The Old Marquis spoke swiftly and harshly, thoroughly shaming all those surnamed Wang and instantly draining the color from Yan Jingzheng’s face. It was unclear whether he was ashamed, humiliated, or filled with regret.
As for the matter of the bride price, it was even more absurd. The so-called order of seniority dictated that since the second son was not marrying a princess or a noblewoman, how could the Wang family’s daughter compare to the Bai family’s? It was only proper for the bride price to be slightly lower.
Such trivial matters were hardly worth nitpicking over—it showed a complete lack of perspective.
Madam Wang was left speechless, her hands trembling so much she could barely hold the scissors.
Swallow Holding Branch, however, tilted her head, thinking it wasn’t necessarily so. In her previous life, when she entered the capital, Yan Jingzheng had fared quite well in the court. First, he had a daughter in the imperial harem, and second, he conducted himself with his own interests as the priority, lacking any moral bottom line—naturally, he thrived.
The Old Marquis, in his fury, had no idea what his eldest granddaughter was thinking. He continued his tirade: “This is precisely why I want to adopt the second branch—to keep you from whispering in Jingzheng’s ear day in and day out.
Even if Jingzheng could one day become an official, with a mother like you, he would never walk the righteous path. Sooner or later, he would bring ruin upon the entire family.”
The Old Master spoke until he was gasping for breath, clearly enraged.
Swallow Holding Branch nodded quietly to herself. This much was true. In her previous life, when she was recommended to enter the palace by a eunuch who had served three reigns, she was barely fourteen, while Yan Jingzheng and Wang Chenbi’s eldest daughter had already entered the palace.
Now, at three years old, the second branch’s eldest daughter, Yan Xian Yue, was still in Wang Chenbi’s womb.
Based on age calculations, Yan Xian Yue would have entered the palace at just ten years old. To willingly send a ten-year-old child into servitude, scheming to climb higher—this was the unanimous decision of Wang Caibing, the second branch, and even the Ankang Count’s Mansion.
Seeking advantages by clinging to the skirts of women had always been a hallmark of the Wang family. Yan Jingzheng learned from his maternal family’s example and followed suit, sending his own daughter into the depths of the imperial palace.
Wang Caibing and Wang Chenbi—the Wang family were no good people, but Yan Jingzheng was not corrupted by them. Rather, his wickedness and malice were innate.
People are always biased, and even the Old Master could not escape the partiality of parental love for his own flesh and blood, always believing that Yan Jingzheng had been led astray.
“I’m telling you, if you want to die, go ahead. I won’t change my mind. At most, I’ll have the second branch kneel at your funeral to see you off. Beyond that, nothing more.” Having caught his breath, the Old Marquis issued his final ultimatum.
Whether Madam Wang’s thoughts were thrown into disarray by the Old Marquis’s earlier words or she was heartbroken by her husband’s indifference to her life, in her state of mental turmoil, the servants and Wang Zishan beside her seized the scissors from her hands.
Madam Wang was utterly defeated. She collapsed by the bedside, tears streaming uncontrollably.
The Old Marquis showed no pity whatsoever. He spoke coldly: “I’ll give you three days. Within three days, have Jingzheng and his wife move out of the Marquis’s mansion. I’ve bought them a house on Willow Leaf Lane.
The spirit tablet of their uncle has already been moved there. As his adopted descendants, they should go and offer incense to their ancestors.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang opened her mouth to make another scene, but the Old Marquis preempted her with a threat: “Their uncle passed away early and left no wealth in his name.
If you dare cause trouble again, I’ll take back the twenty percent of the family assets I allocated to the second branch and send them out with nothing but the clothes on their backs.”
Out of deep love for her son, Madam Wang ultimately held back, not daring to provoke the Old Marquis further. But the thought that her son and daughter-in-law would have nothing to do with her from now on made her tears flow like a breached dam, unstoppable.
Madam Wang’s brother and sister-in-law stepped forward to comfort her. Since the matter was already settled, it would be better to think of ways to secure more benefits for the children. The seven necessities of daily life—firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea—all cost money. If they didn’t fight for it now, there would be no chance later.
Comforted by her brother and sister-in-law, Madam Wang knelt before the Old Marquis and pleaded, “I beg you, please. Let Jingzheng and Chenbi move out a little later. Chenbi is already pregnant, and moving during pregnancy is most inauspicious, as it may disturb the fetal deity. That is your grandchild too. Even if you don’t care for your son, you must care for your grandchild, right?”
At this, Yan Jingzheng, who had been deeply affected by the adoption, showed a flicker of emotion on his ashen face. No matter what, his mother was always standing up for him, and he didn’t want her to suffer any more humiliation.
Yan Jingzheng knelt toward Madam Wang and helped her up from where she was nearly prostrate on the ground. Without looking at anyone, he said, “Mother, don’t beg him anymore. Since I’ve been adopted out, it’s only right that I leave as soon as possible. I just regret that I won’t be able to serve you by your side. Please take good care of yourself in the future, so I won’t have to worry about you.”
Madam Wang’s tears, which had just stopped, began to fall again. “My son, you’ve never suffered hardship before. What will you do now?”
As Madam Wang wept, others joined in. The matter of the adoption was now settled, with no possibility of reversal. No matter how heartbroken or distressed they were, they could only accept the reality.
On the day before Qingming Festival, Yan Jingzheng and Wang Chenbi packed their belongings and took the twenty percent of the family assets allocated to them by the Old Marquis. After kowtowing to Madam Wang in Ning’an Hall, the young couple left with their servants in a grand procession.
Madam Wang stood at the gate, watching the moving procession disappear from sight. The pain that filled her heart instantly overwhelmed her, and she collapsed unconscious into the arms of a servant. The maids hurriedly carried Madam Wang to a nearby guest room to rest, and the Jingyuan Marquisate hastily called for a doctor.
The doctor, sweating profusely, administered acupuncture and prescribed medicine. It took half a day before Madam Wang regained consciousness. This time, no one was by her side offering comfort. After handling the adoption matter, the Old Marquis had taken to his bed again. Yan Tingbai and Madam Bai would not show her any courtesy, let alone given the deep enmity between them over the struggle for the title.
The only person who would have cared for Madam Wang was no longer her son. Everyone assumed Madam Wang would be devastated, perhaps even bedridden by illness.
However, upon hearing that his birth mother had fainted on the day he left, Yan Jingzheng, despite the chaos of moving into his new home, immediately brought Wang Chenbi back to the Marquisate to attend to Madam Wang’s illness.
It wasn’t until after Qingming Festival that Madam Wang’s health improved significantly, and she reappeared before the household. The eldest branch was surprised. Once Madam Wang recovered from her illness, it seemed as though the pain of being separated from her son had also been healed. She bounced back remarkably quickly. Apart from still needing to take medicine three times a day, she was like her old self again, restored to her gentle and kind demeanor.
Yan Tingbai and Madam Bai whispered to each other, “If it wasn’t the doctor’s skill that cured her, then Yan Jingzheng must have said something to Madam Wang while attending to her illness. Otherwise, how could someone who was so distraught before accept reality so quickly? It doesn’t seem likely!”
Swallow Holding Branch deeply agreed with her parents’ conclusion. So, what had Yan Jingzheng said to Madam Wang?
Actually, it wasn’t much. Madam Wang downed a bowl of dark brown medicinal brew in one gulp, thinking of how her son and daughter-in-law personally cared for her and spoke of the various difficulties of establishing their own household and living independently.
At that moment, Madam Wang felt she couldn’t collapse yet, she couldn’t die. She had to live on. Only by staying alive could she help her son—if she died, she truly wouldn’t be of any use at all.
Besides this, there was another reason that kept Madam Wang determined to pull herself together: hatred!
Even though the Old Marquis had previously explained why he treated the eldest and second branches of the family differently, and even though Madam Wang knew her own judgment had been mistaken, it still didn’t stop her from hating the Old Marquis and the eldest branch.
As for the reason? Because the eldest branch was the biggest winner, and the Old Marquis was the chief culprit who caused the separation between her and her son. Madam Wang had no reason not to hate them.