Chapter 839 - You Reap What You Sow (1)
Zhang Jiren was the grandson he attempted to dispose of along with Yan Qiuyu. He had never thought that the boy would survive and would exact revenge along with his twin sister. The longer Elder Tang looked, the more he could see Tang features on Zhang Jiren.
He had the same eyes as Tang Moyu, and the way he presented himself reminded the old man of his deceased son. While the empress inherited the peerless beauty of her mother and Tang Lixue's personality, Zhang Jiren possessed both good qualities and physical features of their parents.
To think that Tang Lingjun lived and lived as a Zhang……
Ha! What was Zhang Xianzhe even thinking of keeping the boy alive? The old man wondered.
Did he think he would be able to manipulate and possess the fortune of the Tang family by keeping Tang Lingjun by his side? So in the end, it seemed the Zhang family wasn't planning to uphold their promise and instead vie after the Tang family's fortune.
"It's a mistake that you didn't bother to check if I was as good as dead as our mother." Zhang Jiren's stoic and baritone voice brought Elder Tang back to reality. It was so cold that the old man felt a shiver running down his spine as Zhang Jiren looked at him with scrutiny.
To think that his son was able to produce a pair of gifted twins— how could he miss and not see that his family gained precious diamonds? He was blinded by worthless stones. The Zhang family might have been able to keep Tang Enterprise afloat but neither did they help it flourish, and just watched them at an arm's length.
"Do you realize the error of your ways now, dear grandfather?" Tang Moyu asked the old man. "Because you and the others think lowly of the daughters of the Tang family, you failed to realize that we are bound to change."
"The world is forever changing, Grandfather." She gave him a pointed stare. "If you think women like me would be forever bound to do household work and raising children, you are wrong. We are not as weak and helpless as you thought we would be."
Even when she was younger and people hailed her as a prodigy, Elder Tang had refused to acknowledge her as the successor of the family. To think that he would rather choose Tang Beixuan, a man who didn't have a single drop of the Tang blood running in his veins made the old man laughable.
In fact, Tang Moyu wasn't the first daughter of the Tang family who tried to break the norm. Tang Xi, Lu Tianxin's mother and Tang Lixue's younger sister, had tried to release herself from the binds that were keeping her just like her brother.
Both siblings tried to free themselves from the Tang family's influence. While Tang Xi was successful in getting away from her father, marrying her off for business deals and marrying the man she loved, Tang Lixue didn't manage to grasp the happiness he tried to secure for himself.
Still, Tang Moyu knew that it wasn't easy for her father to completely forsake his responsibility to their family. It wasn't like it would be easy for him to break these norms but he could have done better in Tang Moyu's opinion.
Many men wouldn't admit it but there were certain aspects of being a man that made them feel uncomfortable admitting, making their visions narrow. Especially for old, high class families, many were established with archaic norms. An example of these rules was that only men had the right to lead the family regardless of ability. Women, despite being talented, were not acknowledged.
Perhaps if he s.u.c.k.e.d it up and lowered his ego, he would have found more options and help by asking the women and daughters of the Tang family. Between Tang Lixue and Tang Xi, the younger Tang had more prowess and wisdom in running the business than Tang Lixue, who was more inclined on the artistic side.
If Elder Tang had only acknowledged the differences in skills of his children, he wouldn't have lost his precious Tang family and Tang Enterprise at the hands of his own granddaughter. If only he understood that his actions and beliefs affected others, he wouldn't end up like this today.
Tang Moyu lifted her chin and refused to show weakness to her grandfather. She refused to be swayed by familial ties and be a coward like Tang Lixue. She still couldn't understand why he'd chosen to die rather than to fight for his life.
The old man couldn't refute her words. Even if he wanted to, even if he begged for forgiveness, he knew what the empress said was right and it was too late to regret now. He could tell that these two only paid him a visit to give him their farewell.
Elder Tang had seen the massive change in Tang Moyu ever since she came back from overseas. It was like she had turned into a new person that he couldn't recognize, far from the girl who only knew how to nod and follow Zhang Wuying's words without a question.
Now, she came back with her younger twin in tow. Two pairs of eyes were watching the old man intently, waiting for his next move. They looked at him as if they were hawks, watching a mouse trying to find his futile way to escape.
How could his Tang family produce such a dangerous and scheming pair of twins? They were so in sync with each other it was hard to believe that these two grew up apart.
"You reap what you sow, Grandpa." Tang Moyu spoke with a mocking tone in her voice. "Allow this granddaughter of yours to inform you that you wouldn't see the outside world from now on. I hope Grandfather would enjoy your stay inside this prison although that would also mean you wouldn't be able to enjoy the leisure of the outside world."