Chapter 713: Difficulties
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“Don’t touch my man.” Old Madam w.a.n.g pulled Old man w.a.n.g behind her. “He can’t withstand a move from Lord Duke.”
Compared to Old Madam w.a.n.g, Old man w.a.n.g’s lousy martial arts could only compete with the old men in the village. How could he withstand Duke An’s attack?
Duke An was really angry.
Especially when he heard her say “my man”, he was so angry that he almost threw his other boot.
Not only had the daughter he had carefully raised been seduced by a pig, but she had also become so vulgar. She did not have the bearing of the number one woman in the Great Chang at all.
Not to mention pretending, they probably did not even dare to acknowledge the current her in front of those n.o.bles!
“Alright, stop it. All these years, An’er has been alone outside. It’s always better to have someone by her side to take care of her than to wander around alone.” The old d.u.c.h.ess comforted her husband and looked at Old Madam w.a.n.g with no disdain, only slow pity.
This was the daughter she doted on the most, and the daughter she owed the most.
In her lifetime, she gave birth to six children and raised three illegitimate children for her husband. In the end, there weren’t many who lived well.
In comparison, this daughter who had left looked like she was at least doing well.
“An’er, back then—” The old d.u.c.h.ess looked at Old Madam w.a.n.g and did not deliberately get close to her. She only wanted to tell her what she had thought about for a long time.
“There’s no need to say anything else. I’m already old and can’t remember what happened back then, and I don’t want to remember. As for what difficulties the two Lords have, there’s no need to tell an outsider like me.” Old Madam w.a.n.g interrupted the old d.u.c.h.ess. “I’ll say the same thing. If you have something to say, just say it. If you want to reminisce, there’s no need.”
The really old Duke An and his wife:”…”
They investigated and antic.i.p.ated many times, but they never expected that their youngest daughter would now have no hatred, no complaints, no dissatisfaction, no demands. She even seemed uninterested in dealing with them.
It turned out that she really did not care about everything from back then.
If she wanted the t.i.tle of Princess Yong Chang again, it wasn’t that they didn’t have the ability to help her take it back, but they didn’t have such plans.
But now that she saw that her youngest daughter really had no intention of wanting it, she felt uncomfortable.
It turned out that after her daughter arrived at Wanning City, she did not look for them to acknowledge her. It was not that she couldn’t or was unwilling, but she thought that there was no need.
She didn’t want them anymore.
At the thought of this, the old d.u.c.h.ess could not hold back her tears anymore. They flowed down her face, but she could only turn her head away and wipe her tears silently.
“An’er, your second sister left something for you.” Duke An did not say anything else and pushed a copper box over.
Knowing that Old Madam w.a.n.g would not open it, he undid the lock of the box for her, revealing what was inside.
When Old Madam w.a.n.g saw the item at the top, her originally impatient expression froze.
It was a pair of clay figurines. They were two little girls holding hands. One was quietly holding a book, and the other was holding a long whip in high spirits. There were obvious cracks in their clasped hands, but they had been carefully repaired.
Even though more than 50 years had pa.s.sed, Old Madam w.a.n.g’s memories were instantly awakened.
At that time, she and Second Sister.
“An An, come on, let’s go out and play for a while! Reading books is so boring. Today is the Lantern Festival, which is fun. Come on, I’ve already prepared everything. Mom and Dad are attending the palace banquet, and Big Sister is at our maternal grandparents’ house. I promise no one will know that the little princess is going out to play!”
“An’an, look, this shop’s clay figurines are really beautiful.”
“It’s already dark. Stop reading. Look, our clay figures look alike!”
“An’an, don’t worry. No matter what others say, Second Sister will always protect you. Second Sister swears on her life!”
“You’re the high and mighty Princess Yong Chang. You were born a princess, but what about me? Heh, I had to give up my life just to obtain a t.i.tle resembling that of a princess. Royal favor? Since you seem to value it so much, how about you take my place in the arranged marriage?”
“What sisterly love? You really believe it! Princess Yong Chang, everyone says that you’re very smart. In my opinion, you’re extremely stupid and easy to deceive.”
“What do you think others are saying? Pretending to be friendly with the Empress and exchanging handkerchiefs, all the while eyeing the power behind her. You’re truly despicable! Why shouldn’t I believe it? In my eyes, that’s exactly the kind of person you are, aren’t you?”
“Get lost. I feel disgusted when I see your pretentious appearance! The number one person in the Great Chang? Pfft!”
H 11
Old Madam w.a.n.g narrowed her eyes. In the end, she was not as impulsive as when she was young to smash the clay figurine again.
There were still a few things under the clay figurine. She took them out, but they were a few seals and some land deeds.
“When your second sister got married, she only took the dowry given by the Emperor and left the rest to you. At that time, everyone thought you wouldn’t be away for long and would come back. How could you bear the hardships outside? Over these years, the a.s.sets she left behind and what you originally had, we’ve been managing and safeguarding them, not letting the others in the family get involved. Even the Empress Dowager helped cover it up. So, you can use them without worry,” Duke An said. “I understand that you might not value the ident.i.ty of Princess Yongchang anymore, but this is your second sister’s intention. Keep it.”
Old Madam w.a.n.g: “No need.”
“Be good.” As Duke An spoke, he suddenly coughed heavily a few times. “1 know that you actually resent us in your heart. You’re a child with a big temper, and I don’t ask for your forgiveness. It’s just that this is all 1 have to say for your second sister. She has never let you down or anyone else down. But when she left, you were the one she was most worried about. Keep her legacy items well.”
Hearing the words legacy items, Old Madam w.a.n.g’s eyelids trembled. She thought of her second sister, who always wanted to pull her out.
Her martial arts skills were taught by her second sister.
Second Sister was a peerless martial arts genius. If not for her family keeping a close eye on her, she would probably have been kidnapped out to roam the martial arts world at the age of ten. At that time, she was already able to fight some experts to a draw, and many experts of the same level were almost 30 years old.
Actually, Second Sister was a true martial arts fanatic. Other people would need three to five years to comprehend a move or two, but she would only need three to five days to understand it. The rest would be waiting to be mastered. At that time, she lost because she was young and lacked true qi.
She was only five years old when her second sister said to her, “An’an, my master said that it’s best to have a companion to learn martial arts. This way, we can achieve twice the results with half the effort. I don’t want to lose to those men. Why don’t you come and train with me? It doesn’t matter if you don’t know martial arts. You’re so smart. You’ll definitely be able to master it quickly!”
Thinking of this, Old Madam w.a.n.g became silent.
No one knew better than her that no matter how much she expressed disgust and hatred, she actually knew better than anyone else that her second sister must have had her difficulties back then. The person she hated the least was her second sister.
But she resents it. Everyone has their reasons, everyone praises her intelligence, yet everyone joins forces to weave a lie that she knows she shouldn’t believe but has no choice but to believe.
No matter what the purpose was.
She could not stay in such a hypocritical place.
“If you called me here because you want to give me these.” Old Madam w.a.n.g looked at the copper box one last time and shifted her gaze away from the clay figurines. She said calmly, “I’ll say the same thing. There’s no need. Husband, let’s go.”
Old man w.a.n.g reacted for a while before realizing that she was calling him.
He almost had gooseb.u.mps.
He hurriedly followed Old Madam w.a.n.g and left the stunned old couple behind.
The others did not dare to stop them at all and could only watch them leave.
When they were a little further away, the old d.u.c.h.ess blew her nose and asked in a choked voice, “Didn’t you tell her how much there is here?”
The things in the copper box were already worth more than five million taels. It was even more valuable than the entire Duke An Manor.
However, compared to Princess Yong Chang at her peak, it was still much less.
Back then, Princess Yong Chang was the center of attention. When some places offered tribute, they would specially leave a portion for her. At that time, the Great Chang was also prosperous and the rewards were abundant. Even if she ate gold every day to survive, she could eat for dozens of lifetimes.
Duke An said, “Keep it for her. There are some things that we haven’t told her yet.”
In fact, now was not the best time for them to reunite. However, everything had already come to this point. The old couple was afraid that they would not have the chance to talk to their youngest daughter again in this life.
Some secrets were worth the lives of several generations, but parents could not wait for even a moment to love their children.
“Our daughter will always be smart. Perhaps she can find out the truth herself,” the old d.u.c.h.ess said as her eyes turned red again. “This time, she revealed her ident.i.ty. We have to do something lest those rats smell her.”
“I’ve already arranged it long ago. The Empress Dowager has also sent a message. Although An’er doesn’t know, she’s helped her countless times.” Duke An thought for a moment and said, “The granddaughter she raised is also smart. She seems to have inherited all of An’er’s character. 1 heard that she’s even famous in w.a.n.gbei County and has the style of An’er back then. No, I have to go to the palace one day and ask for more benefits for An’er and our great-granddaughter.. I can’t let the royal family take all the benefits!”