Chapter 18: Shifting the Blame Without a Second Thought

Chapter 18: Shifting Blame Without Burden

Seeing Tang Mo transition from exasperation to dejection, Xin An inexplicably felt her own mood lift slightly. How could she let her heart grow old again when it had only just become young this morning?

There were words bottled up in her heart that she wanted to say but had no one to confide in; she had nearly sickened herself from the suppression. Now was the perfect time to dump all this trash onto Tang Mo—after all, he wouldn't go telling anyone.

"Tang Rong values my ability to fight for benefits for him, and he also desires Tao Yiran's talent and tact. One always yearns for what they cannot have. Now that you are gone, his opportunity has naturally arrived. Tao Yiran is very clever; she can keep him firmly under her thumb. She might just outlast me, and she certainly has the means to replace me."

"We both gained benefits these past two days, but do not be careless. His years of cultivation are useful; he will soon enter the imperial court. Your father will devote the entire resources of the household to assist him. He is harder to topple than you think."

In her past life, Tang Rong had been able to frame her son for a crime while leaving Tang Hui completely untainted and beyond suspicion. He must have utilized many resources; his capabilities were certainly not to be underestimated.

Tang Mo’s heart grew heavy. He suddenly felt like a maggot in a gutter, unable to turn his life around no matter what.

Seeing him lose heart, Xin An did not offer consolation. If he lost his fighting spirit like this, she might as well have just taken a shot of wine and knocked Tang Rong down directly.

The two sat in silence for a long time before Tang Mo finally spoke, "Forget it. If I die early, you won't fare any better. Even starting over, I can't escape the shadows of the past. Those two over there are full of affection; who knows how joyful they are."

With that, he stood up. "Get some rest early."

He harbored resentment toward Tao Yiran—he disliked her, yet he had to marry her, and once married, she wouldn't settle down to live a peaceful life with him. He also hated Tang Rong; it was Tang Rong who had willingly married Xin An, only to pine for his wife after the wedding. Yet, such a shameless man possessed a fine reputation that Tang Mo could not hope to match even by flattery.

That night, in the new bridal chamber of the adjacent Chunhua Courtyard, the two did not sleep peacefully just because Tao Yiran had scalded her knees; they continued their passionate revelry until midnight.

In Qiushi Courtyard, the two people deeply wounded by the past lay with their eyes open until midnight, finally falling asleep with a long, heavy sigh.

The next morning, Lady Wang presented the prepared return gifts to Tang Rong and Tang Mo. Tang Rong expressed his thanks and had someone load the gifts onto the carriage.

At the entrance, Tang Rong and Tao Yiran noticed that the return gifts Tang Mo brought were exceptionally numerous, even requiring an extra carriage. Both assumed Lady Wang was showing favoritism. Tang Mo wanted to step forward to provoke them, but Xin An held him back, preventing him from saying more.

Only after getting into the carriage did Tang Mo speak up. "Why did you hold me back? It would have been good to go and insult him a bit."

"Would it be interesting?"

Xin An shot him a glance. "Yesterday, when Mother said we could add more gifts ourselves, they were exchanging glances. I think they likely didn't hear her. Now they are certain Mother is being biased. Even if you went and told them, they would only think Mother failed to remind them properly and was negligent in her duties."

"Since nothing is ever right for them, let them think that way. It's better when resentment builds up; it makes the eventual explosion more satisfying."

Once people feel they have been treated unfairly, resentment grows, and it is that resentment that drives them to make mistakes. "Don't forget, you are supposed to be turning over a new leaf and being a good person now. Don't cause trouble."

"Turning over a new leaf?"

Tang Mo immediately thought of his biased father, his expression turning sour. "What heinous crime have I committed that requires me to turn over a new leaf?"

Having suffered so many hidden losses under Tang Rong since childhood, he felt utterly wronged!

"This is infuriating."

As Xin An expected, Tao Yiran’s eyes reddened as soon as she boarded the carriage, and she sat in silence with her eyes lowered. Her personal maid had always acted as her spokesperson. "The Madam is too much! How can there be such a difference between the return gifts of the two branches? I was just counting—theirs are twice as much as ours, and they are all in high-quality wooden boxes. They must be very precious items."

Tang Rong suddenly remembered that Mother had mentioned yesterday that they could add to the gifts. Since returning to the courtyard, he had been busy handling his biological mother's dowry, thinking of picking out a few decent items to include, but then... he forgot.

However, he would not admit to his own negligence. He would only feel that Lady Wang had failed to mention it again this morning and had been remiss in her duties.

Seeing that Tao Yiran didn't seem to remember, he shifted the blame onto Lady Wang without any psychological burden. With a bitter smile, he said, "Mother is the biological mother of my younger brother; it is only natural she considers him more. I will personally apologize to my parents-in-law regarding this matter."

Tao Yiran was already thinking about this. She vaguely remembered something about adding gifts, but since Tang Rong put it that way, she didn't dwell on it. With a generous mother-in-law taking the heat, she was unwilling to overthink it. She spoke very considerately, "This is already quite good. Mother went to great trouble to prepare it; the family will be satisfied when they see it."

"The Young Mistress is far too kind-hearted. No one should be bullied like this."

The maid, unaware of the inner workings, was still indignant. Tao Yiran spoke gently, "You are not allowed to say any more."

Only then did the maid shut her mouth reluctantly.

There was some distance between the Tang residence and the Xin family's small townhouse in the capital. Xin An and Tang Mo sat in the carriage, yawning all the way. By the time they arrived, the Xin family was already standing at the door to welcome them. Tang Mo stood up, and just as he leaned halfway out, he suddenly turned back. "I was thinking, it wouldn't be impossible to just poison him to death."

Xin An rolled her eyes. "If he dies, your father will go mad. You currently lack the ability to inherit the title, so in all likelihood, the Emperor will reclaim the title, or at the very least, demote it."

The current Emperor placed great importance on aristocratic titles; he would only approve an inheritance for someone he deemed worthy. Even a father's word did not carry absolute weight.

"Turning over a new leaf suits you better."

"Sister, come out quickly!"

Xin Huan was calling out. As soon as Tang Mo turned his head, a smile naturally appeared on his face. "The carriage was a bit bumpy on the road; your sister's hairpin went crooked, and she insisted on having it redone."

"Women love beauty, after all."

Tang Mo jumped down from the carriage, turned, and reached out to assist Xin An. Seeing the two of them getting along reasonably well, Madam Xin's eyes were full of smiles. "Come inside quickly. Knowing you were coming back today, Manager Wen sent someone to buy groceries yesterday. He said he wanted to cook a few Huaijiang dishes for you to taste today, as it won't be so easy to eat them again in the future."

Xin An could not even remember the last time she had eaten Huaijiang cuisine. "Now that Mother says that, my mouth is watering. I'm going to eat two big bowls today!"

Walking behind them, Xin Huan walked cheerfully beside Tang Mo. "Brother-in-law, you must listen to my sister more in the future. My sister is very clever."

Tang Mo turned his head and smiled. "What, do you always listen to your sister at home?"

"Of course."

Xin Huan said proudly, "You'll find out later. But if you want my sister to help you, the prerequisite is that you have to treat her better."

So that was where he stood. Tang Mo laughed to himself. He hadn't been able to best Xin An in her past life, and in this life, she knew even more about the future; he stood no chance of outdoing her. Naturally, he had to cling to her support. "With such a formidable brother-in-law like you, shouldn't I treat your sister like a goddess?"