“What are you apologizing for? Lift your head up!”
As Liu Yandai, Zhou Yuanting, and Bai Yuning stood in a tense standoff, a voice filled with gritted teeth suddenly cut through the air.
The voice carried through the misty rain, sweeping into their midst like a sharp gust of wind, making all three of them shiver to the bone, their backs tightening involuntarily.
The moment they recognized Qin Chanyue’s voice, the same thought popped into each of their minds, regardless of their positions: This is bad.
Everyone in the world knew that Qin Chanyue had good fortune.
But after saying that, they always had to add, “It’s just that her temper is too fiery poor Lord Zhongyi must have suffered a lot.”
Born into a family of generals, Qin Chanyue had the standard temperament of a military officer fiery, impulsive, fiercely protective, and utterly unreasonable.
Most of the time, she acted without much thought.
In her youth, she had even learned the Qin family’s grappling techniques.
Though she later grew lazy and stopped practicing, her temper had never faded.
She relied on her noble birth and striking beauty to dominate those around her.
Before marriage, the entire Qin household indulged her.
After marriage, her husband did the same.
Even after her children had grown and married, she still never learned how to be tactful or reserved.
In her domain, no one could surpass her.
If she disliked someone, she would lash out without hesitation.
So, anyone of lower rank avoided her whenever possible especially the younger generation.
Liu Yandai feared her mother-in-law’s anger.
Zhou Yuanting dreaded his mother’s scolding.
And only Bai Yuning was truly afraid afraid that Qin Chanyue would drive her out.
She could not be cast out.
Her parents were still suffering in exile.
She had to stay in the Zhongyi Marquis Manor, no matter what it took.
The delicate, elegant girl trembled inside.
Then, just as Qin Chanyue’s striking figure, wrapped in gold silk and green brocade, strode swiftly through the corridor, Bai Yuning suddenly turned and, with a sorrowful expression, fell to her knees with a resounding “thud!”
Qin Chanyue halted in her steps, just in time to hear the kneeling Bai Yuning say, “Bai Yuning greets Madam Qin please do not blame the Young Madam.
This was all my fault.
I will leave at once.”
At that moment, the rain was still falling over Chang’an.
The maid behind Qin Chanyue held a golden-threaded oil-paper umbrella high above her head.
The raindrops pattered lightly against the umbrella’s surface.
But there was no umbrella for the kneeling Bai Yuning.
The fragile girl’s dress was already damp from the puddles on the stone pavement.
Her jet-black hair swayed gently in the wind, casting a shadow like the flickering petals of a flower.
Her thin figure overlapped with a memory from the past, suddenly pulling Qin Chanyue back to her previous life.
In her past life, she had never come here at this moment.
She had only heard about it later.
By then, Liu Yandai had already apologized, been reprimanded by Zhou Yuanting, and locked away in the inner courtyard.
Then, Zhou Yuanting had brought Bai Yuning to Qin Chanyue’s Moon-Watching Garden to seek her forgiveness.
Though Zhou Yuanting had dared to talk about divorcing Liu Yandai in front of others, he hadn’t dared to say it to Qin Chanyue.
He knew his mother would never allow it.
So, when he stood before her, he changed his approach.
That day, the elegant and noble Zhou family’s eldest son stood proudly in the hall and said to his mother,
“I know I am already married, so I will only treat Bai Yuning as a younger sister from now on.
Mother, please show mercy for the sake of our families’ past ties and take her in.
Later, we will find her a good husband.”
At that time, Zhou Yuanting was only trying to keep Bai Yuning in the household, to find another excuse to delay the inevitable.
And Qin Chanyue had believed him.
This was her son, her own flesh and blood why wouldn’t she believe him?
Moreover, back in the day, she and Bai Yuning’s mother had been close friends.
If not for unforeseen circumstances, Bai Yuning would have been her daughter-in-law.
To Qin Chanyue, Bai Yuning was still the daughter of an old friend, someone she had once planned to welcome into the family.
She had felt sorry for Bai Yuning.
So, she foolishly allowed her to stay.
She even began preparing a dowry, truly intending to find her a good match.
But from the moment Bai Yuning stayed, everything spiraled out of control.
Once she was established as an “old friend’s daughter,” Zhou Yuanting and Bai Yuning rekindled their past affection.
Liu Yandai, who had no courage and no sense, could only watch helplessly, not daring to fight back.
And Qin Chanyue remained completely in the dark.
But that wasn’t the worst of it.
Bai Yuning didn’t just charm the eldest son of the Zhou family she ensnared the second son as well.
By the time Qin Chanyue realized what was happening, her two sons were already at each other’s throats, fighting over Bai Yuning.
She was utterly devastated.
The daughter of her old friend had committed such disgraceful acts.
Her eldest son had betrayed his wife and broken his vows.
Her second son had fallen for a woman of dubious morals and turned against his own brother.
Every single fact was unbearable.
As a mother, she had made her decision immediately she would drive Bai Yuning out.
But she had underestimated her sons’ obsession.
Her two sons had loved Bai Yuning to the point of madness.
When Bai Yuning left with tears in her eyes, they began to resent their mother.
They stopped visiting her, ran off every day to meet Bai Yuning in secret.
To them, it was their mother who had torn them apart.
Their twisted, ugly love meant more to them than the woman who had given birth to them.
Yet, Qin Chanyue still couldn’t give up on them.
They were her sons.
No matter how furious she was, she still clung to hope.
Maybe… tomorrow, they would come to their senses?
The word “mother” was like a poisoned drink no matter how much she had suffered, she still held onto it.
And so, she never truly hated them.
She only wished that one day, they would wake up.
But she never got the chance to wait for that day.
Because a far greater disaster struck first.
Her foster brother was accused of treason and executed.
To clear his name, she had spent all her connections and wealth.
People avoided her like the plague.
Her husband abandoned her and took in another woman and child.
Her sons chose to call an outsider “mother” and welcomed the illegitimate son as their beloved younger brother.
And then, she died in the cold of winter.
The memories seared her mind.
Qin Chanyue gritted her teeth.
Her gaze swept over Bai Yuning, ignored Liu Yandai’s trembling figure, and landed firmly on her eldest son
Zhou Yuanting.
He never expected his mother to arrive so suddenly.
There was a brief moment of hesitation and panic, but he quickly steadied himself.
He straightened his spine and called out respectfully,
“Mother.”
The winter of the thirty-seventh year of Dacheng Yongchang.
Thin snow in the twelfth lunar month, a shabby house with straw mats.
A fierce wind slammed open the old wooden door, bringing in a wave of cold air, making Qin Chanyue, who was lying weakly on a thin wooden bed, shiver.
She woke up from her feverish coma, lowered her head, and coughed violently.
Her head was still in a daze, and her throat burned as if it were on fire.
Before she could fully wake up, she heard a burst of crying.
“Mother-in-law, mother-in-law” The voice was choked with sobs, making her annoyed.
What are you crying for! I’m not dead yet!
Fueled by irritation, Qin Chanyue suddenly opened her eyes.
As soon as she did, she saw her useless, good-for-nothing daughter-in-law holding a bowl of medicine with her swollen, sore-covered hands, trembling as she brought it to her.
“Mother-in-law, take your medicine.”
The shabby house was freezing, with only one broken wooden bed, which she occupied.
Her daughter-in-law could only kneel on the ground, looking at her with pitiful eyes.
Seeing that pitiful face, the fire in Qin Chanyue’s chest suddenly subsided, replaced by a surge of guilt.
She had always treated this daughter-in-law the worst, yet when she fell into hard times, only this daughter-in-law stayed to care for her.
But where did this medicine come from?
She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was so hoarse that she couldn’t make a sound.
Instead, her daughter-in-law seemed to understand what she wanted to ask.
Looking even more timid, she lowered her head and said, “Daughter-in-law is useless.
Today, I went to the marquis’ residence to beg for medicine.
My husband refused to see me.
My brother-in-law also refused to see me.
Father-in-law father-in-law no longer acknowledges me.
Concubine Fang threw some silver at me and drove me away, so I used it to buy medicine.”
The fire that had just subsided in Qin Chanyue’s heart flared up again.
“You!” Qin Chanyue trembled with anger.
“I told you not to go to them! Even if I die”
Before she could finish, her daughter-in-law burst into tears again, sobbing, “Mother-in-law must not die!
Uncle asked me to take care of you.
If you die, I will have no face to see him!”
Her uncle was none other than Qin Chanyue’s foster brother.
Qin Chanyue’s mind buzzed.
Her head was filled with thoughts of her foster brother, her son, and her husband
Memories flooded back, and endless hatred surged in her chest.
Scenes from the past flashed through her mind.
She was Qin Chanyue, born into a family of generals, a lineage of loyal martyrs.
During a great war with a neighboring country, her entire family perished in battle, leaving only a foster brother.
The emperor, grieving deeply, honored her family and personally bestowed her the title of a county princess, raising her under the Empress Dowager’s care.
Later, the legitimate second son of the Zhou family, Zhou Ziheng, repeatedly expressed his admiration for her.
Zhou Ziheng was a close friend of her foster brother and a staunch supporter of the crown prince.
They shared the same political vision and were allies he was a suitable choice.
Moreover, he indulged Qin Chanyue in everything.
No matter how unreasonable she was, he tolerated her.
Who could resist such a refined and graceful gentleman?
Gradually, Qin Chanyue fell in love with him.
Later, after they exchanged vows of lifelong devotion, she married Zhou Ziheng.
Because of her favor with the emperor, Zhou Ziheng also gained the emperor’s attention.
As a second son, he surpassed the eldest and was granted the title of Loyal and Righteous Marquis.
With the emperor’s favor, a powerful foster brother, a harmonious household, a loving husband who never took concubines, and two sons, their marriage flourished.
In the entire Dacheng, countless people envied her.
If there was anything that displeased her, it was her eldest daughter-in-law, Liu Yandai.
Liu Yandai’s father had old ties with the Qin family and had arranged the marriage.
However, Liu Yandai was raised in the borderlands under her foster brother’s care and was sent to Chang’an to marry only when she came of age.
Liu Yandai came from a low background, a mere country girl, timid and cowardly.
Whenever she went out, others bullied her.
She was not only bad at scheming but also had an unbearably soft temperament.
Anyone could step on her, which made Qin Chanyue anxious.
She had tried hard to train Liu Yandai, but the girl was like a pile of mud that couldn’t be shaped!
Frustrated, Qin Chanyue had her sent to a few old matron teachers for discipline and etiquette training.
But later, she no longer had the time or energy to care about Liu Yandai.
Because her foster brother encountered trouble.
The strategic maps under his command were lost, leaking critical military secrets.
The southern barbarians used this intelligence to advance, leading to a devastating defeat.
The second prince used this opportunity to frame her foster brother for treason.
Ultimately, he died on the battlefield under dubious circumstances.
From her father’s generation, the Qin family had always supported the crown prince’s faction and constantly opposed the second prince.
This time, the battle was particularly brutal.
She had pleaded with her husband multiple times to help, but fearing repercussions, he refused to intervene.
Qin Chanyue had no choice but to act on her own, throwing away her dignity and giving out bribes everywhere.
She spent nearly all of her dowry to retrieve her foster brother’s corpse.
Her actions couldn’t remain hidden for long.
The emperor, out of respect for her father’s past achievements, didn’t punish her for overstepping her bounds.
But she never expected that her husband would take drastic measures to sever ties with her.
Her foster brother’s case hadn’t even been settled when he brought out the family genealogy and declared that since their marriage had never been formally recorded in it, they were not officially husband and wife.
Then, he cast her out of the marquis’ residence.
How laughable!
To disown his own wife just to save face what a pathetic excuse!
She had given him everything, yet he refused to acknowledge her.
What else was real?
Did he not fear the ridicule of the court officials?