Help! The Frosty Noble's Son Is in Love With Me!-Chapter 394: Do Soul Swaps Exist in This World?
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"The patient’s body is invaded by cold, and if it’s not well taken care of in the future, having children after marriage might be a problem."
"No matter what method is used, please, Doctor, you must cure her. She’s still so young and hasn’t married yet."
"I will do my best."
...
"In such cold weather, she pushed someone into the water like that. Anyone with a conscience wouldn’t do such a thing. If it weren’t for the quick rescue by the maids and old women, Nichang might not have survived. I’ve told you so many times, but you just wouldn’t believe it. Now the facts are in front of you, what do you have to say?"
"...Aunt, Cousin, please don’t blame Miss Li. It was Nichang who accidentally fell into the water, it has nothing to do with Miss Li."
"Even at such a time, you’re still defending her. She nearly got you killed."
"Miss Li... she didn’t mean it... cough, cough..." Ji Nishang was obviously too weak to speak, yet she was still trying to explain for others.
Mrs. Xiao saw this and felt even more heartbroken, "Silly child, if she didn’t do it intentionally, why hasn’t she dared to come see you all this time since the incident? She must have a guilty conscience."
The person at the door just stopped in their tracks.
The scene shifted.
"Regardless of what happened, you shouldn’t push someone into the water." The man’s voice carried an unprecedented coldness.
Li Jirou clenched her fingers and struggled to explain, "It’s not like that..."
"There are witnesses and evidence, and at this point, you still want to argue?" Xiao Shiqing spoke with a tone of disappointment, "I’ve told you many times, she’s just a cousin staying at the mansion temporarily, she wouldn’t affect our marriage, so why did you treat her like that?"
Li Jirou felt as if her throat was blocked by something, unable to say a word.
And Xiao Shiqing, who was usually taciturn, had plenty to say at this moment.
"The doctor says she might have difficulty conceiving in the future, and someone needs to be responsible for this."
Almost as if she could predict his next words, Li Jirou could barely breathe, staring at him, her eyes filled with pleading and despair.
However, the man did not notice, and made his decision, "Our engagement remains unchanged, but I will marry her as my wife."
The engagement stays the same, but marrying someone else as his wife — that means she will become a concubine.
Li Jirou stood there, stunned, unaware of when he left.
And she didn’t care anymore.
She just dazedly extended her hand, looking at it.
Since entering the Pei Mansion, her hands had become callused. Her once well-maintained hands never developed calluses, even when she served as a maid at Pei Mansion. Yet, after entering Xiao Mansion, with endless embroidery work and chores every day, her hands were now worse than those of a maid.
Because Mrs. Xiao did not like the clothes and shoes made by the maids, knowing her embroidery skills were good, Mrs. Xiao had her do it all.
She often stayed up late, working alone just to finish a piece of clothing or a pair of shoes for Mrs. Xiao to wear at the banquet the next day.
Because Mrs. Xiao liked the food she made, she would spend over an hour in the kitchen every day.
Because Mrs. Xiao said that the maids were clumsy and couldn’t even wash clothes properly, and she had soft hands that wouldn’t ruin clothes, she was tasked with washing Mrs. Xiao’s clothes every day.
She did so much, without complaint or regret, simply because she believed that it was a woman’s duty to serve her in-laws after marriage.
But in the end, she was the only one who viewed Mrs. Xiao as family, while Mrs. Xiao viewed her as a servant.
No, not even a servant.
Now, even he saw her as a servant.
A concubine is essentially half a servant.
Li Jirou suddenly began to laugh, but as she laughed, tears fell.
...
On the day of the grand wedding banquet at Xiao Mansion, decorated with ten miles of red decorations, Li Jirou was alone in the room, dressed in a red robe, grooming herself in front of the mirror.
There was no one in the courtyard, as all the maids and old women had gone to help at the front.
Li Jirou picked up the comb herself, with no one to comb her hair, she did it herself.
"First comb to the end, and riches will never be a concern."
"Second comb to the end, and harmony in the household will ensue."
"Third comb to the end, for the Everlasting Unity Pendant!"
She stood up, walked out of the room, her long dress flowing on the ground like a blood-red river.
...
A stifling sensation suddenly hit, and Li Hua clutched her chest, her face turning pale.
"County Princess, what’s happening to you?"
The maidservant, about to assist her mistress off the carriage, asked anxiously upon seeing the situation.
Xiao Shiqing, who was nearby, saw this and unconsciously walked over, "What’s wrong?"
The young maid, at a loss, "The County Princess suddenly became like this, and this servant doesn’t know what happened."
Xiao Shiqing looked at Li Hua, seeing her clutching her chest, sweat on her forehead, her eyes closed in obvious discomfort. For some reason, his heart suddenly trembled, and before he realized it, he was carrying her off the carriage.
Li Hua then suddenly began to struggle, "Let... let me go... let..."
Although she was clearly on the verge of suffocation, she still tried her best to push him away.
But how could a young lady muster the strength to push away a man much larger than herself? Xiao Shiqing thought she only resisted to protect her modesty, but in this urgent situation, he couldn’t care less. Ignoring her protests, he carried her into the house and sent someone to fetch a doctor.
By the time the doctor arrived, Li Hua had gradually recovered, but the doctor still checked her pulse, diagnosing it as chaotic and prescribed some medicine before leaving.
At this point, Mrs. Li and the others had not yet returned, so the maid went to prepare the medicine.
Seeing that she had improved greatly, Xiao Shiqing said, "Since the lady is fine now, I shall take my leave."
Li Hua, her eyes closed, spoke softly, "Thank you for today, Prince Xiao. The elders of the household are not here, so I won’t insist on you staying. Sui’er, show our guest out."
Xiao Shiqing looked at the woman lying in bed, feeling that her demeanor and tone were exactly like Li Jirou’s when she used to quarrel with him. The voice, the expression, everything.
Thinking about the sachet and the incense bag, combined with his observations over time, even though it seemed unbelievable, he blurted out without thinking, "Jirou."
The person on the bed was momentarily stunned, then opened her eyes to look at him, eyes filled with confusion, "The Young Lady Pei is not here, why is Prince Xiao calling Young Lady Pei’s name?"
Xiao Shiqing couldn’t describe the feeling in his heart, "I misspoke, my apologies."
After Xiao Shiqing left, Li Hua finally released her hand from her side, revealing deep nail marks in her palm, showing how much she had endured.
Xiao Shiqing slowly stopped as he walked out of the alley, with the two guards following him stopping as well, looking at their leader in confusion.
Xiao Shiqing lifted his head to look at the bustling street ahead, slowly speaking, "Do you think there are such things as soul exchanges in this world?"
The guards behind him were taken aback for a moment before they all shook their heads, "If the Prince is referring to borrowing a corpse to return the soul, that might be more likely, but soul exchanging, we’ve never heard of such a thing."
Another guard added, "Yes, even the idea of borrowing a corpse to return a soul is what those Daoists use to deceive people. In the world, there couldn’t be such convenient things. If there were, some people could live forever."
Could someone really take over another’s body, living life after life? Is it possible?
Definitely not.
Xiao Shiqing pulled at the corners of his mouth, his tone indescribable — whether it was desolate or something else, "Is it so?"
