Chapter 95: One Must Not Be Too Kind to Her

How dare he, how dare he reveal everything from the past so openly. Even if he doesn’t consider her, does he not think of Qing’er and Renjie? Does he not realize that exposing the truth from all those years ago would be catastrophic for Qing’er and Renjie? Why doesn’t he just die? If only he were dead, it would be better. Why does he insist on living? For Renqing and Renjie’s sake, he should willingly disappear. The matriarch now harbored a venomous hatred toward Dukang; she was determined to see him dead.

Shen Zhao looked sorrowfully at the matriarch, a hint of pleading in her voice: “Matriarch, why do you stop him? Let him speak. I want to know everything about those years. Even if my mother was truly flawed, truly as you say, I still want to know. Rest assured, matriarch, I will not be deceived or lose my mind.”

Dukang scoffed, casting a disdainful glance at Shen Zhao, mocking her, “Truly a fool. Even now, you still believe that poisonous woman? Do you know your mother never had an affair with me? She was not the vile woman that woman claimed. Your mother came from the Shi family, a respected scholarly lineage. She was gentle and virtuous. Though your parents’ marriage began with a formal contract, they loved each other deeply. When your father was promoted to a position in the capital due to his achievements, your mother, having just given birth to you, was forced to stay behind in the old mansion in Jinzhou.”

Dukang’s face clouded with regret as he continued, “What a pity. Your mother was as naive as you, seeing wolves as kin. She was kind by nature, treating that poisonous woman as a sister, even embracing the children born of her, never once guarding against her. This gave that woman the chance to harm your mother…”

“Dukang, shut your mouth! Don’t twist the truth here, defending that unchaste woman. It was clearly between you and that woman, acting against societal norms, and now you’re here whitewashing her,” the matriarch hissed through gritted teeth, her hatred for Dukang burning fiercely. She despised how he praised that woman.

That Shi woman was so hateful, yet why did everyone seem blind, deceived by that wretched woman’s guise? It was her who first entered the Chu household, she who bore the first child. She adored him deeply, but his heart belonged only to Shi, not to her. She had even sent Shi fragrant garments with musk and medicines to prevent pregnancy. She believed Shi had long been barren. Yet after she gave birth to Renjie, that wretched Shi woman became pregnant. Shi must have known her intentions early on and replaced the medicines. Shi pretended ignorance, putting on a show before her eyes.

She had tried so hard to win his heart, to be his legitimate wife, to be the lady of the Chu family. But that wretched Shi woman stubbornly blocked her path. She hated Shi’s false kindness. If Shi truly cared for her, why not let him acknowledge her as a legitimate wife?

She hated Shi for stealing her son. The eldest was clearly hers, yet Shi and her child shared a deep bond, even stronger than hers as a mother. If Shi truly regarded the eldest as her own, why not grant him the status of a legitimate heir? To her, Shi’s pretense was merely for show, a display of kindness, magnanimity, and misplaced affection.

She hated Shi’s hypocrisy, hated how she had taken everything that belonged to her. She would not allow anyone to speak well of Shi, especially Dukang, who had once been her man. She would never allow anyone to whitewash that deceitful woman. Shi deserved all the scorn, deserved to be cursed after death, with no descendants to honor her!

Watching the matriarch’s madness, Dukang grew increasingly doubtful of what had drawn him to her in the first place. Was it her ruthlessness and ambition?

“Enough! I am no longer your puppet. The one who had an affair with me was clearly you, not Shi!” Dukang’s words shocked everyone except the unaware Du Qian’an.

The matriarch gasped sharply, her heart tightening. She looked at Shen Zhao, wanting to explain, but when her gaze landed on Shen Zhao’s calm face, devoid of surprise, her tension eased. Thankfully, Shen Zhao did not believe Dukang’s words. As long as Shen Zhao remained unconvinced, Dukang’s efforts were in vain.

“Dukang, don’t try to deceive everyone again. Look around—who here would believe you?” the matriarch snapped.

Dukang sneered, “No one believes me? Du Renqing, you don’t believe me either, do you?” He stared directly at Du Renqing. Since the mask was torn off, he would drag down everything that belonged to him, including his own bloodline.

The matriarch’s heart, just released, tightened again. Would the eldest son conspire with this dead man to harm her? She was uncertain, for Shi was so important to the eldest, even more than his own mother.

Her voice trembled with desperate pleading, “Eldest son… what he says isn’t true. You must tell your third brother Dukang that it’s not true!”

Chu Renqing looked at Shen Zhao. As long as the third son spoke the truth, he would reveal everything. Their mother had gone too far and showed no remorse even now.

Shen Zhao nodded to Chu Renqing. Facing betrayal from a lover and her own son, who knew if the matriarch would lose her mind?

When the third son responded, Chu Renqing’s gaze blazed fiercely as he faced the matriarch, speaking each word clearly, “Everything Dukang said is true! Mother, how long will you persist in your delusion? The legitimate mother never had an affair. It was you and Dukang who conspired to falsely accuse her and caused her death. The legitimate mother was kind and always treated you as a sister, never guarding against us, but what did you do?”

The matriarch’s eyes reddened with fury. The eldest son defended Shi with every word, rebuking her as a mother.

“Enough, eldest son! Do you want your third brother to lose all respect for you? You were young then, unaware of the truth, blinded by others. Only I, your mother, truly care for you. Others just toyed with you; only I was sincere!”

Why couldn’t the eldest understand her maternal devotion? He was too young then to see Shi’s true nature, so she didn’t blame him. But now he was grown, why did he still fail to discern right from wrong? Why did he still see that wretched Shi woman as good?

She could not let Shen Zhao misunderstand her, could not let her grow to resent her as the eldest did. Her two legitimate sons had already turned their hearts away from her—she could not afford to lose Shen Zhao’s loyalty too.

She was unwilling, so unwilling! She had killed Shi, destroyed her blind son, seized power in the Chu family, and yet now her former lover and own son threatened to topple her from her throne.

Chu Renqing let out a low roar, hysterical and desperate.