tallest building

Chapter 91 Revealing the Truth

“You’re so pitiful,” Madam Song said with a look of pity as she gently tucked Wen Mingqian’s disheveled hair behind her ear. “Such a beautiful woman, and she’s about to die.”

“Tell…tell me…” Wen Mingqian grabbed her sleeve, his whole body convulsing in pain, but he still refused to let go.

"Do you still remember the Duke of Suyang's mansion? I was originally going to be the young master's mistress," Madam Song said, her voice tinged with sorrow as she recalled the past. "The young master was dashing and debonair, and of noble birth. He had promised me everything, but then this tragedy happened..."

Wen Mingqian certainly remembered that about ten years ago, the Duke of Suyang was suddenly convicted of treason and collusion with the enemy, and his entire family was executed, leaving no one alive.

This incident caused a huge uproar in the capital at the time, and it was after that that Song entered the Gong family.

But who would have thought that she had an affair with the heir of the Duke of Suyang's mansion?

"But...but...when you first entered the manor, the old lady clearly invited a doctor..." Wen Mingqian had been puzzled by this.

"Hehe, it wasn't difficult at all," Madam Song chuckled. "I just figured out a way to prevent him from detecting my pregnancy pulse. I had someone seal several acupuncture points on my body beforehand, and since I was still in the early stages of pregnancy, my pulse wasn't very strong. So I managed to get away with it..."

“So that’s how it is, no wonder…we all thought the child was premature, but it turns out it was born naturally.” Wen Mingqian lay prostrate on the prayer mat. “You…you’re really something!”

For so many years, Wen Mingqian couldn't understand why Song would kill her eldest son. After all, the child had only brought her benefits, not harm.

The Gong family has never doubted Gong Kang'an's origins over the years. When Song entered the mansion, she was seven months pregnant and gave birth to Gong Kang'an. The child was indeed a little thin at birth.

Looking back now, it seems that Song did this intentionally. Eating less or binding her belly with cloth strips could make the fetus appear smaller.

"You flatter me. Women of humble origins like us who want to live a life of luxury have no choice but to resort to some extraordinary means." Madam Song sighed and said softly, "We are like fishermen, casting our nets one after another. We don't care about small fish and shrimp, but we can't bear to throw away half-grown fish, so we keep them in the pond first."

If I could catch a big fish online, then my wish would be fulfilled, and I would never have to worry again.

"Ha! So... the master is the half-grown fish you kept in the pond..."

"What can I do? I have to live! I still have to live a good life." Madam Song felt immense pity for herself. "I'm afraid of being implicated, so I have to hurry up and find another husband. The master is the easiest to fool; a few words and a few tears are enough to coax him into bringing me back to the mansion at all costs."

I originally thought that the child's birth had been concealed. Who would have thought that as he grew up, the truth would gradually come out.

All the male members of the Duke of Suyang's mansion have a patch of skin on their chests that resembles snakeskin, including the heir apparent. The older they get, the more pronounced the snakeskin becomes. It wasn't noticeable in Kang'an's case for the first few months, but it gradually started to show.

This thing can't be hidden; it will eventually be discovered as he grows up.

If that day truly comes, what awaits my child and me is utter ruin…

The Gong family and the Suyang Palace naturally had dealings, and Gong Xu and the heir of the Duke of Suyang were even quite friendly.

Everyone knew about this, and Song couldn't hide it from them even if she wanted to.

"So...you..."

“I can’t take his life for no reason. I have to find a scapegoat! Why not do something that kills three birds with one stone?” Madam Song looked at Wen Mingqian as if he were an idiot. “I not only got rid of him, but also framed you, and made the Gong family feel indebted to me for the rest of their lives… Don’t feel wronged. You don’t know how difficult it was for me at the time.”

My heart was bleeding when I fed him that cake...

He still looked at me sweetly and smiled, calling me "Mother." When the poison flared up, he just looked at me like that, his little mouth opening and closing as he said, "Mother, it hurts... rub it for me..."

As Song spoke, tears streamed down her face: "But I had no choice. I told him, 'Child, you shouldn't have come into this world. Go find your biological father!'"

Of course she loved the child, but she loved herself even more.

"You...you are so heartless. Then why did Ah Shou die?" Wen Mingqian was barely breathing at this moment, as if he would pass away at any moment.

“Ah Shou? She died for you! Before you got married, didn’t you have a childhood sweetheart neighbor? What was his name, Lin Wenchang…” Madam Song tapped her cheek with her finger, recalling events from many years ago, “He still couldn’t forget you! He even went to the capital to find you.”

Ah Shou met him on the street. He pestered Ah Shou to ask about you, but Ah Shou refused to say and left in a hurry.

Coincidentally, Yang's mother saw this scene and pretended to be someone who served you, chatting with the bookish man surnamed Lin.

Tell him that you are having a bad time in the mansion, that your husband favors his concubine over you, and that your mother-in-law is making things difficult for you at every turn.

Lin Wenchang felt sorry for her upon hearing this, so he wrote a letter and asked Yang's mother to give it to you.

He's so devoted, not caring that you're already a withered flower. He even fantasizes that you'll leave the Gong family and grow old with him.

I took the letter to Ah Shou and threatened her, saying that she was having an affair with another man and that I had the evidence. I told her to obey me, or I would show the letter to the master.

That girl is truly loyal! She snatched the letter and threw it into the brazier. In the ensuing struggle, Yang Mama's son accidentally knocked her unconscious.

I had a sudden inspiration: I told them to make it look like Ah Shou had committed suicide out of guilt. A death sentence could also be proof that she's dead and there's no way to prove it... Since she won't comply, then let her die!

"You...you...is everything you said true?" Wen Mingqian stared at her intently, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"Of course it's true. You're about to die, why would I lie to you? Go! When you get to the underworld, if you meet Ah Shou, ask her if what I said is true." After pouring out her secret, Madam Song was surprisingly relieved. "Wen Mingqian, you are no match for me. Don't feel wronged. In this world, it's all about winning and losing."

"Song Xiulian, isn't there something you haven't noticed?" Wen Mingqian looked at her and suddenly smiled.

Mrs. Song frowned, unable to figure it out for the moment.

Wen Mingqian slowly sat up, raised his sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth: "Didn't you notice how I'm still alive after all this time? The madder juice and hawthorn syrup that Zhang Ma made were too astringent, and she forgot to add sugar."

"You..." Madam Song suddenly realized, "You weren't poisoned?!"

"Aren't you best at acting? I was just acting in a play with you." Wen Mingqian slowly smoothed his hair. "Was it fun?"

(End of this chapter)