replied coldly, “I only trust the dead to keep secrets. Worthless pieces are meant to be discarded.”

The case of Jin Mantang revealed an even larger conspiracy. Those imprisoned—the Wang family and Marquis Guan—were all poisoned and died without a trace.

Though the evidence against Jin Mantang was irrefutable and both Marquis Guan and Jin Mantang were certain to be executed, their poisoning before the sentence could be carried out only deepened the mystery—

The mastermind behind the scenes was willing to risk everything to silence them before their execution. Was he afraid they would expose his secrets? Afraid his identity would be discovered? If so, who could this person be, if not the Seventh Prince, Jun Qianye?