Chapter 397 The Past

Chapter 397 The Past

The Countess of Qin'an frowned deeply, her expression darkening.

Five years ago?

But An Ningxin's illegitimate daughter was at least five years old!

This little liar didn’t have a single truthful word in her mouth!

The Countess of Qin'an continued to sneer with disdain.

The Earl of Qin'an, however, seemed lost in memory, his face showing a trace of reminiscence as An Ningxin spoke.

Seeing the Earl of Qin'an like this, the Countess clenched her jaw in anger.

An Ningxin avoided the Countess of Qin'an's gaze. She kept her head down and murmured, "...At that time, I was a peasant girl kidnapped by bandits into the mountains. The Earl of Qin'an, using the alias Qin Yu, and his men stormed the mountains, wiping out the bandits. They broke into the dungeon, rescuing me and other kidnapped women... At that time, I felt that this Mr. Qin Yu who saved me was a hero."

The Earl of Qin'an's eyes flickered with recognition as he recalled the past.

The Countess of Qin'an, however, snarled, "Witch!"

An Ningxin ignored her, her voice hoarse as she continued, "...What followed was a very predictable story. The rescued girl fell for her savior, and they ended up living together..."

The Countess of Qin'an could no longer hold back, her face twisted in rage as she cursed, "Shameless! How was any of that natural?! Did you even have a proper wedding?! In strict places, you should’ve been punished for living together out of wedlock! How could you have had illegitimate children?!"

Perhaps because of the mention of her child, or her own breaking point, An Ningxin suddenly looked up and said firmly, "Countess, I’m an orphan. The Earl told me his parents were gone too. Where were we supposed to bow to our elders? How do you know we didn’t have a proper ceremony?!"

The Countess was stunned, then shrieked in rage, "Lies! You’re lying!"

"Enough!" the Earl snapped coldly.

The Countess’s heart burned with fury. She clenched her jaw, her hatred for An Ningxin deepening.

The Earl of Qin'an turned to An Ningxin, looking at her pale face, his heart aching unbearably: "Ningxin, don’t say anymore..."

An Ningxin took a deep breath, but revealed an extremely bleak smile: "No, I must speak... Today I suffered this calamity, nearly died. Even if I have a thousand faults and ten thousand mistakes, I should at least be given a chance to explain myself. I fear that at some unknown time, I might die in such ambiguity..."

The Earl of Qin'an trembled all over, unable to speak.

The Countess of Qin'an coldly watched An Ningxin, as if waiting to see what more she could say.

"At that time, Qin Yu and I held a wedding ceremony. I did not know he was the Earl of Qin'an, and we lived like an ordinary couple," An Ningxin continued in a hoarse voice.

The Countess of Qin'an clenched her fists, her heart seething with jealousy and hatred!

"Not long after, I first gave birth to An Ying, and later had Master Hao," An Ningxin, seemingly recalling something, trembled slightly, "...But it was also at that time, I discovered that people often came to our small farmhouse looking for Qin Yu. Only then did I realize that the Qin Yu I had married for several years was not actually Qin Yu, he was the Earl of Qin'an, and he was going back to formally marry and have children..."

"Later, I confronted the Earl of Qin'an, asking him what he really wanted?"

An Ningxin trembled even more violently.

The Earl of Qin'an, however, had red eyes, hoarsely calling out: "Ningxin..."

An Ningxin ignored him and continued:

"I am a lowly silkworm-rearing girl, once kidnapped by bandits, how could I become a Countess?... I understand, I understand it all. So, I held back my tears and sent him back to the Earl of Qin'an's mansion to marry a noble lady. I thought we were over, but the Earl of Qin'an came back to me, saying he was worried about me and our two children in the outskirts, and he bought us a small house in the capital."

"I knew I shouldn’t have any further contact with the Earl of Qin'an, but he told me that our Master Hao had just started to babble, learning to call 'father', how could I let our child, at such a young age, lose his father?"

"I... reluctantly agreed and moved into the courtyard he had arranged for us. From then on, the Earl of Qin'an would frequently visit us mother and son."

An Ningxin's voice trembled as she spoke.

The Countess of Qin'an's eyes were filled with hatred, and she sneered, "You must have felt so triumphant then! Thinking that you had given up the Earl to me! Thinking that a well-bred lady like me couldn't compete with a mere silkworm farmer who had been kidnapped by bandits!"

She couldn't sit still any longer!

Listening to this wretch reminisce about her past as the Earl's wife, what does that make me? What was I, the Countess of Qin'an, who had been properly married with all the ceremonies and honors?

A joke?! Hah!

Tears welled up in An Ningxin's eyes as she looked at the Countess, her voice trembling, "I know I’m indebted to you, so no matter how you berate me, I bear it... but what have my children done wrong?"

"From the moment he was born, he became a hidden illegitimate child. Without a proper lineage, his future is bleak, and he will likely be pointed at and mocked, living his entire life under the shadow of being an illegitimate child..."

An Ningxin's whole body trembled slightly as she looked at the Earl, "Actually, today, I was planning to leave the capital. I would find a place where no one knows us, grow mulberry trees and raise silkworms, and simply raise Master Hao."

She then turned to the Countess, "So, Countess, from now on, the Earl of Qin'an is all yours. You don’t have to view us as a threat..."

The Earl stood up in agitation, grabbing An Ningxin's arm, "Ningxin, you can’t leave me! You promised me that we would be together for life!"

Seeing this, the Countess’s eyes blazed with fury!

Li Chunhua, who had listened to An Ningxin's story, was almost in tears. Seeing the Earl like this, she also became anxious and stepped forward to push the Earl, "...I understand now, it was you who deceived Miss An, then turned around and married the Countess of Qin'an! But after marrying the Countess, you didn't treat her well, causing her to resent Miss An more and more! In the end, you are the real culprit! How dare you pretend to be so affectionate now! Ugh!"

Li Chunhua berated him with righteous indignation.

The Earl’s face flushed with embarrassment, turning red and then pale.

An Ningxin wept silently.

The Countess also stood still, as if deeply moved.