Tong Guozhu and his wife, who had been living a peaceful life in Shengjing, have recently experienced a mix of joy and sorrow.

They were overjoyed when they received the news that Tong Qinian had been betrothed.

To be the brother-in-law of Prince Su and to marry a royal princess—what an honor!

Prince Su was not a leisurely member of the imperial clan; he held military power and was a prince with real authority.

However, the joy didn't last long before news of Tong Wanle's passing arrived.

One moment of joy, the next of sorrow. Luckily, Tong Guozhu was biased, otherwise he would have been so angry he would have gotten sick.

Tong Guozhu is incredibly biased. As long as Tong Wanyan is alright, he can eat well, sleep well, and be happy all day long.

Tong Fujin, however, was different. She fell ill that very night and was bedridden the next day.

I consulted a doctor, who said it was caused by excessive worry and grief, leading to a heart ailment. In short, it was a mental illness.

Tong Guozhu stood by Tong Fujin's bedside, puzzled, looking at her haggard face with a sense of helplessness.

"Tell me, what exactly are you doing this for? Although Tong Wanle is your daughter, Xiao Yan is the one you've raised for over a decade. She's filial and intelligent, and used to be the one you loved the most, but later she became ruthless and cruel, as if she wanted to kill you. To be honest, if it weren't for Xiao Yan stopping me, I would have divorced you."

Tong Fujin swallowed the bitter medicine, never expecting Tong Guozhu to say such heartless and cruel words.

"We've been husband and wife for over twenty years, and I've given you a son and a daughter. How can I be less important than a concubine's daughter?" Consort Tong was furious.

Tong Guozhu snatched back the empty bowl that had held the medicine and handed it to Tong Fujin, who stared at him with wide eyes and asked in confusion, "Aren't those your children? For so many years, I have respected you, allowed you to do whatever you wanted with the inner quarters, and never favored concubines over wives. You would be the best person in any family."

"Furthermore, if you hadn't been so ruthless, I wouldn't be here. I can understand that a stepmother doesn't like a concubine's daughter. After all, she's not your child, and it's only natural that you would hate her for spoiling the wrong person. So, even if you were stingy with Xiao Yan's food and clothing, I would turn a blind eye and let you vent your anger. But what you did for Tong Wanle later, if you hadn't been careful, could have ruined our whole family."

Tong Guozhu was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table, making it vibrate.

Tong Fujin's heart pounded abnormally fast as the table shook.

It was so obvious, as if something could jump out of his chest.

Tears streamed down her face as she murmured, "I didn't want to."

Tong Guozhu sneered. Such hypocritical and useless words were usually spoken by those weak and delicate women from Yangzhou. He never expected that Tong Fujin would say the same thing.

Tong Fujin knew that Tong Guozhu didn't believe it, and even she herself was somewhat skeptical.

But she knew in her own heart that sometimes she had no choice in what she did.

Moreover, for some reason, Tong Wanle died of grief. She should have been in great pain, but she inexplicably felt relieved.

"Believe it or not, I will never do this again," Tong Fujin said weakly, clutching her chest.

Tong Guozhu continued to sneer, sitting on a low stool, his legs shaking so badly they were almost double.

His provocative attitude would provoke even the most hardened person to anger.

Tong Fujin snorted coldly, and Tong Guozhu instinctively shuddered.

Apart from the fact that Tong Fujin has been acting strangely these past two years, she used to be a female warrior who could ride a horse and whip her whip.

Consort Tong glared at Tong Guozhu, her eyebrows furrowed: "Once I recover, I'll return to the capital immediately. The marriages of Qinian and Jiarong Heshuo Gege cannot be left to the Prince Su's mansion to handle alone. The betrothal gifts must be prepared properly. You should pack your things these next few days and not keep thinking about staying in Shengjing without going out."

Seeing that familiar domineering demeanor, that uncompromising air, Tong Guozhu suddenly felt a tickle in his skin. He missed the way his wife used to slap him.

Tong Guozhu stared blankly at Tong Fujin, his face full of simple-mindedness.

"This sudden illness has somehow made you normal?" Tong Guozhu leaned forward, his big face full of smugness.

Tong Fujin was itching to slap Tong Guozhu. If she hadn't been so ill and weak, she would have slapped him across the face long ago.

How dare someone so ugly put their face so close? Aren't they afraid of scaring people?

“I feel that Tong Wanle is not my daughter.” As the abnormal beating of her heart gradually subsided, Tong Fujin felt a sense of relief, as if a layer of restraint had been lifted.

Tong Guozhu was speechless: "Didn't you investigate it yourself back then? Qinian and I also investigated it behind your back. Although we didn't want to admit it, Xiaoyan is indeed not your child."

Consort Tong sneered: "Xiao Yan is indeed not my daughter, but Tong Wanle is?"

At the time, listening to Tong Wanle's ambiguous words, they were focused on investigating Tong Wanyan's background, forgetting that if Tong Wanyan wasn't the one, then Tong Wanle might not be either.

“You yourself said I wasn’t always so brainless. But for the past year or so, I’ve been acting strangely in every way. Don’t you know how to investigate properly?” Tong Fujin scolded Tong Guozhu.

"The doctor said it's normal for someone to have a drastic personality change after experiencing a major event!" Tong Guozhu said, feeling wronged. "The location of the birthmark on your waist hasn't changed, which means you haven't been replaced. What am I supposed to do?"

“Your Miao concubine, she must come from a good family!” Tong Fujin’s mind was exceptionally sharp now, and she immediately figured out the direction.

Back in the day, when Tong Guozhu was young, he was quite handsome. It was easy for him to travel far away and win the heart of a beautiful foreign girl.

Tong Guozhu felt extremely guilty about his past romantic entanglements.

He shrugged and said, "She is the daughter of the Miao chieftain's unfavored concubine."

"The chieftain's daughter, the Miao people are skilled in using Gu poison. I think I've been bewitched and my mind has been clouded!" Tong Fujin said decisively.

Tong Guozhu thought about it carefully, and it seemed that his concubine had said to him before she died: "I will make you regret this."

"Madam, how could she commit such a heinous act? She willingly became my concubine, and you never mistreated her. Our family is so good, why did she harm us like this? If it weren't for Xiao Yan's good fortune, our entire family would have been executed!" Tong Guozhu was so frightened that his legs went weak.

"Heh." Tong Fujin let out a cold laugh, her eyes filled with icy coldness.

Tong Guozhu shrank back timidly, no longer daring to glare at Tong Fujin and assert his position as the head of the family.

“Then you should take good care of yourself, my wife. Once you’re better, we’ll go back. Actually, I also want to go back to the capital. Living in Shengjing, this godforsaken place, makes people go crazy after a while.” Tong Guozhu hugged Tong Fujin’s arm and began to complain.

Shengjing was really too deserted. Most of the people who remained were from the old Manchu clans and collateral branches. Many people were walking their birds and playing with their dogs, but they didn't have the same high-end entertainment as those in the capital. After a while, he felt very stifled.

Tong Fujin was annoyed by his constant nagging.

“You know many people, so go and find out if my illness is really caused by a curse. If not, just assume I was foolish before. If so, I still need to get proper treatment,” said Consort Tong.

Tong Guozhu nodded repeatedly: "I'll go right away, I'll go right away, as you say, my wife."