Chapter 1589: Chapter 1589: Situation

If the beginning of Year Twenty-Three of Shengping was bloody enough, then for Song Zhiqing, the beginning of Year Twenty-Four could only be described as tragic.

The news that Song Zhiqing was severely injured in a carriage accident leading to paralysis of his lower limbs attracted many visitors who came bearing gifts and regards, to express their concern. Of course, without an elder brother who is a Prime Minister, he probably wouldn’t receive such abundant attention.

However, Song Zhiqing did not care about this. What he cared about was whether there was any hope of standing again. Yet, as days passed, the Imperial Physicians or civilian doctors, and even some eccentric doctors, all stated clearly that given the current situation, being able to move freely in a wheelchair was already a great fortune.

This series of blows, akin to a death sentence, took Song Zhiqing from hopeful to gradually despairing, and he became increasingly irritable, spending his days either cursing or hitting the little servants attending him. Of course, the hitting didn’t cause any major issues, given his limited mobility and lack of strength.

With his paralysis, he could no longer attend court as an official. Reluctantly, Song Zhiqing had to submit his resignation to avoid occupying a position without fulfilling his duties and being dismissed personally by the Emperor, which would have been even more disgraceful.

He showed good sense; in consideration of Song Zhiyuan, Emperor Chu showed him favor too, sending an angel to advise him to focus on his recovery and serve Great Qing again in the future. He also granted him a sum of pension, marking a bond of grace between sovereign and subject.

Upon returning his official seals and robes, Song Zhiqing fell into despondency.

Thus, under a series of setbacks, Song Zhiqing became increasingly obsessive in his actions and even more desperate to stand again. Since real doctors could not be relied upon, he began to dabble in alternative practices, inviting Taoists and alchemists into the home to perform rituals, turning a perfectly good convalescent courtyard into a chaotic mess.

...

A month passed with such commotion, and several significant events occurred in the capital. Prince Wu took his family to his fief, and in the Song Family, Song Lingjie got engaged to Fu Yunjin from the Fu Family, with news of marriages or joyous occasions frequently emerging from other noble families.

It is worth mentioning that the approved in-laws, Duke Dingguo Mansion, and the popular noble Earl Anle Mansion formed an alliance by marriage, thereby intertwining the Song Family and the Earl Anle Mansion in familial ties.

The days thus moved into March of the spring, and seeing Song Zhiqing’s increasingly erratic behavior, during a courtesy call to Song Ci, Madam subtly mentioned to Madam Lu to persuade Song Zhiqing kindly, especially since a celebration would soon be held at the mansion, and such disorder was unseemly.

Since Song Zhiqing’s accident, Madam Lu didn’t know if it was due to her heart turning cold or some other reason, but she hadn’t taken much care of Song Zhiqing. Her heart towards him had chilled to the extreme, and this task was instead taken up by Madam Shen.

Now hearing Madam’s words, Madam Lu felt a tightness in her heart, looked at Song Ci, forced a smile, and said, "Elder Sister-in-law, it’s not that I don’t want to persuade him, but if he were willing to heed my words, things wouldn’t have come to this."

Madam sighed and said, "But you can’t just leave it like this, can you? People must always look forward."

Madam Lu gave a bitter smile, lowered her head, and fell silent.

Even though Madam’s words carried a sense of insensitivity, she dared not reveal it, let alone argue back. Song Zhiqing’s downfall made their family branch’s situation even worse, more like living under someone else’s roof, and for the sake of their branch, she could only humble herself, holding up Madam, the matron of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

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