Peacefully Passed

Zhao Yuanxun's feelings were extremely complicated.

Although his two younger brothers were born out of wedlock, they were still his own brothers. As the heir apparent, he had always considered his two brothers his responsibility until his youth. Later, conflicts arose, leading to the division of the family property, and he signed a document severing ties with Zhao Yuankun. However, he still had feelings for his brothers in his heart.

Seeing him die like this, he feels terrible.

Although Zhao Yuanxun held a clerical position at the Court of Judicial Review, he had extensive experience with case files and thus knew more or less how to investigate cases.

Although he hadn't looked closely, his intuition told him that Zhao Yuankun's death was very unusual.

Lady Zhu had shared a bed with Zhao Yuanxun for over a decade and knew him better than anyone else.

Originally, since the two families had severed ties, and it was her brother-in-law who died, and in a very dishonorable way, she could have chosen not to come. Her concern was that Zhao Yuanxun, out of consideration for their brotherly bond, might make a wrong decision, jeopardizing her and Lady Su's carefully laid plans.

Although no matter how hard they investigated, they couldn't trace it back to her, and Lady Su was no good person either. But she felt that someone like Zhao Yuankun wasn't worth her husband's efforts. As a woman, she also sympathized with Lady Su. If she could help her, she would naturally do so.

Therefore, she spoke up before Zhao Yuanxun could, saying, "Yes. If this gets out, not only will we be ashamed to go out in public, but the Earl will also lose his official position, and the marriage prospects of all the children in the family will be affected."

Zhao Yuanxun was still hesitant, but upon hearing the last sentence, he immediately abandoned the idea of reporting to the authorities.

If the brothers still had a decent relationship, he wouldn't have prioritized the child over his brother's injustice. But Zhao Yuankun's character had disappointed him greatly.

For someone like that to affect his children's marriages, especially his daughter Zhao Ruxi is so promising, if she were to be gossiped about and never be able to get married because of Zhao Yuankun, Zhao Yuanxun felt he would be disgusted to death.

He nodded and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the clan chief. "Seventh Grandfather is right. If this gets out, not only will our entire clan be disgraced, but it will also do Yuankun no good. In that case, let's proceed with the burial."

Lady Su's heart had been in her throat, but upon hearing Zhao Yuanxun's words, she finally felt relieved. She suddenly felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and she couldn't even straighten her back.

However, she didn't need to handle the burial of Zhao Yuankun and Concubine Wu Concubine Wu. The steward, servants, and four maids went in to bury Zhao Yuankun separately. She only needed to sit there and weep.

Lady Zhu then pretended to comfort her, saying, "Third sister-in-law, don't be too sad. You still have Young Master Ning and Miss Shan. For the sake of the two children, you must support this family and take care of yourself."

Lady Su collapsed onto Lady Zhu's shoulder and sobbed, "Sister-in-law, why is my life so miserable? My husband is gone just like that, what am I going to do?"

She wasn't acting; she was genuinely heartbroken.

She was completely devoted to Zhao Yuankun, but in the end, Zhao Yuankun wanted to kill her, forcing her to murder her husband.

Now she is a widow, her son is still young, and she feels terrified at the thought of having to support the family alone.

Lady Zhu patted her on the back. "Although we signed a document severing ties, we are still family, and we don't live far apart; besides our household, there are many other people in the clan. If you encounter any difficulties, just send someone to find me or the clan head, and we will stand up for you."

"Yes," the clan chief had no choice but to agree after Lady Zhu's words. "If you have any difficulties, just tell the clan. You still have Young Master Ning; raise him well, and your life will be much better when he grows up in a few years."

In his view, Lady Su had such a house, a generous dowry, and no worries about food or clothing; she also had a son to rely on. Although the third branch had broken ties with the first branch, given Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu's personalities, they wouldn't stand idly by when the third branch's affairs came to pass. Lady Su was already better off than many others.

There are also widows and orphans in the clan; their lives are truly difficult.

Zhao Yuanxun had already sent Liu Quan to invite a Daoist priest. In the afternoon, the third branch of the family began to perform the rituals.

Seeing that the funeral arrangements were proceeding smoothly under the care of Zhao Yuanxun and his wife, the clan chief returned to his clan.

Although Zhao Yuankun was beaten up last time, he was young and strong, and after a period of recuperation, his health was fine. Apart from a slight limp in his leg, he was not left with any lasting health problems.

Now that he has suddenly passed away, the clan chief knows that if the cause is not explained clearly, the clansmen will speculate wildly and spread the word, making the matter even more difficult to handle. Especially since Zhao Yuankun has cultivated various connections outside, there are bound to be a few true brothers among them. If they investigate and demand an exhumation and autopsy, then nothing can be covered up anymore.

When he returned from the third branch of the family, he summoned the heads of each household and announced Zhao Yuankun's death. At the same time, he subtly revealed the cause of Zhao Yuankun's death and instructed everyone not to spread the word, and not to tell the women and children in their families.

Since it concerns the reputation of the entire Zhao Family, the clansmen naturally wouldn't speak carelessly. Moreover, in order to make Lady Su's death seem more natural, Zhao Yuankun has recently changed his previous aloofness towards women and has been spoiling his two concubines rotten.

Now that he's gone too far and died because of it, no one finds it surprising or suspects anything. In particular, Zhao Yuanxun hasn't raised any objections to the cause of Zhao Yuankun's death.

Although people felt that Zhao Yuanxun was somewhat incompetent and not as adept at scheming as Zhao Yuankun, his character was widely recognized.

The Daoist priest performed rituals for three days, and then Zhao Yuankun was buried.

Concubine Wu was naturally not qualified to be buried in the Zhao Family cemetery. The clan chief hated her for causing the Zhao Family to lose a promising young man, and he hinted to Lady Su that she should throw Concubine Wu into a mass grave.

Lady Su felt guilty. Although Concubine Wu was not a good person, she had died because of her. So she still had a simple coffin made and chose a piece of land to bury Concubine Wu properly.

Afterwards, the third branch of the family held religious ceremonies for several more days before the situation calmed down.

Because Zhao Yuankun's death was dishonorable, his funeral was kept simple, and his family did not spread the news. Furthermore, Zhao Yuankun never introduced his connections to the Lady Su, allowing them to associate with their female relatives. Therefore, it wasn't until six or seven days after Zhao Yuankun 'Lady Su death, when they hadn't seen him, that they sent servants to inquire and learned of his passing.

These friends had no real relationship with Zhao Yuankun; their friendship stemmed from their belief that he was quick-witted, capable, and would rise to prominence. Now that he was dead, they wouldn't waste their money investigating Zhao Yuankun death, nor would they meddle. Therefore, most of them simply listened and didn't pursue the matter further.

One or two people who were close to Zhao Yuankun sent people to inquire about the Zhao Family. The news they received was that Zhao Yuankun had suffered a stroke, and everyone's story was consistent.

Although they had doubts, feeling that it was impossible for Zhao Yuankun, who was so young, to suffer a stroke, they knew that since he had already been buried, getting the government to open the coffin was not a simple matter and carried a very heavy responsibility.