Chapter 547: Chapter 228 My Son is a Treacherous Official (Part 4)
Oh-ho!
He Tiantian’s eyes lit up; she really hadn’t guessed wrong!
First, she could obtain hatred value from the villain.
When she saw the task "Obtain Hatred Value," He Tiantian thought of this: Hatred value need not necessarily be obtained from good people; it could totally be a case of fighting evil with evil.
And, obtaining hatred value from bad people was much easier than from good people.
Because bad people are more petty and hold grudges longer.
Sometimes, a very small matter, which to normal people might cause only slight discomfort, seemed to the villain as an insult, a harm, thereby deeply ingrained in their memory, plotting revenge for later!
Second, He Xi was far from the "foolishly filial" person depicted in the story!
It was just a hit on the shoulder with a tea cup by his own mother, no blood, no internal injuries. A truly filial person would have knelt down to admit their fault instead of contributing one point of hatred value immediately!
Haha, just like that, he held a grudge?
A grudge against his own mother who gave birth to him, raised him?!
Truly a thankless wretch, He Xi’s selfish and cold nature was etched deep into his bones.
Besides himself, he actually cared about no one else.
Previously, he had crafted an image of being foolishly filial, almost stupidly so, because being "foolishly filial" would not harm his own interests.
It even brought him a good reputation and allowed him to use the so-called "filial piety" to emotionally abuse his high-born wife.
And whenever "filial piety" and "interest" clashed, He Xi could instantly become an unfilial son and turn his hatred against his own mother!
"Mother, you, you—" Just as He Tiantian was pondering to herself, He Xi looked towards his own mother with a shocked face.
A trace of gloom flickered in his eyes, but quickly, it shifted to shock and aggrievement.
He seemed like a wronged and sensible child, inexplicably hit by his own mother, unable to blame her, only capable of showing a pitiful little expression.
He Tiantian, however, frowned, "Dalang, you child, how can you be so undisciplined?"
"I just woke up from a nap, I did not notice Princess An Kang kneeling here. You weren’t asleep, why didn’t you notice?"
He Xi was stunned for a moment, what did this mean?
Was his own mother blaming him for not noticing Princess An Kang’s grievances, punishing him for the sake of his daughter-in-law?
This, this was somewhat absurd.
He and An Kang had been married for five years, already having two children.
Over these years, his mother hadn’t stopped tormenting An Kang and the two children.
Having watched his mother pretend to be weak and pitiable since he was young, He Xi knew her tactics better than anyone.
Superficially, his mother was kind and frail, seemingly very close to her daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
In reality, she was best at hurting people covertly, creating situations as bitter as swallowing coptis without being able to voice complaint.
Yet, she tormented her daughter-in-law until both body and mind were wounded, and outsiders would still praise her as a "good mother-in-law."
Princess Consort An Kang, however, harbored unspeakable grievances and tears; even if she spoke about them, the elders would error her with glances suggesting she didn’t appreciate her blessings.
It was precisely by suppressing Princess An Kang like this that Ms. Hetian made the naturally meek Princess become more and more timid and lowly after five or six years of marriage to the He Family.
In the He Family, she had lost every bit of the dignity of a Commandery Princess.
Even the maids and nannies around Ms. Hetian who had some respect dared to show her disdain.
Although He Xi did not express it, in his heart, he was very satisfied with this situation.
Having married a wife of noble birth, no matter his ability, the world assumed he was living off his wife.
He was the Daxia Dynasty’s youngest Third place scholar, such brilliantly talented, so dignified, yet just because he married a Princess Consort, he was viewed as a good-for-nothing reliant on his wife’s status?
He Xi was both self-depreciating and arrogant; this contradictory mindset, along with his mother’s wrong example, completely twisted his heart.
He both prided himself on having married a Royal lady, yet hated being mocked for marrying above his status.
He once admired Princess An Kang’s gentleness and virtuousness, but he cared more about his own pride and dignity.
Thus, knowing full well the kind of person his mother was, when An Kang faced grievances, he never empathized, instead berating and scolding her without seeking the reasons.
At first, An Kang would feel sad and aggrieved, but as time went on, she became numb.
Hence, today, when she was once again made to kneel on the floor and "ask for punishment" by her mother-in-law, seeing her husband arrive brought her no joy of seeing a savior.