Lin Fu felt a little dizzy, "So, you made a secret deal with Celia? The chip of the deal is helping her secure the position of the Duchess, and then she’ll repay me? Assist me in seizing power?"
"Seize power from whom? Your mother?" Lin Fu had always known that the Old Duchess didn’t like her, to the extent that she had returned to her fief before Lin Fu arrived on Capital Star, refusing to meet her. She had not expected, however, that their relationship would be so tense as to rival a plot for a coup.
She had thought that the relationships within the Fu Family were fairly good, after all, Fu Tian and Fu Yue were not difficult to get along with, and they listened to their older brother, whose deterrence was also strong enough.
"Yes! My mother is a tough one, and we don’t get along well either."
"Are you her biological child?"
Lin Fu was skeptical because Fu Xing, such a refined person, could plainly state that their relationship was not good, which indicated the extent of their estrangement.
"Oh! Huh?" The porridge Lin Fu had just taken a mouthful of nearly choked her, "Not biological?"
Fu Xing seemed quite pleased to see his young wife’s reaction, a light smile playing around his eyes.
"I was brought back by my father from outside, but very few people know this secret. Neither Fu Tian nor Fu Yue knows about it."
Lin Fu was shocked by this sudden revelation, and her gaze towards Fu Xing changed, filled with sympathy, "I had no idea your birth was ... Your childhood must have been difficult, right?"
"Heh heh..." Fu Xing couldn’t help but laugh out loud, "What are you thinking? My childhood was very comfortable, and I wasn’t an illegitimate child as you might imagine."
Lin Fu was truly confused.
Fu Xing revealed a serious expression, "The Fu Family has an unwritten tradition: many heirs are the children of the most beloved, and my biological mother was the love of my father’s life. Although she did not marry my father, the child she bore was the most important heir to him. Throughout the history of the Fu Family, many great Family Heads had such origins, so from the moment I was brought back, I was the undisputed heir."
"So it’s like that... Then your father is really a scoundrel!"
For a while, Lin Fu didn’t know which side to take.
Fu Xing covered his face, "More or less."
"What about the current Old Duchess?"
"A political marriage. They had an agreement before they married, a simple exchange of needs! Don’t feel burdened by it; it was a transaction between them. The Fu Family has long given what was due, but she got too greedy over time and forgot her place, really thinking she was my mother."
The secret of Fu Xing’s birth, the Old Duchess, envied by everyone as the noble lady, holding half the power of the Immolus Star System in her hands. Over time, she utterly forgot who she was.
Everyone saw her refusal to relinquish power even now.
"We’ll take action when we return to the fief."
Fu Xing had originally planned to wait since Ah Foo was still too young and immature, likely to be bullied. But now he suddenly realized his mistake.
That woman had fled to her fief, effectively broadcasting a message of non-recognition towards Ah Foo.
In fact, only those closest to him knew the truth; outsiders, including Ah Foo, did not. This prevented Ah Foo from ever truly integrating into the Fu Family, from becoming the real mistress, from finding a sense of belonging.