Chen Tian ignored Li's eagerness to perform and addressed her directly, "But didn't you always tell me to call you Madam? People around you also said I'm just a bastard, unworthy of calling you mother. My mother is Rong from the backyard. Can I go see her now?"
When Li heard this, her face froze. Although Chen Tian's words were true, how could he say them in front of others and insult her in such a way?
She felt somewhat dissatisfied and wanted to act like a legitimate mother. However, she couldn't scold Chen Tian in front of Bai Su, as this would make her appear disrespectful.
He could only force a twisted smile to save face and said, "You kid, listen to the servants' gossip again.
Mother knows that you have a good relationship with your biological mother, Rong. Since you are so anxious, go to the backyard and take a look. I believe she is worried about you too."
Hearing this, Chen Tian didn't have any special reaction. He just greeted Bai Su and left after Bai Su nodded. However, he never looked at Prime Minister Xing from beginning to end.
Seeing this, Bai Su instantly felt relaxed all over, and even felt like playing nice with Prime Minister Xing.
Xing Yongnian was so angry that his beard trembled when he found out that he was being ignored by the bastard and that the other party was still listening to the words of that damned eunuch.
But seeing Bai Su's half-smile, he could only suppress his anger and curse in his heart.
Prime Minister Xing, who prided himself on his noble birth, had always looked down upon merchants. His sister's insistence on marrying an imperial merchant had infuriated him.
However, a career in officialdom always requires money. After getting benefits from his brother-in-law's family and having a smooth journey, he also realized the benefits of money and began to enjoy it.
He acquiesced to his mother and wife's decision to accept more than half of the property given to Zhu Ruoyan by her father before his death.
As for the fact that the old lady and Li were still trying to seize the remaining assets of Zhu Ruoyan, he turned a blind eye. He even felt that Zhu Ruoyan was just a woman who should just stay in the back house and settle down. It would be a waste to give her such a large family property.
However, even though the Prime Minister's Mansion is actually rich now, Prime Minister Xing is seeking fame and reputation, and likes to show that he is honest to the outside world. He will not spend too much on his clothes or the purchases of the mansion. At least from outsiders' point of view, there is nothing wrong with him.
So the current Prime Minister's Mansion is not very big, and Chen Tian found Rong's courtyard very quickly.
Although Chen Tian had no feelings for the original owner's biological mother, he had now taken over the original owner's identity, so he should at least visit her once or twice.
Rong was of humble origins. Before becoming a concubine, she was just a maidservant beside Li. Because of her pretty face, Xing Yongnian took a fancy to her and, after drinking, dragged her into his room to serve him, but she was only a concubine.
Only after she became pregnant did she become a concubine, but only a lowly one. Not only did she live in a remote courtyard, but she also had no maids to serve her. Later, as she grew old and ugly, and her temperament became timid, she was no longer favored by Xing Yongnian and was forgotten in the backyard.
In his impression, the original owner had always lived with the Rong family, did not have a separate courtyard, and was not happy.
Rong was timid, cowardly, and somewhat selfish. She felt that being the prime minister's concubine was a testament to her good deeds in a previous life, and she dared not overstep her bounds. She always told him not to do this or that, fearing that he would anger Li and the old lady, which would bring her into trouble.
Perhaps it was because he did not fight or compete, and the original owner looked stupid, that he was not targeted by the Li family. They just looked down on him.
Chen Tian stood in front of the courtyard, recalling how the original owner and Rong had interacted. There were no servants here, so Chen Tian didn't hesitate and walked in directly, only to find that Rong's door was not closed.
When he walked to the door, Chen Tian saw an elderly woman sitting in front of the dressing table in the room, humming a little tune in front of the bronze mirror.
There were fine lines around her eyes, and her skin wasn't exactly fair, but her features still suggested she must have been pretty in her youth. She held a golden hairpin in her hand, measuring it against her hair. Her face didn't show any trace of sadness; it could even be said she was in a good mood.
Chen Tian also recognized the golden hairpin; it was the one that Li had worn before.
So, this is the reward Rong received for selling her own child?
Rong Shi was not liked even after becoming a concubine, so naturally there was nothing good about her. She could see that she was not good at treating this golden hairpin as a treasure. She turned her head to put on the golden hairpin, with a smile on her lips, and then she noticed someone at the door out of the corner of her eye.
After turning around and seeing that it was Chen Tian, Rong's face immediately showed surprise. Not only was there no surprise, but also a hint of panic.
She walked over quickly, looked around at the door, and when she saw that there was no one around, she pulled Chen Tian into the room and said nervously, "Why are you back? Now that you're married, you'll belong to Qiansui Mansion from now on. How can you just run back here so casually? You'll get into big trouble, do you know that?"
When Chen Tian heard this, his eyebrows jumped. He was glad that it was not the original owner who heard this, otherwise he would not know how sad he would be.
His own mother had pushed him into this fire pit without even a trace of worry or longing. From the look on her face, it seemed as if she was afraid that he would act on his own initiative and sneak back, which would bring trouble to her.
Thinking of this, the smile that was brewing on Chen Tian's face had long since disappeared, and he explained coldly: "Today I am returning home according to the customary ceremony, and it was the Ninth Thousand Year Old who accompanied me back."
When Rong heard this, she was a little skeptical at first, but then she carefully observed Chen Tian's expression and saw that he didn't seem to be lying to her. She patted her chest and said, "So that's how it is! That's good, that's good!" She was obviously relieved.
Then he looked at Chen Tian, softened his expression and said, "Don't be angry with your mother. I had no choice but to put the drug in your snack.
You know, mother is incompetent, and you are not favored, so you can't have a good life in the Prime Minister's Mansion. That day, the old lady came to me and suggested that you take your eldest sister to marry. I, I did this for your own good.
As she spoke, Rong noticed Chen Tian's clothes, her eyes lit up, and she praised him, "Look at this dress. If it weren't for mother, you wouldn't have such good clothes now. I..."
“That’s enough!”
Chen Tian interrupted Rong's words and suddenly understood why in the twisted plot line, the original owner returned to the prime minister's mansion, met his mother, and then chose to commit suicide.
Those who were already at a loss and felt hopeless suddenly discovered that the person who framed them was actually a close relative, and they were inevitably filled with despair. The original owner was young and impulsive, and acted impulsively...
"You said it was for my own good, but it's really for your own good! To put it bluntly, you sacrificed your own son just to please Mrs. Li and the old lady. How could you care about what kind of life I will live in the Ninth Prince's Mansion in the future?
Even if I was really having a bad life and half dead, and I came to you to beg you, you would just ask someone to send me back!"
"Hey, I'm your mother, how could I..."
Rong argued feebly, her eyes a little flustered, not daring to look Chen Tian in the eye. She knew in her heart that if the child returned and was truly as miserable as he had described, she would most likely do the same thing.
But how could she be blamed for this? She was just a concubine, and it was not easy to survive in the prime minister's mansion. She had to look after the old lady and Li's mood. Why couldn't this child understand herself?
Now that he is dressed so well, it seems that he is living a good life, but he doesn’t even bring back some gifts.
Thinking of this, Rong secretly glanced at Chen Tian with some resentment in her eyes.
Looking at Rong's appearance, Chen Tian suddenly felt bored and turned away.
Rong seemed a little dissatisfied, and belatedly caught up with Chen Tian, wanting to say a few kind words. Seeing that Chen Tian ignored her and strode away, she really gave up chasing him, and even complained a few words in a low voice behind him.
Chen Tian could understand that, as a concubine of humble origins and unfavored, survival in the harem was certainly not easy. Even so, she shouldn't have aided and abetted the evil, personally drugging the original owner's pastry. She abandoned her own child so easily, treating it as a burden and a tool to curry favor with others.
It is true that one kind of rice feeds a hundred kinds of people. Some people are willing to go through fire and water for their children, while others will easily abandon their children just for a load of rice, a bowl of noodles, or an unreliable dependence.
All we can say is that it is Xing Zhongchen's misfortune to have such a mother.
I think since she is so focused on pleasing Mrs. Li and the old lady, there is no need for me to perform filial piety in front of them!
Just as Chen Tian walked out of the courtyard, a pretty girl hurried towards him. Through his memory, Chen Tian knew that this person was Zhu Ruoyan, the heroine of the small world.
Zhu Ruoyan seemed to have been waiting nearby for a long time. After seeing Chen Tian, she quickly came to him. The heroine's eyes were filled with tears. She looked at Chen Tian with eyes that seemed to have a thousand words in them. In the end, she only said one sentence: "Zhongchen, have you been okay these days?"
Seeing the heroine's genuine concern for him, Chen Tian felt a warm feeling in his heart and nodded gently. However, Zhu Ruoyan felt that he was unwilling to tell the truth.
"Hey! What are you asking? How can it be good? Look at you, you've lost weight!"
As she spoke, she quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, took out a purse from her bosom and handed it over.
"Here's some silver, take it! I only realized they were planning to have you marry in his place when I saw them carrying you into the bridal sedan. If I had known, we would have just run away from home!"
At this point, Zhu Ruoyan gritted her teeth, but still took Chen Tian's feelings into consideration, holding back tears and comforting him, "It's a pity that I found out too late, and now is not a good time. You came here with the Ninth Thousand Year Old today, and the security in the mansion is much stricter than before. We can only think of other ways.
Zhongchen, take this money for now, and use it to make arrangements when you return. This way, you can at least live a better life in Qiansui's mansion."
Chen Tian wanted to say no, but when he saw the determination in the heroine's eyes and thought of the huge assets behind her, he had no choice but to take it.
Zhu Ruoyan was right about one thing. The original owner was suddenly knocked unconscious and taken away. He didn't have a single penny in his pocket now, so he had to have some pocket money to buy a gift for his wife.
He squeezed the purse, but there was no small change inside. It must have been filled to the brim with thick stacks of banknotes. Chen Tian even suspected that if the purse hadn't been embroidered with such high quality, it would have burst under the weight of the banknotes.
You know what, it feels really good to have such a wealthy cousin!
The author has something to say:
Chen Tian: It feels so good to have a rich sister!
Crab King, Feb., the mines of Yu's treasure~
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