Qiao Zhongbang clearly knew that this daughter wasn’t related to him by blood, yet he had feigned ignorance this entire time?

  “Someone had entrusted her to Ziqin. Before our marriage in the town by then, she told me this upfront.” Qiao Zhongbang continued with a sullen face, “This son doesn’t know when Mother found out. Could it be because of this that you never looked at them amiably ever since a long time ago?”


  Elderly Lady Qiao was so riled up that she lay limp on the bed. However, because she had spurted out clotted blood from her chest just earlier, she seemed to be much more at ease, instead.

  But the Qiao Zhongbang couple clearly saw that the light in the depths of the elderly lady’s eyes was like her dying flash of lucidity.

  “Mom, you’ve really misunderstood Ziqin. She absolutely didn’t do anything out of bounds. She is a good woman! In your son’s eyes, she is the best woman in this world!”


  Wei Ziqin tearfully turned around to look deeply at her husband.

  “Our lives have only improved recently. But in the past, Ziqin had endured our most difficult, most tired, and darkest days together with your son.”


  “Mom, just because I rejected the marriage that you arranged for your son and brought Ziqin and her daughter back to the village, you’ve found it repulsive all these years, is that right?” Qiao Zhongbang said to the old madam.

  “Unfilial son!” Elderly Lady continued to lay limply on the bed, but she was still able to beat the bed forcefully in anger. “Fine, fine, fine! It was this old one who was sticking her nose into other people’s business! Since you like raising someone else’s daughter, then go ahead! But—”


  “You must bring Xiao Long back! You’ve raised Qiao Mu for so many years free of charge, and this mere small matter is only as easy as lifting a finger for her!”


  Wei Ziqin sneered. “Elderly Lady, rest assured! Qiao Zhongheng’s family of three shouldn’t think of returning in this lifetime!”


  Following this, Wei Ziqin’s eyes shot out a cold light as she cursed, “Your young grandson is doomed to die in the Northwestern Desert and be buried in the wilderness. His skeleton will crumble from the drying winds to the extent that his remains will be no more!”


  After saying her piece, she directly turned to fling open the door and leave without sparing another glance at the elderly lady.

  “Ah!!” Elderly Lady beat the bed furiously, and her eyeballs rolled while her lips trembled as she shouted, “Wei Ziqin, you come back right now. Wei Ziqin! I want to see Qiao Mu, I want to tell her! That she isn’t part of our Qiao Clan at all! On what basis can she banish my grandson to the Northwestern Desert? As an adopted daughter, on what basis can she send the Qiao Clan’s main family members into exile? She thinks she’s all that even though she’s a little bastard! Ah—”


  Qiao Zhongbang clenched his fists with reddened eyes as he roared, “Stop talking! Can you stop making a fuss? Qiao Mu is my daughter! Stop saying ‘bastard’ everytime you open your mouth!”


  “You, you! Unfilial son, you unfilial son!!”


  Elderly Lady wasn’t able to catch her breath, and she opened her mouth to give a hacking cough.

  Her old eyes were widely fixated on the bed curtain. Slowly, no more sound could be heard, and her breathing had also stopped.

  Qiao Zhongbang walked out of the door dejectedly, like he had suddenly lost all his energy. When he hugged his wife, the couple started crying out loud.

  “Ziqin, Your husband truly is a failure of a human being. I didn’t expect that my own mother would still criticize me and call me ‘unfilial son’ even on her deathbed.”


  “My lord.” Wei Ziqin shook her head, putting her head in his embrace and tearfully comforting,

  “It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine. It will all blow over, it’s fine.”


  Qiao Zhongbang gazed at the side room with eyes full of disappointment before telling the servants outside the courtyard softly, “Prepare for the funeral.”