I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 61: Suffering on behalf of others

Where can one find a picturesque landscape? The reflections of magnificent pavilions shimmer in the water. On the pavilion, with its soaring eaves and brackets like flying pheasants, a sickly man in blue sits at his desk, writing something.

"Young Master, the Lord of the Fortress requests your presence in the main hall."

The man put down his pen and coughed violently. Two servants beside him, one carefully attending to him and the other immediately bringing a bowl of hot tea.

His pale face was covered in cold sweat. He waved his hand, signaling the page to step aside. Once his breathing had calmed, he asked softly:

"Uncle Li, why did you come personally to deliver this message? Has Second Brother returned?"

Uncle Li cautiously observed the eldest son's expression and sighed inwardly.

The eldest son was born prematurely and was naturally weak, making him unable to learn martial arts. The competitive second wife specially invited a great scholar to teach him. The eldest son studied day and night, but he was still easily surpassed by the young master of the fortress.

In the past two months, the young master of the fortress had stolen the show at the Three Religions Origin Conference. After the news reached Jiang You, Jiang You spread the word everywhere that the young master of the fortress was a rare Confucian prophet reincarnated, and even the eldest son's teacher praised him highly.

The eldest son, having heard the rumors, has been studying diligently these past few days, even after catching a cold.

He knew that the eldest son had always longed for the lord's praise and recognition. Although the lord cared about his eldest son, his attention was more focused on the young lord.

Now that the Second Madam has committed a crime, the Fortress Master ordered him to come and inform the Eldest Young Master to attend the hearing. He advised the Fortress Master that this might be too cruel. The Fortress Master replied that as Tang Qifei's son, he must be able to bear this burden. He was just a servant and couldn't say anything, hoping the Eldest Young Master could understand.

Thinking of this, Uncle Li respectfully bowed again and reminded him:

"Young Master, no matter what happens later, you must not disobey your elders. The Lord of the Fortress still has expectations of you. This old servant has important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Upon hearing this, the man froze on the spot, his slender fingers involuntarily clenching. He lowered his eyes, and after a long while, he came to his senses, loosened his hands which were almost bleeding from being clenched, and walked out with a page.

*

The spacious hall had smooth marble floor tiles. On the cold tiles, a beautiful woman in palace attire lay reclining.

She wore a silk robe, its hem flowing like clouds. The robe was adorned with delicate patterns of gold and silver threads, shimmering with a soft light. Her high-piled hair was embellished with an ornate hairpin, its jewels swaying and complementing her beautiful face.

Her once dignified, elegant, and radiant face was now brimming with tears. She didn't care whether her exquisite makeup was ruined by the tears; her voice trembled as she still couldn't believe the man before her could be so heartless.

"Brother Yun, would you rather believe these strangers of unknown origin than me? Over the years, my heart has been devoted to you and Yi'er. Where would I have the energy and time to plot such a treasonous act? Yi'er is frail, and I have been taking meticulous care of her by her bedside every day. I know my sister has always hated me, but how could she pin such a heinous crime on me? If His Majesty truly investigates, our entire Tang Family Fortress will be buried with him!"

"Your Highness, please put your mind at ease. With Lord Cui here, I believe His Majesty will be able to see the truth clearly and will not implicate innocent people."

Fei Xi's words did not "comfort" her; instead, they earned her a venomous glare. She touched her nose, and her gaze shifted to Cui Chou, who sat calmly in his armchair.

When Fei Xi mentioned him, the man remained silent, only glancing at her with a half-smile, seemingly pleased to see her resented.

The palace-dressed beauty's expression changed swiftly, her gaze averted in an instant. She glanced fearfully at the man at the upper right of the hall, and, unwilling to give up, asked again:

"Brother Yun, are you really going to hand me over to this butcher?"

The man with a calm expression simply watched her quietly from beginning to end, showing none of the heartache and anxiety he usually felt when she shed tears, as if the sky were falling.

When Tang Ziyi entered, his eyes quickly scanned the people in the hall. Seated at the head of the table was an effeminate man he didn't recognize. To his father's left were his aunt and second brother, and to his right were two young women and a young man—all three of whom he had never seen before.

He looked away, bowed to his father, and then knelt down beside his mother.

Upon seeing him arrive, the beautiful woman in palace attire seemed unable to bear it any longer, resting her head on his shoulder and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Yi'er, your father doesn't want you and me anymore."

Tang Ziyi did not respond to his mother, nor did he ask what had happened. He slammed his head heavily to the ground.

In the quiet hall, the loud "thud" was like a clap of thunder, so loud that it startled the woman in palace attire, making her body tremble.

Tang Qifei's expression shifted slightly. His cold eyes narrowed a little, and he looked at his eldest son with a sharp gaze.

This sickly son, whom he usually neglected, was far more intelligent than he had imagined. A cold, emotionless voice echoed in the hall:

"Get up. This time, your mother has committed a crime that neither of us can save her. I will do my best to save her life, but no matter what happens to your mother, you will always be the eldest son of Tang Family Fort, and that will not change."

“Father, it is unfilial of a child not to suffer in place of mother. No matter what the outcome is, Yi’er is willing to stay with mother. Please grant my request.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Ziyi bumped his head again with a "thud," and this time, he couldn't stop coughing.

His mother seemed stunned by their conversation, and it took her a few moments to react. Holding her still-coughing son, she glared hatefully at the person on her left.

"Tang Huaiyi, are you trying to force your older brother to his death?!"

"Shen Mengrong, what do your misdeeds have to do with my child? Isn't everything Yi'er is going through today thanks to you? Don't you feel any remorse when you're up at night?"

"It's clearly your fault, sister! It's all because of you and Tang Huaiyi's relentless pressure that my Yi'er is so frail and sickly, confined to her bedside." Shen Mengrong showed no remorse; her beautiful face was twisted with resentment. She stared intently at that handsome, refined face, that face so similar to her husband's, which was far colder towards her than her husband's.

"What kind of benevolent and righteous young master is he, unparalleled in the world? It's all a lie. If you were truly benevolent and righteous, you wouldn't knowingly take everything away from your elder brother, even though he's suffering!"

He Xiaolian laughed in anger. She actually thought that this bitch would feel guilty for harming her child. Only today did she realize that this kind of person only cared about herself. Not only did she feel no remorse when harming others, she also hated those who didn't obediently let her kill them. This bitch didn't deserve to be a mother at all. It was just a pity that Yi'er was born into such a bad fate.

Before He Xiaolian could retort, her child stepped forward and knelt before his father.

"Seeing my father, I naturally know filial piety; seeing my elder brother, I naturally know brotherly love. Although my second mother is not my biological mother, she is my stepmother and I am just as guilty as my parents, even if they have advised me not to do my duty. Now, my elder brother is willing to share the blame with my mother, and I am also willing to share the blame with my elder brother."

"Heh, Lord Tang, I don't have time to watch how you discipline your son. If Princess Ruiyun still refuses to honestly confess who provided her with the kerosene and catapults, I'll have no choice but to 'invite' her to the Zhenfu Division." A rough, hoarse voice interrupted Tang Huaiyi's words. Cui Chou sneered, seemingly very disgusted by the farce unfolding before him.

"Cui Chou, you dare to touch this princess? As long as my title remains, you'll be sent to the Imperial Clan Court!"

"The Crown Prince said the same thing a few days ago. Princess, why don't you guess where the Crown Prince is now?"

The way Cui Chou looked at her, as if she were already dead, filled Shen Mengrong with a chilling fear for the first time in her life. She then turned her gaze to the man at the top, her eyes filled with a heartbreakingly desperate pleading.

Tang Qifei seemed not to notice. He sighed softly, ignoring his two sons' requests, a hint of helplessness creeping into his usually calm eyes.

“Rongrong, I know you’ve always been naive and timid. Why do you have to keep that person’s secret? Tell Lord Cui who deceived you and redeem yourself.”

Shen Mengrong hadn't expected her husband to say that; a herd of mythical beasts raced through her mind. Just as she was about to speak again, her heart suddenly ached.

At first, she thought it was Tang Qifei's attitude that hurt her, but soon she felt something was wrong with her heart. For some reason, she suddenly remembered the pill that the man had given her when she first met him.

With a thud, Princess Ruiyun coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.