"Speak, how do you want this Marquis to proceed?" Qi Tianming dismissed everyone else and asked slowly.
Madam Xiao Qin's heart was in turmoil, her mind frozen, unable to think of any solution.
"Why aren't you speaking? Has Madam nothing to say to this Marquis?" Qi Tianming's tone was indifferent.
Looking at the man before her with his placid expression, Madam Xiao Qin could no longer hold back. They had been husband and wife for so many years, and she had never seen him like this. Madam Xiao Qin knew that the calmer he appeared, the fiercer the anger burned within him.
"My Lord, this concubine has done nothing to wrong you." Madam Xiao Qin tightly clutched her handkerchief and finally uttered these words.
"Do you believe that what you did before was not wrong?" Qi Tianming asked.
Madam Xiao Qin knew that she could not easily gloss over this matter today, so she said, "Yun Lan's family committed a crime, and my Lord, concerned about the Marquis's mansion's future, insisted on bringing her back. Did you ever consider me, your legitimate wife? No! My Lord's heart was entirely with Yun Lan at that time! How could I, your wife, feel alright? But at that time, I thought that there was no one else by my Lord's side. If Yun Lan was to stay, then let her stay."
"Yun Lan gave birth to the second young lady, and with my Lord's protection, I felt increasingly resentful. But I thought that since she only gave birth to a girl, she could never surpass me. So I endured it and did not use any vile methods to deal with her. The most unforgivable thing was that she gave birth to the only male heir in the Marquis's mansion at that time. As the legitimate wife, with no legitimate son born yet, a庶子 (son of a concubine) appeared first. Wasn't this a slap in my face?"
"I was soft-hearted and did not act immediately. I did not even bring the child to be raised by my side. Because I believed that I would have my own legitimate son."
"But fate did not go as I wished."
"Although Yun Lan was always proper and did not act presumptuously just because she had two children,"
Qi Tianming's face darkened. "Yun Lan has always had a tranquil disposition and never schemed. This Marquis never had any intention of letting her replace your position as the legitimate wife. Therefore, when you found an excuse to punish her, this Marquis did not stop you."
Madam Xiao Qin let out a scoff. "But my Lord's heart was entirely with Yun Lan. Even if she did not compete or contend, it was still her fault."
"Utterly unreasonable!" Qi Tianming felt his anger was about to erupt. "Because of this, you cruelly laid hands on them, mother and son? Did you consider that Zhen Zhen and Yi Ge'er are this Marquis's flesh and blood?"
"But after they had their accident, my Lord did not grieve for long. Therefore, in my Lord's heart, they were just like that," Madam Xiao Qin said slowly. "Over these years, I have finally understood that my Lord values his own future the most. As for love and affection, they are merely embellishments to my Lord. Whether they exist or not, my Lord does not care."
Qi Tianming looked at her, remaining silent.
"Does my Lord believe me, this concubine did not order her subordinates to lay hands on Yun Lan and her two children?" Madam Xiao Qin added.
Qi Tianming curled his lips, a hint of mockery appearing. "You don't need to give orders yourself. Those raised in the Prince's mansion are adept at guessing their master's thoughts. As the matriarch of the household, if you dislike the concubine and the illegitimate daughter and sons, how would they treat Yun Lan and the two children well? Scolding, making things difficult, slowly wearing them down until they can't bear it, aren't these all methods you are accustomed to using?"
He paused and continued, "You repeatedly intercepted the letters Yun Lan had people deliver to the Marquis's mansion, forcing her to become disheartened and eventually flee the estate with her children, becoming an escaped concubine. If she hadn't been lucky, if the two children hadn't been blessed, they would have died out in the wilderness. What difference does that make from you personally taking action?"