Inside the ancestral hall, candle flames flickered, making a soft crackling sound.

No lamps were lit, and the light was dim.

The remaining glow from the horizon quietly sifted through the window lattice, casting a shadow on one side of Wei Zhao’s face.

He stood tall, like pine or bamboo, maintaining a respectful gesture, hands cupped in salute, his nose straight, and lips thin and pale.

Yet due to a single sentence from him, the ancestral hall fell into an extended dead silence.

Ning Suxuan’s face showed no ripples, but emotions churned like waves inside her. Her hand pressed hard on the incense table, unconsciously exerting force, causing her veins to bulge.

A soft snapping sound was heard.

Her meticulously cared-for fingernail snapped, but Ning Suxuan felt no pain, staring directly at the person in front of her, lips tightly pressed. A huge stone weighed on her heart, making it difficult for her to breathe. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

No wonder...

No wonder Wei Zhao seemed off after coming back this time.

Even though they interacted as they always had, with Wei Zhao being as disciplined and respectful as ever, Ning Suxuan was sensitive and perceptive. How could she not notice that something was amiss with Wei Zhao, that he was harboring something?

But she never thought much of it, only assuming Wei Zhao had experienced too much outside this time, surviving near death.

This child had always been prudent, rarely causing her worry.

Hence, since Wei Zhao did not speak of it, she did not ask.

All these years, things had been like this. She did not know what Wei Zhao thought, and Wei Zhao could not see through her thoughts either.

There had long been a rift between mother and son.

It was unknown how much time had passed, but the two remained in a stalemate.

Ning Suxuan took a deep breath: "Because of my past marriage with that man, you suspect me of infidelity?"

"You are questioning me in front of the ancestors of the Wei Family, in front of your father?"

Wei Zhao heard his own voice.

"I have secretly investigated this matter."

"That person has come here many times."

Wei Zhao: "Father left behind many skilled Hidden Guards before he died, only obeying Mother. Without Mother’s orders, the main courtyard might as well be impenetrable. How could anyone come and go freely?"

"Before I went out to battle, I also left many Wei Family Army soldiers, who would storm in at any sign of trouble in the main courtyard."

But the main courtyard... was as calm as ever.

Everyone by Ning Suxuan’s side was dismissed by her in advance.

Which means... Ning Suxuan was waiting for that person to come.

If she was forced, Wei Zhao would risk his life to tear that person to shreds!

Wei Zhao: "On the day Father breathed his last, he came to pay respects and privately met with Mother."

At that time, Ning Suxuan had been keeping vigil with Wei Zhao in the mourning hall but left for half an hour.

Ning Suxuan’s expression turned even colder: "Continue."

"Father’s death was suspicious. Initially, that cold wasn’t untreatable."

"The small name given to me wasn’t bestowed by the elders of the Wei Family either."

The late Crown Prince, Second Prince, and Fifth Prince were all envious of the Holy Emperor’s long favoritism towards him since childhood.

Mr. Tu, who was by Emperor Ying’s side, frequently sighed in his presence.

— "Every time the General went to battle, the Holy Emperor would miss him the most, treating him like a half-son."

"A hidden portrait of Mother is still secretly kept in the Yangxin Hall, which once hung in Mother’s study for three years."

How could Wei Zhao not recognize a painting by Wei Fengxing?

Why would it be in Yangxin Hall?

When the Wei Family Army was allowed to return to the Capital and he could appear in public, he mentioned the painting intentionally or unintentionally to Ning Suxuan.

He did not want to believe it. Even though he was resolute and decisive, he would avoid facing such matters.

He was trapped in the mire, wanting to hate Ning Suxuan.

But she was his biological mother.

Guilty towards Wei Fengxing, but feeling unqualified even for that.

Wei Zhao’s world collapsed.

His clever attempt to uphold the Duke Wei Mansion’s reputation seemed like a joke.

No.

He was the joke.

Holding on to his last hope, he had once asked Ning Suxuan.

— "What happened to the painting that used to be here?"

How did Ning Suxuan reply at that time?

She merely glanced casually, speaking with a cold and detached tone.

— "It got stained, so it was taken down."

— "Really? Is Mother sure?"

— "Does Mother have nothing to say to her son?"

She merely answered.

— "Since you’re back in the capital, by rules, you should go to the Imperial Palace to greet the Holy Emperor. Offer incense to your father afterwards."

Nothing else was mentioned.

Why did she need to hide it?

Ning Suxuan’s hand with the broken nail was raised mid-air, about to strike Wei Zhao’s face.

Wei Zhao neither dodged nor flinched, maintaining his previous posture.

Yet the hand that almost hit his face abruptly stopped, trembling.

"You..."

Ning Suxuan: "How much of a failure must I be as a mother to..."

The words got caught, her face turning ashen.

Indeed, she failed.

She remembered when Wei Zhao was four, he fell off a pony and cried wanting her to hold him.

She pushed him away.

She said,

— "A gentleman has composure."

— "But doesn’t Aunt often hold Cousin Yunling?"

Tears hung in his eyes.

— "Mother doesn’t like Gui Zhi, do you? Everyone says so outside, they all say you don’t like me."

— "I want to refute them, but Mother truly doesn’t care much for me, what you care about is a successful, talented son who always scores first at the Imperial College."

That was the first time Ning Suxuan hit him.

She didn’t use much force, but a child’s skin is delicate. A palm print quickly appeared on his face.

Ning Suxuan’s heart trembled; she turned her face away, speaking stiffly.

— "Yes! My child, Ning Suxuan’s child, cannot underperform in studies; you cannot embarrass me!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhao’s eyes turned red. He lifted his head, stubbornly looking at her.

— "I hate you, Mother, I hate you!"

He rushed out, bumping into Wei Fengxing, who had just returned from court.

Wei Fengxing looked at his cold-faced wife, then at his son weeping like a tearful mess, bent down to pick him up, and went to the side room.

Ning Suxuan took a sip of tea, composed herself, and then stepped towards the side room.

She heard Wei Fengxing’s gentle voice.

— "Your mother is different from others; she grew up in the palace, without much motherly affection, no one taught her. She doesn’t know how normal mother-son interaction should be, she’s a mother for the first time."

— "You were carried by her for nine months. How could she not care for you?"

— "But Gui Zhi, you’re a child of the Wei Family. Right now, you don’t understand the heavy burden. Your mother is strict with you because it’s truly for your own good."

— "Never say you hate your mother again. It stabs her heart. Father won’t allow it either."

Regarding studies, Wei Fengxing was strict too, but he balanced reward and punishment with skill. Ning Suxuan, however, never spoke soft words.

The child who once cried has grown taller than her now.

Ning Suxuan felt gratified by this.

Her stiff hand was withdrawn; she closed her eyes and unexpectedly asked, "Do you know why your uncle never married?"

Her voice, unlike before, was filled with tiredness.

About the elders’ matters, Wei Zhao had heard a thing or two.

Ning Suxuan’s diversion, seeming to change the subject, unexpectedly let his tightly-held hands slowly release, his palms cold and clammy.

The many years of burden crumbled at that moment, and the suffocating weight seemed to find relief.

Wei Zhao pressed his lips, embarrassment overwhelming him.

Before he could respond, Ning Suxuan spoke first.

"The Imperial Concubine in the palace, the girl from the Ministry of the Imperial Household, Miss Shen who was close with the Yu Family, and her paternal aunt had once privately pledged lifelong commitment with your uncle."