Chapter 1256: Chapter 1256
But because she already knew that the child was not King Jin’s, the thought of all kinds of terrible possibilities, coupled with her weakened body after childbirth, or perhaps lovesickness for the man from that night, she fell ill and never recovered.
Long Liu began crying loudly: "Madam, our lives are so pitiful!"
"The Zuo Residence was bitter, and now you’ve married into the Prince Jin Residence, yet it’s still bitter. Why do they do this? Their scheming and plotting, whether to seize the throne or not, what does it have to do with us? Madam, why must they drag innocent people like us into the water..."
"What on earth happened?" Madam Zuo was still unclear about the matters.
Long Liu was already sobbing uncontrollably, "Madam, we’re doomed this time, but at least we won’t have to suffer anymore..."
She was already in utter despair, thinking that dying would be better—it would spare her the torment of living in constant fear. If she died, perhaps in her next life, she might be reincarnated into a better destiny.
Even if it’s still the fate of a maid, at least let her serve a more capable master. Madam Zuo had been bullied all her life, her own personality too soft, following such a master was truly bad luck.
But when it came to the thought of dying, she was still terrified, didn’t the saying go, ’Better a miserable life than a glorious death’?
Now, Long Liu’s heart was filled with contradiction.
Madam Zuo looked on with dull eyes as the maid placed the child by the bedside, then buried her face in her hands and wept bitterly.
She was already numb, and asked indifferently: "Are we about to die? That might actually be better."
Long Liu froze for a moment, then raised her tear-streaked face to say to Madam Zuo: "We truly are about to die. Just now, they asked me to bring the young master to the front hall to perform the blood test in front of the Prince..."
"What was the result?"
Hearing that, Madam Zuo grew agitated and abruptly sat upright.
"The result..." Long Liu cried bitterly, "The result was that the child isn’t the Prince’s. Madam, who was the man that night in your room if it wasn’t the Prince? Long Liu clearly attends to you every morning, preparing clothes for both you and the Prince..."
"Not the Prince’s?" Madam Zuo muttered softly.
Knowing inwardly was one thing, but having it confirmed was an entirely different matter.
Her emotions were complicated now, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.
The man from that night was so gentle and tender, unlike King Jin’s morning-after indifference; it brought her a hint of secret delight.
He must have truly liked her, or at least liked her during their shared moments of passion. In her life, alienated by all, surely there was at least one person who truly cared for her? So she thought.
"Madam, what’s wrong?" Seeing Madam Zuo dazed, Long Liu anxiously asked again.
Although Long Liu often felt resentful toward Madam Zuo’s weakness, having grown up together with her, endured hardships together, and faced countless scorn from others together, the bond between them was undeniable.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Madam Zuo replied faintly.
"Then why aren’t you afraid? The child isn’t the Prince’s, so you... you..."
Madam Zuo picked up the child from the bed. The baby had stopped crying and was now staring up at her with wide, curious eyes.
This was her son, so adorable, so tiny.
It didn’t matter if she died, but this child had only been in the world for a month. There were so many beautiful things he hadn’t seen yet. As his mother, how could she bear to let him lose his chance to live?
So yes, she was afraid.
But what could she do? She couldn’t even control her own life, let alone the fate of such a small child.