Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I lifted my eyes to look at her. “I haven’t forgotten. As it happens, both of you are grown now. It’s time to tell you two about this matter…”

“Master!!!” Madam Song shrieked, trying to stop me, her eyes full of undisguised fear and horror.

She was afraid that once this came out, she would never be able to preserve her image in her daughter’s heart again. Even more, she feared her daughter would be affected and lose her promising future.

In the book, Chu Yanran and Chu Wanqing fought each other to protect their own mothers.

Chu Yanran believed her mother was innocent. Even after she later learned that her mother was not innocent, she had already made up her mind to go all the way down a dark path.

As for Chu Wanqing, it was only natural for her to avenge her mother.

But the story had only just begun. I might as well lay everything out in the open. Once they knew the truth, everyone would have a chance to choose again.

The vicious supporting female character could choose not to be vicious.

And the heroine didn’t necessarily have to walk a road covered in thorns.

I ignored Madam Song and calmly explained the entire sequence of events, from beginning to end.

Madam Song’s face turned ashen inch by inch. At first she was furious and frantic, but gradually she became numb, and then a mocking look appeared on her face.

It was as if the sky had fallen for Chu Yanran.

She looked at Madam Song, then at me, then at Chu Wanqing, her face full of confusion.

In her understanding, it was Madam Liu, relying on her wealth to oppress others, who had stolen away her father and forced her and her mother to live for years as an illegitimate daughter and a mistress.

That was the greatest humiliation in her memory.

So the moment she entered Marquis Manor, she resented Chu Wanqing, suppressed her, bullied her, mocked her, using that bit by bit to scrub away the shame in her own heart.

And now, all of a sudden, someone was telling her that everything had been wrong from the very beginning.

She had hated the wrong person. Blamed the wrong person.

Her own father and mother were the ugly schemers who had plotted against a wealthy young lady.

Her spirit was crushed. Covering her swollen hand, she seemed to have forgotten the pain.

Chu Wanqing, meanwhile, let her blazing gaze slide back and forth between Madam Song’s face and mine.

She wanted to hate me. She wanted to hate Madam Song.

But then she thought of how she was only a weak woman, with neither power nor influence.

Knowing the truth seemed useless. If anything, it only made her situation even more dangerous.

She turned her head away, hiding the anger in her eyes. In its place came a face full of sorrow and grievance, tears rolling down one after another as though she were heartbroken.

Madam Song’s eyes were red.

But in the next instant, she let out a cold laugh.

“Master, you’ve had a complete change in temperament today, blurting out all these old matters. Are you trying to drive me to my death?”

“It’s true that I schemed against Madam Liu, but wasn’t that exactly what you wanted to see?”

“You wanted to take a concubine, and you wanted to get your hands on Madam Liu’s dowry, but you didn’t dare say it openly, so you had me charge into battle for you.”

“And now you’re pushing everything onto my head. What kind of man are you?”

She hurled a teacup at me with all her strength.

I dodged.

The teacup crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces.

This woman was trying to murder her own husband!

Madam Song stood up and pulled the dazed Chu Yanran over. She didn’t even bother pretending anymore.

“Chu Wanqing, everything is indeed exactly as the Marquis said. But so what?

“I didn’t poison your mother. I didn’t push her. I didn’t touch her. She was simply too weak.

“She merely witnessed that little spectacle, and she got so angry she died from it.

“No law in the land can touch me. Now that you know the truth, what can you possibly do to me?

“If you want to ruin my reputation, then you’d better think carefully about what kind of ending an unfilial daughter who drags both her father and mother into court could possibly have!”

With that, she took Chu Yanran and strode away.