The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th of August.
In previous years, Xiao Yitang would bring the children and Jiang Zhixu back to the Duke of Anguo's mansion to celebrate the festival at this time, and this year was no exception.
The old lady was a devout Buddhist who loved quiet and spent most of her day in the Buddhist hall, truly detached from worldly concerns.
Ever since Jiang Sixian died, she has become even more Buddhist.
However, the elderly all love children, and she was very happy to see the four siblings.
I don't know when my son will come back.
Mid-Autumn Festival is supposed to be a time for family reunion.
She held her granddaughter in her arms, her gaze sweeping over Jiang Shuman, then she thought of Shen Zhixian, and suddenly sighed, "At this time last year, Zhixian was still here."
The scene fell silent for a moment.
The old lady wasn't oblivious to people's expressions, but Shen Zhixian was someone she had raised, and she couldn't let go of her feelings.
Xiao Yitang put on a smile again.
"I heard she is observing mourning for her mother on the estate. If Mother is worried, please bring her back to the Duke's mansion. Life will be easier for her then."
The old lady was taken aback.
She wanted to bring Shen Zhixian over, but she was afraid her daughter-in-law would be unhappy, so she didn't dare to mention it. Now that Xiao Yitang had taken the initiative to bring it up, she was a little at a loss.
[Will you bring them back to give birth?]
The old lady's face was stiff as she stared incredulously at her granddaughter, who was huffing and puffing in Xiao Yitang's arms.
What's the meaning?
Xiao Yitang lowered her eyes and crushed the mooncake to feed her daughter.
Jiang Shumiao ate while mentally complaining.
[Those two women never intended to leave our family a way out, yet you're still letting wolves into our home. What were you thinking?]
Yeah, what were you thinking?
Jiang Shuman thought her sister was absolutely right, and glanced at the old lady almost imperceptibly.
Jiang Yiqing remained silent.
Jiang Yining sat obediently.
Let the younger sister do it all.
[Do you really think she's some kind of pure, innocent saint? She's only afraid of her mother; she's ruthless towards others.]
Shen Zhixian and Wen Zhixuan look quite alike.
They all have a past they don't want to look back on, and they both pursue and hate the light.
They should lock themselves up; don't let them harm her sister.
Go pick her up. Let's see how she explains the baby in her belly. The male lead's true colors won't be hidden anymore, hahaha...
Xiao Yitang: Thinking about it, it does feel quite satisfying.
The old lady's fingers were trembling.
She simply couldn't believe that the child she had raised had committed premarital adultery and gotten pregnant!
Because of this, the old lady was in a daze for several days.
In the end, she still sent someone to pick up Shen Zhixian.
At this time, news spread from the palace that Emperor Hongde intended to marry the eldest princess born to the Empress to the Imperial Preceptor Wen Zhixuan.
No, no, this marriage can't happen. The eldest princess is so pitiful; she was manipulated by the male lead to prevent her from giving birth to a child with Xiao family blood, and in the end, my heartless cousin even subjected her to the "combing torture"...
Xiao Yitang gasped.
Jiang Shumiao was so anxious that she scratched her head and cheeks.
Like Shen Zhixian, Wen Zhixuan hated all those with noble blood. His methods of dealing with them were extremely cruel, removing them completely, skin and bones, flesh and blood.
It's terrifyingly obsessive.
Jiang Shuman said, "Wasn't the Imperial Advisor sick? He's recovered so quickly?"
"He's fine my foot! He's been poisoned by the curse; it'll take him at least a month to recover."
Jiang Shumiao suddenly realized.
Wen Zhixuan is probably still recovering from his injuries and can't receive the imperial decree. Shouldn't Shen Zhixian's pregnancy be exposed by now?
It has indeed been exposed.
The old lady looked at Shen Zhixian kneeling on the ground, her belly so large that it could no longer be concealed.
"Tell me, what exactly is going on?"
Shen Zhixian didn't know why she suddenly sent someone to pick her up and bring her back to the capital, and she was powerless to refute it.
The social customs of this dynasty are relatively open, but it still does not tolerate women becoming pregnant out of wedlock.
So all she could do was cry.
The old lady's head was buzzing, and she was in a state of confusion. She was worried that her granddaughter was being bullied, but she also remembered her granddaughter's words and dared not trust her as completely as before.
"How many months?"
Shen Zhixian said timidly, "Five...five months."
A five-month-old fetus is already fully formed, and forcibly aborting it could be life-threatening.
The old lady felt her hands and feet turn ice-cold. "Whose child is it?"
Shen Zhixian started crying again, but wouldn't say anything.
It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't dare.
She understood Wen Zhixuan's personality; from the beginning, he disagreed with her keeping the child. She devised a plan to deceive everyone, and only then did Wen Zhixuan reluctantly agree.
If I confess now, he will surely retaliate later.
When the old lady saw her crying, she instinctively felt a little sorry for her, but when she saw her belly, she became angry.
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll have someone bring your father over.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhixian was no longer afraid.
After all, the child in her belly was Wen Zhixuan's own flesh and blood. With this child, the alliance between Shen Jiming and Wen Zhixuan would be even stronger.
Shen Jiming will definitely cover for her.
Shen Jiming had already received the news and quickly arrived at the Duke of Anguo's mansion, where he first paid his respects to the old lady.
The old lady had a cold face.
"Look at your good daughter! She used to be so well-behaved in my household, but after she went back home, I don't know where she got this..."
He never uttered the words "bastard child."
"Please calm down, Madam."
Shen Jiming looked distressed. "Zhi Xian is heavily pregnant, and it's not appropriate for her to kneel for so long. Could you please let her get up and answer?"
The old lady was kind-hearted by nature, and although she was very angry just now, she calmed down a bit and still felt a little reluctant.
"Get up."
With the help of her maid, Shen Zhixian got up, but dared not sit down.
Shen Jiming then continued, "Since the Old Madam has reprimanded me, I dare not argue. Zhixian has had a hard life since childhood, and I dare not place all the blame on Princess Qingping. Ultimately, it is my incompetence as her father that has caused her so much suffering..."
"Is it Wen Zhixuan?"
The old lady suddenly interrupted his emotional appeal.
Shen Jiming and Shen Zhixian both changed color.
The old lady had known about this person from her daughter long ago. She thought that since Shen Zhixian had been raised by her side for ten years, perhaps she had some difficulties if she told the truth... Now it seems that she was the stupidest one.
"Last Mid-Autumn Festival, Manman and I watched the lanterns together. On the way, we saved someone, who turned out to be the current Imperial Advisor, Wen Zhixuan. She dropped a sachet, which you had given her. She didn't think much of it, but now it seems that the sachet was 'picked up' by someone with ulterior motives and mistaken for its owner."
Shen Zhixian suddenly collapsed to the ground, looking at her in horror.
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