If she hadn’t seen his gentleness toward Wen Jin’an with her own eyes that night, and seen how different it was from the way he looked at her just now, Wen Xueling might have actually believed him.
As expected of the Lord Prime Minister, who had risen through the ranks of the imperial court step by step; his surface-level performance was truly impeccable.
Since they could act, she naturally could as well.
Wen Xueling wiped away her tears, putting on a look of relief.
“That is good to hear. Ling’er thought… since Father had not returned home for so many years, you might have taken another wife and had another daughter in Jingcheng.”
“When I was young, I often heard the neighbors say that Father valued love and justice above all else, and would never do such a heartless and ungrateful thing.”
“To ensure Father had no worries in Jingcheng, Mother had to take care of our grandmother, who was bedridden with consumption, while raising the five of us siblings. Her life has been truly bitter. Father, when you see Mother in a moment, you must coax her well.”
The father and son’s expressions froze.
Hearing his daughter’s innocent yet piercing words, a shadow of gloom crossed Wen Jingshu’s face.
“Father… has also always missed your mother dearly.”
With that, he walked quickly to the door.
The moment her scumbag father turned around, Wen Xueling’s submissive expression vanished, replaced by a coldness as if she were looking at a dead object.
He certainly knew how to act. If he missed her so much, how could he stay away for over a decade? Would Rongguo collapse without him?
Beside her, Wen Jinli’s face was filled with unease and irritation. If Mother found out that Father had already remarried in Jingcheng and had another daughter, how would they handle the ensuing chaos?
It would have been better if they hadn’t come to Jingcheng. Then he and his father wouldn’t have these distracting troubles.
Today, he could have accompanied his mother and An’an to the outskirts of the city to admire the plum blossoms. He heard that the blossoms outside Fu’an Temple had already bloomed, and An’an loved plum blossoms most of all.
“What is Brother thinking about?”
The sudden question caught Wen Jinli off guard before he could pull his thoughts back. He subconsciously replied, “There is a Fu’an Temple on the outskirts of Jingcheng. The plum grove at the foot of the mountain is famous far and wide. When the academy has its break, I will take you and Mother to see the blossoms.”
Seeing the awkward and stiff smile on his face, Wen Xueling spoke flatly, “Have you forgotten in just two short years, Brother?”
Wen Jinli frowned. “Forgotten what?”
“Ling’er is like Mother. If I get too close to plum blossoms, I break out in hives. At best, I’m bedridden; at worst… I could lose my life.”
She spoke the last four words slowly and heavily.
“Did you forget, Brother, or did you simply never care?”
Wen Jinli’s stunned and confused expression proved one thing beyond a doubt: he had indeed forgotten.
After a moment of guilt, his shame turned into anger. He said crossly, “I only forgot for a moment. Why must you be so aggressive?”
“I thought that after two years apart, you would have become more sensible. I didn’t expect you to be so reckless with your words. How can someone as dull as you survive in Jingcheng?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of a teacup crashing to the floor came from inside the room.
Not good!
She rushed into the room. “Mother, are you alright?”
Mu Qingyu’s face was covered in tears as she pointed a finger at the doorway.
Not yet knowing what had transpired in the room, Wen Xueling focused on giving her mother water and gently stroking her back to soothe her breathing.
“Mother, don’t be angry. Your health is more important.”
Had the scumbag father stopped pretending? Had he told her directly about the remarriage?
“Since things have come to this, I will not hide it from you. Now that I hold the position of Prime Minister, there is already a primary wife and a daughter in the mansion.”
Wen Xueling’s eyes darkened. In her previous life, her mother had been kept in the dark until the day she died. In this life, she finally knew the truth.
“Qingyu, if you wish to enter the mansion, it can only be as a concubine.”
“Rest assured, aside from you all, no other women will enter the mansion. My current wife spent the first half of her life serving the country and its people, and her health is poor. You must yield to her and never, ever provoke her anger!”
Wen Xueling’s fists tightened!
What a shameless man. He actually intended to demote his wife to a concubine…
“Ling’er, although An’an is the younger sister, she must be the only legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion. I will have her call you ‘Elder Sister.’ An’an will surely feel wronged by the sudden appearance of an older sister, so we will announce to the public that you are merely an adopted daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion. Do you understand?”
Wen Xueling looked up at Wen Jinli. “Brother, do you think so too?”
Before she was old enough to remember anything, her scumbag father had already left for Jingcheng, so she had no bond with him. But he had truly lived with her four older brothers for over a decade.
Wen Jinli’s voice was dry. “Ling’er, I… I think Father is right.”
“Ling’er, look, since you were small, you had Mother, Grandmother, and the four of us brothers to accompany you. But An’an never had brothers by her side. This is what we owe her; it’s only right that we treat her better!”
“And don’t worry, even if you are publicly declared an adopted daughter, we won’t mistreat you. We will still take care of you like a real sister.”
Interesting. But she was a real sister.
Wen Xueling’s gaze swept over the father and son. Looking at their self-satisfied expressions as they twisted right and wrong, she said, “Father, Brother, you don’t want them to feel wronged, so you must wrong Mother and me instead, is that it?”
Hearing the accusation in her voice, Wen Jingshu felt displeased. He criticized her, “Ling’er, you truly did grow up in the countryside; you have no understanding of the importance of social standing in the capital.”
“I am the Prime Minister. The mansion needs a mistress who can manage the household and who will not bring trouble or shame to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, as well as a legitimate daughter who is beyond reproach.”
“If you were a son like your four brothers, it would be one thing. But as it happens, you are a girl.”