Chapter 5 You’re an Adopted Daughter, Remember This?
If it weren’t for personally witnessing his tender affection toward Wen Jin’an that night—a warmth starkly different from the gaze he’d just cast upon her—Wen Xueling might have truly fallen for his words.
He was truly worthy of being the Prime Minister, the man who had steadily climbed the ranks in court. His superficial pretense was executed with flawless precision.
If they could perform such an act, she, naturally, could too.
Wen Xueling delicately dabbed at her tears, feigning a look of profound relief.
“That’s wonderful then! Ling’er had truly feared... that after so many years of never returning home, Father had perhaps taken another wife and bore a daughter in the capital.”
“When I was but a child, I often heard the villagers whisper that Father valued loyalty and righteousness above all, and would never commit such heartless and unprincipled deeds.”
“Mother, to ensure Father had no worries in the capital, had to tend to Grandmother, afflicted by consumption, and simultaneously nurture us five siblings. Our days were truly steeped in poverty. Father, when you next encounter Mother, you must console her well.”
The faces of both father and son froze.
Hearing his daughter's innocent yet piercing words, a shadow of gloom flitted across his features.
“Father, I actually have always yearned for your mother.”
With that said, he hastened to the door.
The moment the ‘scumbag father’ turned, the docile expression on Wen Xueling’s face abruptly shifted, replaced by an indifference as if she were looking at a lifeless object.
He was truly quite the actor! To miss her so profoundly, yet remain absent from home for over a decade? Was the Rong Kingdom truly on the brink of ruin without him?
Beside her, a wave of unease and agitation washed over Wen Jinli’s face. If Mother were to discover that Father had long since remarried in the capital and even fathered another daughter, how would they possibly manage her inevitable uproar?
If only they had never come to the capital. Then, he and Father wouldn’t be burdened with these disruptive matters that disturbed their peace of mind.
Today, he could have still accompanied Mother and An’an to admire the plum blossoms in the city’s outskirts. He had heard that the plum blossoms outside Fu’an Temple had already unfurled their petals, and An’an adored plum blossoms above all else.
“What is it that occupies your thoughts, Elder Brother?”
The abrupt question caught Wen Jinli’s thoughts before they could fully return. He answered subconsciously, “There’s a Fu’an Temple in the capital’s outskirts. The plum grove at the mountain’s foot is renowned far and wide. When the academy closes for holidays, I’ll take you and Mother to admire the blossoms.”
Seeing his awkward, rigid smile on his face, Wen Xueling spoke calmly: “In just two short years, has Elder Brother already forgotten?”
Wen Jinli frowned, “What?”
“Ling’er, just like Mother, breaks out in rashes if she gets too close to plum blossoms. In mild cases, she’d be confined to bed; in severe cases... it could claim her life.”
The final three words she uttered slowly and with profound weight.
“Elder Brother, did you truly forget, or did you simply never hold it in your heart?”
Wen Jinli’s stunned, bewildered expression unmistakably revealed one truth: he had, indeed, forgotten.
Guilt washed over him, quickly turning into shameful anger. He retorted fiercely, “I merely temporarily overlooked this matter! Why must you be so belligerent?”
“I had believed that after two years apart, you would have matured somewhat. I never imagined you’d be so reckless with your words. With such dullness, how will you ever survive in the capital?”
No sooner had his words faded than both of them heard the shattering sound of a teacup from within the room.
Oh no!
She desperately rushed into the room. “Mother, are you alright?”
Mu Qingyu’s face was streaked with tears, her finger trembling as it pointed towards the doorway.
Still unaware of the precise turmoil that had unfolded in the room, Wen Xueling merely focused on offering her mother water, gently stroking her back to help her regain her breath.
“Mother, please, do not agitate yourself. Your health is paramount.”
The ‘scumbag father’ had dropped his facade? Had he truly blurted out the matter of his remarriage directly to Mother?
“Since matters have come to this, I shall no longer conceal it from you. I now hold the position of Prime Minister, and my residence already houses a legal wife and a daughter.”
Wen Xueling’s eyes darkened. In her previous life, Mother had been kept blissfully ignorant until her dying breath. This lifetime, she had finally uncovered the painful truth.
“Qingyu, if you desire to enter the residence, it can only be as a concubine. Rest assured, apart from you, no other women shall set foot in this residence. My current wife has dedicated the first half of her life to the nation and its people, and her health is fragile. You must defer to her more, and under no circumstances must you provoke her anger!”
Wen Xueling’s fists clenched taut!
What an utterly shameless man! He intended to demote his legitimate wife to a mere concubine...
“Ling’er, though An’an is the younger sister, the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister’s residence can only ever be her. I will have her address you as older sister. It is inevitable that An’an will feel wronged by suddenly gaining an older sister, thus, to the outside world, we will declare that you are merely my Prime Minister’s adopted daughter. Do you remember?"
Wen Xueling lifted her gaze to Wen Jinli. “Elder Brother, do you also concur with this?”
She had been too young to recall when her ‘scumbag father’ departed for the capital, thus there was no affection between them. Yet, she had truly and intimately lived with her four elder brothers for over a decade.
Wen Jinli’s voice was parched and rough: “Ling’er, I……I……I believe Father speaks truly.”
“Ling’er, consider this: since childhood, you have had Mother, Grandmother, and the devoted companionship of us four brothers. But An’an has never known the company of siblings. This is our failing, our debt to her. We are bound to treat her with greater kindness!”
“Furthermore, rest assured, even if we proclaim to the world that you are an adopted daughter, we will never mistreat you. We shall cherish you as if you were our own flesh and blood sister!”
How truly ironic. For she was, in fact, their biological younger sister.
Wen Xueling’s gaze swept over the father and son. Witnessing their self-serving countenances as they twisted right and wrong with such unwavering self-assurance, she articulated, “Father, Elder Brother, you do not wish for them to suffer injustice, and so, you deem it acceptable to inflict injustice upon Mother and me. Is that not so?”
Wen Jingshu, discerning the accusation laced within her words, felt a surge of displeasure. He chastised her: “Ling’er, you truly were raised in the countryside from youth, ignorant of the gravity of status and lineage in the capital.”
“Your Father is the Prime Minister. The residence requires a principal wife capable of managing the household, one who will never bring trouble or disgrace upon the Prime Minister’s Estate, and a legitimate daughter beyond all reproach. If you were a son, like your four elder brothers, then that would be one thing. But alas, you are a daughter!”
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