Chapter 64 Chapter 64 proves that Zhu Yinluan has him in her heart.
As fate would have it, he actually felt the same way as Zhu Yinluan.
At this moment, he felt extremely tired. Looking at his family members who were fighting in chaos and yelling at each other, he had no intention of going up to persuade them.
He sat quietly beside them, and suddenly thought of a long time ago when the Zhu family brought Zhu Chentan to discuss marriage.
At that time, what Mrs. Zhu and Mr. Zhu said... were actually similar to what his father said today.
Zhu Yinluan sat in silence for a long time. Several times when people next to her talked to her, she seemed not to hear.
At that time, he disliked Zhu Yinluan's dullness, but on the other hand, he couldn't help but be excited about her "struggle" because it proved that Zhu Yinluan had him in her heart.
Thinking about it now, it’s really ridiculous.
Wei Ruzhuo couldn't help but laugh at himself.
Things have changed, and now it has come to the Wei family.
"......"
Pang Shi couldn't stand too much stimulation. She was extremely happy today. She was extremely glad that the head of her Wei family finally returned to the capital at this juncture. Now that the Wei family had a pillar, the current crisis might be able to be overcome.
But I didn't expect that he would come back with a little bitch and a bastard. No...it was two bastards, and there was another one outside.
Pang Shi tried hard to hold on to her body and not faint. She swallowed several heart-protecting pills and managed to keep her breath.
Wei Mingyan and Wei Qingsi were coaxing her on either side, and both couldn't help shedding tears, but the other party was their biological father, so they couldn't say a word even if they were angry.
Wei Ji had long been fed up with Pang Shi's unreasonable demands, but what Pang Shi said made sense. She had been managing the household for so many years. Even if she had no credit, she had worked hard. Therefore, no matter what, Pang Shi could not be allowed to get into trouble at this critical moment.
He waved his hand and told someone to call the doctor, and to do it quickly, but also in a secretive manner, and absolutely no one outside could know about it.
The Wei family can no longer withstand any major storms or setbacks.
Wei Ji wanted to appease Pang Shi, so his tone of voice softened. "I know you feel wronged. I did not do well in this matter. I should have informed you in advance, but I was afraid that you would feel uncomfortable knowing it, so I did not tell you."
Pang Shi slumped in the chair, looking at Wei Ji with a sneer.
What do you mean by not informing her in advance? Now that I know that the truth cannot be hidden, I am telling her.
She had been running around for him all these years, worried that he was suffering and being oppressed outside.
I never expected that he didn't look decadent at all, and he looked strong and full of energy outside.
Pang Shi couldn't swallow this insult, "Wei Ji, if you really feel sorry for me, just kick this little bitch and this little bastard out!" She pointed at the woman hiding behind Wei Ji, wishing she could pounce on her and tear her skin off.
“What do you mean by little bitch and little bastard!” Wei Ji put down the teacup with a slam.
"This is my seed, the bloodline of our Wei family. You are at least a lady from a noble family, and you used to call yourself a noble lady. How can you say such indecent things? I think you are not even as good as Zhenniang, who came from a miserable family."
When Wei Ruzhuo heard the word "bloodline", hatred arose in his heart.
He originally thought that the family bloodline ended with him, and the guilt in his heart made him dare not say this matter out loud. However, he did not expect that his father actually had an illegitimate child outside.
With this person around, the Wei family's bloodline can indeed continue, but when he looked at his brother in front of him, why did he want to kill him so much?
When Wei Ruzhuo looked over, he didn't notice that his father glanced at him as if he knew something.
Pang Shi was so angry at Wei Ji's words that she almost fainted. Wei Qingsi stroked her chest. Wei Mingyan couldn't help but speak up for her, "Father! Mother's health is very poor now, please say less!"
Wei Mingyan was outspoken and had always been Wei Ji's favorite daughter, so he was not angry and just kept quiet as she said.
Pang Shi personally prepared this welcoming banquet for the Wei family, from purchasing everything to cooking the soup. However, she never expected that before she even took a bite, it would end up like this.
When the doctor arrived, Wei Mingyan had already asked someone to prepare the food for the house. No one had an appetite to eat now, but her old father was quite attached to the mother and daughter. He didn't even have time to eat, and asked the people around him to clean up the house and bring the food downstairs.
Because of this matter, they had another quarrel with Pang Shi, because Pang Shi did not allow it. But the master of the Wei family was the one who made the decision after all, and none of the servants dared to say anything, but in the end they still did it.
After a moment of silence, Pang still disagreed with the two men entering the house, saying that if they wanted to enter, they would have to divorce.
Wei Ji was not ashamed to scold her, but Pang Shi was determined not to give in.
But what Pang Shi didn't expect was that Wei Ji actually mentioned Zhu Yinluan, "Back then you forced Zhu's daughter-in-law to give up her position as a co-wife. Now I'm just taking a concubine. Why can't you be magnanimous?"
Pang Shi's eyes were wide open, her face looked bad and somewhat scary.
"How dare you mention the Zhu family to me? Back then..." Pang Shi was halfway through her words when she suddenly remembered this incident.
When she wrote to Wei Ji, who was far away in the border county, about family matters, she was afraid that he would disagree. After all, he was quite satisfied with Zhu Yinluan as his daughter-in-law.
But it was he who proposed the idea of having a second wife at that time, and he also wrote a lot of words for Pang Shi to persuade Zhu Yinluan, especially about having children, which he said was very important.
So, it turned out that all his statements were waiting for her here!
The more Pang Shi thought about it, the angrier he became, and his eyes turned white.
Wei Qingsi was really anxious, fearing that Pang Shi had died and the Wei family's backyard would be occupied by someone else, so she quickly leaned over to Pang Shi's ear to remind her,
"Mother! You must hold on. If anything happens to you, then father...father is not taking a concubine, but marrying a second wife."
Hearing this, Pang Shi immediately sobered up and calmed down. She looked at Wei Ruzhuo, who was silent and had not said a word for her or even supported her, and shouted at him.
"Zhuo'er, what do you think your father should do about this matter? As the brother in charge of the family, do you think your father should bring the person in? Say something?!" Pang Shi was almost angry to death.
Wei Ji looked at his outstanding legitimate son. If it were before, Wei Ji would have been a little afraid of him. After all, Wei Ruzhuo had risen too fast, his official position was higher than his, and he listened to Pang Shi very much.
It was precisely because Wei Ruzhuo was here that he did not dare to bring anyone back for all these years, for fear that something might happen to Wei Ruzhuo.
But now that his eldest son has been convicted, his body is...
Since it was already a failure, Wei Ji naturally used his father's authority to suppress it.
"Brother Zhuo, your mother is right. You are the head of the family. What do you think we should do about this matter? Are you also obeying your mother's wishes and going against your father? Are you not going to let your aunt and brother marry into the family?"
When Wei Ruzhuo heard the words "aunt" and "brother", he couldn't help but sneer in his heart. He felt disgusted.
He was still distracted and thinking, did Zhu Yinluan sneer in her heart when she heard that he was marrying her eldest sister, did she feel disgusted? Anyway, he felt extremely disgusted now and wanted to vomit.
He looks similar to his father and is in a similar situation, so she must be disgusted.
"Brother Zhuo! Say something!" Pang Shi was arguing with Wei Ji and yelled at Wei Ruzhuo to stand up and support her.
She was just about to express her true feelings and ask Wei Ruzhuo to kick the mother and daughter out.
"Father has already made a decision, why bother asking your son again?" He wanted to speak, but he was embroiled in a lawsuit and his power was shaky. Even if he wanted to speak, he had no say.
When Wei Ruzhuo met his father's eyes, he knew that this matter could not be changed.
Since it cannot be changed, there is nothing more to say. I can only put it aside for the time being, endure the anger for the time being and deal with it later.
Pang Shi was unwilling to do so. She couldn't scold Wei Ji, so she could only scold Wei Ruzhuo, "I, your mother, have been bullied to this extent, and you actually swallowed your anger. Are you my child or not?!"
"Could it be that you saw that bitch today and wanted her to come in and be your mother?"
After Pang Shi said this, he started coughing rapidly again. He coughed quite violently and his face turned red like liver, as if something was blocking his throat.
Wei Mingyan quickly gave Wei Ruzhuo a look, asking him to at least say something and not remain silent.
Wei Ruzhuo was caught in the middle, and he still did not say what Pang Shi wanted to hear. Instead, he came over to support Pang Shi and told her not to get excited and to leave only after the doctor came. If she did not listen to the advice, she would have to go and ask the doctor again.
Pang's anger was boiling, and she choked up, "What's the point of your mother living now? Your father brought so many people to grab our position, and you didn't even say a word!"
She was really angry. She had been reluctant to say a harsh word to Wei Ruzhuo in the past, but now she couldn't help it.
Wei Ruzhuo, as her son, did not help her, but that little bitch's little bastard kept calling her father and was very good at pretending.
Seeing that Pang Shi insisted that he speak, Wei Ruzhuo had to speak up, "If my father insists on asking his son's opinion on this matter, I will naturally obey my mother."
"So, you don't want your aunt and brother to come into the house either?" Wei Ji looked at Wei Ruzhuo coldly.
The eyes of father and son met in the air.
Wei Ruzhuo originally didn't want to say it, he was just going through the motions, but he didn't expect Wei Ji to put so much pressure on him.
Recently, he has been running into obstacles everywhere and has to depend on others for help every day.
He didn't expect that his father would also lose face for him like this, and he didn't feel relieved at all.
Was he also expressing his dissatisfaction with him, thinking that he had brought shame to the Wei family? Then why didn't he mention the glory he had earned for the Wei family over the years? Why didn't he care about it?
This matter can obviously be delayed, and we can just relax first. Why do we have to force him to make concessions and force Pang Zi to nod at this juncture?
Wei Ruzhuo quickly realized that Wei Ji was expressing his dissatisfaction with him in order to discredit him, the eldest son, and the Pang family.
After all, the other party is my biological father. He has just returned to the capital after being away for nearly ten years. It is understandable that he wants to establish the authority of his family at this juncture. Just be patient.
But if they still wanted to step on the face of his son and his mother and give face to other women and illegitimate children, Wei Ruzhuo would certainly not allow it.
He immediately started a serious confrontation with Wei Ji.
"My son has expressed his meaning clearly enough. Why does his father have to keep asking?" Wei Ruzhuo refused to give in.
When Pang Shi heard him say this, she reluctantly gave in a little.
"It seems that you are going to go against your mother and your father today?" Wei Ji asked.
"It was my father who pushed us too far." Wei Ruzhuo continued to complain, "My father is now in a foreign land with a new lover by his side, and his wife and children are on his left and right, but has he ever cared about the old lover? My mother did a lot for you back then, she also gave birth to your children, and managed the huge Wei family to stand in the capital for many years."
"Why do we have to force each other again and again?" Wei Ruzhuo asked in a firm voice.
Facing Wei Ruzhuo's questioning, Wei Ji was not angry. Instead, he smiled, with a hint of indifferent contempt in his smile.
"What counts as forced?"
"I'm not forcing your mother to be a co-wife. Zhenniang is just marrying in as a concubine. She has never thought of competing with your mother. Other families can have three wives and four concubines, so why can't our Wei family have it?"
"As a junior, you don't know the difference between the superior and the inferior, and you are committing crimes against your superiors. You want to control everything and even your father? No wonder you are not a good official. You have been impeached and it is a disgrace to our Wei family."
The last few words really pierced Wei Ruzhuo's heart, and his face turned extremely pale in an instant.
Just when he was about to retort, he didn't expect that Wei Ji hadn't finished speaking yet, he was just starting the conversation.
"Speaking of taking a concubine, when you were dealing with Zhu's affairs, weren't you more excessive than your father?"
"What do you mean by new or old? Do you think that your previous ability to please both sides is worthy of the Zhu family?"
His father mentioned Zhu Yinluan.
This name was like an invisible thorn that had grown in his heart without him knowing when. He wanted to pull it out, but he couldn't touch it.
He was speechless for a moment.
"No matter what I do, I will never let your mother be my second wife. And you said that your father doesn't care about the old people at all and doesn't think about the many things your mother has done for the family over the years. How dare you bring that up?"
"Have you ever paid attention to the Wei family's backyard in the past? Our Wei family is not well-off to begin with. If it weren't for Zhu marrying in and managing the family, how could we have reached our peak with your mother's skills?"
"Don't tell me that you married the eldest daughter of the Zhu family just to take advantage of the Zhu family's influence. Does that mean the youngest daughter of the Zhu family is not a member of the Zhu family?"
"Could it be that if you don't marry the eldest daughter of the Zhu family, Master Zhu will not help you? Whether it is because of the old love or an excuse for the sake of future career, you know it best in your heart."
Wei Ji scolded Wei Ruzhuo harshly in front of everyone.
Wei Ruzhuo was speechless.
Pang Shi's barely suppressed anger rose again. She stood up, holding the cane in both hands, "Wei Ji! It's fine if you help the little bitch and the little bastard to excuse themselves, but how dare you help Zhu Yinluan, that vixen who climbed up the social ladder, to say bad things about your own son?"
"Our Wei family was harmed by her! You still want to curry favor with her now, right? You——"
Wei Ji couldn't bear to hear Pang Shi's words any more. He slammed the table and said, "Enough!"
After so many years, he was really fed up with Ponzi's face and profit-seeking tone.
I thought that after not seeing her for so many years, she would have improved, but I didn't expect that she would still be the same.
In that case, what else is there to listen to?
"Don't talk to me about that. Whether the daughter of the Zhu family is good or not, we are all from the same family. Who doesn't know? Zhuo Ge's official career almost emptied the family's few savings. Without the dowry of the daughter of the Zhu family and her hard work, our Wei family would not be able to make ends meet. Since there are no outsiders here, why bother to pretend that everything is fine?"
Wei Ji didn't want to talk about these things because they were all family disgrace.
But Pang Shi insisted on arguing with him, so he had to speak up. He thought back to when he was in poverty, his daughter-in-law Zhu Yinluan often asked the manager to send her money and never complained.
When Wei Ruzhuo took a concubine, he just wanted to give Pang Shi a warning, but who knew that Pang Shi couldn't see through it and just did as he said. She was a woman of integrity and asked for a divorce on her own initiative. It was her good fortune that she found a good husband now, so why bother to make a fuss about it?
"I haven't said anything more unpleasant yet." Wei Ji sneered.
"I must take Zhenniang in as my concubine. This cannot be changed."
"Since father doesn't care about the relationship between father and son, maybe... don't blame your son for not recognizing you in the future."
Wei Ruzhuo gritted his teeth, using the father-son relationship as a threat.
Wei Mingyan and Wei Qingsi, who were standing by, were terrified when they heard this, and quickly made a look at Wei Ruzhuo, asking him to take it back and stop talking nonsense.
Pang Shi was also shocked. Although she was furious and wanted Wei Ruzhuo to go and make trouble with Wei Ji and support her, she didn't want the situation to the point where they became father and son.
At this moment, Pang Shi began to panic. If things really turned out to be against each other, would Wei Ji help Wei Ruzhuo? Otherwise, he would just endure it for the sake of his son. Pang Shi was already considering giving in, but she hadn't prepared to speak yet.
Wei Ji looked at Wei Ruzhuo for a long time. He waved his hand, and the people around him cleared out the servants, leaving only a few people.
He just spoke, "Tell me the truth in front of your mother and your two sisters, are you impotent and can no longer have children?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the main hall of the Wei family, which had been tense, fell into dead silence.
Wei Ruzhuo was also obviously surprised. He never expected that Wei Ji actually knew about this matter and even told it in front of everyone?
How did you know that?
Pang Shi was the first to react, "You...what do you mean by cursing my son?!"
"Wei Ji, Zhuo'er is also your son. Now that you have an illegitimate child, are you going to suppress the legitimate son?" Pang Shi was so angry that she rushed forward and dropped the crutches in her hand. Fortunately, Wei Mingyan and Wei Qingsi held her back.
"Just say it or not?" Wei Ji ignored Pang Shi and continued to ask.
At this moment, Wei Ruzhuo began to realize that something was wrong. He even began to doubt that since Wei Ji knew about this matter, was it possible that he knew something else?
Wei Ruzhuo still didn't speak, and Pang Shi looked at him.
The moment Wei Ruzhuo's face was touched, he thought of the news that Zhu Yinluan was pregnant some time ago.
Ponzi also began to believe it vaguely.
Zhu Yinluan had been married into the Wei family for several years but had not been pregnant. She had consulted many doctors, even the imperial physician, and they all said that there was nothing wrong with her body. Could it be that the problem was with her son?
Yes, if Zhu Yinluan had any health problems.
Then how could she become pregnant not long after marrying into the Shen family?
Thinking of this, Pang Shi could no longer accept it. Wei Ruzhuo was her hope in this life.
I lost hope and I was separated from my husband...
He took too much Pang's Heart-Protecting Pills, and in excitement his qi and blood reversed. He vomited several mouthfuls of blood, and then fell straight down with his eyes wide open.
"Mother!" The shrill voice almost blew the roof of the Wei family's house.
The news that Pang Shi had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed and could never get out of bed spread throughout the capital a few days later and reached Zhu Yinluan's ears.
At that time, she was happily chatting and laughing with the sisters of the Shi family as they helped Chen Kouyu prepare her dowry.
At the time, she still felt unbelievable, "Really?"
"Really!" Shi Congwei confirmed.
She also leaned over to Zhu Yinluan's ear and told her that there were rumors in the capital that Wei Ruzhuo was impotent and unable to have children.
"Inability...impotence?" Zhu Yinluan was horrified and stopped moving her hands.
The news that Wei Ruzhuo was in poor health had actually leaked out? Did Pang Shi suffer a stroke and become paralyzed because of this incident?
How did it leak out?
Could it be that...
Yes, she remembered that no one in the Wei family seemed to know that Wei Ruzhuo was incapable of bearing offspring.
But even if we knew about it later, it would be impossible to let the news spread.
How did this news get out? Zhu Yinluan couldn't figure it out.
She felt strange, and also felt that there was something...unspeakable strange about it.
"Yes." Shi Congyuan handed her a hollow ball containing a night pearl.
"Sister Luan'er, you have finally been cleared of all the grievances you have suffered over the years. The people in the capital all blame him and say that the Wei family is disgusting. The Wei family's reputation is completely discredited."
Zhu Yinluan still felt something was wrong. As she listened, her hand movements unconsciously slowed down.
Just as I was daydreaming, I heard Chen Kouyu's voice.
Turning around, I saw her and a flamboyant woman in red walking towards me from the corridor.
Zhu Yinluan had never seen this woman before.
But she guessed in her heart that it was most likely...Chen Kouyu's close friend, Princess Feng'an.
This was indeed the case. When the two of them approached, Chen Kouyu introduced them as Princess Feng'an.
When she saw her from a distance, Zhu Yinluan vaguely sensed that Princess Feng'an was ostentatious. When she came to her, she felt that she was even more radiant and noble.
Princess Feng'an was different from any woman she had ever met. She exuded an innate nobility.
Even though she was only wearing a red dress, with no pearl hairpins or jade rings in her hair, except for a tassel with a golden phoenix pattern, her presence could not be ignored.
Not to mention that her every move was filled with an indescribable casualness, and her eyebrows and eyes were full of charm, and her every blink of an eye was heart-warming.
When Zhu Yinluan looked at her, Feng An was also looking at her.
To be honest, Feng An had the same feeling as Yao Zi when he saw Zhu Yinluan for the first time.
Stunning, very stunning.
The capital city is full of beauties, and the girl from the Zhu family can definitely monopolize all of them.
Everyone greeted each other politely, and Chen Kouyu asked them what they were whispering about just now?
The two sisters of the Shi family did not want to talk about the Wei family's affairs in front of Chen Kouyu, not to mention that Princess Feng'an was there, so they decided to change the subject.
Unexpectedly, Princess Feng'an could actually read lips.
She pointed it out directly and mentioned the Wei family. The two sisters of the Shi family could only smile awkwardly and say that it was just a casual remark.
"People in the capital are spreading this matter. Wherever I go, people are talking about it. It's hard not to hear it." Princess Feng'an picked up a jade wheel and played with it, saying casually.
Shi Congyuan was about to change the subject, but Princess Feng'an spoke first. She said,
"It stands to reason that family disgrace should not be made public, but the news about the Wei family has spread all over the city in just a few days. I really don't know who is fanning the flames?"
When Princess Feng'an said this, she looked at Zhu Yinluan with a smile.
The next moment she changed the subject, "Could it be Master Shen?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
