Chapter 526

Li Qingluo stared at the bowl of medicine, feeling doubtful.

Is Minister Jiang really just here to deliver the medicine?

Yet this matter seems strange in every way.

If he were truly a person who exhausts filial piety, even if Old Lady Jiang made unreasonable demands, he wouldn't say to lock up this courtyard.

But to say he is unfilial would be even more wrong.

Rumor has it he traveled across the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, solely to seek famous doctors to cure his mother's illness.

Furthermore, rumors say he still personally observes the morning and evening greeting rituals, and strictly demands that all members of the household, regardless of wind or rain, come daily to pay respects to Old Lady Jiang according to the rules.

He has always regarded Old Lady Jiang as the most important elder in the family.

Even more, it's said that on the first and fifteenth of each month he personally washes his mother's feet.

Such a paragon of filial piety spreads throughout the streets and alleys of South Peace; even Li Qingluo has heard it with her own ears.

Li Qingluo watched the granny holding the medicine bowl draw nearer, then she slipped into the darkness, quietly appearing behind the house and cracking open a window.

A strong medicinal smell assails the nose inside the house.

It's truly unpleasant.

The sky had gradually grown dark, but Li Qingluo did not climb inside.

Actually, there was only an old granny personally attending inside.

So even if she went in now, they wouldn't notice her movements.

She didn't move, merely because she suspected that bowl of medicine.

Moreover, Minister Jiang hadn't entered personally, so she could wait until he left before speaking.

She settled her heart and waited quietly, waiting for the granny at the door to bring in the medicine bowl.

"Old Lady, this is medicine that Father personally went to the Imperial Medical Institute to obtain for you. He also personally supervised the brewing and sent it over."

"Please drink it while it's hot."

The granny carefully holding the medicine bowl had just approached when Old Lady Jiang angrily swept her hand away.

"I won't drink it!"

"Let that wretched son come in to see me!!"

"Jiang Yanzhi, how dare you not dare to come in and see your own mother?"

"Do you still have any conscience?! Now that you've locked me up, do you think the world doesn't know your cruelty?"

"You don't save your own younger brother, yet you keep running here to bring me these soups and medicines—what's the point?"

"Are you even human at all?!"

"You will meet retribution!! Your retribution will be your own descendants——"

"Jiang Yanzhi, you beast!"

"If I had known this would happen, when I gave birth to you I should have first fed you to wild dogs!"

"My poor San Lang——to have an older brother like you, heartless and unjust——"

"Clearly he fell victim to someone else's scheming, yet his older brother does nothing, and in order to secure his own official position, he would ruthlessly send his own younger brother to his death!!"

Old Lady Jiang wailed while pounding the bedboard.

Scolding and scolding, she began to curse the children of the main household.

Suddenly, a clear, cold voice came from the doorway: "Mother, are these really your true words?"

Jiang Yanzhi didn't know when he had already stood there.

A tall black silhouette, like a tree that had long taken root.

Old Lady Jiang was startled and shivered.

"You!"

"You wretched creature, have you finally come to see me?"

"Yes! Those are my true words!"

"I wish I had never given birth to you!"

"How wonderful it would be if I only had San Lang!"

"He has been the most thoughtful since childhood! Also the son who loves me most, while you and Er Lang are a debt collector and a heartless one!"

What I regret most is giving birth to you!

When I gave birth to you, I suffered pain for three whole days!

Your father couldn't enter the delivery room to stay with me, so I hovered repeatedly at the gates of hell.

After barely surviving with half my life lost to bear you, the whole Jiang family rejoiced over the arrival of the eldest legitimate son. And what about me?

No one gave me an extra glance, as if bearing you were the duty and mission I was born to fulfill.

And what about me?

Not even your father offered me a word of comfort!

Just because you are Jiang Yanzhi—

How can I possibly like a son like you?

Jiang Yanzhi lifted his head and laughed 'hahaha'.

Even against the light, Li Qingluo could sense that this middle-aged man who commands the court carried a hint of sob in his laughter at this moment.

But Mother, the one I have liked most since childhood is you.

You said Sanlang is obedient and thoughtful, but when you fell seriously ill back then, he spent all his days out carousing, only remembering to come see you once every few days, asking a sentence and taking a glance.

I stayed by your bedside day and night, attending to you without even taking off my clothes.

I even went out personally to seek a renowned doctor for a month, hoping only to cure your illness so that the son could still have a mother!

Just wait until you wake up, San Lang flings himself before you, feigning sorrow with two cries, and then you think he is the one who truly loves you most.

Mother, do you really know nothing at all?

All these years, your son has attended to you, merely so you could see him more often. Yet you won't even spare his descendants, cursing and hating them with every breath!

Mother, don't they have your blood flowing in their veins?

Mother, you have a mother's loving heart for San Lang, but toward your son you are cruel and heartless.

Your son never imagined that you would hate him so much...

Son, you've become a person.

Back when you gave birth to your son, you suffered.

It is your son who is sorry to you.

So... you should still drink the medicine.

Saying this, Jiang Yanzhi waved his hand again, and the person reaching out immediately presented a fresh bowl of medicine.

Obviously, he had long known that the Old Lady would spill the first bowl of medicine on the ground.

The Old Lady still refused to drink.

Jiang Yanzhi: "Support the Old Lady properly."

I will personally feed Mother.

He said this and actually stepped forward.

He blew on the spoon to cool the medicine, then fed it to the Old Lady's lips.

The Old Lady kept her mouth tightly shut, glaring at Jiang Yanzhi with resentment.

Jiang Yanzhi: "Will you not attend to the Old Lady's medicine?"

His gaze, cold as a poisonous snake, turned to the old granny beside the Old Lady.

The old granny, tears in her eyes, stepped forward and pinched the Old Lady's mouth shut.

Behind them, two servant women came forward.

They quickly forced the Old Lady's mouth open.

Jiang Yanzhi poured the medicine into her mouth with the spoon.

The Old Lady began to blow it out, but when someone pinched her nose, she could only swallow it gulp by gulp.

Finally, after the entire bowl of medicine had been poured down, Jiang Yanzhi then had them release her.

As soon as she was free, the Old Lady raised her hand and gave her eldest son a hard slap.

You're truly a beast!

You treat me like this?!

With your behavior like this, how do you still expect me to love you?!

Get out of my sight!

Get out—