Everyone had just pitied and lamented for Concubine Du when they discovered that the second young master’s hand, bleeding profusely, was missing a finger. The finger he had lost was lying quietly on the desk beside him.
No wonder he had screamed so loudly earlier; Concubine Du, having failed to kill the second young master, had instead severed one of his fingers.
With the second young master’s finger being cut off by Concubine Du, this was a grave matter, and the servants couldn’t afford to be negligent. They hastily left the residence in a carriage to request the help of Gu Youyou from the Lin Family.
In the absence of Minister Xie, with the second young master in such a state, the only person in the family who could make decisions was the third young lady, Xie Qinyun.
Xie Qinyun was so shocked upon arriving at the scene that she nearly fainted.
She had never imagined that Concubine Du, who had always professed her love for the second brother so fervently, could possess such a cruel heart.
She was after his life; although she didn’t get his life, she cut off one of his fingers.
Concubine Du was bound hand and foot, gagged, and thrown into the firewood shed to await her punishment, while Xie Qinyun was pacing anxiously in her second brother’s room, and the second young master of the Jie Family, enduring the pain, had the servants tend to his bleeding wound.
It wasn’t just the finger that was injured; his palm also had a gash, and there were several other cuts on his body, all inflicted by the frenzied Concubine Du with a dagger.
"Quick, go and see if Doctor Gu has arrived!" Xie Qinyun sent another maid to check at the gate.
In just a short while, she had already sent five or six maids to check.
"This vile woman, second brother, you should have driven her out earlier; that would have spared you from this suffering."
The second young master’s feelings were complicated at the moment, filled with both regret and hatred.
"A person like her, who could push her own sister into a lotus pond to drown, what more for a man who wanted to kick her out of the house. Second brother, now you see her true face, don’t you? She doesn’t love you; she loves your status, herself. If someone else could give her what she wants, she could love another just as well."
The second young master let his sister scold him, remaining silently sullen, with large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
A house servant from the Jie Family had ridden swiftly over. As soon as he dismounted, he urgently asked the gatekeeper to notify their young lady, saying that it was a matter of life and death.
Seeing the servant from the Jie Residence so anxious, the gatekeeper of the Lin Family did not dare delay. One inquired with Madam Lin, while another went directly to the courtyard of their young lady, Gu Youyou.
Today, Concubine Du of Manxiu Building had come to visit. She had just entered Gu Youyou’s courtyard, had just exchanged pleasantries, and had not hurried to address the main issue when she saw the servant from the gate rushing over in an urgent manner.
This made Gu Youyou quite displeased as she said, "Is it so urgent as if your eyebrows are on fire? Didn’t you see I have a guest here?"
The servant hastily replied, "It’s more urgent than the eyebrows catching fire, young lady. A messenger from the Jie Residence has come, saying you need to go and save a life."
"Save what life?" Gu Youyou asked, glancing at Concubine Du, speaking in a calm and unhurried manner.
"Oh my, it’s said that Concubine Du has gone mad. She grabbed a knife to kill the second young master, saying she wanted to die together with him."
Gu Youyou’s brows twitched, "Is that so?"
Concubine Du was internally startled, but her expression was only somewhat surprised. Overall, she remained relatively calm and asked, "And now, is the second young master dead or alive?"
The gatekeeper’s servant replied anxiously, "Right now, we don’t even know if he’s dead or alive. Young lady, will you save him or not? If you’re not going, I should go out and relay the message; otherwise, if there is any delay, it could be troublesome, as our family and the Jie Residence have a rather good relationship."
"Save him, of course," Gu Youyou said after looking at Concubine Du. "Notify the young lady to make a quick trip to Jisheng Hall and bring my medicine chest over."