She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 124: Mistake, He’s Not Your Biological Son

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Mistake, He’s Not Your Biological Son

Sun Qinglian clasped her hands together, placing them on her lap, her entire posture rigid as a bell.

She saw the old lady speaking to her with a calm expression, "No."

"You—" The moment the old lady was rejected, she flew into a rage on the spot, "Guozhong is gone, but the Township Manor is still here, and I’m not dead yet! You shrew, do you want to be divorced! Cough, cough! Say it again, let An’an come in and worship his elder brother!"

"No," Sun Qinglian repeated, "Let alone worshiping, I said months ago that Yan An doesn’t even deserve to enter the doors of the Township Manor."

"Fine! Fine! You bunch of cursed wretches." The old lady looked around, finding no one willing to speak for her, she clenched her teeth and burst into loud sobs, "Guozhong, you are gone, but does your spirit in heaven see how your daughter-in-law is bullying your old mother..."

Her crying was grating, like the throats of strangled drakes, erupting in loud wails, deafening to the ear.

Sun Qinglian listened with a face ashen with rage. She suddenly slapped the table, which shattered into pieces, emitting a loud crash.

The old lady was frightened and staggered back two steps, steadied by the nursemaid beside her, "Cough, cough! You, what do you intend to do! If you dare to hit me, I will definitely have An’an petition His Majesty to divorce you! Now the Sun Family is also in decline, you have no patrons so why the arrogance Sun Qinglian cough, cough..."

Sun Qinglian’s hands were clenched tightly, her body trembling, but even at this moment, she still perfectly maintained the demeanor and grace of the lady of the Township Manor. She breathed deeply, expelling the foulness in her chest.

"Thank you for the reminder, madam. Today is not only the burial day of my husband and son, but also my brother’s... Thank you for reminding me that Sun Qinglian no longer has any patrons... Thank you."

The old lady was silenced by her sequence of thanks.

Her wrinkled lips quivered as she tried to speak, "That’s not what I meant cough, cough... Who made you not—"

"Since you came in, madam, you have not offered even a single stick of incense for Guozhong, nor mentioned burning a paper for Li’an, Yuan Bai, or Xing Chao. I know Yan An is your biological son, unmatched by anyone, but just ask yourself, madam, in all these years, in what way did Guozhong ever fail you? You wanted a rest house at Tiger Hill, he risked impeachment to get it repaired for you; you mentioned wanting some food, even in the depths of winter, Guozhong would ride out to buy it for you. Over the years, although we were often apart, in the times we were together... Madam, did Guozhong ever truly wrong you in any way?"

"Where did Guozhong go wrong?" Sun Qinglian’s eyes were bloodshot as she advanced two steps toward the old lady. "Is it because he wasn’t your biological son? Yet he did more than Yan An, treated you better than Yan An, regarded you as his own mother. Do you ever —" She took a deep breath, eyes fixed on the old lady," —have even a moment when you truly cherished Yan Guozhong in your heart?"

The old lady’s hands trembled uncontrollably, "Cough, cough..." She used her cough to mask her guilt.

Sun Qinglian watched and couldn’t help but self-mock.

"Did you know Guozhong said before he went to Governor’s Office Pass that he would come back to take you to the Capital City to retire... Heh, he probably didn’t know that he would never return."

The old lady, struck by these words, went limp. Had it not been for the nursemaid behind her to catch her, she would have collapsed onto the ground.

At this moment, her eyes were somewhat bleary.

Seeing her like this, Sun Qinglian’s heart was utterly desolate.

"You should be very clear about what kind of heart Yan An harbors. If he were to come in today, the entire Township Manor would cease to exist, and the title of ’Lady of the Township Manor’ that you’ve prided yourself on all these years would also vanish. He has always been a man who lives for today without a thought for tomorrow. If the Yan Family truly were gone, even if you were to wander the streets tomorrow, Yan An wouldn’t care about you at all." Sun Qinglian added, "Don’t believe it, just try it."

How could the old lady not believe it.

Back then, to avoid his own exile, Yan An had done many cold-hearted things, just like Yan Minsheng did to the Liu family; the old lady herself was that kind of person, and she knew it very well.

She just...

Just couldn’t bring herself to harshly reject Yan An’s requests.

"The door is right there. If madam wishes to open it, go ahead." Sun Qinglian gestured towards the door and then sat down in her chair, caring for herself.

She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with her handkerchief, from then on not casting another glance at the old lady.

The old lady steadied herself on the ground with assistance, poking the ground a few times with her cane.

She coughed incessantly, looked at the main gate, and then glanced at Sun Qinglian.

But at this moment, Yan An, who was anxiously waiting outside, grew impatient.

He ordered someone to knock heavily on the gate and shouted loudly into the house, "Big brother—! Your brother has come to see you off!"

The shout startled the old lady, whose spirit was already unsettled, causing her cane to tremble twice more on the ground.

Then she resolutely walked towards the doorway.

Everyone in the hall watched her retreating figure.

When the old lady reached the doorway, she turned back to look at the hall.

Sun Qinglian was expressionless, staring at the handkerchief in her hands. The eldest legitimate daughter lowered her head, wiping her sword, while Xiaowu of the Yan Family held Xiaoqi in his arms, sitting in a chair. Xiaoliu, the girl, also lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought, not one person in the entire family was looking at her.

The old lady trembled as she reached for the doorknob.

The nursemaid by her side called out anxiously, "Old madam!"

Touching the handle, the old lady looked at the elderly at her side who had been with her for many years. "...Do you also think we should not open the door?"

Grief was written all over the nursemaid’s face.

At that moment, Yan An outside heard his mother’s voice and hurriedly directed people to push the door, which was already half-open. With everyone pushing, it swung wide open instantly, knocking the old lady and the nursemaid to the ground unprepared.

Seeing the door open, Yan An was overjoyed. Remembering the unfair treatment he endured under his elder brother’s halo over the years, he sneered and ordered everyone to enter.

He barely managed to help his old mother up, even without time to hand her over to the nursemaid before he charged into the hall.

"Someone! The Yan Family is colluding with the enemy and betraying the nation. Search for evidence, rewards for those who find anything—!"

The officers and soldiers poured in, ignoring the servants’ attempts to stop them, quickly scattering into various rooms to "search."

Yan An strode up to Sun Qinglian, seeing her haggard appearance, his face feigned sorrow as he wiped away nonexistent tears with the back of his hand.

"Condolences, sister-in-law, now that big brother is gone, you must take good care of yourself. Otherwise, you won’t last long in the Heavenly Prison, and following him in death, big brother would be heartbroken."

"If you can’t speak properly, Commandery Princess suggests you might as well cut off that troublesome tongue of yours." The long sword in Yan Wanqing’s hands emitted a long hum.

Yan An, looking at Yan Wanqing, was not afraid at all. "Go on, strike! You always talk big, but today, if you hurt me, it only adds to your crimes! After your prison time, we’ll see how tough you can talk!"

Sun Qinglian stepped forward, shielding her daughter, her expression cold as she stared at Yan An, "If you want to make a scene, wait until after your elder brother’s funeral. Are you not afraid that, come midnight, your brother will confront you about this!"

Yan An felt a chill down his spine from her words, but at this moment, he could not afford to back down.

"If big brother really committed treason, when I see him, it will be me questioning him! Asking how he could face our ancestors!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Qinglian couldn’t hold back any longer. She raised her hand and slapped Yan An across the face, gritting her teeth. "We really should have let you die on the way to your exile!"