That Blind Bear of a Father of Mine

Wei's pregnancy had been unstable. Barely a month into it, she had felt a dragging pressure in her lower abdomen and occasionally bled.

By the second month, the bleeding had stopped. She had thought the pregnancy was secure, only for the doctor to tell her the fetus had already died in her womb and had to be expelled as soon as possible.

How could the precious son she had been carrying so well simply be gone?

Wei could not make sense of it. Perhaps something had been wrong with the chrysanthemum tea she had drunk at Min's last month. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed, and the more certain she became that Min had something to do with it. You wanted me to miscarry, didn't you? Then I'll do it right in your courtyard!

After speaking, Wei waited for Min to fly into a rage. Yet even after a long wait, Min's expression remained calm. Only the corners of her mouth seemed to twitch, so faintly that Wei could not tell whether anger had caused it.

Meanwhile, Jian Ruonan was also sizing Wei up.

[Wow, what a two-faced little fake!]

[Huh? She isn't even that pretty.]

[Wasn't Wei supposed to be showered with affection? I thought she'd be some fresh, ethereal beauty!]

[This is it?!]

[She isn't even one-thousandth as lovely as my own mother!!]

[My mother is elegant, gracious, dignified, and beautiful. Is my father a blind bear? He ignores such a gorgeous wife to love a fake like this?!]

Min: "..."

Seeing that Min still had not reacted, Wei dropped to her knees with a thud. "Sister, I know I've done wrong. I willingly accept punishment."

[Oh, so this is a household power struggle? Has the fighting already begun?]

[It doesn't look particularly sophisticated.]

Jian Ruonan raised her teacup and held her breath, concentrating on Wei's and Min's every move.

[My first time watching the gossip unfold in person! Ahhhh, this is so exciting!!]

System: [Nan Nan, rein in that delighted smile. Careful, or you'll break character.]

She had nearly forgotten that she had always presented herself to Min as a delicate, harmless little flower.

Jian Ruonan immediately sat bolt upright, her eyes clear and vacant.

Min: "..." Too late.

Fortunately, Min's usual composure kept Jian Ruonan's inner voice from unsettling her. "Please go back, sister. It was only a cat."

As soon as Min finished speaking, an older serving woman stepped forward to help Wei up.

"Show her out!"

Two women who handled heavy chores took Wei by either arm and escorted her out of Westglow Garden.

"Madam is going out today. Don't come back, Concubine Wei. Stay in your own courtyard!"

With that, they slammed the gate shut, as though warding off the plague.

Wei: "..."

After Wei was sent away, the eldest legitimate daughter, Jian Xilu, arrived.

"Mother, weren't you going to a banquet at the Duke's Mansion? Why did you come back?"

Jian Xilu bore a strong resemblance to Min. She wore a pale pink gauzy blouse, and her finely proportioned features formed an exquisite face. Her bearing was entirely inherited from Min, naturally elegant and dignified.

Seeing Jian Ruonan dressed in clothes she herself had worn when younger, Jian Xilu studied her curiously for a moment before looking away. "Mother, this young lady looks very familiar."

Min introduced the sisters to each other, but concealed Jian Ruonan's identity.

Jian Ruonan looked at her elder sister, unable to keep the adoration from rippling through her eyes.

[Th-this... this is my actual big sister?]

[She's so beautiful!!!]

[Pretty big sister, let me snuggle up to you!!]

[Sister, you're killing me!!]

Jian Xilu froze for a moment. This younger girl was rather amusing. She was just about to speak when she noticed that Jian Ruonan had not opened her mouth. Was she using ventriloquism?

Yet her mother and the maids around them seemed not to have heard anything.

Jian Xilu's heart jolted-she had heard Jian Ruonan's thoughts?!

Jian Xilu looked at her mother, whose expression had not changed.

Could I be the only one who can hear her?!

Jian Xilu had recently read a storybook about ghosts and spirits. Though she was somewhat frightened, the warmth she felt on seeing how closely Jian Ruonan resembled her mother overcame her fear, and she calmly sat down to one side.

Min was secretly watching her eldest daughter's expression. Since it had not changed, she probably could not hear her youngest daughter's thoughts.

That was just as well. Let her bear these worries alone.

Now that Jian Xilu was here and Ruonan had eaten her fill, perhaps she would reveal something about Xilu.

Sure enough, Jian Ruonan's thoughts began stirring again.

[My sister! My beautiful sister! How could you be engaged to that scumbag Gao Yang?]

According to the plot, her sister was gentle, virtuous, and gracious. Her unhappy marriage existed to highlight the perfection of the heroine's romance. It was so unfair. Why should a scumbag destroy a lifetime of happiness for such a beautiful, fairy-like sister?

It was truly infuriating!!

As Jian Ruonan listened to the system spill the gossip, she felt indignant on her sister's behalf.

Min: ??

Jian Xilu: ??

Gao Yang was the Duke of Ping's second son, and the duke was a trusted confidant of the current emperor. Although a second son could not inherit the title, Gao Yang was well versed in the classics and already served in the Golden Guards at a young age. His future was boundless.

The Duke and the Duke's Madam were deeply devoted to one another and kept their household under strict discipline. Gao Yang conducted himself properly and did not even have a bedchamber maid.

Min had considered potential matches for a long time before choosing this family for Xilu.

[Gao Yang really doesn't have a bedchamber maid, but he has three mistresses kept outside the household.]

Min: "..."

Jian Xilu: "..."

Min took a deep breath. Don't panic. They're only mistresses. We can have them sent away beforehand.

What young man never made mistakes? She had watched Gao Yang grow up. He was handsome and possessed first-rate talent.

Perhaps he had merely been led astray for a time. All he needed was correction.

[All three mistresses are pregnant. My sister will become a mother of three the moment she marries him.]

Min: !!

Jian Xilu was furious! I knew that honey-tongued pretty boy was no good!

Min rubbed her brow.

No, she had to send someone to investigate. This concerned Xilu's lifelong happiness. Did the Duke's Madam know?

[The Duke's Madam has known for ages. She just keeps one eye open and the other shut. After all, they're blood of the Duke's Mansion. Could they really leave them out there to fend for themselves and perish?]

[The whole family has already agreed on it. They're just waiting for my sister to marry in. Once the raw rice is cooked and there's no going back, they'll bring all three mistresses home.]

[The Duke's Madam said the little children are innocent, so my sister will just have to suffer the injustice.]

Min: "..."

[Why should she?!]

[My sister is gorgeous and accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Three-legged toads may be hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere. What are we waiting for? Break off the engagement!]

[With everything my sister has going for her, could she possibly have trouble finding a husband?!]

This younger girl was so free-spirited. Jian Xilu really liked her.

Jian Xilu's gaze filled with curiosity and delight as she looked at Ruonan. It seemed that reading minds was not such a bad thing after all.

Jian Xilu moved over and affectionately took Ruonan's hand.

Jian Ruonan: !!

Snuggles with my sister.

Min could only feel a headache coming on.

Where was Ruonan getting all this information?

Was it true or false?

But the matter involving Wei was probably true.

She absolutely had to get to the bottom of this before Xilu's marriage.

While Min was pondering, the sounds of an argument suddenly came from outside the gate.

"Was it you who killed my mother's Snowball?!" a sweet, youthful voice demanded.

Jian Chuxue had appeared!

Someone must have tipped her off. Upon learning that Concubine Wei had poisoned Snowball, Jian Chuxue immediately rushed to the gate of Westglow Garden with her maids, only to run straight into Concubine Wei.

Disregarding her status as a legitimate daughter, Jian Chuxue immediately grabbed at Concubine Wei and raised a desperate fuss.

Concubine Wei had been fretting over finding an excuse to fall. Jian Chuxue's arrival was like a pillow appearing just as she grew sleepy. Amid the scuffle, Concubine Wei was "accidentally" pushed to the ground by Jian Chuxue.

By the time Min heard the commotion and hurried over, Concubine Wei was already lying on the ground, clutching her belly with both hands in agony.

[What a pig-brained teammate! A pig-brained teammate!]

[It's not a godlike opponent you should fear, but a pig-brained teammate. My mother won't get out of this unscathed now!]

Min's brows drew tight. She was about to order someone to carry Wei away when a travel-worn, handsome man of about forty strode in.

[Ah, that blind bear of a father of mine is finally here!]

Jian Zhang: ?!

Who was speaking?!