The city lord's wife felt a lump in her throat, and was so frightened by Jiang Huaizhi's ruthless words that she almost couldn't speak.

She had never seen such a fierce expression on Huai Zhi's face before.

At that moment, the two of them didn't seem like mother and son, but more like mortal enemies.

"Mother, do you know how beautiful your expression is right now? Jiang Huaisong has become a cripple. You must be heartbroken, right? Your most beloved son, the one you favored the most, is no longer able to produce offspring for the Jiang family. Are you sad? Are you in pain? Do you feel despair?"

Jiang Huai's laughter was chilling, and the city lord's wife couldn't stop trembling.

Upon seeing the city lord's wife in this state, Jiang Huaizhi became even more deranged. He looked down at Wuyou on the ground with contempt and let out a low, hoarse laugh:

"Wuyou, what a beautiful name. It's such a pity that you value him so much and dote on him so much, giving him all the favor you once gave to Jiang Huaisong, but he is not Jiang Huaisong's son."

"Hahaha... Mother, how do you feel these past few years, having given all your affection to a farmer's son?"

Tears welled up in the eyes of the city lord's wife without her noticing.

She felt a sharp, throbbing pain in her heart.

The son before her eyes had become utterly unfamiliar, as if she had never truly looked at him all these years.

She had no idea where that hatred came from or when it started.

Huai Zhi... thus concealed this hatred, always playing the role of an obedient and sensible son by her side.

Over the years, she had never noticed these unusual things, and she was completely unaware that he was secretly plotting these revenge plans against her.

"Huaizhi..." The city lord's wife's voice choked with sobs, her eyes filled with tears, "I...I am your mother, how could you bear...how could you bear to do this to me?"

Jiang Huai scoffed lightly, unmoved by the city lord's wife's show of weakness.

"When Jiang Huaisong was against me, why didn't you think of yourself as my mother? When you protected him, why didn't you think of yourself as my mother? My illness was clearly curable, but you didn't care at all. Why didn't you think of yourself as my mother then?"

"After all these years, you've completely forgotten what happened back then, haven't you? You don't even have a shred of remorse or regret. How can you be worthy of being my mother?"

Every word Jiang Huai uttered was deeply etched into the heart of the city lord's wife.

The city lord's wife's lips trembled, and Jiang Huaizhi's resolute face was reflected in her pupils. A feeling of guilt spread through her heart.

She finally couldn't hold back her tears and covered her face, but after only a few sobs, she seemed to remember something, straightened up, and tightly grasped Jiang Huaizhi's arms with both hands.

“Huaizhi, I was wrong. Mother knows she was wrong. I didn’t take your feelings into account. I’ve neglected you all these years… Blame me if you want. It doesn’t matter if you resent me or hit me. I won’t fight back.”

"But your brother... he really didn't mean to poison you. He was so young at the time, he didn't understand anything. He absolutely didn't mean it. Please forgive him. Can you save him?"

"He can actually be saved, right? Even if it's poison, there's an antidote, isn't there? Just like you back then, the doctor said you might never have children in your life, but you recovered, right?"

"Huai Song can definitely be cured too, right?"

The city lord's wife spoke to Jiang Huaizhi with earnest eyes and a humble tone, almost pleading.

As Jiang Huaizhi listened, the mocking smile on his face slowly faded, and his fist clenched tightly in his sleeve.

Even now, you're still thinking of Jiang Huaisong.

His voice was cold, carrying an unprecedented sense of detachment and indifference, "You're not admitting your mistake, you're pleading for Jiang Huaisong, aren't you?"

"No, no, no, Huaizhi, I really know I was wrong. What do you want me to do to save him? Do you want me to kneel down before you? I can do it, I really can."

As she spoke, she shrank off the chair, her knees touching the ground, and her hands slid down from Jiang Huaizhi's arms until they gripped his fists tightly.

The city lord couldn't stand it any longer, so he strode over and forcibly pulled his wife up from the ground.

"Enough! You are his mother, even if you kneel before him, he won't be afraid of shortening his lifespan!"

The city lord turned his head and met Jiang Huaizhi's cold eyes. The hatred in those eyes made him stiffen involuntarily.

But he quickly regained his composure and roared in a powerful voice:

"Huaizhi! She is still your mother no matter what! Even if she has been incredibly unfair to you, she is still the one who brought you into this world! You can't blame her! The kindness of parents is greater than the heavens. Without her, you wouldn't be who you are today!"

"Shut up!" Jiang Huaizhi's sword-like eyes shot at him. "Do you think you're innocent? Lord City Lord, all these years, you've been like a dead man in the backyard of the City Lord's Mansion. You can't even fart when something happens. What right do you have to talk nonsense here?"

"Isn't you the most hypocritical person in the City Lord's Mansion? You never act like a bad person, never get involved in disputes, and never interfere in raising her children. In the end, you still want to be a respected father. How can you have such a good thing?"

"Stop with that hypocritical, condescending attitude of yours, it disgusts me."

The city lord's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

In all the years he had been the city lord, no one had ever dared to say such things to his face.

The fact that these words came from the mouth of his usually gentle and refined eldest son made him even more humiliated and unable to bear it.

"Jiang Huaizhi!" he called out his full name, "You are absolutely lawless!"

"Father, I can do even more outrageous things. Would you like to see?"

Before the city lord could say anything more, his wife stopped him, saying, "Husband, don't be angry with Huaizhi anymore. It's our fault, it's all our fault!"

She turned her head, reverting to her previous guilty and anxious expression, pleading, "Huaizhi, please save your brother. He's truly innocent. You can blame me or your father, but please don't take it out on him, okay? He's your own brother. How could he possibly intend to harm you?"

She pleaded desperately, but Jiang Huai remained unmoved.

He lowered his head, his face only a fist's distance from the city lord's wife's.

His icy voice seemed to emanate from a time-worn, frozen pool. He spoke slowly, emphasizing each syllable, saying:

"Mother, absolutely not."

The last glimmer of hope in the city lord's wife's eyes vanished completely after hearing Jiang Huaizhi's words.

The last glimmer of light in her eyes suddenly went out.

Her desperate and pained appearance was exactly what Jiang Huaizhi wanted to see.

"Mother, the pain you feel today will last for the rest of your life, until the moment you close your eyes."