Even Lady Shi went to the palace, and Lady Tong Guogang's wife couldn't stay cooped up at home any longer.
"My lord, you said that the Shi family can go to the palace to see Yuanbao'er, but I have never seen her even once. My heart is aching so badly." Tong Fujin said, clutching her chest.
Tong Guogang sat in a chair, his braid coiled around his neck, his forehead covered in sweat.
He had just returned from the military camp on the outskirts of Beijing, and before he could even wipe the sweat from his brow, his wife pulled him aside and made him cry.
Tong Guogang, who had secretly met Tong Wanyan several times, felt inexplicably proud. He had seen Yuanbao'er five or six times already.
Of course, he dared not tell Tong Fujin this.
Tong Fujin was born into the Gioro clan, a legitimate distant relative of the Aisin Gioro imperial family, with Aisin Gioro blood flowing through her veins.
Occasionally, when she squinted her phoenix eyes at him, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if the emperor were standing before him.
"Tong Guogang, are you smug? Don't think I don't know. Orondai told me that he saw you walking towards Yuqing Palace several times after court. You can sneak off to see Yuanbao, so why can't I, your own mother, go?" Tong Fujin said angrily, calling him by name.
Tong Guogang stood up angrily, one foot on the stool as if he was about to hit someone: "The eldest brother only knows how to screw over his father. This is no son, he's born to collect debts!"
Tong Fujin gave him a nonchalant look: "Is Your Highness blaming me?"
Orondai was the eldest son of Tong Fujin. He was stubborn and arrogant, and he was at odds with Tong Guogang from birth, but he was extremely filial to Tong Fujin.
When Tong Guogang was coldly questioned by Tong Fujin, he immediately backed down: "No. Kuadai is fine."
“They are all sons born from my womb, how could any of them be bad? Stop thinking about your Xu Shi and your illegitimate son, and our family will be happy.” said Consort Tong.
Tong Guogang stammered, "I treat Xu Shi like that, I see her less than three times a month. Fahai may be a son of a concubine, but isn't he filial to you? The mistake was mine, so don't take it out on the child."
“That’s your son. I only have Orondai, Kuadai, and Yuanbao’er. Tell me, should I go to the palace to see Yuanbao’er tomorrow?” Consort Tong patted Tong Guogang’s leg, which was still on the stool: “Put it down.”
Tong Guogang pulled his leg back and sat up straight: "Fujin, I told you to go see Yuanbao'er a long time ago, but you were too afraid to go see her. You have legs, and you're in charge of our family's affairs. If you want to go to the palace, you can go right away. Besides, you've seen Yuanbao'er before, and you even praised her for being beautiful. It's just a pity."
Tong Guogang, unafraid of death, provoked Tong Fujin. Tong Fujin glared at him, and he raised his chin and said, "I didn't say anything wrong."
"Yes, yes, you're right. If you hadn't slept with a courtesan, would Tong Guogang's concubine have thought of taking away our Yuanbao? One scheme leads to another, and she's been ripping off Yuanbao for years!" Tong Fujin's eyes were red with anger.
Tong Guogang chickened out again. He whispered, "Princess Consort, don't be angry. Those were mistakes I made when I was young. I've reformed myself for many years. Yuanbao'er isn't angry with us, so what are you worried about? We'll see her when we need to; we'll see her sooner or later."
“You rough man, you don’t understand a woman’s heart. Yuanbao’er is a good child, she doesn’t resent us, but as her mother, I feel guilty, how can I face her?” Tong Fujin said with tears in her eyes.
"Hey, Princess, don't cry. If Orondai sees you, he'll think I'm bullying you again. He's all grown up now, I can't beat him." Tong Guogang wanted to comfort Princess Tong, but looking down at his calloused hands, he didn't dare to touch her face.
He was at a loss, which made Tong Fujin feel much better.
To everyone's surprise, Orondai returned at this moment: "Father, are you bullying Mother again? Is it because of Xu Shi and Fahai? I'm going to cripple Fahai's hands and make him forget about taking the imperial examination!"
Orondai and Tong Guogang are cut from the same cloth; they both have bad tempers.
Tong Guogang slammed his fist on the table: "How dare you speak to your father like that? Don't you understand filial piety? You unfilial son!"
"Hmph!" Orondai, having given up all hope, ignored Tong Guogang.
“I couldn’t bear to bully your mother. It was your mother who wanted to go to the palace to see Yuanbao’er, but she didn’t dare to go, which is why she cried.” Tong Guogang felt guilty after all.
Although he always threatened to kill Orondai, he submitted a memorial to Emperor Kangxi requesting that Orondai be granted the title of heir apparent that very morning.
However, Emperor Kangxi couldn't stand his cousin's temper and wanted to curb his temper, so he suppressed the petition.
Orondai stepped forward with heartache, pushing Tong Guogang aside: "Mother, my sister has suffered so much these past few years, with no one to care for her or love her. You are her biological mother, and she must miss you. You never visit her; what will outsiders say, and what will my sister think?"
“My son heard rumors today that my sister isn’t our daughter. They say that the Crown Prince and the Emperor conspired with us to deceive people in order to elevate Prince Hongzhao’s status.” In front of Consort Tong, Orondai put away his fangs and became incredibly gentle and obedient.
Tong Fujin was not a good-tempered person to begin with, otherwise she would not have raised a son with such a wild and unruly nature.
She slammed her hand on the table in anger: "What utter bullshit! Don't I know what kind of daughter came out of my belly?"
For decades, Tong Fujin's image was always that of a cheerful, generous, and somewhat arrogant woman. Such vulgar and commonplace language was unlike the upbringing of the Jue Luo clan.
Tong Guogang and Orondai stared at Tong Fujin in disbelief, speechless for a moment.
The princess is so fierce!
My mother is so amazing!
"Why are you all staring at me? Go outside and clear up these rumors, so Yuanbao won't be wronged. Otherwise, none of you will have a good time at home." Consort Tong politely withdrew her hand; her palm was slightly numb and painful.
Tong Guogang and Orondai immediately lowered their heads, avoiding looking at Tong Fujin.
"Madam, are you still going to see Yuanbao'er?" Tong Guogang asked.
Tong Fujin took a deep breath: "Go! If we don't go now, my Yuanbao'er will be bullied and cry."
Tong Guogang wanted to say that Tong Wanyan had been living a good life in Yuqing Palace, but he didn't dare to talk back to Tong Fujin, so he could only lower his head and glare at his unfilial son.
Orondai and Tong Guogang were exactly alike; they exchanged glances in private, but Tong Fujin didn't bother with them.
“Then let’s go,” Tong Guogang said, agreeing with Tong Fujin.
Tong Fujin said, "You should have said that earlier. I was just having trouble making a decision, so I asked you on purpose, hoping you would give me a push. In the end, I didn't get anything out of you and just made myself very angry."
Tong Guogang opened his mouth, as if to say that he was more wronged than Dou E.
"It's my fault, it's my fault." Tong Guogang readily admitted his mistake.
He's older now, and not as restless as he was when he was younger. He appeases his wife, and at night they can sleep in the same room, bringing peace and comfort to the elderly couple.
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