Chapter 43: Lady Wang's Complete Outburst

Chapter 43: Lady Wang's Complete Outburst

After careful deliberation, Tang Gang made his choice: he blamed the incident of Tang Rong being beaten on the failure of the Northern Guard's patrols.

Under his maneuvering, a memorial impeaching the Commander of the Northern Guard was presented to the Emperor the following day. To prevent Tang Rong from drawing too much attention, he merely stated that a thief had assaulted someone in the street, showing a complete disregard for the law.

He further claimed that Tang Rong had resisted actively, but due to being outnumbered, he had sustained minor injuries—unfortunate enough to affect his cheek, requiring him to recuperate in his manor.

In this way, the focus of everyone's attention shifted to whether the capital was safe. The pressure on the Northern Guard increased sharply. The Commander, Liao Zhi, entered the palace that day to plead for forgiveness, and a formal grudge was established between him and the Marquis of Weiyuan's manor.

On this day, Tang Mo's heart, which had long yearned for his father's affection, died.

Although he had anticipated that Tang Gang would always make such choices, he was still heavily wounded the moment the result was announced. This was a fatal blow from his closest kin; despite knowing that he was about to report for duty in the Northern Guard, Tang Gang had not considered his future situation at all, prioritizing only the son he truly valued.

"If the Marquis feels that Tang Mo is insignificant and can completely disregard his life or death, you could simply say so. My son and I can move out of the Marquis's manor immediately, saving you the trouble of guarding us like thieves every single day."

Lady Wang erupted. She abandoned all pretenses of being dignified and virtuous. "Though I am the second wife, I was married to you with proper ceremonies and carried in through the main gates of the manor in an eight-bearer sedan; I am no concubine or chambermaid. Tang Mo is my son. Though he is the son of a second wife, he is your biological son, and he is not inferior to anyone."

"Ask your heart: since the day I entered this house, how have I treated the Heir Apparent? In all these years, have I ever mistreated him? I pitied him for the early loss of his biological mother. From the moment Tang Mo became sensible, I taught him to yield to his elder brother. Every time there was a conflict between brothers, was it not I who held Tang Mo back and made him concede? I treated him like my own son, but what about you?"

"In all these years, have you ever fulfilled your responsibility as a father in front of Tang Mo?"

"You knew perfectly well he was going to the Northern Guard, yet you still treated him this way. Tang Gang, you have gone too far!"

Tang Gang's face turned ashen. Firstly, Lady Wang had always been gentle and sensible for all these years and had never spoken to him like this; secondly, he felt guilty because everything she said was true. Even so, he would never admit he was wrong. "He doesn't have to go to the Northern Guard. The manor can afford to support him. I will find him another position later."

"Get out!"

Lady Wang roared. "Do you have the face to say those words in public even once? Do you even deserve to be called a father? When has he ever been in your heart? Even that post in the Northern Guard was something you sought out for your beloved son. If it weren't for your beloved son's shamelessness in trying to usurp his sister-in-law, would you have given him that position?"

"I remained silent because I didn't want to embarrass you. My kindness is not an excuse for you to push your luck. You father and son have gone too far. I don't want to see you again. Get out of my sight immediately!"

Her roar echoed throughout the courtyard. All the servants were silenced by fear. Tang Gang, incensed, shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! You—"

"Get out!"

Lady Wang swept a teacup off the coffee table, sending it shattering at Tang Gang's feet. Enraged, he clenched his fists. Lady Wang stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "Hit me. If you have the guts, hit me to death today."

Her eyes were bloodshot and fierce. In that moment, Tang Gang was intimidated. His gaze flickered with a momentary urge to fight, but he ultimately lost the struggle and swept his sleeves as he stormed off.

Before long, the entire manor knew that the Marquis had been yelled out of the courtyard by his wife. Everyone had their own sense of justice, and they could read between the lines of Lady Wang's words. The consensus was: the biased Marquis had finally met his retribution.

Tang Mo and Xin An appeared before Lady Wang immediately. Lady Wang dismissed the servants, and her expression did not show the exhaustion or sorrow they had feared.

"You know he is biased; why bother upsetting yourself like this?"

Tang Mo felt heartache for his mother. "Calm down. It's not a big deal. I have a plan."

Lady Wang set down her teacup and slowly exhaled. "I have been waiting for this opportunity. I simply felt that today was the right time, which is why this happened."

She did not say the rest. Fearing that Xin An might be unreliable, Tang Mo spoke up: "Mother, if there is something to say, there is no need to avoid her. Some things can be explained in a few words. Mother only needs to know that she stands with me and me alone; our goals are the same."

Xin An sat down beside them. "Mother must have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, hasn't she?"

Lady Wang was somewhat surprised. Xin An continued, "Father is biased toward his eldest son. Previously, before he was married, the timing wasn't right. Now that he is married, his favoritism has only intensified. After today's outburst, Mother can openly show favoritism toward us in the future, and even if outsiders find out, they will only express understanding toward you."

Lady Wang patted the back of her hand across the table. "What a clever girl. You truly should be my daughter-in-law."

Tang Mo was still a bit slow to catch on. Lady Wang let out a heavy breath. "Before I married in, I was full of hope. I thought we would have a harmonious marriage. Tang Rong was young when his mother died, so I thought if I treated him well, even if he didn't see me as his biological mother, he would respect me. What girl enters a marriage full of schemes?"

"Your father feared I would corrupt his eldest son, so he was wary of me at every turn. He would rather use someone like Auntie Cai—someone with no insight who only knows how to act high and mighty—than trust me to care for him. Later, I thought, if he doesn't want me to care for him, so be it; at least if something goes wrong, it won't be blamed on me. Unfortunately, I underestimated his shamelessness. Once his son has any trouble, it is always blamed on me, the stepmother, for failing to provide proper care."

"On the surface, I am the mistress of the Marquis's manor, and he gives me face in many ways. Outsiders say I am highly valued by him, but in reality, I am not allowed to touch or even speak a word regarding anything related to his eldest son."

"After all these years, I have finally reached this day."

She slowly closed her eyes. Xin An was right. After today's reckless outburst, rumors would inevitably spread. When the time came, she could claim that her temperament had changed due to heartbreak and that she was simply favoring her own son. Who could blame her?

She was being driven to it.

Tang Mo felt even worse. For years, they had appeared prosperous in the manor, but in reality, they had been stifled. A flash of inspiration struck him; it felt as though he had grasped the path forward.

Just as Xin An was about to speak, a servant reported that the Old Madam had arrived. Xin An immediately stood up to support Lady Wang. "Mother, what's wrong? Mother..."

She called out urgently, and Lady Wang instantly understood her meaning. Her fingers moved quickly, dipping into the teacup to dab tea onto her eyes. Tang Mo rushed forward. "Mother!"

He scooped her up in his arms and hurried into the bedroom, not forgetting to call out on the way, "Quick, call a physician!"

The moment the Old Madam entered, she heard the commotion and hurried toward Lady Wang's bedroom. Inside, Xin An was helping Lady Wang lie down. "Cry, quickly! Think of all the grievances of these past years. The more tragic the cry, the better."

Lady Wang immediately began to wipe away tears. She was already upset; although she was scheming against Tang Gang, would she have ever schemed against her husband if she hadn't been driven to this point?

Recalling the frustrations of the past years, her tears flowed uncontrollably. When the Old Madam entered, Xin An was still holding a hairpin she had just removed from Lady Wang's hair. "Grandmother, Mother, she..."

(End of Chapter)