Chapter 22: The Illegitimate Son

Jiang Wu watched silently as the young man offered a polite yet cold greeting: "Old Madam." He then turned his gaze toward her.

Their eyes met. Although they had never met before, the boy naturally guessed her identity. A flicker of restraint and unease crossed his face, and after a moment of silence, he spoke: "Greetings, Madam."

Jiang Wu’s unfriendly gaze swept over the boy, as if she intended to bore a hole right through him. She was blunt and spoke her mind, asking directly, "Who is your father?"

Do not think to fool her by claiming it was that man from Beiyao; she was no fool.

The boy naturally sensed her hostility, his brow furrowing with increased indifference. Before he could answer, the Old Madam beside them spoke up directly: "That’s enough. Why must you be so fierce toward a child? He is A-Yan’s child, and therefore my grandson."

Jiang Wu was trembling with rage. If this brat was not the son of the recently deceased King of Beiyao, then whose was he? The answer was practically screaming in her mind.

"He takes her surname?" In truth, he was taking Chu Ling’s surname, wasn't he?

Yes, Jiang Wu was certain the boy was Chu Ling’s. Judging by the boy's age, the two must have been involved long before the political marriage.

Jiang Wu’s expression darkened further. She stared at the Old Madam’s face, wondering how much she knew. Seeing the woman's affectionate expression, she must be aware of everything. *Calling him "your grandson"—he is likely your own flesh and blood, isn't he?*

It was a bolt from the blue. Jiang Wu did not care for the position of the Prime Minister’s wife; anyone who wanted it could have it. But in her assumptions, Chu Yan was still young, and Chu Ling had doted on her so much that he wouldn't have let her have a child. Even if she had, her own children were already well-established; a little boy surely wouldn't threaten A-Ye’s status.

But now, everything was in disarray. Chu Ling and she had actually had a child long ago. Beyond her concern for A-Ye, a new, surging anger rose within her—the same feeling of betrayal she had felt when she first learned of the relationship between those two. They had actually been playing her for a fool.

"By the way," the Old Madam said, finished observing Chu Jisheng, and looked toward Nianyin. "This is your sister Nianyin; you should get to know her. Nianyin..."

Nianyin, being addressed, ignored her grandmother and hid behind her mother. She revealed only her eyes, which quickly darted away after meeting the boy’s gaze. Yet, those timid eyes were laced with a sudden, fierce hostility the moment she looked down. She knew her mother was unhappy because of this person.

The Duchess’s face fell, having been snubbed. She wasn't about to get angry at the child, so she shifted the blame onto Jiang Wu. "You only know how to coax the children into being as unreasonable as you are."

Jiang Wu was now too angry to be afraid. "Nianyin only has one brother. Who is he calling sister?" Her tone was increasingly sharp.

The atmosphere in the room turned completely stagnant. The Duchess’s face turned leaden. Only Chu Yan, after a brief pause, continued to wear a smile, which seemed even brighter than before. Naturally, the meeting ended on a sour note. As the Duchess left, she continued to berate Jiang Wu for her pettiness and lack of decorum.

Jiang Wu ignored her completely. *So she was petty? Chu Ling had an illegitimate child, and she wasn't allowed to be petty?* She didn't even see them out, telling Nianyin to do it instead. Before Nianyin left, Jiang Wu signaled her not to create a rift with her grandmother. She didn't care about herself, but she didn't want the child to be on bad terms with the Duchess. After all, they were kin by blood.

In the end, it turned out that in this household, she was the only outsider.

Jiang Wu stared fixedly at the woman on the bed. After the Duchess left, the woman seemed much more relaxed, and the smile she gave Jiang Wu was even more genuine than when she had seen the Duchess.

Jiang Wu found her anger inexplicably dissipating under that smile.

Until her line of sight was blocked by a figure. Seeing Chu Jisheng standing in front of his mother, her anger reignited.

"Jisheng," Chu Yan called out from behind him, "go out for a moment. Mother has something to say to the Madam."

Even though she said this, Chu Jisheng did not move. His slender frame stood rigid, blocking Jiang Wu’s gaze completely, appearing as though he were afraid she would harm his mother.

Jiang Wu was so angry she laughed. If she really wanted to strike someone, it wouldn't be Chu Yan. *Little brat, why did this little brat have to appear and ruin all her plans?*

"Mother," the boy said, looking at Jiang Wu but speaking to Chu Yan, "this person is different from what you said."

Behind him, Chu Yan laughed even more joyfully. "How is she different? Isn't she exactly the same?"

Jiang Wu suspected they were saying something bad about her.

Chu Jisheng eventually listened to his mother—or perhaps he sensed that the malice and disgust coming from the person before him were aimed entirely at him. After being urged by Chu Yan once more, he left, albeit reluctantly.

Once he was gone, Chu Yan seemed to fully let her guard down.

"A-Wu." She waved at Jiang Wu happily. "Come over here."

*A-Wu? What A-Wu? Were they that close?*

They certainly weren't close. Even before she knew of her relationship with Chu Ling, the two were merely casual acquaintances—the sister and the sister-in-law. Jiang Wu had fought tooth and nail against her other sister-in-law, and as an outsider, she had never easily grown close to anyone.

Yet, her feet moved toward the bed involuntarily, until Chu Yan grabbed her hand.

"It has been so long since we met; your coldness truly makes me sad." She held Jiang Wu’s hand as if acting like a spoiled child.

Jiang Wu was shocked that this was Chu Yan, and even more shocked that she didn't hate Chu Yan’s behavior. Only when she was closer could she smell the faint, fresh scent of tea on Chu Yan—it was quite pleasant. She remained silent; she was unwilling to speak softly, yet she couldn't bring herself to say anything cruel to such an invalid.

Ever since she learned of Chu Jisheng’s existence, Jiang Wu’s mind had been a chaotic mess. She had no idea what to do next.

Chu Yan seemed to finally remember that they weren't that close and let go of her hand with an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry, A-Wu. I haven't seen an old friend in so long, so I was a bit excited."

As she said this, paired with her frail, sickly appearance, she looked exactly like a pure and innocent white lily. If not for her mood being ruined by that little brat, Jiang Wu wouldn't have minded playing the part of the devoted sister with someone who might be her only hope of salvation. But now, she had no heart for it.

Yet, the woman who hadn't wanted to say a word in front of the Duchess had now turned into a chatterbox. "A-Wu, I had no choice. The Emperor of Beiyao is dead. Jisheng is not his child, and staying there, he was constantly ostracized. I had to bring him back."

*You made a monarch suffer such a secret humiliation; of course they would ostracize him.*

"A-Wu, are you doing well?"

*Not at all!*

Jiang Wu was annoyed. She felt as though her mind had been split in two—part of her pitying the woman, part of her loathing her—making her head ache intensely.

When the woman tried to reach for her hand again, Jiang Wu swatted it away. "Focus on recovering."

Having said this, she turned and left without looking back.

***

Jiang Wu went to bed without dinner that evening. Lying there, she thought about her own poor, motherless children who, after she left, would have to welcome a new mother and brother—how miserable they would be. Chu Ling had no real affection for them to begin with.

The more she thought, the more sorrow welled up inside her.

Footsteps sounded outside the door. Because she was so familiar with the person, Jiang Wu didn't even need to identify them to know that Chu Ling had arrived. She didn't move. There was a noticeable silence after the man entered. Jiang Wu guessed he must be furious about the gifts of his she had smashed on the floor earlier—*it would be better if he were dead from rage.*

However, Chu Ling soon walked further in, arriving at the bedside and looking down at Jiang Wu, who was facing away from him.

"Chuyi said you didn't eat dinner tonight."

*That meddlesome Chuyi again.*

Chu Ling sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you intend to keep your back to me forever?"

Jiang Wu was usually timid; if she had heard such a displeased tone on any other day, she would have been cowering in fear. But today, with her anger at its peak, she threw caution to the wind.

Chu Ling clearly could not tolerate this attitude. He placed a hand on her shoulder and, with an irresistible force, turned Jiang Wu around.

The turn seemed to soften the severity on his face. He paused before asking, "Who upset you?"

He had clearly seen the tear tracks on her face. A flicker of unidentifiable emotion passed through his eyes, but Jiang Wu, lost in her own weeping, did not notice.

She had heard this question many times before. Chu Ling loved to ask it, sometimes with a hint of exhaustion in his voice, like a parent dealing with a tantrum-throwing child—because it was his own child, he had to provide comfort, no matter how helpless he felt. But in reality, he was often the culprit himself.

Usually, Jiang Wu didn't answer, but this time was an exception. She sat up abruptly and grabbed Chu Ling by the collar of his robes.

"Chu Jisheng." She spoke the name like she was lodging a formal complaint, her voice thick with tears. It was as if she were yielding, a far cry from her previous superficial obedience; this time, she was truly admitting defeat.

Jiang Wu saw a flash of bewilderment in Chu Ling’s eyes—she didn't know if it was because of the name or her admission of defeat. But soon, he returned to that indifferent, detached mask of his. He let out a flat, non-committal hum from his nose: "Hmm?"

"He makes me unhappy. Send him out of the estate."

After Jiang Wu finished, Chu Ling answered immediately.

"No."

It was a refusal that left no room for negotiation.

Jiang Wu hated him to the core. *Indeed, he hadn't even formally acknowledged the boy yet, and his heart had already begun to lean.* Once that mother and son moved in, where would there be any room left for A-Ye and his sister?

She cried until she was gasping for air, clutching his collar, unwilling to let go. "You must promise me! A-Ye is your eldest legitimate son. You must put him and Nianyin first!"

Her vision was blurred by tears, giving her the courage to say these words, but also the unease of not being able to see Chu Ling’s expression.

Until a hand clasped her waist.

With a slight tug, he pulled her into his arms. His scent, unmistakably his, pushed its way into her senses without restraint. Jiang Wu was still clutching his collar, and because of their position, her entire weight pressed against him. The man had no support behind him, yet he remained seated firmly.

It was an intimate gesture, yet the words he uttered were as cold as snow.

"Jiang Wu, in what capacity are you making these demands?" he said. "The 'eldest legitimate son' is the child of the rightful wife."

Chu Ling’s hand tightened slightly, his tone unreadable. "As long as you are my rightful wife, A-Ye and his sister will naturally be my priority."

The heart that had been in turmoil all day suddenly went cold. She realized, in that moment, that she was perhaps the most heartless person of all. Because even so, she was unwilling to stay and keep the position of rightful wife for the sake of A-Ye and Nianyin.

As Chu Ling spoke, she found the answer in her heart without a moment's hesitation.

She must leave Chu Ling.