Blossom

He always liked to blame others for everything—no wonder Li Liang was past thirty and still hadn’t accomplished anything.

He silently glanced at Li Liang.

But Song Mo had no patience for such domestic gossip and cut straight to the point: "Whose child is Yi Gui?"

At this, Li Liang abruptly raised his head, staring at Song Mo in disbelief. "Of course he’s your Song family’s child!" he exclaimed, then suddenly seemed to realize something and hurriedly added, "That despicable scoundrel Song Yichun must have told your family that Tiao Niang was dead, right? Back then, the old Duke personally brought men to force her to drink an abortifacient. She hemorrhaged badly and indeed passed out. But Heaven had eyes—the old Duke’s men were all grown men, and since Tiao Niang had once served that beast Song Yichun, they didn’t dare look too closely. They checked for breath, found none, and left. My mother cared for Tiao Niang day and night for over half a month, feeding her ginseng and bird’s nest as if they cost nothing, exhausting the dowry my grandfather had left her, just to save Tiao Niang’s life. Fearing your family would come looking and discover she was still alive, we immediately sold our ancestral home at a loss, claimed my sister had fallen gravely ill, and that a Daoist priest warned the Capital’s yang energy was too strong for her survival. So we moved to my uncle’s place in Yuanping village, where she recuperated for two more years before she could even get out of bed.

"And then your father came looking again.

"My poor sister, so infatuated with your father, so devoted to serving him, was sweet-talked by him into bedding him again."

As he spoke, his teeth clenched in fury.

"But your father was heartless.

"The very next day, he sent my sister back and vanished without a trace.

"And then my sister was pregnant again.

"The physician said her body was too weak from the previous ordeal to endure another abortion, so she had to carry the child.

"I secretly went to find your father.

"At first, he avoided me. Later, when he finally saw me, all he asked was how much money I wanted.

"I was so furious I nearly slapped him. I went back and immediately moved my sister and mother to Persimmon Alley outside the city, just so we could find a midwife when the time came.

"But when the child was nearly seven months along, your father showed up again. He claimed your grandfather was ill and no longer as unyielding as before, that Tiao Niang was carrying the Song family’s heir, and that your grandfather would surely soften upon seeing the child. He said if Tiao Niang went back with him, perhaps your grandfather would let her into the household for the sake of the child.

"I thought it better to wait until after the birth. If it was a boy, your family would surely acknowledge Tiao Niang and the child. But if it was a girl, what use would the Song family have for her?

"But my mother and Tiao Niang both believed this was a golden opportunity and ignored my protests. Tiao Niang went with your father to the Duke of Yingguo’s residence. Furious, I left for my uncle’s house.

"Not even a few days later, my mother sent word that the Song family not only refused to acknowledge Tiao Niang and the child but also drugged her, causing a premature birth. Tiao Niang was on the brink of death.

"I rushed back from my uncle’s place overnight.

"On the way, I ran into my mother and Tiao Niang, who had fled the Capital.

"Tiao Niang was barely clinging to life, but the child was healthy and lively—though just born, the umbilical cord hadn’t even fallen off yet. The baby was delicate, fair-skinned, and exceptionally beautiful, not wrinkled and red like other newborns.

"I took one look and adored him instantly."“So when my mother insisted on giving the child away, I chose to keep her.

“I even gave her a name—‘Yi Gui’—hoping she would share in the Song family’s prosperity, that her future would be smooth sailing, and she would marry into a good family.

“Tiao Niang was frail and couldn’t produce milk. It was I who boiled rice paste every day to feed Yi Gui.

“Tiao Niang hated Song Yichun and couldn’t bear to see Yi Gui, so I used the money meant for buying writing supplies to hire a wet nurse for her.

“After I married, Yi Gui stayed with my wife.

“I treated her as my own daughter. Whatever my children had, she had too—and if there was something my children didn’t have, she got it first.

“I raised her like a precious treasure until she was in her teens. Who would have thought that at the critical moment, I ended up harming her…”

Li Liang covered his face with his uninjured left hand and began to weep again.

Chen Jia couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

He believed every word Li Liang said.

Otherwise, Yi Gui wouldn’t have eagerly followed him the moment she heard he was acquainted with Li Liang, nor would she have lowered her head earlier for Li Liang’s sake.

But what good did the truth do now?

If Yi Gui truly was Madam Jiang’s daughter, even if Li Liang had once sacrificed his own flesh to feed her, given her current state, Song Mo’s temper would ensure Li Liang faced retribution regardless.

Li Liang would be better off pleading with Yi Gui to intercede for him before Song Mo—no, Song Mo now despised the Li family to the core. The more Yi Gui pleaded for them, the deeper his hatred might grow.

Throughout the journey, Chen Jia had kept Song Mo in his peripheral vision. Whenever Song Mo was unsettled, he would reach for Madam Dou’s hand—proof of her importance in his heart.

Rather than appealing to Song Mo, Yi Gui would have better luck seeking Madam Dou’s help.

Moreover, as an outsider in this matter, Madam Dou would surely be more level-headed than Song Mo.

But with only himself, Li Liang, and Song Mo in the room, how could they get word to Madam Dou?

Chen Jia grew anxious.

Just then, Song Mo spoke to him: “Go tell Xia Lian to bring Li Tiaoniang here!”

Chen Jia hurried out to relay the message, and as he spoke, he subtly gestured toward the side chamber with a tilt of his lips.

Duan Gongyi nodded in understanding.

Relieved, Chen Jia heard a sudden thud from inside the room.

He lifted the curtain and stepped back into the tearoom.

Song Mo had moved before Li Liang without notice and kicked over the stool he was sitting on. Li Liang fell to the ground, his body curled like a shrimp, unable to rise due to his immobilized side, groaning softly.

What had provoked Song Mo this time?

The heir to the Duke of Yingguo was famously unreadable, yet today, his fury was so intense it showed plainly on his face.

Muttering inwardly, Chen Jia bent to help Li Liang up.

But Song Mo stepped on Li Liang’s thumb and asked Chen Jia, “I’ve heard that if a thumb is crippled, one can never hold a brush again. Is that true?”

Chen Jia was startled.

Li Liang, terrified, cried out, “What are you doing? Have you no fear of the law?”

Song Mo smiled faintly, like the gentle breeze of early spring, his voice light as he asked Li Liang, “You still haven’t told me—what difference would it make if it were Song Han instead?”

Both Li Liang and Chen Jia froze.

Song Mo pressed down with the tip of his foot.

Li Liang screamed.

Chen Jia didn’t even need to look to know Li Liang’s thumb was ruined.Song Mo stepped on Li Liang's index finger without changing his expression and asked, "What difference would it make if Song Han came instead?"

Li Liang was in so much pain that sweat poured down his forehead.

Song Mo pressed down again.

Chen Jia heard Li Liang’s agonized scream once more.

He couldn’t help cursing Li Liang inwardly.

This Li Liang was utterly clueless—if things continued like this, he’d surely lose his life here.

Chen Jia quickly crouched down to persuade him: "At this point, what else can’t you say? Even if you refuse, the Young Lord can still question your sister, question the Second Master, or even ask the Duke himself. But you’ll be the one ruined. If not for yourself, think of your wife and children at home..."

Yet he forgot why Song Mo had waited until now to make his move, timing it precisely after Chen Jia had finished his task before dealing with Li Liang.

To Li Liang, none of these men were easy to deal with, but compared to the others, Chen Jia seemed the most reasonable. He had intervened on Li Liang’s behalf several times when he was in danger. Hearing this, Li Liang’s expression wavered with hesitation.

Chen Jia pressed on: "You heard it yourself—the Young Lord’s most trusted guard has gone to fetch your sister. Why force yourself to watch her suffer? The Young Lord means no harm. He just wants to clarify the truth about Yi Gui. She grew up under your care—don’t you want her to reclaim her rightful lineage and live a good life?"

Li Liang’s eyes dimmed.

Groaning in pain, he muttered after a moment, "My sister... she’s never been one to settle down. After the Duke of Yingguo cast her aside, she should’ve fought back, yet all these years she’s obediently lived with me... She never cared much for Yi Gui either. When the child was little, the slightest misstep would make her grab a feather duster and beat her half to death. Yi Gui would cry and beg, calling out ‘Mother,’ but she remained unmoved. Even my mother, who had always insisted on giving the child away, couldn’t bear it anymore and finally agreed to let my wife take her in..."

Chen Jia listened, his face paling in horror, and quickly glanced at Song Mo.

Song Mo stood there with a mild expression, as if listening to someone else’s story.

But Chen Jia’s heart pounded wildly, cursing Li Liang inwardly.

Even if you’re going to talk, at least choose your words carefully! Are you trying to get yourself killed?

He nearly lunged forward to cover Li Liang’s mouth.

Yet Li Liang remained oblivious and continued softly, "My wife once said she’d seen cruel mothers, but never one as heartless as this. She also said that though Yi Gui was born premature, she was lucky to be strong—otherwise, with such abuse, she wouldn’t have survived... At the time, I found it strange. If the Song family knew they had an heir outside, and even took my sister in for the birth, why suddenly abandon both mother and child? Even if they despised my sister, why reject the child too? Unless... the child my sister bore stayed with the Songs, and Yi Gui was just a child she snatched in her grief after losing her own?"

"I confronted her once, but she dismissed it as nonsense."

"After that, she treated Yi Gui a little better."

"I thought maybe I was overthinking it—that she simply disliked the child.""Five years ago, when I took the imperial exams, I caught a cold and was on medication for over half a year without recovering. Seeing that the family had no rice left to cook, my mother and my wife discussed selling the last dozen or so ancestral acres of land. But suddenly, she took out several silver notes, saying it was her personal savings from before.

"I knew exactly what our family had.

"In the early years, to nurse her health, my mother’s personal savings were completely exhausted. Later, when the Song family sent her back, apart from the clothes on her back, there was only a two-hundred-tael silver note tucked in Yi Gui’s swaddling clothes. Over the years, with the family struggling, I could give her at most five or six taels a year for rouge and powder—yet she insisted on the finest, new clothes, and snacks. How could that two hundred taels possibly remain untouched?

"I asked her where the money came from, but she stubbornly insisted it was given by the Song family.

"Later, I noticed her annual expenses exceeded what I earned. Not only that, but she also spent lavishly, buying whatever she wanted without a care for future financial hardship.

"That’s when I began to suspect she still hadn’t cut ties with Song Yichun."