The Female Lead Decides to Act Wickedly
Chapter 61 - 061 I am the Evil Sister (Sixteen)

Chapter 61: Chapter 061 I am the Evil Sister (Sixteen)

The following day, at noon, "He Tian" who had been in a coma for a day and a night finally slowly opened her eyes.

"Madam? You’ve woken up? How do you feel?"

Nanny Seo had been by her side for a day, and unable to hold out at midnight, had taken a nap in the outer chamber on a chair.

Early the next morning, without waiting for the maids to attend to her, Nanny Seo got up again and continued her vigil by the bed.

When Kang Mo and Grand Madam were away, Nanny Seo would lean close to her mistress’s ear, repeating over and over, "Madam, please wake up, if for nothing else, then for the sake of Brother Yuan, you can’t just let go and leave!"

"Little master is still so young, he is only five years old this year, a child without his birth mother is too pitiful!"

"I know you want Third Lady to marry the Marquis, it would be better for this aunt to be the stepmother than a complete stranger!"

"But, but my silly Madam, even the closest of people can’t compare to one’s own birth mother."

"Madam, Madam, I’m begging you, you must get through this ordeal!"

She babbled on about many things, perhaps it really did work, for by the time lunch was nearly served, He Tiantian had truly awakened.

Nanny Seo was overjoyed, repeatedly asking about He Tiantian’s condition, while also hurrying to send for Kang Mo and to summon Master Hui Tong.

"...Her pulse is still strong, she can endure the journey back to the Capital City!"

Master Hui Tong carefully took her pulse and, after a moment of silence, followed Kang Mo into the outer chamber and whispered.

What does "endure the journey back to the Capital City" mean?

Is this supposed to be good news?

Nanny Seo felt her legs weaken, her vision darken, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

However, upon reflection, she considered that it would indeed be better for the Madam to return to the Capital City and... than to die in this temple.

But... but is it true that there is no hope for Madam this time?

Nanny Seo’s eyes shimmered with tears, gazing at Master Hui Tong with desperate pleading.

As for Kang Mo, regardless of the progress he made with He Yi last night, at this moment, just after visiting He Tiantian, seeing his wife’s frail but still beautiful appearance, he couldn’t help but recall all the cherished moments after their marriage.

Young husband and wife, in harmony like the strings of a lute and a zither.

He had once drawn eyebrows for his wife, and she had cooked soups and washed hands for him.

They had also raised a smart and adorable child together.

Most importantly, his wife was injured like this solely to save him.

It’s said that people speak kindly before death, but for Kang Mo, suddenly realizing his wife truly might not make it, he also began to idealize her in every way.

Now every time he closed his eyes, all he could think about were his wife’s multitude of virtues and their profound love for each other.

With a sorrowful face, Kang Mo sent Master Hui Tong away, reported back to Grand Madam, and began to discuss the return to the Capital City.

He couldn’t delay the return any longer.

At any moment, Lady He could breathe her last, and Kang Mo, as her husband, couldn’t let his beloved wife die out in the wilderness.

Moreover, after yesterday’s assassination attempt, the guards had killed most of the assassins but had managed to capture two or three alive.

From yesterday afternoon until this morning, Kang Mo and his guards had taken turns to interrogate them harshly, and they finally managed to open the mouths of the captured.

It turned out that those assassins were remnants of the Previous Dynasty, covertly cultivating their influence among the people under the guise of divinity.

Last year, the so-called "Snow Lotus Saint" stirred up a group of mountain bandits to become robbers, preying on merchants and persecuting the locals, nearly assaulting the government office.

The news reached the Capital City, and the Emperor, outraged, coincidentally had Kang Mo leading troops back from the Southwest Border, and his path would pass this area.

The Emperor ordered Kang Mo to root out the bandits along the way.

Kang Mo’s troops, returning fresh from the battlefield, were at their most fierce and brutal, went to that place, not only annihilated all the bandits but also eradicated one of the "Snow Lotus Saint’s" major strongholds.

Kang Mo was always resolute and decisive in killing, showing no mercy to these remnants of the Previous Dynasty.

He did not stop at killing; he actually followed the trail, finding the locations of a group of remnants of the Previous Dynasty led by the "Snow Lotus Saint."

Kang Mo reported everything to the Emperor, who then dispatched his trusted Jinlin Guards to investigate and recover those residual forces.

In just a few months, the "Snow Lotus Saint’s" influence was greatly diminished, and she, along with several members of the royal family of the Previous Dynasty, fled Central Plains in panic, heading to the Barbaric lands of the Southwest Border.

This group of remnants from the previous dynasty had already acquired a certain degree of power, yet they ended up in a frantic flight.

Their first hated person, naturally, was the Emperor of the current dynasty.

But, for Kang Mo, this "Executioner," they also took note of him in their little black book.

And so it was, Snow Lotus Saint and her group had barely established a foothold in the Southwest Border when they began contemplating revenge.

The Imperial Palace was impenetrable, and the Emperor was surrounded by the Jinlin Guards, who were omniscient and omnipotent.

Snow Lotus Saint thus aimed her vengeful arrow at Kang Mo, this lackey, the henchman of the benighted ruler.

In order to ensure a deadly shot, they even smeared a unique snake poison from the Southern Border on the arrowhead.

The poison was fierce; the wounded would certainly die within a hundred steps.

He Tian was lucky to have encountered Master Hui Tong, an expert in difficult and complicated diseases.

Master Hui Tong helped cure the poison and even expelled the poison liquid from the body.

But even so, He Tian’s body was completely ruined.

Unless an Immortal were present, her best outcome would be to live only a few more days.

The situation of Duchess Wei was not a secret, and the other ladies staying in the guest rooms of Qingyun Temple had heard about it.

While Nine Lady Yan had just finished partaking in the temple’s unique vegetarian meal, she overheard her grandmother and mother whispering about the gossip from Duke Wei’s Mansion.

"Alas, Lady He is indeed pitiable, such a virtuous woman, yet not blessed with longevity!"

Grand Madam Yan played with her prayer beads while softly sighing.

She became a widow in her youth and single-handedly raised four sons and two daughters.

All her sons were successful; the eldest son held the position of Assistant Minister of Rites, and her second, third, and youngest sons all served as officials in the court.

Respected scholars of the day would all give Grand Madam Yan a thumbs-up when mentioning her, praising her as a paragon of chastity and maternal virtue, the model of a virtuous wife and good mother.

Noble women in the palace, including the Empress Dowager and Empress, also held the elderly lady in high regard.

Every time there was a banquet at the palace, she would sit in the front row.

Grand Madam Yan, who was the epitome of propriety and decorum, did not let the favor of the nobility lead her to become overconfident and frivolous.

Instead, she was even stricter in educating her family’s younger generations, and her daughters and granddaughters were all well-behaved.

Nine Lady Yan, the most favored, might be freer in private, but in public, she was absolutely a demure and elegant lady from a noble family.

So, it wasn’t easy to receive a word of praise from Grand Madam Yan’s own mouth.

From this, one could also tell how exceptional He Tiantian’s act of sacrificing herself to save her husband was.

Merely based on this point alone, she could become an object of admiration among the capital’s nobility!

"However, Duke Wei is also a passionate and righteous good man!"

After a sigh, Grand Madam Yan shifted her tone and her face held a look of admiration, "I just heard some commotion outside, and when I sent someone to inquire, I learned that Duke Wei’s Mansion’s people are preparing to return to Capital City!"

"This Kang Mo, to make Lady He more comfortable, he was commanding his men to get the carriage ready and went to Master Hui Tong to seek good remedies... Truly busy with all sorts of things!"

Mrs. Yan couldn’t help but nod upon hearing her mother-in-law’s words, "Duke Wei and the Duchess have always been affectionate; it must be Duke Wei’s usual kindness to his wife that inspired her to risk her life to save him in a moment of crisis!"

"Exactly, that’s the reasoning. Husband and wife should support and respect each other..." Grand Madam Yan’s gaze towards her daughter-in-law was very satisfied.

That’s the proper principle; a wife risking her life to save her husband truly has reasons related to her virtuous and kind nature, but it should be even more due to the deep affection between the couple, the love from the husband to his wife, this truly—

Hearing her grandmother and mother say this, Ninth Lady Yan’s expression became somewhat strange.

She opened her mouth wanting to say something, but as the words reached her lips, she forcefully swallowed them down.

Yet, to bury this secret in her heart just like that was difficult for her.

After struggling for a while, upon hearing that Duke Wei’s Mansion’s people were about to leave, Ninth Lady Yan took advantage of the crowd and squeezed closer.

While she watched the frail but still beautiful Duchess Wei being carefully lifted into the carriage, Ninth Lady Yan prayed countless times in her heart, "Duchess, you must take good care of yourself. Those despicable people are hoping for your death; you must not die!"

Just survive like this, even if it’s by a mere breath, and stand in front of those despicable people, making them anxious, making them act like a pair of rats from the gutter, forever shunning the light!