Upon hearing Old Madam’s words, Du Xueyi’s first reaction was that Old Madam’s inability to conceive was caused by Grandfather’s concubine—his biological grandmother.
Otherwise, he could not think of any reason why Old Madam would be so malicious toward his family.
But he never expected that this matter would involve the Late Emperor.
“I grew up with Brother Shi since childhood, and everyone believed I would become his wife, including him and me.
He said he wanted to achieve something in this chaotic world and asked me to wait for him. I willingly refused other marriage proposals.
When he raised an army in rebellion, he said that his great undertaking was not yet accomplished and he could not marry me for the time being. I understood and harbored no resentment.
When he came to see me while stationed nearby, he said that war was perilous and he might lose his life at any moment. So, I took the initiative to share his bed, hoping to leave him an heir. He did not refuse.
Two months later, I discovered I was pregnant. Overjoyed, I wrote to him, eagerly awaiting his reply. But as I waited and waited, what I received was his demand that I abort the child.
The child in my womb was already five months old. With just two more months, it might have survived. But he said that being born into such turbulent times would only bring suffering to the child. He also said that if the enemy learned of my and the child’s existence, he would have another weakness.
I believed him.
But how could I have imagined that while I was drinking the abortion medicine, writhing in agony, he was happily discussing marriage with a daughter of the Xie family? And I lost forever the ability to become a mother.”
Du Laofuren gave a self-mocking smile. “The Xie family of Wuyi Xiang (fictional setting, no need to delve deeper) was not something a woman of ordinary birth like me could compare to. With the support of the Xie family, his great undertaking could be achieved more quickly.
I compromised once again. If I could not become his principal wife, who could aid him, I was willing to be his gentle and considerate concubine. But instead, he married me off to your grandfather.
All because his great undertaking needed a brave and skilled warrior like your grandfather, and because Du Changyuan, who accompanied him on the military campaign, had taken a liking to me.”
Du Changyuan was the name of Du Xueyi’s grandfather.
Wei Qingyan’s originally calm and unruffled eyes now rippled with emotion.
The Late Emperor in Du Laofuren’s account was a completely different person from the wise and virtuous ruler she remembered.
Was the Late Emperor adept at deception, or was Du Laofuren lying?
Du Xueyi’s face darkened. “If you were unwilling, you could have refused to marry. And what does any of this have to do with my family?”
“Your grandfather also told me at the time, ‘If you are unwilling, you do not have to marry.'” Du Laofuren gave a bitter, desolate smile. “How hypocritical. If he truly did not want to put me in a difficult position, he should not have let Brother Shi notice his feelings for me.
He knew full well that I was Brother Shi’s woman, and he knew that to win him over, Brother Shi would give me to him.
As a woman who had lost her chastity, with Brother Shi unwilling to marry me, who else could I marry? I could only marry Du Changyuan.
So, I married him. That rough man Du Changyuan was not without his merits. Knowing that the abortion had damaged my body and I could no longer have children of my own, he brought the children of his concubines to be raised under my care.
Although my husband was a coarse man, he treated me with utmost care. Although the children were not my own, they were adorable and well-behaved. Once again, I resigned myself to fate.
But Du Changyuan, that short-lived man, died early, leaving me alone to watch others enjoy marital bliss, to see others revel in glory and wealth, becoming the most honored woman in the land.
And I? I became a widow, left to raise children born to another woman for him. Why?
There were so many women in the world. Why did he have to take a liking to me?
He ruined me. Why should his descendants live well?”
“If it weren’t for him, I would be a noble woman in the imperial harem, not the Old Madam of Anyuan Houfu.”
Hah!
Old Madam.
Just over thirty, and she had already become the Old Madam of Anyuan Houfu.
The child she had raised with all her heart, his wings barely hardened, wanted to abandon her to chase his own future. How could she bear being cast aside time and again? Betrayed over and over?
Then she would break his wings, make him stay at home—at least preserving the title of Marquis Anyuan.
If he were to die early in battle like his father, Anyuan Houfu would have no heir, and she would be left with nothing.
Heaven had been so unfair to her; she could only scheme for herself.
“Do not make excuses for your wickedness,” Wei Qingyan said coldly. “If he could, Grandfather Du would have wanted to live. He would have wanted to see the peace he fought for.
It is merely your own discontent, resenting his early death for failing to bring you greater wealth. That is no justification for harming others.”
“So, who are you?” Du Laofuren looked at Wei Qingyan. “And what is your purpose in coming to the marquis’s estate?”
Wei Qingyan’s pitch-black eyes were eerily calm as she spoke word by word, “The one who will clear Lady Fang’s name.”
“Lady Fang?” Du Laofuren was momentarily stunned. “So it was because of Lady Fang’s matter that you uncovered other things?”
No wonder the servants said her people had been beaten by Du Xueyi. So that was why.
If she hadn’t fallen unconscious, with her presence to suppress things, how would Du Xueyi dare to touch her people or inquire about the past?
No, if she had been awake, she would never have allowed this woman to enter.
Wei Qingyan saw through her thoughts, a mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips. “That is why I said your retribution has come. You plotted against Lady Fang, and after her death, she became a resentful spirit. Her Yuanqi clung to you, causing your coma.”
Du Laofuren seemed to recall something, a flicker of fear in her eyes, but it quickly faded. “So, the three who died in the estate earlier—was that her doing?”
“Yes. It is your turn now,” Wei Qingyan replied bluntly, watching the dark aura behind Du Laofuren.
If not for the noble aura protecting Du Laofuren, and Nanny Guo having absorbed some of it from staying by her side for so long, they too would have been dead by now.
Du Laofuren smiled, as if everything was clear to her. “No, she cannot do anything to me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. And you, likewise, cannot do anything to me.”
“Murder demands repayment. You have harmed many in my Du family. I will hand you over to the authorities to be dealt with according to Dawei Lü.” Her calm demeanor infuriated Du Xueyi.
Du Laofuren’s clouded eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “You cannot report me. If I am arrested, I will reveal how the Late Emperor wronged me and used me to win over his subordinates. This will tarnish the Late Emperor’s reputation, and Anyuan Houfu will be buried with me.
By then, everyone in the capital will also know that your sister, Du Xueyi, was the lowest kind of prostitute. You cannot bear for her to be mocked even after death.
You also cannot kill me privately. If I die, my natal family will surely inspect my body. Then, you, having murdered your grandmother, would be guilty of grave impiety and would likewise be buried with me.”
She resumed her former kindly expression. “Xueyi, your grandmother is old and has only a few years left. Let the past remain in the past.
Listen to your grandmother: marry Yu’er, have a few sons, and continue the lineage for your grandfather.
I promise you, all past grievances end here. I will never do anything to you again.”
“How foolish would I be to listen to you again?”
“The enmity of my parents is as irreconcilable as the sky and the earth; the hatred for the murder of my wife and the abuse of my daughter can never be forgotten. My younger sister suffered bitterly and died—if I do not avenge her, how can I call myself her brother?”
The lives of several members of the Du family were brushed aside so lightly by her words, and Du Xueyi was enraged to the extreme.
His hand once again reached for Old Madam’s throat. “Even if I must abandon my own life, I will bring you to justice.”
But before he could exert any force, his hand was pulled away by Wei Qingyan.