Chapter 3: Parting on Good Terms

Page 1/3

Although the original self had already passed away, An Chunfeng still felt a sharp pain deep in her heart. Naturally, the original self had harbored affection for Tang Yushu, believing the man’s promise that on the day he became the top scorer in the imperial examination, he would carry her in a grand bridal sedan. For seven years, she had devoted herself wholeheartedly to caring for the family’s elders and children, waiting for the day she could don the phoenix coronet and red veil and enter the bridal chamber.

But in the end... she met such a tragic fate.

With the past ties severed, the feelings left by the original self had long since faded from An Chunfeng’s heart; now, she looked at him with cold detachment. Seeing that An was silent, staring blankly at him, Tang Yushu’s anger only grew stronger. Ignoring the wound on An’s temple, he rose, intending to leave and discuss with his mother how to handle this mess—preferably locking An away in some secluded temple immediately.

“Tang scholar, do you truly have no feelings left for the past?” An Chunfeng suppressed her disdain for the original self and spoke calmly.

Tang Yushu stopped in his tracks and sneered, showing not a shred of mercy: “At this point, what feelings can there be? An, you can read a few characters—you should know the difference between a formally betrothed wife and a concubine. We have no formal betrothal, no matchmaker... No matter how you make a fuss, hoping to be the legitimate wife is nothing but wishful thinking. Giving you the status of a concubine is already a great favor!”

Tang Yushu’s heart burned with resentment. He and An were once young spouses; it was impossible to say there was no affection at all. But what were such trivial emotions compared to high office, wealth, and the glory of one’s family name? An’s antics for the position of primary wife threatened to ruin his future. If he could not extinguish her lingering hopes, she would only be a hindrance to him.

An Chunfeng nodded solemnly: “A dog that changes its heart can never be tamed. I don’t care to be a concubine. I won’t waste any more time with a traitor like you.”

“You, Tang, people always strive upward, water flows downward. If you want to climb higher, I won’t stop you. For the sake of our past and our dignity, let’s part on good terms. Today, I leave—and I take my son with me. You may go on to your promotions, your riches, marry your beautiful wives and concubines. But from now on, mother and son are severed from you completely, no ties at all!”

Mentioning the child, a vague image of a boy surfaced in An Chunfeng’s mind. That child had arrived at the worst possible time in this world—fatherless and unloved by his mother. The original self had secretly become pregnant at fourteen, lacking care. At fifteen, she suffered from difficult labor, and after birth, there was no milk. She was scolded by her mother-in-law, and the child became a burden. The original self, so young, focused only on pleasing Tang Yushu and had little affection for the child who dragged her down.

Page 2/3

She seldom even looked the boy in the eye and could hardly recall what “her son” looked like. Hearing An insult him as a traitor, Tang Yushu’s mouth twitched in anger. But when An said she would leave with the child, he was both shocked and delighted, barely able to believe his ears. If An could leave the capital with the child, that would be the best outcome!

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Of course I am!” she replied.

Fifteen minutes later, Tang Yushu left the rear chamber and entered the main hall of the backyard. His expression remained dark and unreadable, neither happy nor angry, though the corners of his eyes and brows had relaxed somewhat.

On the small couch in the main room sat a middle-aged beauty with a blue-and-white hairpin, wiping tears from her cheeks. Next to her lay a boy about six or seven years old, lying stiffly. His eyes were tightly shut, a deep red bruise encircled his neck, and his face was frighteningly pale. If not for the heavy sound of his breathing, one might have thought he was dead.

Madam Liu sat nearby with her maid Yuanyang, speaking softly to comfort the weeping woman. But her words were shallow and ineffective, unable to calm the beautiful woman’s sobbing.

When she saw her son return, Madam Qin burst into tears. Ignoring Madam Liu’s chatter, she cried desperately: “Son, what shall we do? An has truly lost her mind—she strangled Mu’er. Mu’er hasn’t woken yet. Hurry and call the doctor in.”

Tang Yushu had already met with An and agreed on conditions. His mood was better, though he grew grim recalling some of the terms. “Mother, don’t worry. Your son has his own plans.”

“It’s because you always have your own plans that trouble brews! Saying you must marry a wife before taking concubines, pushing An to despair, nearly harming Mu’er. Luckily, the woman who was cleaning moss by the wall heard the noise and saved him…”

Madam Qin lowered the gauze curtain for her grandson, complaining bitterly: “She’s always had a stubborn temperament; once she’s decided, she never changes. The mourning period just ended; the child is already this old, and you haven’t even held any celebration. Now that everyone is in the capital, and you haven’t even told the truth, how is she supposed to endure this? You’re driving the dead mad! Oh, why are you sitting down? Hurry and fetch the doctor!”

Madam Qin was no schemer, just an ordinary housewife. She had been resentful of An’s indiscretions with her son, but over the years, the household had relied on An to manage things and contribute financially. With a grandson at her side, she tacitly accepted An’s position.

Page 3/3

Tang Yushu grew impatient listening to his mother’s scolding. He didn’t even glance at the boy behind the gauze but sat down and said to Madam Qin, “Mother, this troublesome child is alive and well. What doctor do you need? There are already people outside waiting to mock us. If I let outsiders come and go, how many rumors will spread?”

Surprised that her son refused to call a doctor, Madam Qin recalled that when the incident happened, her sister-in-law had not sent for a doctor, and even An, who had hit her head, was locked in a room awaiting Tang Yushu’s return before any decision was made. Madam Qin had nowhere to go and no one to send, so she anxiously waited for her son.

Thankfully, the grandson’s breathing gradually steadied after some warm tea, easing her worries. Hearing her son’s objection, she wiped her tears and said, “You... you can’t just ignore this. Now your sister is married far away in Xuzhou, and you are my only heir. I want you to have descendants soon. In my view, Mu’er is already this old; you can’t just blame An for making a scene. You should give her a status so Mu’er has a legitimate birth.”

Madam Qin didn’t know about the Sun family that An mentioned; they were simply a wealthy family in the capital. Now that the matter was public, her son was a scholar-official; it was normal to take several wives or concubines. She thought her son would first grant An the status of a favored concubine to pacify her, then apologize to the Suns and marry the woman whose reputation had been sullied.

Tang Yushu lowered his eyelids, his mind racing. His real worry wasn’t about granting concubine status. Whether or not he would marry the Sun girl was another matter. No respectable family in the capital would accept their daughter marrying a man who already kept a concubine and had a legitimate son by her before marriage. Usually, such concubines would be sent away early. But since An had been with him since youth and had Mu’er, his mother would never allow An to leave.

Out of concern for his reputation, his mother had agreed to cover up the truth, claiming An was just a maid in the capital. But now, the secret was out.

Fortunately, although the dispute had become unpleasant, An had agreed to leave and stop bothering him—an unexpected blessing. Without An and her son weighing him down, even without the Suns, he could find a powerful maternal family.

Opportunities must not be missed. Despite his mother’s scolding, he resolved to send them away no matter what.