The Young Marquis Regrets Too Late - Chapter 33

On that dark moonlit night, the silver-white moonlight fell softly on their two figures.

Gu Huaisheng silently followed Jiang Jingchun. He could sense the turmoil in her heart but chose not to disturb her, and simply kept her company without making a sound. When they finally arrived at Rongde Hall, Jiang Jingchun went directly to the old madame’s inner chambers, while Gu Huaisheng stayed outside and refrained from entering further.

It was already nearing the hour of the Pig, and the old madame was preparing to rest. Normally, Jiang Jingchun would never disturb her at such a late hour, but tonight, she couldn’t wait any longer. Without the answers she sought, how could she possibly find peace?

The old madame had known that Jiang Jingchun had gone to Miao’en Temple earlier that day, but she hadn’t expected her to return at this hour. When the maid came in to report that Jiang Jingchun looked as though she’d been crying and insisted on seeing her, the old madame could already guess what it might be about.

She didn’t avoid the encounter and instructed the maid to let her in.

With a deep sigh, she rose from her bed. Her usually clear and focused eyes were now dull as they gazed at the canopy above. It was unclear what memories she had recalled in that moment.

What was meant to come could not be avoided.

As they had committed such a deed, it was inevitable that this deed would come to light, sooner or later.

What surprised her was only how quickly it had all come to light.

Jiang Jingchun entered the room so quietly that the old madame didn’t notice at first.

She called out softly, “Grandmother.”

The old madame returned from her thoughts. Upon hearing Jiang Jingchun address her as ‘grandmother,’ her eyes unexpectedly grew misty.

She still wanted to call her ‘Grandmother.’ Was she still willing to acknowledge her as her grandmother?

Old Madame Jiang’s voice trembled slightly as she asked, “Child, you’ve found out, haven’t you?”

Jiang Jingchun nodded. She had cried all the way back, and now her eyes were dry, red, and hollow. She had no tears left to shed.

Old Madame Jiang asked again, “Are you still willing to recognise me as your grandmother?”

Jiang Jingchun’s expression was devoid of warmth as she looked at the old madame and replied, “Have you failed me too, Grandmother?”

If her grandmother had never failed her, why wouldn’t she be willing to acknowledge her?

The simple question made the old madame’s face tremble.

However, Jiang Jingchun wasn’t interested in deciphering the old madame’s emotions right now. Her purpose for coming was clear, and she cut straight to the point.

“My mother—where is she now?”

Was she really dead?

Jiang Jinghui had told her that her mother was no longer alive, but she couldn’t believe it.

Perhaps no one else could give her the answer she sought, except for the old madame. Only she knew the truth and would be willing to reveal it.

Hearing this question, the old madame seemed to falter. Her gaze clouded over. She thought of that woman and slowly closed her eyes. A tear rolled down her weathered cheek.

After a long silence, the old madame opened her eyes again, as if she’d resolved herself to something, and said, “Sit down, child. Let Grandmother tell you everything about the past.”

Now that she had learned so much, there was no point in hiding anything further.

Jiang Jingchun sat by the bed as instructed, and the old madame began recounting the story of the past.

The story, as it turned out, was not so different from what Jiang Jinghui had described.

It was a story of a madwoman stealing the child of a sickly woman.

After Lady Li had taken Jiang Jingchun, Jiang Nan had gone to find the sickly woman again. He told her that her health was failing and that she had no husband to support her. If the child were to remain by her side, the child likely wouldn’t survive for long, but if the child were raised by his family, she would undoubtedly have a much better life.

The woman had no strength left to fight. Her body had been failing, and after the incident, her health had deteriorated rapidly. Jiang Nan’s words had extinguished the last flicker of hope in her heart.

She knew she couldn’t win against them.

Back then, the old madame had also visited the woman a few times. She knew her family had committed a heartless act, but in the end, she had allowed it to happen. If blame was to be assigned, she was just as much at fault.

Jiang Jingchun then asked, “What about her husband? Where did he go?”

Where was her father?

The old madame’s expression turned pensive as she delved into old memories.

At first, the sickly woman had refused to see anyone from the Jiang family again, but the old madame insisted on seeing her. While she couldn’t bring Jiang Jingchun to see her real mother, she kept track of her whereabouts and would report Jiang Jingchun’s condition to her. Over time, the woman became less resistant to the old madame’s visits.

Still, the loss of her child had dealt her a devastating blow. Her health had worsened year by year until she was little more than skin and bones.

The old madame had once asked the sickly woman about her husband’s whereabouts.

Before her death, the sickly woman had given her an answer.

The old madame told Jiang Jingchun, “Your father’s name was Qiongzhang. She said he wasn’t her husband. That man kept her in a residence on the outskirts and only worshipped heaven and earth with her, but neither of their parents were present. After she became pregnant and gave birth to you, that man stayed with her for nearly a year. 

“He kept promising that he would take her to meet his parents, that he would marry her officially, but when you were just one year old, Qiongzhang disappeared completely, as if he had evaporated from the world. She never saw him again. He had told her that the world outside was dangerous and had begged her not to leave the residence, so she waited for him there for two whole years. But she just… missed him so much. In the end, she took you with her to a renowned temple to pray for blessings. She hoped to see him again.”

However, it was during that outing that she lost her child.

If she had her husband by her side back then, how could she have ended up in such a desperate situation?

Who was Qiongzhang?

The old madame had sent people to investigate at the time, but there wasn’t anyone in the capital’s noble families named ‘Qiongzhang.’ However, Qiongzhang truly sounded like the young master of a wealthy and prominent household.

The old madame could tell that the residence where the woman had lived back then was extremely luxurious—more opulent even than the Jiang family’s own property. Ordinary people could never afford such extravagance. Even the name ‘Qiongzhang’ itself showed this—both the characters that it was made up of had connotations of jade and wealth, and it was a name far beyond what common folk would choose for their children.

The two of them were deeply in love. The old madame could see it from the smallest details. The room was filled with wooden carvings that Qiongzhang had made himself, playful trinkets he’d crafted to amuse her. Though he clearly had wealth, he was still willing to spend time and effort making those things. The furnishings and items used throughout the residence were all of the finest quality, and they were evidence of how much he valued her.

As for the woman, even after two years of being abandoned by him, she still longed to see him one last time.

But if they loved each other so much, why did he abandon her for two entire years?

To this day, the old madame still couldn’t understand.

Jiang Jingchun thought her tears had already dried up, but after hearing the old madame’s words, they began to fall again.

She had never thought of herself as someone who cried easily, but now her tears streamed uncontrollably.

In a trembling voice, she asked the old madame, “So, in the end, she died?”

Seeing Jiang Jingchun cry, the old madame couldn’t hold back her own tears either. Her voice now carried a sorrowful, aged despair.

“She couldn’t endure it any longer. In the end, she just couldn’t hold on. A year… a year after you left, she passed away.”

Jiang Jingchun finally broke down. She started crying uncontrollably.

At first, her sobs were restrained, but they quickly turned into unbridled grieved wailing, to the point where she could hardly breathe.

For over a decade, she had been deceived. For more than ten years, she had betrayed her own mother, who had given birth to her.

Her mother had no husband, had lost her child, and had been tormented by illness. How desperate must she have been?

“She never even got to see me one last time before she died.”

Her mother was alone on her sickbed and could only hear occasional news about her when the old madame visited her. Could she even hope to see her? Would Lady Li allow it? After taking Jiang Jingchun away and claiming her as her own, would Lady Li ever let her birth mother see her?

However, to Jiang Jingchun’s surprise, the old madame wiped her tears and choked out, “She did see you. She saw you one last time before she died.”

But if so, why did Jiang Jingchun have no memory of it? Her mother had passed away when she was four years old. At four, she was old enough to remember some things. However, Jiang Jingchun had no recollection of meeting someone terminally ill.

Yet, after hearing the old madame’s words, a long-buried memory suddenly resurfaced. Her pupils dilated in shock as she looked at the old madame. “Was it that time?”

When she was a child, the old madame had suddenly told her they were going on an outing to the outskirts of the capital. At first, Lady Li had adamantly refused and insisted on coming along. It was only after Jiang Nan persuaded her that she allowed the old madame to take Jiang Jingchun. That day, they were accompanied by her cousin—Gu Huaisheng.

The old madame took her to a manor in the countryside. They brought her into a room and blindfolded her with a ribbon. The old madame told Gu Huaisheng to play hide-and-seek with her, saying he would hide while she looked for him.

Jiang Jingchun, who was still very young, didn’t think much of it. She assumed it was just a fun new game the old madame and her cousin had come up with. She began fumbling around with her eyes covered.

But before long, she unexpectedly grabbed hold of a hand. Jiang Jingchun was surprised by how quickly she had ‘caught’ someone. She tried to remove the ribbon, but Gu Huaisheng stopped her, saying, “You can’t take it off yet. You need to hold on for as long as it takes to drink a cup of tea.” 

The time it took to drink a cup of tea… That felt like forever. Jiang Jingchun wasn’t thrilled about it, but she had always listened to her older cousin.

She obediently stayed still, but for some reason, the hand holding hers tightened its grip. She thought she even heard a woman softly sobbing.

Even as a child, Jiang Jingchun had felt something strange. However, Gu Huaisheng kept distracting her. He told her about new pastry shops in town or fun toys at home…

At the time, her young mind couldn’t grasp the odd atmosphere.

But now, as she looked back at it, she realised how unusual that day had been.

The old madame had said her mother saw her one last time before dying. That must have been the occasion.

No wonder—no wonder ‘Gu Huaisheng’ had held her hand so tightly that day, so tightly it felt like her fingers might break. It hadn’t been him at all.

Jiang Jingchun buried her face in her hands. Tears streamed through her fingers as her sobs filled the room.

The old madame saw her reaction and knew she had remembered. She said, “That day, she was gravely ill—so ill she couldn’t even get out of bed anymore. She said she wanted to see you. She begged me to let her see you one last time before she died.”

It was the first time she had spoken to the old madame. Before that, she had only ever listened when the old madame talked about Jiang Jingchun’s life. She had never spoken a word to her. Each time, she would lie on her side with her face to the wall and refuse to interact with her.

That was also the day her mother told the old madame about that despicable man—Jiang Jingchun’s father.

“I lied to you. I told you your cousin was taking you to play hide-and-seek, just so she could see you one last time. Not long after you left that day, she passed away.”

The memories of those days were so bleak, so dark, that recalling them now felt unbearably cruel.

Life was as fleeting as a mayfly—one that was born at dawn and gone by dusk.

That frail, ailing woman ultimately died on her sickbed. Her life had been far too short. It ended forever when she was at the age of twenty.

It was a devastating story.

Jiang Jingchun felt a chill spreading through her body, as if the coldness had seeped into her very bones. She found everyone around her increasingly repugnant.

Some people appeared noble and radiant on the outside but were utterly rotten within.

The Jiang family—each one of them—was more despicable and cold-hearted than the last.

But she bore the Jiang surname. She had lived in this house for over ten years. Did this mean she was exactly the same as they were?

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Perhaps it was the emotional upheaval of the day; soon, her exhaustion overtook her, and she felt completely drained of strength. She collapsed beside the bed and no longer had the energy to sob loudly. Only silent tears trailed down her cheeks.

Eventually, her cries faded into silence as her body grew too weak to move. She fell into a restless slumber on the bed.

The old madame watched her with a heavy heart. After a long pause, she finally called someone in. She instructed the servant to remove Jiang Jingchun’s shoes but refrained from removing her outer garment, out of fear that it would wake her. Then, the old madame gently laid her on the bed.

She asked the servants to fetch a basin of warm water.

When the servant left, someone else entered the room to report that Gu Huaisheng was still waiting outside.

Though the old madame was puzzled by his presence, she instructed the servant to bring him in.

As Gu Huaisheng entered, his gaze instinctively landed on Jiang Jingchun. She was lying on the bed. Her face was pale and drenched in sweat. Tear streaks marred her cheeks. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her body trembled, as if she was caught in a nightmare of sorrow.

The sight caused Gu Huaisheng’s chest to tighten painfully.

The old madame noticed his reaction and glanced back at Jiang Jingchun’s face. Her own expression was clouded with heartache.

“She knows everything now.” The old madame frowned deeply. “The truth is cruel. If she can’t bear it, it would’ve been better to keep her in the dark.”

Gu Huaisheng was silent for a moment before he replied, “But a person can’t live their whole life in ignorance.”

There was an inexplicable sadness in his tone and a deep sympathy that echoed in the air.

The events of the past had always been unfair to her. Even if the truth was painful, how could anyone expect her to blindly live without ever knowing the truth?

Hearing his words, the old madame looked up at him and asked, “So, it was you who told her?”

Gu Huaisheng had learned the truth back then because the old madame had no choice but to involve him in deceiving Jiang Jingchun. She trusted him to keep his mouth shut, and his intelligence made it impossible to hide the truth from him anyway. She decided it was better to tell him directly.

Who else could’ve told Jiang Jingchun besides him?

However, Gu Huaisheng shook his head. “It wasn’t me. She was fine when I met her earlier in the afternoon. I don’t know who told her after that.”

Whoever it was, they would only find out once Jiang Jingchun woke up. For now, guessing was futile.

Still, Gu Huaisheng had a point—should she be left in the dark forever?

Jiang Jingchun had always blamed herself for what happened to Jiang Jinghui. She felt like it had been her fault, and she always felt guilty for it. But now…

The Jiang family was her mother’s murderer, yet she had been living in the den of wolves. She’d called her mother’s murderers her parents and treated her enemies as her closest kin.

The room fell into a heavy silence. No one spoke for a long time.

A servant soon returned with a basin of warm water. After placing it on the table, she began preparing a washcloth, but Gu Huaisheng stepped forward and said, “I’ll do it.”

The servant retreated at his words.

Gu Huaisheng wrung out the cloth. His elegant and precise movements, along with his clean and beautiful hands, turned the simple act into something almost ceremonial.

After wetting the cloth, he approached the bed. The old madame reached out to take it from him, but Gu Huaisheng stopped her.

“Grandmother, please lift her up slightly. I’ll take care of it.”

The old madame didn’t think much of it. Gu Huaisheng was always so proper that no one would suspect him of anything inappropriate. She merely interpreted his actions as an act of brotherly love.

Following his instructions, she gently propped Jiang Jingchun’s upper body up and allowed Jiang Jingchun to lean against her.

“Be gentle,” she said softly.

Gu Huaisheng pressed the damp cloth to Jiang Jingchun’s forehead with the utmost care and dabbed away the sweat. His movements were deliberate—almost reverent, as he wiped her pale, delicate skin.

Her fair complexion was like porcelain. It suddenly brought back memories from two years ago.

Two years ago, Jiang Jingchun had snuck out to play and ended up in trouble. Gu Huaisheng had been the one to rescue her and bring her back to the Jiang family.

She was exhausted and fell asleep in his arms, but her hands had clung to his sleeve with a death grip. No matter how others tried to pull her away, her fingers wouldn’t loosen. When they tried to forcefully separate her, she frowned, as if she might cry in fear at any moment.

Gu Huaisheng had no other choice but to carry her into her room and stay by her side until she woke up.

After being dragged into staying by her side, Gu Huaisheng watched as a servant cleaned the dirt from her face. He had thought to himself, how could a little girl’s face be so white, like a piece of tofu? If he pinched it lightly, would she cry?

Now, two years later, it was his turn to wipe her face. This time, as he looked at her pale cheeks, he found himself thinking, how could someone look so pitiful?

So pitiful it made his heart ache.

She had cried so much, and Gu Huaisheng felt a sharp pain deep in his chest as he watched.

The old madame spoke quietly. “She used to like you so much and listened to everything you said…”

Gu Huaisheng said, “Let her come to the Gu family residence.”

The two of them had spoken at almost the same time.

The old madame fell silent for a moment after hearing his words.

She had intended to say that Jiang Jingchun used to like him, but recently, she hadn’t mentioned Gu Huaisheng at all. It seemed as if she had given up on him and moved on.

Jiang Jingchun would never find happiness in the Jiang family residence again, but would she willingly go to the Gu family residence?

After a long silence, the old madame finally replied, “If it were before, she’d surely be happy to go with you. But now, I don’t think she would. And besides, in what capacity—what identity, would she go?”

After hearing the old madame’s words, Gu Huaisheng paused briefly. The cloth he used halted at her neck. Any movement further downward would cross a line.

He stopped wiping her face and answered firmly, “In any capacity she chooses.”

As long as she was willing to.

He had made up his mind. He understood now. If he couldn’t bear to see her cry, if he constantly worried about other people mistreating her, then he should stay by her side and watch over her, so those things wouldn’t happen.

The old madame shook her head. “I can’t make that decision for her. You’ll have to ask her yourself when she wakes up.”