Chapter 171: The Vicious Eldest Daughter (36)
“Mother, don’t cry. You can stay here from now on. He’s wronged you, and we don’t want him anymore.”
Wen Wan asked Xiao Taozi to prepare hot tea. "And there's something I've been keeping quiet about because I was afraid of upsetting Mother, but seeing how you are now, I have to tell you."
Madam Chu: "What is it?"
"Actually, Father didn't only have Aunt Xin as a mistress, nor did he only have Chu Sisi as an illegitimate daughter."
"What??? Huang'er, what did you say? What do you know? Tell me, he has other women? Other illegitimate children?"
Wen Wan nodded. "And the eldest illegitimate child is more than five months younger than me, and he has become my father's student, preparing to take the imperial examination and enter officialdom."
When Madam Chu heard what her daughter said, her mind went blank, and she felt like her whole body was about to explode.
He originally thought that Chu Feng had fallen in love with Consort Xin's beauty, and he had even believed that Consort Xin, that slut, had seduced him and caused him to make a mistake. Who would have thought it would happen so early? After giving birth to Huang'er, she had no more children, and she felt guilty because she felt that she had not left any heir for the Chu family. It was Chu Feng who said that he did not mind and that he could hand over the Prime Minister's Mansion to his daughter and son-in-law's children in the future. Who would have thought that he would not hand it over to his own daughter, but that he already had a son, so he did not care whether she could have a son or not.
"lady--"
Madam Chu was so angry that she fainted.
Wen Wan quickly sent Xiao Taozi to fetch a doctor. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, and Wen Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
Wen Wan stayed by Madam Chu's bedside all day.
When Gu Xi arrived, he said, "The housekeeper said you've been keeping watch for a long time. Why don't you go and rest for a bit? Your mother-in-law will be alright."
"The doctor said it was due to anger and lack of sleep due to worry for many days. He gave her an acupuncture and then gave her some medicine to help her sleep. Your Highness, don't worry, I'm fine. I also ate on time and even took a nap in between."
Wen Wan wouldn't go so far as to mistreat herself for the sake of Madam Chu.
Moreover, the steward also brought a lot of pastries and delicacies from the Heavenly Paradise. It was said that Gu Xi sent someone to buy them. Wen Wan ate them happily and didn't even think about giving the prince a free meal. When she was making money, she was also taking advantage of others, not even sparing the male lead.
"Is Your Highness hungry? We have some pastries here, would you like some?"
Wen Wan took another bite of chestnut cake, which was soft, sweet and fragrant. Then she picked up a piece and handed it to Gu Xi. Gu Xi sat down next to her and took the cake from Wen Wan's hand and ate it.
"Your Highness, may I ask you for a favor?" Wen Wan looked at Gu Xi. Having eaten her pastries, she figured she should naturally help him out.
"What kind of help?"
"Your Highness, could you help me find out how many mistresses my father has, and how many illegitimate children he has? The more specific the better."
Gu Xi: "..."
Looking at the other person's calm expression, it was completely unlike someone who had just learned that their father had a mistress and an illegitimate child.
"That's certainly possible, but won't the Princess be sad?"
Wen Wan: "I'm so sad! It's just that you can't tell how sad I am inside. Actually, my heart is shattered into pieces. Your Highness, you probably don't know that."
Gu Xi: "..." He really didn't see that coming.
Gu Xi drank a cup of tea and ate some pastries. He then instructed the housekeeper to arrange for someone to take good care of Madam Chu before preparing to leave.
"The palace has been very busy lately because of the envoy's affairs, so I will probably be spending most of my time there. Your Highness, please take good care of yourself. Once this busy period is over, I will definitely spend more time with you."
"Okay, national affairs are of utmost importance, you should go and get busy," Wen Wan said. This way, she could inspect her businesses and watch the money go in with her own eyes, which was incredibly satisfying.
After Madam Chu woke up, she stared blankly ahead, occasionally hugging Wen Wan and crying. When she was tired from crying, she would fall asleep again. After waking up, she would calm down. After all, she had been the wife of the prime minister for decades and was not a woman who had never seen the world.
The information that Wen Wan had asked Gu Xi to investigate was also brought over. Wen Wan saw that even the Prime Minister's meetings with his lover were clearly recorded. This was definitely not something that could be found in a day. However, Gu Xi was going to be the emperor in the future, so he would naturally investigate the information of the court officials very thoroughly.
Wen Wan handed it to Madam Chu.
Madam Chu calmly read through each page one by one.
"Mother, are you alright? If you're feeling sad, just cry. Your daughter is here."
Madam Chu shook her head. "My heart is dead. I should have woken up when Aunt Xin and that mother and daughter Chu Sisi appeared. But I woke up too late. When he asked me for your hand, he said he would only marry you for the rest of his life. At that time, he had no official rank and was just a scholar. I was moved by his sincerity. Who would have thought that such a handsome and devoted face would be such a person?"
Wen Wan could guess. Although she thought Chu Feng was a scumbag, she could deduce from their few meetings that the Prime Minister must have been a handsome young man back then. Otherwise, how could he have charmed Madam Chu, Aunt Xin, and so many other women to be infatuated with him, to have children for him, and even to become his mistresses?
Wen Wan said, “Mother, you need to look forward. And look at Father now, with his beard, his big belly, his squinty eyes, and his face full of wrinkles. Mother, look at yourself. How can you be so elegant and beautiful as to have given birth to such a big daughter like me? Mother, you should find me a handsome stepfather in the future to make him jealous.”
Madam Chu chuckled.
"Mom is over thirty, and only you know how to make her happy."
Wen Wan continued, "Mother, since he has wronged you, I support you in divorcing him. I will definitely stay with you."
Madam Chu: "!!!"
"Divorce?" Madam Chu was surprised by her daughter's words. She had never thought of divorce. In this era, divorce was a major event.
“Mother, he has wronged you. Besides, I can support you. From now on, you can live with me. He only relies on Chu Sisi's favor with the emperor. Let's not play with him anymore. You are a secondary wife now, but who knows, he might dare to divorce you in the future. It's better to cut the Gordian knot and divorce him first.”
Madam Chu looked at her daughter.
How can you say that?
But it hit the nail on the head. Over this period of time, even the strongest feelings had worn away. She was just unwilling to accept it and worried that her daughter wouldn't have the support of her maternal family. But now her daughter said she supported her.
"Once we're divorced, your daughter will take you sightseeing, treat you to all sorts of fun activities, buy you the most beautiful clothes, put on the best makeup, and give you the most gorgeous hairpins. It will be just as good as when we lived in the Prime Minister's mansion."
Madam Chu: "All you ever think about is having fun. Now that you're married to Prince Xi, don't you even think about having a child with him?"
Wen Wan: "..." Wasn't this supposed to be about her mother? How did it turn into talking about herself?
“Mother, these things can’t be rushed. Your affairs are more urgent. If you agree, I will be your strong support.”
Madam Chu looked at the evidence in her hand that showed Chu Feng had several illegitimate children. "But your father is the Prime Minister after all. If your mother divorces him, it means giving everything to Aunt Xin and Chu Sisi. It means your mother is admitting defeat, and you won't have a powerful maternal family to support you."
Wen Wan: "I have the Prince, and as long as Mother is well, she will be my greatest support. Besides, Mother is not losing. Mother is very smart. In the future, it will be Aunt Xin who will worry about her husband's illegitimate children and beautiful mistresses. Mother will be free and carefree. This is a victory!"
Madam Chu: "..."
That seems... to make some sense.
She clenched the paper tightly. "Fine, Mother will listen to you. Divorce. Anyway, Mother did nothing wrong. Mother will also get all of Mother's dowry back, and give it all to Huang'er."
Wen Wan breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Madam Chu stops thinking about killing Aunt Xin and dealing with Chu Sisi, she can survive.
...
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