Kiyomi Tsuki and His Fox - Chapter 119
Steward Du snorted, "Enough with the nonsense. In short, you are not allowed to approach Miss Xiaoqian again."
Su Haibo and Zhou Peng shook their heads with smiles and turned to enter the conference hall.
Zhou Jie pulled Du Ping aside, "You're not bad. You've been attacked by Fox countless times, but you're not discouraged."
Du Ping huffed, "That wretched fox! It actually used its butt to wipe my face!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jie burst into laughter.
Li Zhen said coldly, "I think you should give up. Women are the most unreliable things. They only want to use their looks to gain wealth and status. How could she fall in love with someone of such low status as you?"
Having said that, he strode away.
Du Ping said uncomfortably, "That kid is always so sarcastic."
Zhou Jie said, "Ignore him."
In a simple yet bright and warm room on the west side, Xiaoqian was wiping the black mud off the white fox's paws with a towel. As she wiped it, she nagged, "You're so naughty. You can't play pranks like that again, or Young Master Jianyue will punish you again."
The white fox's fox-like eyes crinkled with laughter; he was overjoyed. He chuckled, "Being served by beautiful women is more blissful than being a god! The Fox King must cultivate himself into a thousand-year-old fox spirit, and then transform into a handsome man so he can marry many, many beautiful girls like Xiaoqian."
Inside the conference hall, during their interrupted meeting, they heard heavy footsteps approaching from afar. They frowned, wondering who was barging in so recklessly. Without even announcing anything, the impetuous person rushed into the conference hall, panting and shouting, "Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has occurred!"
Su Haibo said with slight anger, "Su Xiaoqiu, what's the matter that you're in such a panic?"
Su Xiaoqiu was Su Haibo's personal attendant. He was named Su Xiaoqiu because he was round from head to toe. He was panting heavily, and despite the cold winter month, he was covered in sweat. "Master, something terrible has happened."
Su Haibo rebuked, "Explain clearly what serious incident has occurred."
"Master, I heard that Young Master Jianyue was poisoned to death after eating the duck soup made by Miss Xu."
Su Xiaoqiu's words were like a heavy artillery shell, the explosive force of which was astonishing. Li Zhen, who was taking meeting minutes, suddenly snapped her calligraphy brush in her hand.
After cleaning the white fox, Xiaoqian brought out some stewed chicken from the kitchen, shredded it into small pieces, and fed it to the fox on a plate. The white fox enjoyed it immensely. "So delicious! Xiaoqian's cooking is truly superb. Although my master's dishes are also extremely delicious, she's so biased, only making them for the Lord of the Manor, never giving any to the fox. Humph, it makes me so angry!"
"Xiaoqian, Xiaoqian!" The door was suddenly flung open, and a maid rushed in, panting, shouting, "Xiaoqian, something terrible has happened! I just heard that Young Master Jianyue ate some kind of duck soup made by Miss Xu."
Xiaoqian asked, "What's wrong with the duck soup?"
"Miss Xu is truly wicked; she actually poisoned the duck soup," the maid said indignantly. "She must be jealous of Young Master Jianyue's favor with the Lord of the Fortress. Everyone knows that Miss Xu also admires the Lord of the Fortress."
Xiaoqian's slender hand trembled, knocking over the bowls and plates with a loud crash, scattering them all over the floor. The white fox blinked its golden eyes: What is poison? Is that tastier than duck? The fox wants to eat too.
"Xiaoqian, what are you daydreaming about?" the maid said disapprovingly. "Seeing how much Young Master Yue dotes on you, aren't you worried if something happens to him?"
Xiaoqian felt breathless and could no longer speak. She lifted her skirt, pushed open the door, and ran out. The white fox jumped off the couch and ran after her at top speed.
What's wrong? What's wrong? Why are you so flustered, Xiaoqian? Did someone bully you? Fox will beat him up for you.
Her breath grew weaker and weaker, her body grew colder and colder, and a heavy drowsiness came over her. Kiyomi Tsuki's consciousness gradually became blurred.
Cai Zhonghe gripped Qing Jianyue's hand tightly, sweating profusely, and said, "Jianyue, cheer up. You'll be alright. Didn't you always say you were like a cat, with nine lives?"
"Jianyue, please, open your eyes, please. Don't sleep, promise me, please don't sleep. I know you're in pain, but just bear with it. I will definitely find the best doctor to cure you. I will definitely find the best doctor to cure you. Jianyue, open your eyes..."
Lu Qingcheng hugged Qing Jianyue tightly, pleading desperately, her heart filled with terror and sorrow.
Seeing their anxious and distressed expressions, wanting to help but not knowing where to start, Kiyomi Tsuki felt an indescribable sense of emotion. He wanted to say something, but he was so sleepy that his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Will I die? Am I really going to die this time? I've faced death so many times before—when I was eight, twelve, thirteen… I've lost count. Who in this world is as resilient as me? I could hang myself or jump into a river and still survive. Heh heh, but none of those times have I had anyone with me… Even if I die, I won't have any regrets.
"Jianyue, open your eyes, do you hear me?" Cai Zhonghe slapped his face. "You can't sleep, you absolutely can't sleep."
"I won't allow you to die, I won't allow you to die. If you dare to die, I'll deduct all your salary, I won't give you a single penny."
Lu Qingcheng shook him desperately, believing that even a person of iron would be shaken to pieces. Even more ridiculous was his last sentence; perhaps due to excessive grief, he uttered such illogical words. What's the point of deducting his salary now that he's dead?
Ironically, her soul was already teetering on the brink of hell when his words pulled her back. Qing Jianyue weakly opened her eyes, gazing resentfully at Lu Qingcheng. "How cruel! I'm already dead, and you still hold me captive. Am I a poor ghost in life, and will I become a poor ghost in death too?"
Kiyomi Tsuki's lips trembled slightly as she struggled to squeeze out her last words, "Give me my salary."
"If you die, I won't give you anything, not a single penny!" Lu Qingcheng shouted childishly without thinking.
Cai Zhonghe also shouted urgently, "That's right, not a single penny. Jianyue, as long as you live well, I promise to take you to eat all over Fengcheng, Hangzhou, and Yangzhou, as long as you live well. But if you die, you'll get nothing."
Cai Bo'an and Lei Yongxiang looked at each other with a mixture of emotions, neither able to laugh nor cry.
A faint smile flickered across Kiyomi Tsuki's face, a smile as brilliant and dazzling as a flame in its final moments. He really wanted to tell them, "Thank you, I'm happy, I'm truly happy."
His eyes slowly closed, and the smile cooled and vanished. Yes, vanished. A vibrant life was gone just like that.
It was as if a storm had swept through their hearts, as if a blizzard had swept through them.
Lu Qingcheng held Qing Jianyue tightly, pressing his face against his beloved's dull and lifeless face. Heart-wrenching sorrow brought tears streaming down his face...
Yixin Garden.
After hearing the report, Madam Lu was shocked and said, "What did you say? Qing Jianyue drank the cordyceps and duck soup and then collapsed on the ground?"
"Yes, Madam. Kiyoshi collapsed to the ground suddenly after drinking the duck soup that my young lady served him, as if he had been poisoned." The maid trembled incessantly. "The Lord of the Fortress is almost driven mad with anger. He looks like he's about to kill someone."
Madam Lu plopped back down on the couch, her expression blank.
Madam Li exclaimed in surprise, "You mean, that child who laughed like a golden boy, is he dead?"
The maid said, "I don't know. In short, it's terrible. The Shuxiang Courtyard is in complete chaos."
"My God! My God!" Madam Li exclaimed in horror, "Who poisoned me? In broad daylight, who poisoned me?"