Chapter 73: The Birth Mother Wrongfully Killed

“Big Brother, I understand now. It must be that I am unworthy of the beauty in this world. It must be my fault, Mother’s fault, so Mother’s existence was erased by the Chu family, so everyone dislikes me.” Shen Zhao spoke in a dazed, broken voice.

The elder master of the Chu family looked at Shen Zhao, lost in his anguish and self-blame, his own expression contorted with pain. The third brother was blameless; he had done nothing wrong.

“No... it’s not like that, Third Brother.” He clenched his hands tightly, wrestling with torment and guilt.

He knew that once he revealed the truth of those years, he’d lose all chance for repentance or redemption.

But he could not bear to see the third brother blame himself in ignorance.

“So what is it, Big Brother? I beg you, please, just tell me the truth!” Shen Zhao gazed at the elder master with sorrowful eyes.

Suddenly, Chu’s elder master stared wide-eyed, the third brother’s expression and words merging in his mind with those of that pitiful woman from long ago. Silent tears slipped down his face.

Ancient memories surged up, overwhelming him with regret and pain.

His stepmother’s face appeared before him again, those mournful eyes gazing at him without blame.

“I beg you, Qing’er, speak the truth!”

“Mother begs you, Qing’er, tell the truth. Return justice to Mother.”

It was as if he had returned to that moment, his stepmother pleading before him, and he nearly spoke the truth—yet his selfishness had let him ignore her desperate pleas.

He destroyed his stepmother’s life, and with it, his own conscience.

“Qing’er… Qing’er… Qing’er…” Her voice echoed in his ears, piercing him again and again.

“I… I… It’s my fault, it’s all my fault… Ah…” The elder master clutched his head and wailed in agony. Shen Zhao rushed forward, grabbing his hand and calling, “Big Brother… Big Brother…”

What had happened all those years ago to make him break down like this? She couldn’t let him lose his mind—otherwise, Chu Mu’s true identity and the secret of Chu’s mother would be buried forever.

The elder master wept before her, gazing at the concerned third brother. How could he deserve such care?

If not for him, the third brother would not have lost all hope for descendants, would not have suffered so deeply.

It was all his sin; half a lifetime he’d endured the condemnation, spent decades in regret. Now it was time for him to seek forgiveness.

Suddenly, the elder master fell to his knees before Shen Zhao, his entire being wrapped in sorrow.

“Third Brother, I have wronged you, I have wronged your mother. I deserve death, I deserve death! It should have been me who died then. It was my heartless cruelty that destroyed your mother. Take my life, Third Brother—avenge your mother by taking my life.”

Shen Mu, sunk in grief, suddenly raised his head. What was his brother saying?

The death of his mother was connected to him! It was he who caused her death.

How could this be? Why was it like this? The only Chu family member he cared for had turned out to be the one who killed his mother.

Why? Why must it be so?

Shen Zhao stared at the elder master in shock. She would never have imagined that Chu Mu’s birth mother’s death was linked to him.

She disliked the Chu family, but compared to the others, the elder master had seemed a person of conscience.

But now, it seemed that was not the case.

The elder master sat helplessly on the ground, face buried in his hands, sobbing.

“Third Brother, you wanted the truth, didn’t you? Today, I’ll tell you everything. Your birth mother was Father’s first wife; the current madam is merely a concubine who schemed her way into Father’s bed.

Back then, my mother became pregnant with me. Before Father and the first wife married, she was brought into the Chu household. The first wife was gentle and kind, courteous and gracious—a true lady of noble upbringing.

She never made things difficult for my mother as other mistresses might have, but instead cared for her during her pregnancy. Everyone in the household knew the first wife and Father were deeply in love, and she even cared for his pregnant concubine.

At this point, the elder master was filled with hatred for his own mother. Why was he born from her and not from the first wife?

The first wife had shown nothing but kindness, never once causing his mother trouble. How could his mother have harbored such malice against her?

For this unknown woman, Shen Zhao felt not pity but wondered if Chu Mu’s birth mother was simply foolish.

So much for ‘deep love’—if Father truly cared, he wouldn’t have allowed another woman into his bed before his wedding. That he permitted her to be brought into the household ahead of his wife proved otherwise.

‘Love for the child extends to the mother’? Someone else steals your husband, and you still treat her well—what kind of foolishness was that?

Did she not know how to protect herself? Was her kindness misplaced?

Chu Mu’s eyes were wet with tears. His mother must have been extraordinarily gentle and broad-minded.

“The first wife always treated me as her own. In fact, I spent more time with her than with my birth mother.

When I was eight, my mother gave birth to my second brother. After nine years in the house, the first wife finally became pregnant. At that time, both my second brother and I fell gravely ill, and the first wife, heavy with child, stayed by our bedsides day and night, never resting, until we recovered.

I was filled with gratitude for her, and vowed to always honor this good woman.”

At this point, the elder master sank deep into regret.

Shen Zhao frowned outright.

Why did Chu Mu’s mother have to be so virtuous? Did she not know to cherish her hard-won pregnancy, instead attending to a concubine’s children? Her kindness was excessive.

“We recovered, but the first wife caught our illness. She never regained her health, even after giving birth to the third brother.

The whole Chu family, especially Father, was devoted to her. When she gave birth to a son, Father—who had never been promoted—was transferred to the capital and became an official. Everyone said the first wife’s son brought luck to Father.

Her status, along with the third brother’s, reached unprecedented heights. Gradually, the household’s attention shifted to them, and my mother and I began to be neglected.

My mother felt threatened, and since the first wife could not accompany Father to his new post in the capital, she found her opportunity.

She convinced me to steal the first wife’s personal belongings, telling me that only by making Father less fond of her would his affection and the family’s care return to us.”

Shen Zhao understood what was coming.

Her opinion of the elder master grew more contemptuous.

He must have been ten years old at that time.

At ten, a child understands very well.

From his story, it was clear the first wife had treated his mother and her children kindly, and he himself claimed he wanted to honor her.

Yet he turned around and let his mother manipulate him?

Who would believe that?

Certainly not her.

It wasn’t just his mother’s influence; it was his own selfishness, unable to bear the loss of attention, that prompted him to seize the opportunity and harm his stepmother.