Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

As soon as Xie Yunting entered the courtyard, he saw Cui Zeyu sitting on the threshold. In the past few days, Cui Zeyu looked haggard. When Xie Yunting didn't come, Cui Zeyu would just sit there in a daze.

He walked over to Cui Zeyu and nudged him with his foot. "Hey, that's enough. What can't a real man handle?"

Cui Zeyu forced a smile, but it looked worse than crying.

"Even if you don't say it, I can guess pretty much it. The Duke of Dingguo is your father, right?" Xie Yunting had kept it to himself for so many days, which meant he valued Cui Zeyu a lot; otherwise, he would have revealed it long ago.

Upon hearing the word "father," Cui Zeyu visibly paused, "He's not my father!"

"Who is that?" Xie Yunting had barely finished asking when he saw Cui Zeyu clench his fists, and knew that Cui Zeyu was just saying it out of anger. "Fine, fine, he's not your father, but you're his son, okay?"

Cui Zeyu remained silent.

Xie Yunting couldn't stand this silence. He said that the Duke of Dingguo's mansion had other people following the Duke, "The Duke of Dingguo's mansion only has two masters, the Duke and his wife. Brother, if you don't tell me the specifics, I can't help you."

Cui Zeyu chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I didn't know before that my father was the Duke of Dingguo, a man of noble status."

Cui Zeyu has been thinking a lot these past few days about things from his childhood, things he's never even told his sister.

If he hadn't seen it that day, Cui Zeyu would have thought his father was dead from beginning to end.

"As far back as I can remember, there was only my mother, me, and an old nanny in my family," Cui Zeyu began to recount her past.

"My mother often said that my father was very busy, as he had to support the family. Sometimes he would come home for a day or two, and sometimes he wouldn't be seen for more than half a year."

"My mother said that my father was a businessman who traveled all over the country to make money, so he was very busy."

"I naturally believed what they said. Later, when I was a little older, I wanted to go to school. But my mother refused, saying that my father had lost money in business and the family didn't have the money to support my education. At that time, I really believed it."

"Later I found out that they were afraid I would be recognized if I went to school."

"But I didn't mind at the time because my mother would teach me to read. My mother was a very gentle person, and she gave me all her care. But gradually, I found that she wasn't happy when she was alone."

"Slowly, I grew up."

"I started asking my father if he could stop going on the trade route and make a living in Bianjing City instead, but he refused and said no. I blamed him for not caring about my mother, saying he only came to visit a few times a year."

"But I was hoping he would come."

At this point, Cui Zeyu slammed his fist on the door frame. He was afraid of forgetting the past, so he would think back on it from time to time.

Xie Yunting sat cross-legged on the ground, the two facing each other. "And then?"

"One day later, my mother and I went out to burn incense, and a group of people kidnapped us."

"They dragged my mother into the yard, stripped her naked, and called her a slut who seduced married men and became their mistress."

"They forced my head to the ground and made me watch my mother being violated. They also said that my father was dead and that no one could protect me anymore, and that a little bastard like me shouldn't be alive."

Cui Zeyu will never forget that night. It was pitch black, and his mother's mouth was gagged, so he couldn't understand what the masked men were saying.

It wasn't until later that he learned what "outer wife" meant.

"I bit off a chunk of flesh from someone's arm to protect my mother, but I found she was already dead."

"I ran away with all my might, but I was only eight years old then, no match for an adult. In despair, I jumped into the river, and the old man gave me a chance to live; I didn't die."

"I want revenge. I want to know why they did this to us." Tears welled up in Cui Zeyu's eyes. He thought of his mother's unseeing eyes when she died. His mother was such a gentle person. He couldn't believe that his mother was truly a mistress.

"So I had to survive, even fighting with pigs for food. When I was beaten to the point of death, I didn't give up hope of living. Only by living could I find my enemy."

Tears streamed down Cui Zeyu's face. "I thought he was dead, really dead, that's why my mother and I were suffering like this. But he's still alive!"

This is what Cui Zeyu has been thinking about most these past few days.

Cui Zeyu wiped away her tears, her eyes filled with resentment. "During those two years of wandering, I was sold and then ran away. I almost starved to death or was eaten by wild animals several times. But I didn't die until I met my sister. She is... the most important person to me."

If his sister hadn't saved him and taken him back to raise him with care, he might have died, and he wouldn't have the abilities he has today.

"I knew I was too young then, and I could only take revenge when I grew up. So I studied, went into business, and traveled all over the country inquiring about a traveling merchant named Lu Sheng." Cui Zeyu laughed heartily, tears and snot streaming down his face. "I only found out a few days ago that there was no traveling merchant named Lu Sheng at all, but a Duke named Lu Zhong!"

Cui Zeyu took a long time to calm down. He knew he couldn't act impulsively, or he would be manipulated by others.

Xie Yunting was furious. "He's a complete bastard! Did the Duke of Dingguo deceive your mother, or what? Let's go find him!"

He pulled Cui Zeyu away.

Cui Zeyu, however, said we couldn't go like that. "Before, we all guessed that Princess Rongjia or the Qian family wanted to kill me. Now I understand, it's the Qin family who wants me dead. As for Lu Zhong..."

He couldn't understand why the assassin from back then said Lu Zhong was dead if Lu Zhong was alive.

He had been an observer when his sister mentioned the secrets of the Duke of Dingguo's family, but now he had become a key figure in it.

Cui Zeyu just found it funny.

Fate is cruel; that's just how it is.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Xie Yunting asked. "I've heard that the Duke of Dingguo's legitimate son has died, and the Qin family plans to adopt a child. But from the Duke of Dingguo's perspective, since he has his own son, he certainly doesn't want to adopt someone else's child. If you acknowledge him, you might be able to inherit the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. As you know, the Duke of Dingguo holds a very important position in the court."

Xie Yunting had previously said that Cui Zeyu lacked power and influence.

If they had power, whether it was the Princess of Rongjia or the Qian family, who would dare to bully Cui Zeyu and Cui Lingrong?

But how can Cui Zeyu's mother's spirit be appeased if the murder of her mother is not avenged?

Even if the Duke of Dingguo was unaware of what happened back then, how can a man who can't even protect his own woman and children be considered a man?

Xie Yunting despised the Duke of Dingguo even more; all the respect he had shown him before vanished without a trace.

"You need to think this through. If you don't accept the Duke as your father, then we'll openly confront the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, seize Qin's weakness, and file a complaint directly with the Emperor." Xie Yunting supported Cui Zeyu's choice, no matter what he did. "But if you do accept the Duke, you'd better protect the reputation of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, since you're going to inherit it. As for Qin, that needs to be dealt with privately, not publicly."

Otherwise, if the Duke of Dingguo's mansion is destroyed, why bother acknowledging the Duke as a father?

Not worth the candle.

Xie Yunting patted Cui Zeyu on the shoulder, "This matter should not be delayed any longer. The Duke of Dingguo saw you that day, and he will definitely pursue me to investigate. The same goes for Qin Shi; she probably wishes you were dead sooner."