Chapter 555: Abandoning Wife and Child

Chapter 555: Abandoning His Wife and Kids

For seventeen years, she'd been led to believe he was dead.

When she first found out, Madam Cao could still hold herself together.

But now, seeing Empress Dowager Yuan and Jiang Yanfan standing together, the hatred in her heart was hard to contain.

Madam Cao dug her nails into her palm to keep from losing composure in front of the hall.

She spoke slowly, emphasizing every word: "You are the Empress Dowager, noble and honored, while I am just an ordinary housewife, destined for a life of hard labor."

"The palace walls are tall and thick. If you hadn't summoned me, how could I possibly have had the chance to see you?"

Empress Dowager Yuan sneered inwardly. She could tell Madam Cao was just trying to get under her skin.

She didn't ask her to rise, but simply said, "I didn't summon you today either. So why'd you come on your own?"

Madam Cao looked at her, her voice hoarse. "You know damn well why I'm here, Empress Dowager!"

"You stole what was mine and kept it hidden from me for seventeen years. Don't you owe me an explanation?"

Empress Dowager Yuan gave her a contemptuous glance and said mockingly, "When the hell did I ever take anything from you?"

She and Jiang Yanfan had been childhood sweethearts.

In her eyes, it was Madam Cao who had taken Jiang Yanfan from her.

She'd spared the woman's life, which was already more mercy than she deserved!

But what does she do? She has the nerve to show up at Qincheng Hall and cause a scene.

For that alone, she could have Madam Cao put to death!

Even now, Empress Dowager Yuan still didn't take Madam Cao seriously.

If it were Yuan Jiuan, she might've been scared, but a mere housewife? She wasn't afraid of that at all.

Madam Cao was well aware of Empress Dowager Yuan's arrogance. She spoke up, "My husband, Jiang Yanfan—Empress Dowager, do you dare say you had nothing to do with this?"

With that, she didn't wait for permission. She stood up on her own, fixed an icy glare on the National Preceptor, and demanded, her voice hysterical, "Jiang Yanfan, even now, you're still gonna hide like a coward? What kind of man hides behind a woman's skirts?"

When she'd seen the photo earlier, Madam Cao hadn't felt it so viscerally.

But now, seeing him in person, she was dead certain the man before her was Jiang Yanfan, the man who'd been missing for seventeen years.

What disappointed her was that Jiang Yanfan never once stepped forward to say anything.

With no other option, she had to go all in and confront him head-on.

The National Preceptor furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, "I am not Jiang Yanfan. You have mistaken me for someone else."

The second he laid eyes on Madam Cao, his hands shook violently, and his heart pounded like never before.

But he hid all of it behind his phony mask.

The National Preceptor couldn't believe his eyes.

Seventeen years had gone by, and neither he nor Empress Dowager Yuan had changed much, but Madam Cao had changed drastically.

She used to be young and beautiful; now she was old and haggard.

He'd figured that even without him, Madam Cao would live comfortably in the Jiang family, with plenty of food and clothes.

After all, the Jiang family business had grown a lot and was now a well-known merchant family in the capital.

Madam Cao was the lady of the house. She could've delegated the work, been a hands-off boss, and just kept an eye on the accounts. With money and property, what more could she want?

But the National Preceptor never imagined she'd end up looking like this.

She was only in her early forties, but her temples were already gray, her skin was sagging, and wrinkles had settled between her brows.

Most of all, the way Madam Cao looked at him wasn't with the shy affection of her youth anymore—it was with weariness and hatred.

The National Preceptor knew he'd wronged her and couldn't face her.

He didn't know how she'd recognized him, but for the first time, he felt the urge to bolt.

But with Empress Dowager Yuan and the ministers all there, where could he run?

If he ran, it'd only make him look guilty.

So the National Preceptor pretended not to know her, even though he was panicking inside.

Madam Cao took in Jiang Yanfan's reaction. Her eyes reddened and slowly filled with tears, and she felt like she'd been thrown into an ice pit, frozen from head to toe.

She said in a hoarse voice, "Jiang Yanfan, even if you were burned to ashes, I'd still recognize you."

"We were husband and wife. I bore your children, took care of your parents, ran your family's business, and carried the whole Jiang family on my back—all so I wouldn't let you down."

"But what did I get in return? I loved you and trusted you completely. Is this how you repay me?"

"Jiang Yanfan, do you even have a heart at all?"

Madam Cao had prepared a lot of things to say, wanting to confront Jiang Yanfan face to face.

But now, she realized it was all pointless.

She'd imagined how Jiang Yanfan would react when he saw her, but she never expected him to pretend he didn't know her.

The man in front of her was no longer the husband she'd once loved.

Or rather, his gentleness and care had all been an act.

The National Preceptor's fingers curled into a fist under his sleeve, his face dark and grim.

After Madam Cao's outburst, the lofty, immortal image he'd carefully built in public was completely shattered, replaced by that of a heartless man who'd ditched his wife and kids.

Even from a few feet away, the National Preceptor could feel the ministers' mocking, contemptuous stares.

For a man who cared that much about his reputation, it was like a thousand ants chewing on his flesh—pure agony.

The Imperial Advisor didn't want to keep arguing with Madam Cao, afraid that if the matter weren't resolved soon, it would spin out of control.

With that in mind, he was about to order someone to drag Madam Cao away, but unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Yuan was one step ahead of him.

"Guards, drag this raving lunatic away and beat her to death with cudgels."

The Imperial Advisor: "..."

He: "!!!"

His heart lurched in terror, and his breathing slowed for a beat.

Didn't Empress Dowager Yuan promise him she wouldn't kill Madam Cao?

Yet she actually went and did it...

Despite the guilt in his heart, the Imperial Advisor didn't step in to stop it, instead letting two guards seize Madam Cao and haul her to the doorway.

He cast a complicated look at her, grumbling inwardly: "Cao Yue, it's not that I don't want to save you, but you were hell-bent on coming to the palace to meet your doom."

"Couldn't you have just stayed home quietly and looked after the kids? Why did you have to come here and make trouble for me?"

At that moment, the Imperial Advisor suddenly felt that Madam Cao's death might be a blessing in disguise—at least it would rid him of one lingering worry.

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