His Parentage Exposed

Seeing that Zhong Ling still showed no sign of coming out, Gan Baobao could not help asking anxiously, "My dear son-in-law, how is Ling'er doing?"

"Don't worry, Mother-in-law. The poison in Ling'er's body has been cleared. She's simply fallen asleep from exhaustion. A good night's rest will put her right."

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At Nalan Sheng's words, Gan Baobao and the other women blushed, instinctively looking toward Duan Zhengchun, whose face was full of envy.

Duan Zhengchun could hardly be blamed for being so envious. If he could have been as vigorous as Nalan Sheng, surely Dao Baifeng would not have stopped him from taking concubines.

"Mother, Father, Imperial Uncle."

A somewhat weak voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

Pale-faced, Duan Yu emerged from the stone house, supporting himself against the wall.

"Yu'er, are you all right?"

At the sight of him, Dao Baifeng hurried to his side and supported him, concern written all over her face.

"Mother, I'm fine. My head's just a little dizzy."

Hearing this, Dao Baifeng hastily told Duan Zhengchun, "Your Highness, let's go back first and have an imperial physician examine Yu'er thoroughly, so there won't be any lingering complications!"

"All right, then..."

"Duan, are you going to abandon me and our daughter again?"

Just as Duan Zhengchun was about to agree, Qin Hongmian suddenly reached out and caught his arm.

Faced with the wounded, reproachful gazes of Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao, Duan Zhengchun involuntarily stopped in his tracks.

He had already felt that he had let them down. Now that he knew they had borne him daughters, he felt even more indebted to them.

Just as Duan Zhengchun found himself caught between two fires, Duan Zhengming suddenly said, "Second Brother, our niece Ling'er was poisoned too. Why not bring her back to your residence as well and have an imperial physician give her a thorough examination?"

Although Duan Zhengming was the emperor of the Dali Kingdom and had plenty of consorts in his harem, he had no children. Otherwise, he would not have passed the throne to Duan Yu in the original story.

Thus, after learning that Duan Zhengchun had illegitimate daughters outside the household, Duan Zhengming very much hoped that Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling would be welcomed back into their ancestral family.

"Yes, yes! Ling'er needs a thorough examination too, so there won't be any lingering complications."

Delighted, Duan Zhengchun promptly followed his brother's lead. "Baobao, Hongmian, come back with me as well. Nothing matters more than all of us living happily together as a family."

"Senior Sister, what do you think?"

Gan Baobao was visibly tempted by Duan Zhengchun's words, but she still remembered to ask Qin Hongmian's opinion.

"No! I won't agree to it."

Before Qin Hongmian could speak, Dao Baifeng could not help protesting, "Duan Zhengchun, if you dare bring them home, I'll kill myself right in front of you!"

"Fenghuang'er, you..."

"Shut your mouth, you bitch!"

Nalan Sheng's sudden roar cut Duan Zhengchun off.

"You... you dare curse me?"

Dao Baifeng was stunned by Nalan Sheng's insult. Her chest heaved with fury, and the finger she pointed at him shook uncontrollably.

If Nalan Sheng had not just saved Duan Yu's life, she would certainly have fought him to the death.

"Father-in-law, I originally had no intention of exposing this in public. But now I must reveal this woman's true face, or these two mothers-in-law of mine will have suffered far too much injustice."

Ignoring Dao Baifeng, Nalan Sheng turned to Duan Zhengchun. "Father-in-law, Duan Yu isn't your son at all. He's the bastard Dao Baifeng had with another man."

"What did you say? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Naturally, Duan Zhengchun did not believe Nalan Sheng. Nor was he willing to believe that the son he had raised for so many years was actually another man's child.

"Nalan Sheng, you're talking nonsense!"

Duan Yu could not help roaring as well. "Don't think saving my life gives you the right to insult my mother! If you dare spout any more nonsense, I won't let you get away with it!"

"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you need only look at Dao Baifeng's expression," Nalan Sheng said with a cold snort.

Everyone instinctively turned toward Dao Baifeng. Her face was deathly pale, and she looked flustered and guilty.

"Dao Baifeng, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place!"

Nalan Sheng continued, "Back then, to take revenge on Prince Duan for chasing flowers and flirting with willows outside his home, you deliberately went outside the Heavenly Dragon Temple and committed adultery with an ugly beggar whose legs were crippled.

"What you didn't expect was to become pregnant with that beggar's child. So you compounded one mistake with another and gave birth to him.

"All these years, you've stopped Prince Duan from taking concubines. Was that truly out of jealousy, or were you afraid that having a son of his own would threaten that bastard's position? Only you know the answer."

"Fenghuang'er, this isn't true! Tell me it isn't true!"

Although Dao Baifeng had not admitted it herself, her silence had already told Duan Zhengchun the truth.

And after learning that Duan Yu was not his child, two questions that had troubled Duan Zhengchun were finally answered.

First, Duan Yu had supposedly been born prematurely. Dao Baifeng had given birth after only eight months of pregnancy, yet he had been no different from a full-term baby.

Duan Zhengchun had once attributed that to the Buddha's blessing. Only now did he realize that Duan Yu had been born at full term all along.

Second, shortly after giving birth to Duan Yu, Dao Baifeng had gone to a Taoist temple to become a nun.

Duan Zhengchun had originally believed that he had broken her heart and driven her to such despair.

Now that he thought about it, she must have felt guilty for betraying him and chosen to enter religious life to atone.

"You shameless bitch! So you were the one who betrayed Duan, yet you still put on that lofty, virtuous act and kept our family apart for all these years. You deserve to die!"

Upon learning the truth, Qin Hongmian and Gan Baobao wished they could swallow Dao Baifeng alive and strip the skin from her bones.

If Dao Baifeng had not stood in their way, they would long since have become Duan Zhengchun's side consorts, while Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling would have become commandery princesses of the Dali Kingdom.

"There's one more thing I need to tell you all: Duan Yu's biological father is here too!"

"What?!"

Everyone cried out at this earth-shattering revelation, then began scrutinizing the people around them with suspicious eyes.

Qin Hongmian could not help urging him, "My dear son-in-law, tell us! Who is that adulterer?"

"That adulterer is him!"

Under everyone's incredulous gazes, Nalan Sheng pointed toward Duan Yanqing, who lay nearby.

"Dao Baifeng, you really aren't picky about what you eat!"

Once Qin Hongmian saw Duan Yanqing's ugly face clearly, she sneered. "You even dared to sleep with a man that hideous. I really do have to admire you."