Chapter 44: Tang Rong's Counterattack

Chapter 44: Tang Rong's Counterattack

The old lady had originally come in anger; Wang's actions today had pushed Tang Gang into an extremely disadvantageous position. However, seeing her haggard face and hearing her miserable weeping, the old lady felt a flicker of compassion. With a single glance from Xin An, Tang Mo hurriedly stepped forward and knelt before the old lady. "Grandmother, please do not blame Mother. If anyone is to blame, it is me. Mother only spoke those words out of sudden rage while trying to defend me. It is all my fault."

"I beg Grandmother, seeing as Mother has already suffered such immense grievance, please do not blame her."

Tang Mo's eyes reddened as well, and the servants attending to Wang were also wiping away tears. The anger in the old lady's heart quickly turned into guilt; she knew her own son well enough to know he was not a good man.

"You may all leave."

"Yes."

The people in the room left quickly. Wang's weeping grew even more intense, soon soaking through a handkerchief. As the old lady sat on the edge of the bed, before she could even speak, Wang said, "Mother, why must he treat the second son so poorly? He is such a good child. Every time he saw his father, he was respectful. It is so pitiful that the boy has never been liked by his father since he was small."

"When he was little, he would always run to his father happily, his eyes full of adoration. Whenever he helped me with something or was praised by his teacher, he always wanted to tell his father, hoping his father would offer a word of praise too. When his father was in a good mood, he would coax him with a few words, but when he was unhappy, he would ignore him entirely. Whenever he and the Heir Apparent liked the same thing, it never fell into his hands; he was always sternly scolded and told not to compete with his brother."

"Back then, he would always ask me if Father didn't like him, or if he wasn't being good. Every time he asked, my heart ached. I blamed myself—blamed myself for being a second wife, standing a head shorter than the first, even resulting in my own son being unloved."

Tears fell like a broken string of pearls. She covered her face, her shoulders shaking with sobs. Thinking of Tang Mo's childhood, she could not help her heartache. "Even after such a massive incident like the marriage swap, his father didn't offer him a single word of comfort. From beginning to end, the second son never said a single negative word about him."

"How could he do this this time? The Heir Apparent is his son, but is the second son not? They are both his sons, so why does he exalt one and trample the other?"

"Thinking of the grievances the second son has endured all these years, my heart aches. How could he break a child's heart like this?"

The old lady's eyes also reddened. She felt her son truly was a piece of work. It was no wonder Wang's emotions were so explosive and uncontrollable today.

"Stop crying."

The old lady took a deep breath. "It is I, this old woman, who failed to raise my son well and allowed you to suffer such grievances."

Wang cried for a long time, as if trying to weep out all the bitterness of the years. Her eyelids and her entire face became swollen. Only when she could no longer cry did she lower her eyes and speak, "Your daughter-in-law is unfilial; I have caused Mother much worry."

"It is good to let it out."

The old lady sighed. "Do not be too heartbroken. The child is sensible, and now that he is married, he has a good wife. There will be many good days ahead."

"You appear formidable, but in reality, you are too soft-hearted. You accommodate your husband too much. In the future, you must advise him when necessary and speak up when you must. No matter what, you must try to look at things more broadly."

She did not know how to advise her either. Tang Gang's actions were indeed bastardly, but he was her son after all—the Marquis of the Marquis Estate and its pillar. He was often caught in circumstances beyond his control, having to consider the future of the household.

"Get some rest. Tomorrow, you will come to the manor with us to clear your mind. Do not worry about the affairs of the estate for the time being."

"As for Mo, when he goes to the Northern Guard, let him pick a few treasures from me. If he uses them to grease the right palms, he might just be able to establish a foothold. You must believe in the boy's abilities."

Wang nodded. "Thank you, Mother."

The old lady sighed. "I have failed you. There was much shouting and commotion today; let this matter pass. Clean yourself up well. Once you step out that door, you are still the dignified Marchioness. You cannot let people make a mockery of you."

Wang wanted to cry again, but the old lady stood up with a smile. After exiting the room, she instructed Tang Mo and Xin An to comfort her from the side: "Do not let your mother be saddened again."

Both understood the old lady's meaning and hurried into the room to see how Wang was doing. Once outside, the old lady let out a long breath. "Go and invite the Marquis to Chunrong Hall."

"The Marquis has gone out."

"Then go and call him back."

The old lady had been enjoying her retirement for a long time and had no desire to deal with such matters, but the time had come where she had no choice but to step forward.

With Tang Mo and Xin An there, Wang's mood improved quickly. Xin An helped apply a compress to her eyes while Tang Mo joked around, successfully making Wang smile.

While this family found some relief, Tang Rong and Tao Yiran were both frowning deeply. Wang's outburst had placed them in an awkward position, especially Tao Yiran. It was already awkward that her mother-in-law was not her biological mother, and now, after a massive argument over Tang Rong, how was she supposed to face her in the future?

Tang Rong had not expected Wang's reaction to be so intense. He was the Heir Apparent of the Marquis Estate; only by preserving him could the estate be preserved. As long as he was well, the estate would be well. For the sake of long-term interests, it was only right for Tang Mo to endure some grievances. Why couldn't she understand?

With such a scene, how could he face people outside in the future?

"Help me up. I must go and beg Mother for forgiveness."

Tao Yiran understood his intention instantly. She immediately helped him out of bed, found a veiled hat for him to wear, and then led the people to kowtow and beg for forgiveness.

At that moment, the physician arrived and was examining Wang. Wang only mentioned chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath. The physician said it was caused by sudden rage and that, besides taking medicine, she needed to maintain a cheerful mood. Tang Mo saw the physician out and immediately spotted a group of people surrounding someone wearing a veiled hat. Seeing Tao Yiran, he knew who she was supporting, but he ignored him and simply saw the physician off.

Tang Rong stopped in the courtyard, then lifted his robes and knelt to kowtow. "The unfilial son, Tang Rong, comes to beg Mother for forgiveness."

As he knelt, Tao Yiran knelt as well, and the people following them knelt all over the ground.

This single sentence put Wang on a metaphorical roasting spit. Inside the room, Wang trembled with rage. Xin An hurriedly soothed her, "Mother, please sleep for a while."

She had cried for so long; it must be exhausting.

Xin An stood up, gave Wang a smile, and then turned around with a look of panic. "Mother has fainted! Quickly, call the physician back! Hurry!"

She walked quickly toward Tang Rong. "Brother, Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Mother has been worried sick about Brother being attacked, fearing that if the culprit isn't caught, Brother will be in danger whenever he goes out. Yet here Brother is, begging for forgiveness! You were injured due to an unforeseen disaster; what wrong have you done?"

"Are you perhaps blaming the fact that the culprit hasn't been caught yet? Father is investigating with all his might. Brother, Sister-in-law, please get up. Just now, when Mother heard Brother came to confess, she thought you were blaming her, and she fainted from distress."