good season

Chapter 149 The Invisible Knife
Old Madam Wei slowly recounted what happened back then.

Xu Kun was a womanizer by nature, and the young Consort Li was not the only woman he had an affair with.

Although he was already married, he never stopped having affairs with other women.

Xu Kun never patronized prostitutes; his lovers were all his confidantes. He loved them passionately each time, and was heartbroken when they broke up. His relationships with them were all based on love, a love that would last forever.

Before Consort Li, he fell in love with his classmate's younger sister, and before that, there was the girl next door, his young teacher's wife, and a beautiful and talented woman with whom he shared a deep mutual appreciation.

His classmate's younger sister had once willingly offered to be his concubine, but he refused. He couldn't bear to see the person he loved humble herself, because that would taint their love.

In the end, the younger sister, heartbroken, married a man she didn't love.

Xu Kun was heartbroken for three days. On the fourth day, he got a new job as a staff member for the county magistrate.

He regained his confidence because he fell in love with the county magistrate's daughter, the young and beautiful Consort Li.

Unfortunately, this was destined to be an unfulfilled love story. The beloved girl was selected to enter the palace, and a palace wall separated them.

Xu Kun wrote a sad poem about this, but unfortunately, Consort Li, who was far away in the palace, could not see it.

After writing this poem, Xu Kun recovered from his heartbreak, because he found someone he loved again.

This person is his sister-in-law, Zou's younger sister, who is only fourteen years old!

Before this, Xu Kun had not seen Xiao Zou for several years. He never expected that the little girl had grown into such a beautiful young woman. Xu Kun immediately fell in love with her.

He lost his appetite because of Xiao Zou, and Xiao Zou responded by hanging herself with a white silk ribbon.

Xiao Zou committed suicide for love!
Unfortunately, he didn't die.

Upon learning that Xiao Zou had committed suicide for him, Xu Kun rushed over and embraced her. The two held each other tightly, just like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl who had crossed the Milky Way.

The eldest Zou, who was both his wife and elder sister, was exhausted and proposed a divorce, wanting to grant them their wish.

Torn between his wife and his sister-in-law, Xu Kun ultimately chose love.

Xu Kun agreed to the divorce, but his son with Da Zou could only stay in the Xu family.

The couple parted ways, and Xu Kun and Xiao Zou finally became a couple.

Not long after returning to her parents' home, Da Zou discovered that she was pregnant.

This child came at the worst possible time; she didn't want it.

At this moment, Old Madam Wei found her. Madam Zou had only one condition: she wanted her eldest son.

Madam Wei, being powerful and influential, easily got the child back from Xu Kun.

However, Madam Zou never expected that Old Madam Wei would be so ruthless.

In the end, she was unable to take her son and elope.

Not only did she die, but her mother and brother, who were involved in the incident, also perished.

Lord Zhu was dumbfounded.

So, people like these beasts can actually talk about love?

"And then what happened?" Lord Zhu was eager to know Xu Kun's fate.

Old Madam Wei said with a mocking expression, "On the night of Xu Kun's wedding to Xiao Zou Shi, Xu Kun abandoned Xiao Zou Shi and went to find his new lover. When the new lover learned that he was getting married, she went on a hunger strike and went hungry for a day and a night until Xu Kun came to find her, and the two of them shared a bowl of porridge."

Xu Kun and his new love returned home together. In the bridal chamber, they knelt and begged Xiao Zou to grant them their love. Xu Kun couldn't bear to make his new love a concubine, so he elevated her to the status of a secondary wife.

Enraged, Xiao Zou poisoned her new lover and then committed suicide. Xiao Zou's entire maternal family was wiped out, but her new lover still had a maternal family. His family ransacked the Xu family's house and beat Xu Kun. Xu Kun dared not go home and could only hide in a dilapidated temple outside the city.

That night, two groups of beggars staying in the dilapidated temple got into a fight, knocking over candles and setting the temple ablaze. Xu Kun couldn't escape and was burned to death.

Lord Zhu sighed; he actually felt a little regretful.

It's such a pity that I didn't get to see Xu Kun in his lifetime.

Thinking of Xu Kun, Lord Zhu thought of Consort Li, and thinking of Consort Li, Lord Zhu thought of the nun in Qingjing Nunnery.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he finally remembered why the nun looked familiar.

She looks like Princess Jiayi!
Yes, they do look alike, at least two or three points similar.

Of course, if Princess Jiayi washed off her makeup and shaved her head, she might look even more like her.

Unfortunately, Lord Zhu had never seen Princess Jiayi without makeup. The Princess Jiayi he had seen was always adorned with jewels and radiant with beauty.

Yes, it's no wonder he hadn't noticed their resemblance before. Who would connect a nun who does manual labor all day with a graceful and noble princess?

“She looks like Princess Jiayi. Even though they don’t have the same mother, they do look somewhat alike. Oh, and she also looks a bit like Princess Jia’an,” said Lord Zhu.

Madam Wei sneered, "They looked even more like them when they were little! All three of them resembled the Empress Dowager, their grandmother, and didn't resemble their own mothers at all."

Lord Zhu's lips twitched. No wonder he kept that woman in a remote nunnery. If she were in the capital, she might have been discovered long ago.

Both Princess Jiayi and Princess Jiaan were fond of showing off.

Jiayi flaunted her wealth all day long, as if afraid that others wouldn't know she had a son-in-law who was a third-ranked scholar.

As for Jia'an, he kept twenty or thirty male concubines and paraded around town with a different one every day.

These two women are known to everyone in the capital, from the imperial court to the common people.

Thinking of these two extravagant princesses, Lord Zhu sighed, "This is fate!"
Both daughters of retired emperors, these two enjoyed wealth and luxury, while the other lived a life of solitude and devotion in a nunnery.

Lord Zhu showed tenderness and compassion, but Old Madam Wei did not; on the contrary, she was gritting her teeth in anger.

A moment later, Lord Zhu suddenly realized what was wrong with him. He was actually sympathizing with the nun. Shouldn't he be shocked that the emperor was a bastard?

"Mother, what do you think would happen if that person found out about this? Would they kill our whole family?" He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Madam Wei glanced at him and said coldly, "Back then, that old hag made me send that girl to the charity, and that's what I did. But in reality, it was a different child who was sent to the charity."

Lord Zhu was taken aback: "Does Consort Li not know the one in Qingjing Nunnery?"

Madam Wei smiled smugly: "Besides Zou, I also found three pregnant women back then as a precaution. The one sent to the charity was one of their daughters. Even when the old hag sent people to investigate, they couldn't find out."

The one in Qingjing Nunnery resembles their imperial grandmother more than Jiayi and Jia'an, while the one on the dragon throne, well, she takes after Xu Kun.

Lord Zhu was startled and hurriedly asked, "Are there any members of the Xu family still alive?"

Madam Wei smiled and said, "Xu Kun has a younger brother named Xu Lin, who works as a steward in Tong'an Manor. Xu Lin's two sons look somewhat like those princes."

Lord Zhu's eyes widened in disbelief. His elderly mother had done so much without his knowledge.

Lord Zhu had never been to the Zhu family's estate in Tong'an, and the steward of the estate had never visited the manor. So, Lord Zhu was unaware that there was a steward in the estate who looked like Emperor Yongjia.

Looking at her son's spineless appearance, Old Madam Wei snorted coldly: "Scared already?"

Lord Zhu was indeed afraid. He couldn't help but look up, where there was a knife, an invisible knife.

　I'm a bit tired today, so I'll only post 2000 words for now, and another 2000 this afternoon or evening.
　　(End of this chapter)