A son appeared out of nowhere

[Of course, host. You can't go wrong coming to me for juicy gossip!]

Xun Rongchang was originally born into a modestly wealthy merchant family in his hometown. His parents loved each other, and his early life could be summed up as: weak, helpless, but blessed with an appetite.

However, when he was fifteen, his father died unexpectedly, and his family fell on hard times. Besides a married elder sister, he also had an elder brother, who ran off with all the remaining family assets, leaving him nothing but a pile of debt.

Fortunately, selling the house and their other property was enough to clear the debts. Then he reached marriageable age. His previously arranged engagement had been broken off as soon as his family's fortunes declined. Since he was rather soft-natured, his mother decided to find someone who could take charge, and that was how they came across the woman who was now Madam Xun.

Madam Xun came from a well-off local family. After Xun Rongchang married her, his official career went much more smoothly, and seven years ago, he passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi.

He had matured considerably over the years, too. At least, he knew how to put on a front in public, so no one had discovered that he was a crybaby.

But judging by the current situation, it looked like he wouldn't be able to keep that secret anymore.]

Guagua glanced at Xun Rongchang, who was draped over his wife with tears brimming in his eyes, and said this.

Jiang Nuan looked at him, then at the officials around them. He really couldn't keep it a secret now.

[Not only did his career go smoothly, but his family life was harmonious, too. They had two sons and two daughters together. When he proposed, he promised Madam Xun that they would be one couple for one lifetime. If he failed to keep that promise, he would give her all his assets and divorce her. He even put it in writing, and he's kept himself above reproach all these years.]

[Wow, what a touching story. But I feel like I've heard it somewhere before.]

Jiang Nuan felt that she had heard this story before, but it had been so long that she couldn't remember right away. The elusive memory left her feeling as though claws were scratching at her heart.

Soon, she slapped her forehead.

[Oh, I remember! I think they got divorced this year. Apparently, Xun Rongchang had a ten-year-old son outside his marriage, and Madam Xun divorced him without hesitation.]

An enormous melon of gossip came crashing down on everyone's heads.

Apart from Xun Rongchang and his wife, the most astonished were his two close friends.

Who would have thought that Xun Rongchang, who always looked so honest and acted as though his wife was the best woman in the world, would actually keep a mistress? You really couldn't judge a person by their appearance! his two friends grumbled inwardly.

Madam Xun swayed, nearly losing her footing. She was the sort of person who couldn't tolerate so much as a grain of sand in her eyes. They had agreed on everything before getting married, even putting it in writing, and they had been deeply affectionate ever since. Yet he already had a ten-year-old son? How could she possibly stomach that?

She shoved Xun Rongchang out of her arms, her expression turning cold.

"My dear, no, listen to me explain."

Utterly panicked, Xun Rongchang hurried to speak.

"Fine. I'd like to hear how you explain this!"

Madam Xun folded her arms across her chest, waiting to see what explanation he could possibly offer.

But he stammered for ages without managing to say anything.

What could he say? He hadn't even known he had a ten-year-old son outside his marriage! What was going on with the Ninth Princess's inner voice? This was going to be the death of him!

[But Xun Rongchang doesn't look like that sort of person to me. Guagua, what's going on?]

Jiang Nuan asked in confusion.

Xun Rongchang was so moved that he nearly burst into tears. Tell us! Hurry up and tell us! I want to know what's going on, too!

[Hehe, host, you'll find out in a moment.]

Guagua said this after scanning the surroundings.

Just as Jiang Nuan and the others were puzzling over this, a woman with disheveled hair and ragged clothes, who looked like a refugee, came into view carrying a boy of around ten. She hurried up to Xun Rongchang and dropped to her knees.

"Rongchang, I'm not asking you to give me a place by your side, but Kang'er is your child! Please acknowledge him, will you? I'll stay far away from your family from now on."

The woman knelt on the ground and pleaded desperately. Her words were enough to break hearts and bring tears to anyone who heard them.

But Xun Rongchang exploded the moment he heard her.

"What the hell? How could he possibly be my child? Why don't I remember anything? I have a son this old? Don't think you can extort me!"

Xun Rongchang studied the woman's face carefully and found that he genuinely had no memory of anyone like her.

Seeing that Xun Rongchang didn't seem to be lying, Madam Xun turned her suspicious gaze toward the mother and son who had suddenly appeared.

But the next moment, she froze.

The boy had been hanging his head, looking meek and timid. Then the woman prodded him, and he slowly raised his head, revealing a face that bore a strong resemblance to Xun Rongchang's.

No further words were needed. That face was the best evidence.

Everyone around them turned their suspicious gazes on Xun Rongchang.

Xun Rongchang felt that even with a mouth, he couldn't explain himself.

"Why don't I remember ever being involved with you? Tell me, then. How was this child conceived?"

Xun Rongchang questioned the woman.

As though she had prepared for this, the woman slowly began recounting her story:

"Ten years ago, after you passed the examination to become a xiucai, you met three of your close friends at Fortune Full House. You drank too much, and on your way home, you happened to run into me. Then, against my wishes, you forced yourself on me."

"I was already married at the time, so I didn't dare tell anyone. But I never imagined that one encounter would leave me pregnant with Kang'er."

As she spoke, the woman seemed to recall those painful memories and couldn't help shedding tears.

Xun Rongchang felt his head swelling with worry. That gathering really had happened. He had drunk himself into a blackout and collapsed on the way home. His wife had been the one to fetch him.

Could he really have done something worse than a beast?

The problem was that it had happened so long ago, and he had been blackout drunk at the time. He had no way of knowing whether he had done anything to betray his wife.

"Other than that, do you have any evidence?"

His uncertainty made his voice sound considerably less confident.

The woman said nothing when she heard this and merely wiped away her tears.

Finally, left with no other choice, she said, "Isn't Kang'er's face enough to prove the truth? If you don't believe me, you can perform a blood test to establish kinship."

"There's no need. Since he's a child of the Xun family, he should naturally return to his ancestral lineage."

Madam Xun's expression was impassive, revealing neither anger nor joy.

She closed her eyes and thought for a few seconds, then turned toward Xun Rongchang and addressed the maid beside her:

"Chunxia, fetch the written agreement. Prepare a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone as well."

The maid immediately obeyed and went to retrieve them.

[Ah, is Madam Xun planning to divorce him? I knew I remembered them getting divorced.]

Jiang Nuan felt a little regretful. The couple she had only just started shipping was already headed for a bad ending.

[Yes. Because of this misunderstanding, they still divorced, even though Xun Rongchang desperately tried to save their marriage.]

Hearing that all his desperate efforts would fail, Xun Rongchang's spirits plunged to rock bottom.

Then he noticed something amiss in what Guagua had just said.