Chapter 80: To Kill Is to Destroy the Heart

Page 1/3

"Not only did Physician Chen say all this, he also claimed that one of us three brothers is not your own child, but the legitimate son of the late wife? Now that we are all here, Madam, could you tell us whether what Physician Chen said is true or not?"

Lady Shen’s words only deepened the old madam’s suspicions. What exactly was Chen Kang trying to do? Was he so tired of living that he would dare to reveal the secrets of the past?

Chu Renqing let out a long breath—third brother had nearly scared him to death. He knew, of course, that he was the son of the main wife. Yet third brother, clearly aware of this, still feigned ignorance before their mother, obviously probing her.

"Mu’er, don’t let a villain sow discord among you. There is no such thing as a late wife. I am your father’s original spouse—this is all clearly recorded in the family genealogy. If there truly were a late wife and I was the concubine raised to the position of main wife as he claims, why would there be no mention of her in the records? You are all flesh of my flesh, carried for ten months, born from my body. How I have treated you over the years, you know better than anyone. No wonder Qing’er is so furious. This man deserves to die! The Chu family has not treated him badly, and I have treated him even better, yet he repays us with this treachery."

The old madam strove to conceal her panic, but inside, chaos reigned. No matter how this ended, Chen Kang would not be allowed to leave this world alive.

"I know better than anyone how you have treated us, Madam," Shen Zhao replied. "For decades you have made me pastries with your own hands every day—such motherly kindness I shall never forget nor dare to forget. Even if one among us is not your child, it could not be me. Though I, too, do not wish to believe Physician Chen, he claims to have irrefutable proof and has kept a secret from that year, enough to verify his words."

With this, Shen Zhao’s gaze deliberately swept toward Chu Renjie.

The old madam’s heart skipped a beat. She had guarded against all others, but never him. He had actually dared to keep a secret from her! Since you show no loyalty, don’t blame me for my ruthlessness—Chen Kang, I will make you wish for death!

Chu Renjie felt a chill under Shen Zhao’s gaze. What did third brother mean by that? Why was he looking at him? Did he suspect he wasn’t their mother’s child, but rather the late wife’s? He’d never heard of a late wife before; as far as his memories went, the lady of the house had always been their mother.

Even if there had been a late wife, why was third brother so sure he was her child? Why not suspect eldest brother? No, third brother had just said that the eldest was the child of their mother’s affair before marriage, forced into the Chu household.

Eldest brother must be mother’s own child, there was no doubt about that.

Boom!

If there truly was a late wife, and one of the three brothers was not the mother’s own child, then it could only be him! No household’s main wife would allow a concubine to bear not only a first son but a second as well.

Page 2/3

After all, the eldest—the bastard—had been conceived before their mother entered the house, so his birth was understandable. The late wife would never have allowed mother to bear another son before her.

Third brother couldn’t possibly be the late wife’s son; from the time he could remember, mother had favored third brother above all, cherishing him as her treasure. If third brother weren’t her own child, how could she treat him so?

So he—he really was the late wife’s son!

This realization made Chu Renjie recall everything from the past. If he wasn’t mother’s child, suddenly, everything made sense. In mother’s heart, her wild son far away in Jinzhou was always her deepest concern, and third brother was the one she coddled and adored.

Back when third brother wanted to go to war to clear his name, mother—no, that stepmother—had knelt in front of father’s study for a full day and night for her beloved youngest. She made delicious pastries by hand every day only for him, never sparing a thought for her second son who lived right by her side.

The more he thought, the more convinced Chu Renjie became: he was indeed the late wife’s son. If so, he was the only true-born legitimate heir of the Chu family now; the eldest was a bastard and had no right to inherit anything. Third brother was the child of a second wife, and thus beneath him.

In the entire Chu family, only he was noble and worthy of inheritance.

"How did my mother die? Who erased my mother’s existence from the Chu family’s history?" he roared.

Shen Zhao quickly turned away, reminding herself not to look too pleased after learning of Chu Mu’s tragic parentage. But the genuine outrage in second brother’s howl made her want to laugh—what was wrong with her, to find this funny now? Was she heartless, to be amused at such a moment?

Chu Renjie fixed his gaze on the old madam, determined to demand justice for his mother. No one knew the temper of this stepmother better than he did—she was a master of hidden thorns, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Her piety was all a facade; her heart was as black as night.

Chu Mu glanced at Chu Renjie, now understanding why Ah Zhao had said those things. She knew he was mother’s child, yet still questioned the venomous woman—clearly a calculated move.

Chu Renqing gave second brother a strange look. Had he read himself silly, or drunk himself senseless in the capital’s pleasure districts? Who told him he was the main wife’s son? He wasn’t even worthy of the title—just a useless glutton.

Page 3/3

Chu Renjie looked down on Chu Renqing, but the feeling was mutual. Especially after learning, from the household servants, of the evil intentions Chu Renjie had harbored toward third brother’s wife. He could hardly restrain himself from slapping second brother across the face.

He lived on third brother’s hospitality, ate his food, spent his money, and even embezzled his property. Not only was he ungrateful, he felt no guilt; instead, he dared to entertain such filthy thoughts. All these years of reading the classics had been wasted on him—he didn’t even know how to be a decent person.

The old madam trembled with rage at Chu Renjie’s words, collapsing into the chair behind her.

Ungrateful child! She was still alive, and he dared curse her dead! No, that heartless wretch—his words made it clear he acknowledged the existence of that wretched woman Yu, and even claimed himself as her son.

Hadn’t she, as their mother, treated them well? The eldest was like this, and now the second as well—each scrambling to become that wretch’s child, while only that wretch’s true-born son honored her as mother.

At least she had surpassed the wretch in the end, hadn’t she!

Shen Zhao gave Chu Renjie a look of consolation. "Second brother, perhaps Physician Chen is not telling the truth. Don’t break Madam’s heart, I understand what you’re feeling—how unjust it is for you."

Chu Renjie’s eyes reddened. Now, third brother was the only blood relative he had left. The eldest was a bastard born of the venomous woman and her lover, not a true Chu. His own mother was gone, father and grandparents had passed on years ago. Only third brother, born of the venomous woman, was closest to him.

"Don’t worry, third brother. Even if we’re not born of the same mother, I will always treat you as my true brother. The guilty will pay; I will never take revenge on the innocent. I will find the truth behind my mother’s death and for her—" he glared at the old madam, gritting his teeth, "I will avenge her."

The old madam was struck speechless, pain searing her chest and even her limbs beginning to falter. The look in second brother’s eyes, his tone—was he trying to drive her to death? She was his real mother!

"Chu Renjie, you shut your mouth!" The old madam gasped for breath, her trembling arm pointing at Chu Renjie.

Shen Zhao’s heart skipped a beat—these were the signs of an impending stroke.