Chapter 105: His Turn to Choose
The night was dark, with sparse stars.
He Shi was locked in a cramped firewood shed tucked away in a corner.
In this quiet place, her mind remained clear, and she gradually pieced together what had truly happened.
This must be the result of a joint scheme by Concubine Yu and Concubine Tao. The cursed dolls were likely crafted by Concubine Tao, while the so-called master was probably hired by Concubine Yu. The mistress must have known about their plot and deliberately fueled the flames...
Once the master returned to the mansion, he would surely clear her name.
As she pondered, she heard the lock click. By the moonlight outside, she saw two figures enter.
One was An Ge'er, the other Ping Jie'er.
Her eyes lit up with joy.
Since returning to the Xie family, the children had rarely sought her out to avoid suspicion.
In the past, whenever she faced trouble, the children had never visited her. Truth be told, as their birth mother, she felt a lingering sense of disappointment.
But now, seeing the siblings appear in the firewood shed, that faint disappointment vanished completely.
She knew it—in their hearts, no one could replace their birth mother.
"How did you two come here?"
He Shi stood up and approached them.
Xie Ping stood behind Xie Shi'an, tightly clutching her handkerchief, utterly at a loss for words.
Xie Shi'an spoke first: "Old Madam and Mother already know about your background."
He Shi staggered: "An Ge'er, what did you say? I didn’t hear clearly. Say it again."
"Your grandfather was He Tao, the Minister of Revenue over twenty years ago. You are a descendant of the He family, and the three children you bore are also descendants of a convicted official." Xie Shi'an’s voice was hoarse. "Although the court did not exterminate the He family, it will never allow the descendants of a convicted official to enter officialdom, nor will it allow our elder sister to marry into the imperial family... Because of your identity, our futures are doomed."
He Shi’s heart felt as if gripped by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe. "H-how could anyone have found out?"
She had hidden it so well—changed her surname, moved far from her clan’s residence. Who could have uncovered her identity?
She knew that descendants of the He family could neither serve as officials nor marry into the imperial family. That was why she had never dared to openly act as the children’s mother.
She had endured for so many years, willingly handing her three children over to others to raise. How could it all come to nothing now?
Her knees weakened, and she leaned against the wall.
Xie Shi'an stepped forward, supporting her arm, and helped her sit on the straw mat on the floor of the shed. "The embroidery pieces you sold were seen by someone with ill intentions. They are now investigating the Xie family and your identity."
He Shi’s lips trembled.
Some time ago, her private savings had been taken by that wretched Concubine Tao, and the silver she had stored in the bank was squandered by her good-for-nothing brother. Penniless and trapped in the Xie mansion, she had no choice but to embroider handkerchiefs and screens to sell for money...
Why, after more than twenty years, could someone still recognize the He family’s embroidery technique?
"Mother."
Xie Shi'an suddenly called out.
That word "Mother" pulled He Shi’s memories back to many years ago, when she was Xie Jingyu’s unofficial concubine, and all three children were raised by her side.
Ping Jie'er was sensible, An Ge'er was clever, and Wei Ge'er was mischievous—all her children, calling her "Mother" every day.After the children were recognized by their paternal family, aside from the occasional "Mother" from Wei Ge'er, she never again heard that address from An Ge'er and Ping Jie'er.
He Shi's eyelashes trembled, tears flowing uncontrollably.
For some reason, intense unease suddenly rose in her heart, and that single word "Mother" brought that unease to its peak.
She reached out and touched Xie Shi'an's face: "An Ge'er, from now on... don't call me Mother anymore. Someone of my status will only hinder your future... Let your father send me away. I can't drag you all down with me..."
"If you leave, will everything be fine? Old Madam said... said..." Xie Ping bit her lower lip, pausing for a long time before continuing, "If you truly care about us, you should... you should..."
The final words stuck in her throat, as if something were blocking them.
Xie Shi'an suddenly remembered the story his mother had told him two months ago.
About a peasant woman who raised three children - not her own - yet she poured her heart and soul into nurturing them.
But one day, the peasant woman became entangled in a rebellion plot, and those three children killed their adoptive mother to protect their family.
Back then, his mother had asked him whether those three children were right or wrong...
How had he answered?
He couldn't remember.
Now, it was his turn to make a choice.
He could hardly believe that he didn't need any hesitation to make the choice most beneficial to himself.
For the first time, he realized he was such a selfish, cold-blooded monster.
He took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve: "Father gave this to you. Drink it, and within a quarter of an hour, you'll gradually fall asleep and pass away without any pain..."
He Shi's pupils contracted violently.
She finally understood the source of her unease - it was her own child, born from ten months of pregnancy, coming to feed her poison.
Had it been anyone else, even Old Madam, she could have accepted it.
Why did it have to be An Ge'er and Ping Jie'er?
"No!!"
He Shi couldn't control her scream.
"Mother." Xie Shi'an remained perfectly calm. "Hundreds of the He family members died in that case over twenty years ago. The He family, a century-old prominent clan, vanished just like that. How many people in the capital still remember the He family today? In his final letter before passing, my great-grandfather clearly wrote that he hoped future generations of the He family could overturn the unjust case and restore the family's honor. It was because I held onto this belief that I managed to become the top candidate in the imperial examinations at just twelve years old..."
He Shi broke down in tears.
When the He family met with disaster, she was already old enough to remember things. As the youngest legitimate daughter of the He family, her grandfather had particularly doted on her.
She knew her grandfather's dying wish, but she believed herself incapable of fulfilling it. As for that good-for-nothing He Xu, he was even less likely to restore the He family.
All hopes rested on An Ge'er...
If An Ge'er's identity as a descendant of the He family were exposed, he wouldn't be able to enter the Imperial Academy, take the imperial examinations, or pursue an official career...
He Shi's weeping echoed from the firewood room.
Yun Chu stood below the steps, hearing every word exchanged between the mother and her two children clearly.
She recalled her previous life, under similar night skies, when she had been persuaded by Xie Shi'an to drink poisoned wine - to die for the Xie family.
Back then, the Yun family's affairs hadn't shown any progress yet. How could she possibly die? So several children came to hold her down and poured the poison down her throat...She had drunk poisoned wine; as the poison entered her intestines, the pain spread through every limb and bone, piercing her internal organs.
The poison that He Shi drank brought no suffering, allowing her to die silently and unnoticed—a form of fortune in itself.
Yet He Shi did not consider herself fortunate.
To be forced to death by her own son and daughter—what sins had she committed in her past life to endure such heart-wrenching agony?
Seeing He Shi remain motionless, Xie Ping stepped forward, picked up the porcelain bottle, and removed its lid. A faint fragrance wafted out as her voice trembled, "Do you want us to force you to drink it?"
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