Tang Bai had always known that Mrs. Song was biased.
He felt very aggrieved, as both were Mrs. Song’s children, yet why was it that only the second child received her favor.
He had never considered the possibility that he was not actually born to Mrs. Song.
Today, upon hearing Tang Baoguo reveal the truth, Tang Bai finally felt as if the fog had lifted to reveal clear skies, yet at the sa ti, his heart was filled with great agitation and unrest: "Uncle, who is my real mother?"
Tang Baoguo shook his head: "When your grandmother was on her deathbed, after she revealed that you were not born to Mrs. Song, she coughed up blood and fainted, and afterwards..."
Tang Bai, thinking of Anning’s condition before her passing, shared in the sorrow: "At least now I understand, Uncle, you can rest assured."
As for what to rest assured about, Tang Baoguo wasn’t quite certain.
He knew very well that even if he told Tang Bai that he wasn’t born to Mrs. Song, it was unlikely that Tang Bai could do much about it.
After all, he was raised by Mrs. Song, who was his legitimate mother, and with the expectation of filial piety weighing down on him, he was rendered immobile.
At this ti, Tang Baoguo thought how much better it would be if his own mother were still alive; she could suppress Mrs. Song from acting wantonly.
Afterwards, Tang Bai began to observe mourning; under the guise of filial piety, he truly moved his family to live near the stables.
Then Tang Baoguo helped Tang Bai petition for the inheritance of his father’s title.
Emperor Jianyuan too must have felt guilt towards Tang Dingguo.
For the sake of preserving the Royal family’s face, he couldn’t disclose Tang Dingguo’s act of rescue, nor could he bestow rewards upon Duke Zhongyong’s Mansion, so instead, he granted Tang Bai succession to the title as soon as possible.
Originally, Tang Bai was not competent in either literary or martial arts, so his succession would have been demoted several ranks.
But Emperor Jianyuan, keeping Tang Dingguo’s heroic deed in mind, allowed Tang Bai to only be demoted one rank with his succession, becoming Marquis Zhongyong.
He also granted an additional favor, bestowing on Tang Zong the office of Minister of the Ministry of Industry.
Tang Zong was not successful in the imperial examination, nor was his body sturdy, and he was not adept at martial arts; originally, he could only be a commoner, but now Emperor Jianyuan had favored him, and with a fifth-rank official post granted, he was also quite pleased.
It was only that Mrs. Song, when alone, would curse Tang Bai, wondering why he didn’t just die; if he died, then the role of Earl would belong to her own son.
Without soone above her to keep her in check, Mrs. Song grew bolder.
After the mourning period for Tang Dingguo had ended, she started to sche how to kill off Tang Bai’s entire family so that her second son could inherit the title.
The first to suffer was Tang Bai’s eldest son, Tang Pei.
At that ti, Mrs. Li was pregnant and therefore unable to take care of Tang Pei, with the duty mostly falling to Tang Bai.
One day when Tang Bai was out eting guests, Mrs. Li had the servants watch over Tang Pei. Unbeknownst to them, the servants took Tang Pei to the waterside, and the child accidentally fell into the water and drowned.
When the child was pulled out, Tang Bai had just returned. He witnessed his son being retrieved and stopping breathing right before his eyes, feeling both fury and sorrow, veins throbbing on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot.
Mrs. Li was also impacted by this tragedy, suffering a miscarriage and left bedridden.
Tang Bai spared no effort in investigating who was responsible for his son’s death.
Yet, he couldn’t find anything after much searching. He suspected Mrs. Song and Ms. Zhang were behind it, but without evidence, he could only cry beside his son’s small corpse, caught between grief and the will to carry on.
At this ti, Tang Bai particularly believed in his family’s Old Dowager.
He thought that if the Old Dowager were still alive, she would undoubtedly have been able to uncover the truth and avenge him.
For a mont, he also thought that if the Old Dowager were present, she would never have allowed such a young Pei’er to perish.
Tang Bai was so preoccupied with weeping for his eldest son that he forgot about Mrs. Li.
At this ti, the Crown Prince’s uprising failed, and Mrs. Li’s parents’ family was implicated, the whole family was exiled.
Mrs. Li, mourning the loss of her eldest son and her family’s downfall, found herself in dire straits; grief-stricken, she was on the verge of passing away.
That day, Mrs. Li felt her health declining even further, and she struggled to have soone call for Tang Bai.
When Tang Bai entered the room, Mrs. Li looked at him with eyes brimming with tears, which cascaded down her face even before she could speak.
Tang Bai and Mrs. Li were rather affectionate towards each other, and now seeing her so emaciated and with her belly enlarged, lying on the bed, he couldn’t help but shed tears as well.
He sat by the bed, holding Mrs. Li’s hand: "Don’t worry, I’ve already asked my uncle to take care of things for your father. He won’t be tornted, and once His Majesty’s anger subsides, who knows, you may still have a chance to et again."
Mrs. Li sobbed silently: "Since I married you, you have treated with deep affection and righteousness. Little did I know I am such an unfortunate soul. I realize my ti is short, and I cannot bear to leave you alone, nor can I bear to abandon our child in my womb... He might not even see the light of day... I simply cannot bear it. This child I have been carrying for seven months, if I... if I’m not well, while I’m still alive, please have the child delivered for . That’s the last thing I can do for him."
As soon as Tang Bai heard this, he tightly embraced Mrs. Li, crying so hard he couldn’t catch his breath: "You won’t have any trouble, you can’t leave, if you leave , what shall I do?"
Mrs. Li was already fading, she smiled faintly: "I’m afraid I can’t accompany you any longer, my lord..."
Tang Bai found it all the more unbearable, and just as he was about to cry again, he heard a cool voice: "Stop crying, you spineless thing."
He looked towards the source of the voice, dumbfounded: "Grandmother? Am I... am I dreaming?"
It turned out to be Anning who sohow appeared in Mrs. Li’s room without notice.
She walked over and pinched Tang Bai: "Does it hurt?"
"It hurts," Tang Bai grimaced in pain: "It really hurts."
"If it’s hurting, then it’s not a dream."
Anning pushed Tang Bai aside, sat by Mrs. Li’s bed, and first felt her pulse: "Poor child, you have suffered."
Mrs. Li had been stunned, but now she regained her senses.
Hearing Tang Bai call her grandmother, she knew it must be the deceased Old Dowager Marquis Zhongyong.
"Grandmother? Are you grandmother? Weren’t you... gone?"
By this point, Tang Bai too had co to his senses: "Grandmother? Is this... Are you not at peace down there, is there sothing you lacked? Your grandson will have it burnt for Grandmother."
Anning angrily slapped him: "Shut up, Old Mother is living and well, what’s there to burn?"
Now Tang Bai and his wife were even more astonished: "You... You’ve been gone for many years."
"All that was just an eye-blocking technique. If I hadn’t deceived Heaven by pretending to be dead, I might have truly died."
Anning let out a helpless sigh: "Such is the will of Heaven, such is the will of Heaven."
She placed a pill into Mrs. Li’s mouth: "Swallow it."
Mrs. Li obediently swallowed it, and after taking the pill, she felt a warm current flowing within her. Then she felt a renewed strength in her body.
She looked at Anning in surprise.
Anning smiled back at her.
Tang Bai, who had been following Anning’s lead, now saw Mrs. Li’s complexion improving and felt reassured.
Afterward, he pulled Anning’s arm and acted spoiled, as he did when he was young: "Grandmother, you won’t leave this ti, right? You don’t know, ever since you left, your grandson has had a hard ti."
Anning patted Tang Bai: "I must leave again when Mrs. Li gets better. Grandmother has no choice, I can’t survive in the Capital. You must withstand this for a while longer; in a few years, Grandmother will surely co back to support you."
User Comments
0 comments from readers