Chapter 77: The Old Lady Knows Fear Too

Just as the man stepped through the doorway, he gasped for breath and exclaimed,
“Madam, something terrible has happened! The General and the Young Master are escorting Physician Chen from the Chen residence toward your courtyard. I saw the General’s face, icy and grim, and the Young Master’s was ashen with rage. As for Physician Chen, his face was drained of all color, trembling as if terrified. I haven’t the faintest idea what crime he’s committed.”

At these words, the old madam’s breath caught and her expression hardened, her fingers clutching the prayer beads tightly in her hand.

Chen Kang—how dare he! How dare he disregard her orders and feign compliance while acting against her will! How could he have dared to meet Qing’er in secret!

Her grip on the beads tightened until, with a snap, the string broke. The beads scattered to the floor, rolling away with a hollow thud. Instantly, anxiety flooded her face. She hastily reached for the beads, but as if possessed of eyes, each one seemed to avoid her grasping hand.

“My prayer beads... How could this happen...?”

These beads had been given to her by an enlightened monk; she had worn them always, never letting them leave her side. Now they were broken... her heart grew ever more uneasy.

At that moment, another servant rushed in, panic in their eyes.

“Madam, something terrible! Physician Chen left the courtyard, and none of us can find him anywhere.”

The old madam’s face darkened, her gaze turning cold as she glared at the servant. She already knew. She knew Chen Kang was now heading to her courtyard.

Her voice sharp and acrid, she spat, “Useless, all of you! You can’t keep an eye on a single man! What good are you to the General’s manor? You’re less use than the gate dogs! Why are you still standing there? Hurry and gather the beads—don’t just stand about!”

The two servants bowed their heads, not daring to breathe, and scrambled to the floor, collecting the scattered beads as quickly as they could, terrified lest the old madam grow displeased at their slowness. Outsiders called her kind and gentle, but only those who served her daily knew her true nature: a demon wearing the mask of a bodhisattva, torturing to death any who dared cross her.

“Your humble servants greet the General, the Young Master, and the Madam.”

The greetings echoed through the courtyard.

The old madam immediately waved the two servants away, her stern expression replaced with a kindly and affectionate smile. As the four entered, her demeanor remained composed as ever. Upon stepping into the courtyard, Shen Zhao had already silenced Chen Kang, and Chen Kang could do nothing but blink desperately at the old madam.

She stiffened, hands unconsciously clenched together. If only he hadn’t acted on his own, none of this would be happening now. She had no idea what had transpired, and now she could only wait and see.

Her gaze lingered only briefly on Chen Kang before she looked away, wary of betraying herself.

As usual, she beckoned to Shen Zhao, “Mu’er, you’re back. Have you eaten? I’ve had your favorite pastries prepared for you. Come, have a taste.”

Her eyes drifted toward Chu Renqing and the trembling Chen Kang, as if she had only now noticed them.

A look of confusion crossed her face. “Qing’er, what’s this about? Has Physician Chen committed some crime?”

Chu Renqing looked at his mother with disappointment. “Mother, is he really surnamed Chen?”

A jolt of fear shot through the old madam’s heart—Qing’er had recognized Chen Kang.

Chu Renqing seemed about to explode, but Shen Zhao’s glance silenced him. Not everyone was present yet; now was not the time for chaos.

Chu Mu watched the old madam with a shadowed gaze. All the respect, care, and concern he once held for her had turned to hatred now that he knew the truth.

It was she who conspired to murder his mother, who forced her to bear decades of slander, denying her peace even in death. It was she who tormented him for nineteen years, ensured he would have no heirs, and sowed discord so he lost Ah Zhao for two years. Everything she did left traces, yet he had been blind and foolish.

If he had never switched bodies with Ah Zhao, he might have remained in the dark until death.

The grief for his mother and the loss of his own future filled him with a fury that nearly demanded he tear her apart then and there.

But now was not the time.

He was Ah Zhao now, and the truth of the wicked woman’s crimes was not yet public. In the eyes of the world, she was still his mother in name. If he killed her in Ah Zhao’s body, Ah Zhao would be implicated.

He would kill her—one day, to avenge his wronged mother.

Shen Zhao, smiling, approached the old madam. This wretched old woman, even with death looming, could remain so composed. Did she really think they were ignorant of the truth?

Shen Zhao’s gaze fell on the plate of pastries beside the old madam. Those pastries were prepared daily for Chu Mu, and he ate them every day. She recalled the old physician’s words—she had been suspicious of the pastries the day before and had not eaten them. Coincidentally, the physician discovered that Chu Mu had ingested a sterilizing poison two days prior.

Clearly, these pastries, so carefully prepared by the old woman, were laced with poison to end his line.

“Madam, you’re so thoughtful, preparing such a fragrant, tempting plate of pastries for me every day,” Shen Zhao said, standing before the old madam, looking down at her hypocritical face.

Her words made the anxious old madam tense even more. A flicker of displeasure crossed her mind—Mu’er always called her ‘mother.’ Why was he addressing her as ‘madam’ today? Had he found out something? But how could that be? Mu’er had always respected her most and would never believe she’d harm him.

No, Mu’er could not know—otherwise, how could he speak to her so calmly?

The old madam frowned, glancing at Chu Renqing. It was the eldest son who had become a ticking time bomb. She was certain he would never reveal their conspiracy to murder that wretched woman; he cared too much for his younger brother to let him hate him.

All of this was Chen Kang’s fault. If not for his stupidity, the eldest would never have discovered his existence, and her tenuous bond with her son would not have grown even more distant.

Shen Zhao watched the old madam’s subtle change in expression and sneered inwardly. She picked up a pastry and said, “Such a fine treat, Madam. How could I keep it all to myself? Someone, go to the Second Master’s courtyard and bring him here. Eldest Brother has come all the way from Jinzhou to the capital—it’s only right that the three of us brothers gather before Mother.”

Immediately, a servant left the room.

The old madam’s heart skipped with panic at the words.

Shen Zhao held the pastry without eating it, watching it closely before saying, “Madam, you’ve always claimed these pastries are made especially for me, and that I alone enjoy them each day in this household. How selfish I have been, hoarding them for nineteen years. It’s time Eldest and Second Brother tasted your painstaking efforts as well.”

Chu Mu stared at the pastry in Ah Zhao’s hand, fury raging within him. For years, he had eaten the pastries prepared by the wicked woman herself, silently grateful for her steadfast care. Now, all he could think was how he had eaten nineteen years’ worth of poison meant to end his family line. How cruelly ironic!

Shen Zhao turned toward Chu Renqing, pastry in hand, intending that the old woman witness her own creation pass into her son’s mouth.

The old madam’s heart leapt into her throat.