The demotion of Consort De served as a wake-up call to all those who had become complacent.
At the Tong residence, Tong Guozhu waited angrily for Tong Fujin, his eyes blazing with fury, as if he wanted to kill her.
Tong Guozhu was a warrior in his youth, but unfortunately he suffered a hidden injury that prevented him from going back to the battlefield, even though he was not missing any limbs.
But his youthful vigor did not diminish even though he stayed in the capital to serve as an official.
"Look what you've done! Do you want our whole family to pay with their lives? That's the Crown Prince's offspring!" Tong Guozhu gasped for breath in anger.
Tong Qinian and Tong Ruita stood to the side, sharing Tong Guozhu's hatred of the enemy.
“Qi-ge’er, Tong Gege is your sister. You both came from my womb. Now, are you going to be like your father, only protecting others?” Tong Fujin’s eyes were red as she avoided Tong Guozhu’s questioning gaze.
Tong Qinian's handsome face was cold: "The Crown Prince's concubine is also my sister. Besides, the truth about Tong Gege and the Crown Prince's concubine's background was not confirmed back then. Mother believed Tong Gege, so why can't she believe that you personally raised your daughter for more than ten years?"
“That’s right! When the Crown Prince’s concubine was the legitimate sister, our family was doing so well. Later, Consort Tong said there was a shocking case, which caused chaos and even made Father look much older. If you ask me, the Crown Prince’s concubine is clearly more like the legitimate daughter of the Tong family.” Tong Ruita chimed in frankly.
It was one thing for Tong Guozhu and Tong Qinian to talk, but now even a concubine's son was criticizing her, which infuriated Tong Fujin.
However, Tong Ruita's birth mother is now a concubine, her status is different from before, and Tong Ruita has an official position, so he is not a concubine's son who can be insulted at will.
"It's none of your business as a concubine's son to interfere in the affairs of the Tong family." Tong Fujin was so angry that she said whatever came to mind.
Tong Ruita, injured, turned to look at Tong Guozhu, begging him to stand up for her.
Tong Guozhu knew that his second son was faking his pitifulness, but he still couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
“Rui’er, go back and keep your mother company first. Luckily you found out about what happened today, otherwise our family would be finished.” Tong Guozhu comforted Tong Ruita: “Tell your mother I’m going to her place tonight.”
"My lord, do you have no heart? Our daughter is being neglected by the Fourth Prince, and even lowly servants are bullying her. And you're still thinking about such things? I don't believe I've ever mistreated the Crown Prince's concubine. I've pampered her with gold and jade all these years. Just look at her current status; if it weren't for Consort Tong's arrangement, she wouldn't have such good fortune." Consort Tong spoke without a hint of guilt.
"How can you be so shameless! That's the Crown Prince's concubine's good fortune. If Consort Tong really entered Yuqing Palace, she'd probably be in a worse situation than she was with the Fourth Prince. The Crown Prince isn't as good-natured as the Fourth Prince! Since you've managed to contact Consort Tong, just say a word: my two brothers and I won't interfere in her affairs. Her favor is her good fortune; we won't benefit from it. If she's neglected, we'll send her some money to live on, but don't think about anything else."
Tong Guozhu continued, his heart aching, "We don't have the ability to back her up either."
"Don't think I don't know how the Crown Prince's concubine rose to the rank of concubine!" Consort Tong sneered.
Tong Qinian's jade-like face was now covered with frost.
“She is quite clever. There’s no need to hide this from you, Mother. I’ll tell you directly. My military achievements are too great, which has aroused jealousy. I’m sharing half of my military merits with my concubine to please the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has long planned to request a title for me, and I’m just lucky to have stumbled upon it,” Tong Qinian said coldly.
The more he acted this way, the more pain Tong Fujin suffered.
She was able to raise a son like Tong Qinian, and also the talented and beautiful Tong Wanyan, which shows that she was no ordinary woman.
The reason she's like this now is because she's gotten herself into a rut, and she's been thinking wildly in an attempt to slander Tong Wanyan.
She wanted to associate herself with things she couldn't, and she was even more willing to smear Tong Wanyan with anything she could. It was as if this would prove that she had compensated Tong Wanle and taken revenge on Tong Wanyan.
Ultimately, she knew what was really going on; it was simply a matter of escaping.
Tong Fujin was fully aware of her own thoughts, and outsiders could see them even more clearly.
Tong Qinian sighed; he knew there were some things only he could say.
“Mother, please stop interfering. If my second brother hadn’t stopped you today, do you really think you could have brought that medicine to Consort Tong and put it into the Crown Prince’s concubine’s food? Do you still want your son to be alright?” Tong Qinian lowered his voice.
Tong Qinian was the lifeblood of Tong Fujin; even Tong Guozhu wasn't as important as him. Upon hearing this, Tong Fujin immediately stopped making a scene.
"Qi-ge'er, it was your mother's oversight that almost ruined you." Consort Tong realized what had happened and was filled with lingering fear.
Tong Qinian narrowed his eyes slightly: "Mother, what did Princess Tong say to you? If you keep it from your son, and he gets tricked by you again, our whole family will have nowhere to cry."
Tong Fujin stammered, not daring to speak.
Under Tong Qinian's watchful eye, she gritted her teeth and betrayed Tong Wanle.
“Gege Tong said that the Crown Prince’s concubine had a child before the Crown Princess entered the family, which would be an eyesore to the Crown Princess. Our family has not yet risen in power, unlike the powerful Guarjia clan. Moreover, the Crown Prince will definitely respect the Crown Princess and will not let the Guarjia clan lose face for the sake of the Crown Prince’s concubine.”
"Your mother doesn't want you to be troubled or ostracized in court. Didn't you say that your performance in the army has caused dissatisfaction and suppression? Your mother just wants to do something for you. Princess Tong is also doing this for your own good, so don't resent her."
Tong Qinian pursed his lips, unsure how to respond to Tong Fujin.
Finally, he said, "Mother, think about it yourself, is this believable?"
"Fine, even if Consort Tong has her own selfish motives. But the Crown Prince's concubine is trying to please you, sending you stacks of silver notes. Doesn't she have any thoughts of her own?" Consort Tong's eyes were filled with resentment.
Tong Guozhu pulled Tong Qinian behind him, no longer avoiding Tong Fujin.
He declared firmly, “That’s what we want! We risked our lives to win this treasure, and we can give it to whomever we want. When Qi Ge’er and Rui Ge’er were on the battlefield, who worried about them every day and often went to the temple to pray for them? When my legs ached on rainy days, who searched through countless medical books? The Crown Prince’s concubine deserves our kindness!”
"And you, do you remember who lit incense and rubbed your head for you every time you had a headache? And what has Princess Tong done for us?" Tong Guozhu said, poking at Tong Fujin's heart and lungs.
"Forget it, there's no point in arguing with you. I'll take you back to our hometown. From now on, this capital will be left to Qi-ge and Rui-ge. I'm getting old, and with this useless father of mine blocking their way, it won't be easy for them to get promoted. From now on, I'll personally keep an eye on you and make sure you don't cause any trouble!"
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