Chapter 36: The End Result

The Duke of Wei's Estate, Ci'an Hall.

The Old Madam of the Duke of Wei's estate continuously fiddled with her prayer beads. Sitting beside her, Auntie Old Madam hesitated to speak, unsure of how to offer consolation.

A high-ranking Duchess of the first rank, she had disregarded her status to personally welcome a mistress into the manor, only to be mocked by the woman for her husband's reprimands, and then to faint in front of everyone!

She had truly brought utter disgrace to the women of the An clan!

Auntie Old Madam felt both pity for her misfortune and anger at her uselessness, which in turn made her lose affection for Tang Ming as well.

He seemed intelligent enough, so why did he persist in playing along with An's nonsense?

Tang Wen rushed in and said, "Old Madam, I have investigated thoroughly. The Eldest Miss struck the Dengwen Drum to file a direct petition to the Emperor; it was only then that the Duke and Concubine Song were summoned to the palace."

Old Madam An's hand paused mid-fidget with the beads.

"A direct petition?" Auntie Old Madam cried in shock.

Tang Wen: "The Eldest Miss accused Concubine Song of impersonating a daughter of the Song clan, thereby defiling the entire reputation of the Song family."

Old Madam An said in a low, heavy voice, "Though Song Qingyan's bloodline is not closely related to the Protector General's clan, they share the same origin, and she bears the markings of the Song clan."

"The Eldest Miss argued that the Song clan has no women meant to be concubines or servants, and that violators should be expelled from the clan. The Emperor agreed," Tang Wen said, sweating profusely from anxiety. "To appease the heroic spirits of the Song clan, His Majesty originally intended to execute Concubine Song, but the Duke, the Duke..." He did not dare continue.

"Why are you stammering? Speak up!" Auntie Old Madam scolded.

"The Duke used his merits in pacifying the Southwest to save Concubine Song's life!" Under Old Madam An's chilling gaze, Tang Wen prostrated himself on the floor. "His Majesty was incensed and stripped the Duke of all official duties, ordering him to reflect at home with a three-year reduction in his stipend!"

The prayer beads in Old Madam An's hand suddenly scattered across the floor. All the servants attending in Ci'an Hall fell to their knees.

"What?!" Auntie Old Madam screamed. Was Zheng-ge'er mad?

"And the mistress?" Anyone could hear the towering fury in Old Madam An's voice.

"By Imperial decree, Concubine Song has been stripped of her surname and ordered to transcribe the Four Books, Five Classics, and Buddhist scriptures ten thousand times. She is not permitted to leave the estate until she has finished."

"Furthermore, His Majesty personally declared that the Third Miss and the Eldest Young Master are devoid of both talent and virtue."

*Bang!* Old Madam An swept a complete set of Three Immortals Blessing Tea cups off the table and pointed at the prostrate Tang Wen, cursing, "Concubine Song? Where in my Duke of Wei's estate is this 'Concubine Song'?! That wench is nothing more than a mistress the Duke kept outside; she is not even worthy of being a chambermaid! Who gave you permission to call her 'Concubine'?!

"His Majesty has stripped that wench of her surname, yet you persist in calling her Concubine Song, openly defying the Imperial command. How many heads do you have to lose?!"

It was the first time Auntie Old Madam had seen her sister—renowned throughout Luoyang for her gentleness and kindness—lose her temper. She sat in the corner like a startled quail, not daring to make a sound.

Song Qingyan, who was being half-supported and half-carried back to the estate by the Duke of Wei—no, she could only be called Qingyan now—heard Old Madam An's words. Terror gripped her heart, and she burst into tears.

Song Wan huddled behind her brother, Song Shi, trembling all over.

Seeing his mother's intense rage, the Duke of Wei ordered people to settle Qingyan and her mother in the back courtyard first, but he was stopped by Old Madam An.

"Lock that wench in the woodshed in the back courtyard. Do not give her food or water. Once the family temple is built, send her directly there. Assign guards to watch her strictly; she is never to step foot outside the family temple for the rest of her life!"

Old Madam An walked toward Qingyan step by step. "You shall spend the rest of your life peacefully chanting sutras and praying for blessings in the family temple, repenting thoroughly to the Tang ancestors!"

"Mother!" the Duke of Wei shouted.

Old Madam An raised her cane and struck her obstinate son fiercely until she was panting for breath. "You, too, go to the ancestral hall and kneel in reflection. If you do not repent, kneel there until you die. I will personally go to the palace to seek an audience with His Majesty to request that Yan-ge'er be named the Heir Apparent, lest the century-old foundation of the Duke of Wei's estate perish in your hands!"

Old Madam An's aged eyes filled with tears. "To have raised a son like you... how am I supposed to face your father after I die! How can I face the Tang ancestors with any dignity!"

The Duke of Wei's back was so numb from pain he could not feel it, but seeing his mother's tears, he remained kneeling and kowtowed repeatedly. "It is all my fault. It is my filial impiety that has caused Mother such worry!"

"I will go to the ancestral hall to beg the ancestors for forgiveness immediately. Mother, please take care of your health."

Seeing that her son had not been completely lost to madness, Old Madam An's spirit relaxed, and she lost her balance, falling backward.

"Mother!" The Duke of Wei caught his mother's falling body and roared at the servants kneeling in the courtyard, "Quickly, summon the Imperial Physician!"

Ci'an Hall instantly seemed to spring to life.

The Duke of Wei personally carried his mother to her bed. After the Imperial Physician arrived, examined her, and prescribed medicine, the Duke personally decocted it and fed it to her. After the mother and son shared a few intimate words and Old Madam An fell into a fitful sleep, the Duke finally emerged from the inner chamber.

The three of them—Qingyan and her mother and brother—were still kneeling in the courtyard, looking up at the Duke with pleading eyes.

Exhausted in both body and mind, the Duke hesitated before finally commanding, "Do as the Old Madam said."

Qingyan's eyes widened in disbelief. Just as she was about to speak, an elderly maid in the Old Madam's courtyard poked her hard in the lower back. The pain made her vision go dark, and she was immediately dragged away by two rough maids by her arms.

The Duke opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

"Father, after you have dealt with Mother, how will you deal with me and my sister?" asked the sixteen-year-old boy, kneeling upright.

The Duke felt immense guilt toward the siblings who had been innocently implicated, but the Imperial command could not be defied. "From now on, Wan'er will stay by the Duchess's side and learn the proper etiquette. As for Shi-ge'er," he sighed, as both the civil and military paths were blocked, "you will stay in the estate for now. In the future, I will find a way out for you."

"Thank you, Father." Song Shi kowtowed heavily and led his sister toward the back courtyard, following a leading servant.

The two stopped before a desolate courtyard. The servant said respectfully, "Eldest Young Master, this is your courtyard." He then pointed to the dilapidated neighboring courtyard, "And that is the Third Miss's courtyard."

Song Shi nodded and led his sister to take a walk around the opposite courtyard. Seeing a place that was worlds apart from their former life, Song Wan could no longer hold back her tears.

"Why cry? You will have plenty of reasons to cry in the future," Song Shi said, wiping his sister's tears. "Don't worry, brother will surely protect you and Mother."

Song Wan nodded obediently.

Song Shi looked at his sister with a smile, but his eyes held an irrepressible gloom.

In the main house, An woke up, learned that the Duke had been stripped of his official posts, and fainted again. Tang Ming had no choice but to forcibly wake his mother. "Things have come to this; that mistress will never rise again, and Father will not be able to forgive Mother and daughter for a long time. It would be better for Mother to take a step back, hand over the management of the household, and focus solely on raising the children."

An was unwilling to accept this, but having no other choice, she complied. After washing up, she went to Ci'an Hall in person. Ignoring Old Madam An's cold expression, she offered a conciliatory smile. "Your daughter-in-law was muddled. Upon hearing that the Duke's mistress had given birth to a grown son, I lost my wits, fearing Yan-ge'er's position as Heir Apparent would be unstable. I rushed here in haste, never expecting what would follow. I was wrong. I am willing to hand over the management of the household and focus entirely on cultivating my character and raising our children. I ask Mother to grant me this."