Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
However, even if Lu Yunshuang was not Lu Hetian and Madam Zheng’s daughter, the bloodstained underwear was still real, right?
If not for the Empress Dowager’s intervention, she would probably have never found out about Madam Zheng seducing Lu Hetian.
She fumed as she thought of how Lu Hetian had hidden the truth from her, but at the same time, an inexplicable glimmer of hope arose in her heart.
She frowned and glanced at Zeng Lunan, wanting to ask something, but eventually gave up because of the number of people present.
Stricken with remorse, Zeng Lunan broke the silence. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been a coward back then, maybe all of this wouldn’t have happened…”
The Dowager Duchess shook her head. “Please don’t blame yourself, Mr. Zeng. We can’t thank you enough for bringing such important news to us. Besides, the fact that the Empress Dowager sent someone after you meant that she was determined to get what she wanted, and if you’d tried to fight back, you’d have died in vain. Plus, there was nothing you could do since you were severely injured.”
Her words made Zeng Lunan feel even guiltier. “But I could have come to the imperial capital and told you the truth after I’d recovered. Instead, I was afraid that the man in black would appear and try to kill me again, so I ended up spending all these years in hiding.” After speaking, he was even more ashamed.
Back then, the man in black had wounded him heavily and almost killed him, which was why he could only watch helplessly as his wife and child were taken away.
Luckily, he managed to survive, and when he finally recovered from his injury, a year had already passed.
Terrified by the assassin’s viciousness, he convinced himself that his wife and child would not be in danger, and hence he did not go to the imperial capital to look for them.
Was he not just chickening out because he was scared of death?!
He was nothing but a coward.
His conscience had tortured him throughout all these years of hiding, plaguing his life with unease. This time, he finally made up his mind to search the imperial capital for his wife and daughter, but to his dismay, Madam Zheng was already dead.
He also learned that Zheng Yanran’s intervention had brought about a dreadful misunderstanding between the Grand Duke and Duchess and had even kept the Duchess away from the imperial capital all these years.
The thought made him hang his head in guilt.
Lu Liangwei glanced at him and could not help sighing to herself at how sincere the man seemed. It was a blessing for Madam Zheng to have such a man as her husband. If not for the Empress Dowager’s intervention, Madam Zheng would not have died and would have been living a blissful life with her family instead.
Of course, it was Madam Zheng’s own fault for ending up the way she did. If not for her wickedness, all this would not have happened. Her parents would not have been separated for so many years and remained in a deadlock until today.
Just then, Long Yang, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke up. “But why did the Empress Dowager even bother?”
Lu Liangwei also furrowed her brow and said, “Exactly. What did she get out of all this? What was her motive? How was Mother a hindrance to her, and why must she drive Mother out of the imperial capital?”
She blurted out her questions all at once.
Under everyone’s confused gazes, Zeng Lunan shook his head blankly and said, “The man in black didn’t give all the details at that time. He just told Zheng Yanran to obey, and assured her that the Empress Dowager would treat her well in the future. It was because he said this that I realized he was sent by the Empress Dowager.”
Lu Liangwei paused and looked at Ling Lihua. “Could it be that you unintentionally offended the Empress Dowager or found out some secret of hers, so she decided to use Madam Zheng to attack you?”
“Secret?” Ling Lihua was bemused. “I’ve only met her a few times, so there’s no way I could have offended her. As for her secrets…” She suddenly paused, her gaze landing on Long Yang.
Startled, Long Yang said, “If there’s something you’d like to say, go ahead.”