Chapter 585: You Ungrateful Wretch Only Want to Devote Yourself to Yu Chongen!

Chapter 585: You heartless ingrate—Yu Chongen is all you care about!

A horrifying realization dawned on the Princess Consort of Jiping Commandery.

She recoiled with a sharp gasp, stepping back. "...Was it Yu Chongen? Did Yu Chongen harm Zihang?!"

Hearing her mother suspect Yu-er-ge, Wei Shuangyan panicked. "No! It wasn’t Second Brother Yu!"

The Princess Consort trembled with rage. "I found it strange yesterday! Your brother may be mischievous, but he’s always known his limits. How could he just trip and crack his head on a rock?! Wei Shuangyan, if you have a single ounce of decency left in you, tell me—was it Yu Chongen who hurt your brother?! Was it?!"

The Princess Consort had never liked Yu Chongen to begin with. If this incident were pinned on him, Wei Shuangyan would never be allowed to be with him in this lifetime!

Gritting her teeth, she squeezed her eyes shut, then confessed in a trembling voice. "...Mother, I’ll tell you the truth. It wasn’t Yu-er-ge—it was me... Zihang saw me meeting Yu-er-ge in secret. He tried to pull me away, but I broke free and pushed him. That’s why he fell backward and hit the rock... Yu-er-ge had no part in this!"

The Princess Consort swayed, lightheaded with rage!

She could tell her daughter was finally telling the truth.

Her own flesh and blood—almost a murderer?!

The Princess Consort was truly enraged now, her entire body shaking violently, her face deathly pale.

Wei Shuangyan was utterly terrified. "Mother—"

A maid lunged to steady her, but the latter suddenly mustered unexpected strength, shoving the maid away and stepping forward. Her finger shook as she jabbed it at Wei Shuangyan, voice a venomous whisper. "...You—you... Do you have any idea how critical Zihang’s condition was yesterday? You nearly had your brother’s blood on your hands!"

Grief and fury tore through her.

Had she not pressed for answers and mistakenly blamed Yu Chongen, her precious daughter would have kept this hidden forever!

Seeing her mother’s rage, Wei Shuangyan grew fearful.

"Mother, I—I really didn’t mean to!" Wei Shuangyan pleaded desperately. "I just pushed him without thinking—I didn’t expect Zihang to lose his balance—"

*SLAP!*

This time, the Princess Consort put her whole body into the slap, sending Wei Shuangyan stumbling sideways until she collapsed against a table.

Her vision swam, ears buzzing from the impact. She heard her mother scream hoarsely. "Wei Shuangyan! That was your own brother! Over some man, you’d let your brother die, and you’d try to hide it! If I hadn’t accused that man today, were you planning to keep this secret forever?!"

Wei Shuangyan’s face burned with shame, but what overwhelmed her was panic. "Mother, I didn’t—"

But the Princess Consort refused to hear another word. Her love for this daughter had frozen solid.

"When your ill omen brought ruin on this house, I never blamed you once! When you turned the household upside down over a man, weeping and wailing, I never blamed you once! Your father and I were willing to trample the dignity and reputation of this household underfoot, just so you could be happy! Your elder brother and Zihang felt the same—as long as their second sister was happy, they didn’t care if the family’s reputation rotted, even if it ruined their futures and marriages!" The Princess Consort’s voice cracked, every syllable laced with betrayal. "But I never imagined you’d nearly kill your brother for a man and conspire with him to hide the truth! And I never dreamed you’d confess everything just to clear that man’s name!... In the end, Yu Chongen’s the only one who counts in your eyes! This family has given you everything, yet you ungrateful wretch only care about Yu Chongen with all your heart! I despise all of it!"

By the time the Princess Consort finished, Wei Shuangyan dissolved into hysterical tears, tears and snot mingling on her face.

"Mother, I didn’t..."

The outburst seemed to drain the Princess Consort completely. She slumped into a chair, pale and exhausted, tears cutting silent tracks down her face.

Wei Shuangyan scrambled forward, knees scraping the floor, her face swollen from the slaps, and clutched at her mother’s hand. "Mother, I was wrong, I truly was... If I’d really killed Zihang, I’d slit my own throat if it brought Zihang back... Mother, I’m sorry..."

The Princess Consort coldly shook her off. "If you truly meant to atone, then remember—Lady of Blessed Peace saved Zihang’s life, which means she saved yours. So why did you spit on her kindness?"

Closing her eyes in utter disappointment, she added, "I nearly forgot. Lady of Blessed Peace and her master had already saved all our lives before, yours included. And yet you dared slight her?"

Wei Shuangyan shook her head tearfully, "Mother, don't say that—I'm not, I'm not an ungrateful person!"

She knelt on the ground, turned toward Xingxing, and kowtowed (bowed deeply): "Lady of Blessed Peace, I was wrong before. I thank you for saving my entire family's lives..."

Xingxing stepped aside, unwilling to accept such a gesture.

Amid the commotion, a maid rushed in joyfully to announce, "Second Young Master—Second Young Master has woken up!"

Princess Consort of Jiping Commandery's eyes flew open, immediately abandoning Wei Shuangyan as she hurried toward the inner chamber.

From behind the screen, her tearful, elated voice carried over: "Zihang, you're awake? How do you feel? ... Lady of Blessed Peace, please come check on Zihang!"

No need to ask—Xingxing was only a step behind, already rounding the screen to enter the inner chamber.

Wei Zihang’s head was wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages, his face pale and weak.

Still dazed, he looked at the tear-streaked face of Princess Consort of Jiping Commandery and whispered weakly, "Mother, don’t cry. Your crying’s making my head pound..."

The words made the Princess Consort half-laughing, half-crying.

"You rascal, your head hurts because you fell, not because I’m crying," she chided through tears.

Still, seeing that Wei Zihang had the energy to joke reassured her greatly—especially when Xingxing, after checking his pulse, nodded firmly at her. The Princess Consort nearly burst into happy tears again.

Wei Zihang gazed blearily at Xingxing, who sat beside him, taking his pulse. If not for the throbbing pain in his head, he would have spilled his guts to her right then.