Chapter 30: Tears

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Yu Yuanzheng was not about to indulge her bad habit of taking her anger out on others. Even clay figures had a temper.

“Second Madam, apologize,” the Prince ordered coldly.

“What did you say? You want me to apologize to a mere junior? Who does she think she is?” the Second Madam raged again.

Then, without a care for anyone else, she rose and strode away.

“Elder Brother, Second Madam has always been that way. As her son, I’ll apologize to my eldest nephew’s wife on her behalf. Niece-in-law, your Second Uncle apologizes to you. Second Madam has always had that temperament. She speaks without thinking. Once you’ve spent more time with her, you’ll understand. She means no harm; she simply says whatever is on her mind.”

After finishing, the Second Master actually bent at the waist and clasped his hands toward Yu Yuanzheng, setting aside all concern for his dignity.

“Second Uncle, what are you saying? She is she, and you are you. But I still hope you’ll properly advise Second Madam. Sometimes disaster comes from words spoken without realizing it. I’ll let this matter go for now, but there will be no second time. If she speaks so offensively for no reason again, I’m not made of clay either. When that happens, don’t accuse me of disrespecting my elders.”

“Yes, yes, of course. You are a magnanimous girl. Your Second Uncle will certainly advise Second Madam.” The Second Master’s attitude was perfectly sincere.

“Ziqi is this Prince’s legitimate son, and his wife is the eldest young mistress of the princely household. From now on, anyone who dares disrespect or slight her had better not blame this Prince for being ruthless.” The Prince spoke up in support of Yu Yuanzheng.

“Zishu, now state clearly how you intend to treat your eldest sister-in-law from this day forward.” The Prince turned to the newly appointed heir and gave him an order.

Shangguan Zishu was in an excellent mood.

Just as Chaoyang had predicted, the position of heir had fallen into his hands on the tenth day after his wedding.

Although he had been delighted to watch the Second Madam vent her fury on Yu Yuanzheng, he was still the Prince’s son and naturally had to obey his father.

When he heard that the Prince wanted him to make a declaration, he was more than willing to play the good son. It cost him nothing.

Who could say what would happen years from now?

“Eldest Sister-in-law will always be my eldest sister-in-law. Even if Eldest Brother is no longer here in the future, she will still be my sister-in-law, Shangguan Zishu’s. As long as I am here, I will never allow her to suffer the slightest injustice.” Shangguan Zishu made the promise sound wonderfully sincere.

The Prince was very pleased.

“That will be all. You two should go and see whether you can open the iron chest.”

Everyone had gathered there simply to witness the heirship change hands.

Surrounded by several of his uncles, Shangguan Zishu walked out of the hall.

“Zishu—no, we’ll have to call you the heir from now on. Second Uncle will be counting on you from now on. I may not have any great talents, but I’m perfectly capable of running errands.” The Second Master shamelessly draped an arm over Shangguan Zishu’s shoulder and ingratiated himself with him.

“That’s right, Heir. Your Uncle Yun will also be relying on you for advancement in the future. After all, one stroke cannot write two different Shangguans, can it? We’re all family.” Shangguan Hongyun also spoke with a smile.

“Heir, your Uncle Xiang may not have much ability either, but your two cousins aren’t children anymore. They can lend you a hand.”

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Their voices gradually faded into the distance, but every word still reached the ears of those in the hall.

Human nature was truly realistic.

Yu Yuanzheng glanced at Shangguan Ziqi in the wheelchair and shook her head helplessly.

She wondered what he had been like when he was the heir.

From today onward, he was no longer the heir. He was merely the eldest son of the princely household.

The Prince and Princess Consort looked equally grim.

“Niece-in-law, take good care of Ziqi from now on.” The Prince rose to his feet, left them with that one sentence, and walked out.

Only his retreating back remained for the three of them to see.

“Mother.” After a long while, Yu Yuanzheng finally dared to speak.

Her voice brought the Princess Consort back to herself.

“I’m fine. This was bound to happen sooner or later.” The Princess Consort looked at her son in the wheelchair beside her and reached out to touch his face.

Still, she could not hold back her tears. They rolled down her cheeks.

“Ziqi, can you hear Mother speaking? You must get better. Mother asks for nothing else; I only want you to wake up. The two of us don’t need to fight or scheme for anything. As long as we can live in peace, that will be enough.”

Seeing the Princess Consort’s grief, Yu Yuanzheng’s eyes grew sore as well. She took two small steps forward and gently put an arm around her shoulders.

The Princess Consort seemed to have found an outlet for her emotions. She wrapped her arms around Yu Yuanzheng’s waist and began to sob sorrowfully.

Yu Yuanzheng had never been a mother, but at that moment, she understood a mother’s heart completely.

Her son was unconscious. Not only did he receive no sympathy, but everyone was watching the position of heir he occupied, hoping he would surrender it soon so they could make plans for themselves.

At that moment, Shangguan Ziqi’s heart felt as though it were being cut by a knife.

He had heard that his position as heir had been given to his second brother.

He was not sad about that. What he found unbelievable was the Second Madam’s complete change in attitude.

When he heard the change in the attitudes of several of his uncles, he was not heartbroken either. That was simply human nature.

But now, hearing his mother’s sobs, his heart hurt terribly—terribly.

He could not die. If he died, what would become of Mother? What would become of his wife?

Over the past few days, he had completely accepted Yu Yuanzheng as his wife. He felt he had wronged her.

But none of this was within his control. He could do nothing.

He gathered all his concentration and tried to control his hand, hoping to move it even slightly and let them know that he was aware of what was happening outside. But the two women embracing each other in grief noticed nothing.

After crying for a while and releasing some of her emotions, the Princess Consort felt much better.

Then she looked at her son with tenderness.

The sight left her stunned.

“Zhen’er, look.”

Yu Yuanzheng lowered her head and stared as well. She, too, was startled.

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A thin stream of tears ran down from each corner of Shangguan Ziqi’s eyes.

“Zhen’er, Ziqi is crying. Ziqi, Ziqi, you can hear Mother speaking, can’t you?” The Princess Consort excitedly embraced her son. “Ziqi, Ziqi.”

She shook him while crying, and it was impossible to tell whether her tears came from sorrow or excitement.

But apart from those two trails of tears, her son gave no further response.

Yu Yuanzheng was excited as well. She had never expected that merely drawing out the stagnant blood in his body once would have such an effect.

The fact that he could shed tears meant that he was aware of the outside world.

This was wonderful.

“Mother, I made the right decision bringing Eldest Young Master out today. I thought exposing him to the outside world and stimulating him with familiar surroundings might help. I never expected it to work so well.” Yu Yuanzheng found an excuse to explain what had happened.

“Zhen’er, does this mean Ziqi can wake up?” The Princess Consort pleaded for reassurance.

“He will, Mother.” Yu Yuanzheng answered against her conscience.

She did not dare guarantee it, but she could at least give the Princess Consort hope.

“Mother, the Second Young Master has only just received the position of heir, and Eldest Young Master may have a chance of recovering. That could bring unnecessary trouble, so we must keep the fact that he shed tears a secret.”

“You’re right.” The Princess Consort immediately understood what she meant.

Fortunately, there were no servants in the hall.

The Prince had been discussing serious matters, so no servants had been allowed inside.

—

After finally seeing off his several uncles, Shangguan Zishu returned to the Fragrant Study Courtyard with Yu Chaoyang, carrying the somewhat heavy iron chest.

As soon as they entered the room, they sent all the attending servants out into the courtyard.

“Heir.” Yu Chaoyang smiled so broadly that her face seemed to bloom as she called him by his new title.

“Heir’s Consort. Hahaha...” Shangguan Zishu laughed loudly, swept Yu Chaoyang into his arms, and spun around the room several times.

They called each other by their new titles several times before they were satisfied.

Their mood at that moment was like that of a scholar who had just achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations.

“Heir, do you believe me now?” Yu Chaoyang’s face was radiant with triumph.

“I believe you, I believe you. What you said about Eldest Brother dying six months from now must be true as well.”

“Of course.” Yu Chaoyang sounded utterly certain.

“If that’s the case, there’s no need for you to bully Eldest Sister-in-law either. We don’t want to make Mother and Father unhappy. All we need to do is properly be the heir and his consort. Don’t cause trouble, or Father will become disappointed in me.”

“Besides you, Father has no other sons. Does he really have any other choice?”

“He does.”