Chapter 69

When Duke Liu heard Huo Siwei say that Tang Yun had the audacity to snatch An’an in broad daylight, he already had the intent to kill him. He only held back because he was worried that his gentle-natured daughter would find it improper, and that his kind-hearted wife might think he was being too ruthless.

But now, looking at his daughter, it seemed she hated Tang Yun even more than he did.

“Nuluo, have you found something out recently?”

Duke Liu took a sip of tea, his expression less stern than before.

Faced with her father’s question, Liu Nuluo stayed silent for a moment. She even picked up her teacup and took a sip, as if to distract herself.

For An’an’s safety, this absurd rebirth was something better kept secret. The fewer who knew, the better—even if the person in front of her was her own father.

“Father…”

Liu Nuluo didn’t plan to tell him the whole truth. But there were some parts she could say, omitting the more critical ones.

“I suddenly figured something out recently. Back then, Tang Yun said that during my early pregnancy, my mood was unpredictable. He claimed he didn’t mention anything about aborting the child in those first three months because he was afraid of upsetting me, which might hurt me and the baby.”

Ever since returning to the Duke’s manor, Liu Nuluo had rarely spoken to her father about her life in the Tang household, afraid he’d worry or feel wronged on her behalf.

“But he wasn’t trying to protect me or the baby. He knew very well that after three months, I physically couldn’t have an abortion.”

“The reason he treated An’an so poorly is because from the very start, what he really wanted was a daughter.”

If it weren’t his own daughter saying these things, Duke Liu wouldn’t believe a word of it. After all, whether a child was male or female wasn’t something that went according to plan.

“Father, it’s not that he liked girls. He just couldn’t accept raising someone else’s child as his adopted son, someone of lower status. He wanted that child to become the Duke’s grandson-in-law.”

Even her pregnancy had been part of his scheme—how could Liu Nuluo possibly remain as kind and forgiving as before?

Duke Liu had already been angry about these matters many times. So now, hearing this new explanation—absurd as it was—didn’t come as much of a surprise.

“Leave this matter to me. What’s done is done. Nuluo, you should look ahead.”

“Yes.”

Liu Nuluo bowed her head slightly in agreement. She wouldn’t be trapped in the past. If she had originally been fated to die, then An’an had saved her. It was thanks to him that she was alive and well now.

In this lifetime, no matter what, she would take good care of An’an and ensure he grew up safe and healthy.

“It’s best that you’ve come to terms with all this.”

Before the father and daughter could finish their conversation, a servant burst in, breathless and flustered, dropping to his knees and panting heavily. His frantic appearance made Duke Liu frown in displeasure.

“What’s going on? Why are you in such a rush?”

“Master, the Huo family is here with a marriage proposal.”

“A proposal? For whom?”

Duke Liu thought seriously about it. Right now, the only suitable person of age in their family was Liu Nuluo, who had already separated from her husband. Anyone else was out of the question. So, almost instinctively, he turned to look at his daughter.

“Father, I…”

“Reject it. The Huo family is not like the Tang family. Both parents are alive, and there are so many rules. How could you endure it?”

Liu Nuluo softly responded with an “mm.” She didn’t want her life, which had finally found peace, to be disrupted again.

Perhaps in the past she had missed her chance due to her own lack of understanding. But since it had already passed, it only meant they had no fate.

Duke Liu changed into formal clothes and went to the main hall to receive the guests. Madam Huo was already seated, sipping a cup of tea. The Duchess was also summoned.

Even if the intention was to decline, etiquette had to be observed.

In the past, Madam Huo would’ve been unwilling to visit. Her son had returned from war with honors, and every noble lady in the capital was his for the choosing.

Had Liu Nuluo not been previously divorced, Madam Huo might’ve thought this marriage a good match. But now she had already separated once and had a child.

Though even the emperor now encouraged widows to remarry—there were even concubines in the harem who had remarried—she still found it hard to accept.

As a parent, of course she believed her child deserved only the best.

But this was the first time her rebellious youngest son had ever knelt in front of her and begged. No matter how much dissatisfaction she held, she couldn’t bear to deny him.

He brought up the times he’d faced death on the battlefield. Pained by the memory, Madam Huo even foolishly agreed to him marrying into the Liu family.

Seeing how overjoyed Huo Siwei was, Madam Huo couldn’t bear to take back her words.

Had she not personally sent him off to the battlefield and caused him to miss out on Liu Nuluo, she would’ve had the confidence to refuse all his requests.

She would’ve kept him at home under the pretense of protecting him and taken away everything he loved.

But now, she couldn’t. She felt guilty.

She instructed servants to select the best gifts from the storeroom—she couldn’t have others thinking their family didn’t understand proper manners.

At first, Duke Liu was firmly against it. Not only did Liu Nuluo not want to go through more turmoil, but he also felt sorry for his daughter and didn’t want her to suffer again.

A person only lives a few decades. He just wanted his daughter to be happy.

But when Madam Huo awkwardly mentioned that it wasn’t them seeking to marry Liu Nuluo, but Huo Siwei who was willing to marry into their family, Duke Liu froze mid-sip and turned to ask:

“Is that true?”

“It is.”

Madam Huo smiled and nodded slightly. When there were no choices, she had to sacrifice her child. But now that there was a choice, she didn’t want him to miss his true love again after losing so much on the battlefield.

“I’ll need to discuss this further with my wife.”

“As you should. Then I’ll come back another day.”

After seeing Madam Huo off, Duke Liu discussed the matter with the Duchess. Upon reflection, if Liu Nuluo was willing, it might not be a bad thing.

Back when she had disguised herself as a man and snuck out of the house, only Liu Nuluo thought she was being clever. If Duke Liu hadn’t secretly instructed the servants to open the back gate, she wouldn’t even have gotten out of the manor.

So Duke Liu had known a bit about her relationship with Huo Siwei, which was why he now hesitated.

He knew his daughter had a strong will. The more obstacles she faced, the more determined she became. But when it came to love, wounds could slowly unravel her from the inside.

That was what pained him most—he still remembered how she knelt before him, begging to be with Tang Yun, trying to preserve Tang Yun’s pride.

At that moment, Liu Nuluo was in the courtyard playing with An’an. The boy seemed to have recovered quite a bit, though his body was still soft and weak.

Unlike his father, Liu Nuluo didn’t try to teach An’an to read. Instead, she picked up a travel journal and read it to him. The places described were ones An’an had never seen before, opening up a whole new world for him.

He sat there, his small hands on his knees, listening with deep fascination.

After finishing the travelogue, Liu Nüluo felt parched. She drank a cup of tea, and just at that moment, the maid brought over some porridge, which she personally fed to An’an.

That night, after An’an had fallen asleep, Duke Liu summoned his daughter to the study to bring up the matter.

Since it was a case of matrilocal marriage, there was no concern about his daughter being wronged again. After careful consideration, Liu Nüluo didn’t feel comfortable agreeing outright and only said, “I’ll leave it to Father to decide.”

“I understand.”

……

An’an ended up convalescing for a full half month. No matter how carefully she looked after him, his chubby little face still thinned noticeably.

The monthly allowance Liu Sisi’s sister-in-law gave to her own son was entirely spent by Liu Sisi on his little cousin.

Every time he came back from the academy, he would always bring some new and interesting trinkets for him, making sure he wouldn’t be bored even at home.

What had been bothering little An’an lately was that the uncle who had saved his older brother in the street kept appearing around him. Every time he came to visit, it was with his mother.

A sense of crisis welled up in his little heart—he felt that man had come to steal his mother away from him.

For the second time, Huo Siwei racked his brains trying to win over someone—this time, such a small child. Some things he said weren’t even understood by An’an.

An’an’s attitude toward him was lukewarm at best. If Huo Siwei wanted to play with him, he’d reluctantly play for a bit. If Huo Siwei didn’t initiate, An’an wouldn’t go near him at all.

It was like trying to grasp a slippery mudfish—no matter how he tried, he couldn’t hold on.

Huo Siwei even went so far as to take An’an to his residence and show him the gold medallion personally bestowed upon him by the Emperor.

“Look, aren’t I amazing?”

Understanding that Huo Siwei was only trying to curry favor with him because he liked his mother, An’an awkwardly squirmed out of his arms, grabbed Liu Sisi’s hand, and lifted his chin slightly as he hummed softly:

“I have my brother. My brother is amazing!”

Seeing An’an trust him so blindly, Liu Sisi for once felt a sense of pressure.

Although he was indeed outstanding and had been praised many times by his grandfather, compared to General Huo, who had returned victorious from battle, there was still quite a gap.

As for the honor of a death-exemption medallion—Liu Sisi didn’t dare to dream of it. He was confident, but never arrogant.

“Yes, yes, your brother is amazing.”

Huo Siwei didn’t refute him. He only wanted An’an to know that he wasn’t as useless as his biological father.

The real reason he brought An’an over this time, besides showing him the death-exemption medallion, was to bring Liu Nüluo to meet Tang Yun.

Not only Tang Yun, but Tang Jun was also being held here. Liu Nüluo wore a light green gauze dress today, which made her look even more gentle and graceful.

The few people who had come along were all trusted aides of Huo Siwei, so there was no concern about them leaking secrets. The two imprisoned in the dungeon were brought out directly.

Both were dressed in rags and looked miserable. When they were pushed to the ground, they didn’t even have the strength to get up.

When Tang Yun looked up and saw that it was Liu Nüluo sitting there, a flash of anger crossed his eyes, and he questioned her:

“Why won’t you let me go, even now?”

Tang Yun’s question made Liu Nüluo want to laugh. She couldn’t tell who it was that truly refused to let go.

“If you had obediently taken your son and left, never stirred up trouble for us, how would things have ended up like this?”

Just thinking about how An’an had run a high fever and needed so long to recover made her heart ache again.

“You—even if you resent me, you shouldn’t take it out on Jun’er. He’s just a child. You’re a mother now too. How can you be so cruel?”

It would’ve been better if he hadn’t mentioned it. Once he did, Liu Nüluo could no longer contain her fury. She slammed the table, gripping a teacup and fiercely hurled it at Tang Yun’s forehead.

“From the moment I sat here until now, have you ever once asked about An’an?”

Blood streamed from the gash on Tang Yun’s forehead. Tang Jun hurried over to cover the wound, looking up at Liu Nüluo and saying:

“How could you hit Father?”

Liu Nüluo didn’t want to argue. Even if Tang Jun had done nothing, it was hard for her to feel any warmth toward someone who had benefitted from everything. She couldn’t help the resentment that spilled over onto him.

“Since you’re so close, then of course I won’t separate you two.”

“Men, cripple both of their hands.”

The guards quickly stepped forward. It was only then that real fear flickered across Tang Yun’s face. Clutching his right hand—the one he used for writing—he widened his eyes, and when he saw the guard about to strike at Jun’er, he shielded him in a panic and shouted:

“How can you be so vicious? Everything was done by me! Why are you punishing Jun’er?”

The guards brought Liu Nüluo another cup of tea. She lazily skimmed off the tea foam, and upon hearing those words, she set the cup aside and chuckled lightly.

“Vicious? Then tell me this, Tang Jun—do you dare swear on your life that the time you drove the maid away was truly just to see An’an?”

This was something Liu Nüluo had never been sure about. Now, she asked in a tone of absolute certainty, as if she already held irrefutable evidence.

Most people would react with fury at such an accusation. But Tang Jun didn’t. A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes too quickly, but Liu Nüluo still caught it.

Recalling Tang Yun’s previous oaths and bold words, she almost laughed in disbelief. She closed her eyes and said:

“Forget it. For An’an’s sake, for the blessings I want to pray on his behalf—I’ll only take one hand.”

“Yes, madam.”

Though one hand would still be ruined, it was better than losing both. Tang Yun let out a deep breath, lowering his gaze to hide the hatred and resentment in his eyes.

Even if it was just one hand, he was still dissatisfied. Who would choose to be injured if they had a choice? If the strike wasn’t precisely measured, he might never get a promotion again.

Seeing that resentment, Huo Siwei added coldly from behind:

“Cripple Tang Yun’s right hand—the one he uses to write. As for Tang Jun, I heard he’s left-handed? Then cripple the left.”

Even if An’an wasn’t easy to win over, Huo Siwei already saw him as his own son. As a father, how could he stand by and let others harm his child?

The guards were precise and ruthless—no doctor, no matter how skilled, could ever fully heal them again.

Once it was done, the two were thrown out of the villa. If they wanted to return to the capital, they’d have to find their own way back.

In the carriage on the return journey, Huo Siwei spoke up on his own:

“Don’t worry. I’ll have people keep watch on them—make sure they never rise again in this lifetime.”

Liu Nüluo sat silently, a flicker of doubt passing through her eyes. After a long pause, she finally asked:

“So… who exactly is Tang Jun’s birth mother?”