My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

Shortly after noon, the sky, which had been clear for several days, suddenly became overcast, and despite it being daytime, the lights were turned on inside the house.

In the Songhe Hall, Old Madam Wei sat at the head of the table. Today she wore a brown padded jacket, her gray hair was tied up, she wore a plain headband, and her hands were wrapped with Buddhist prayer beads. She was completely different from her usual arrogant demeanor.

Kneeling before her was a lean, travel-worn middle-aged man, Wei Nanxun's father.

Wei Rongde, the second master of the Wei family.

“My son has been away from home for more than half a year and has not been able to fulfill his filial duty. He has also caused my mother and brother and sister-in-law to have to take care of our two children. It is my fault.”

He was born out of wedlock. His birth mother had a difficult time giving birth to him and did not survive. As soon as he was born, he was taken to be raised by his legal mother.

To be honest, the fact that he grew up healthy is a testament to his stepmother's kindness.

His mother played a role in encouraging him to abandon scientific research and choose to become a merchant, but he was well aware that he was not suited for studying.

Perhaps because he was not particularly gifted in his studies, and because his elder brother treated him with kindness and gentleness, he did not suffer much hardship in his childhood.

Therefore, he always respected Madam Wei and almost always obeyed her.

His only act of rebellion from childhood to adulthood was marrying Yan Niang.

He had always known that his stepmother disliked Yan Niang and wanted him to marry the illegitimate daughter of a certain official, so that the two families could be united through marriage and thus benefit his elder brother's career.

He secretly pledged his life to Yan Niang without telling his elders, which made him even less popular at home.

But he has no regrets. The years he spent with Yan Niang were the most carefree and vibrant days of his life.

In order to give Yan Niang and the children a better life, to ensure they could receive the protection of their family, and to stop them from having to be subservient to others, he worked desperately for those few years, even dreaming about using an abacus.

Fortunately, he had a talent for it and with the help of his wife's family, all the businesses he took over in those years improved.

He worked tirelessly, sleeping very little each day, and kept only 20% of his earnings, handing over the remaining 80% to the government's accounts.

As life got better and better, he no longer needed to do many things himself, and Yan Niang became pregnant with her second child.

He didn't want her to give birth; she had injured her body when she was pregnant with Ah Xun.

But she insisted on giving birth, saying that this was a child bestowed upon them by God.

He could only agree, so he reduced the number of times he went out and tried to spend more time with her.

But just before she was about to give birth, a problem arose with one of the goods, which could affect the overall revenue for the year, and he had to handle it personally.

Wei Rongde was reluctant to go, but his wife patiently persuaded him. He also thought that if the whole year's profits were ruined, his stepmother would probably be even more upset with his wife.

That's why they had no choice but to leave, but little did they know that this trip would be their last.

The day he rushed back without sleep was also a rainy day like this, and he was overjoyed to welcome the new life.

Who could have imagined that what awaited him was Yan Niang suffering from severe bleeding, beyond the reach of medicine, and that he wouldn't even be able to see her one last time.

Wei Rongde used to enjoy drinking, but he only drank in moderation and never let himself get too drunk, for fear of making mistakes.

In the days immediately following Yan Niang's departure, he was almost never sober. The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was drink, trying to numb himself with alcohol.

Later, Ah Xun developed a persistent high fever and almost couldn't be saved.

His stepmother even slapped him. After he grew up, his stepmother treated him like an adult, and even though he secretly married, she didn't scold him too much.

This time, he was truly disappointed in him, and it was this slap that brought him to his senses.

Yan Niang has left, and he must take good care of their child.

After sobering up, he realized that the real reason his stepmother was so angry was that his businesses had all suffered losses without his management, which had brought hardship to the entire Wei family.

From then on, he stopped drinking and worked even harder to earn money, because he had to prove that he was useful to the Wei family.

The children who lost their mother cannot lose the protection of their family; he must give his two children a chance to change their fate.

Even though he spends little time with his children throughout the year, he doesn't dare to soften his heart for a moment and forces himself to be ambitious.

According to past practice, he should not be able to go home until around the end of the year.

But coincidentally, last month he had a shipment of goods from the Western Regions that he was to personally deliver to Jiangnan, passing through the capital.

He originally wanted to take the opportunity to come back and see his daughter, but he was afraid that he would be reluctant to leave, so he gritted his teeth and went back and forth several times without daring to cross the threshold of his home.

It was after he had finished packing the goods and was preparing to head north to the frigid lands that he received a letter from his stepmother.

He only stopped hesitating and rushed back as quickly as possible after being told that he wanted to discuss his daughter's marriage with him.

"You've worked hard too, get up and talk first." As she spoke, Old Madam Wei coughed violently a few times.

Upon seeing this, Wei Rongde wanted to step forward and offer his concern, but Xu Mama, who was beside him, had already stepped forward to pat the old lady's back and hand her water. After a good while, the old lady looked much better.

"Mother, please take good care of yourself. You are the backbone of our family. It is because of you that the Wei family is where it is today."

"Don't try to fool me with such words. This old woman is useless now. No one listens to me anymore."

Wei Rongde was initially caught off guard and felt somewhat apprehensive. His fear of his stepmother was ingrained in his very bones, and he could only feel anxious and fearful.

But having been a businessman for many years, he was most skilled at understanding music and realized after a moment that the old lady was hinting at something to him.

He quickly stood up and bowed respectfully: "Mother, what are you saying? Your son has always listened to you the most."

Seeing that her words had an effect, Old Madam Wei gave a low hum.

“You did listen to her, but the daughter born to that Shen family doesn’t respect me, her grandmother, at all. Not only is she very headstrong and dares to refuse the marriage that I, the old woman, painstakingly arranged for her, but she also dares to run away from home.”

“Go look all over the capital, which girl raised by a wealthy family would be so unconventional? She’s just too bold and wild. Even my Wei family can’t tolerate such a big shot.”

Madam Wei's move was brilliant. She first feigned illness to gain sympathy and then gradually pointed out Wei Nanxun's shortcomings.

The word "filial piety" was used to completely suppress Wei Rongde.

Sure enough, after she said a few words of reprimand, Wei Rongde's knees buckled and he knelt down.

His forehead was already covered in a fine layer of sweat, and the more he listened, the more terrified he became.

Firstly, his stepmother's oppressive power was too strong, causing him to subconsciously submit; secondly, her accusatory words filled him with panic.

In his mind, his daughter was extremely obedient and sensible. How could she possibly resist the marriage and run away from home?

He had a gut feeling that something was wrong, but Madam Wei's words were too harsh, implying that she didn't want to acknowledge Wei Nanxun at all, so he didn't dare to contradict her.

He could only bow his head and kowtow, his voice trembling as he said, "Mother! Your words are breaking my heart!"

“You watched Ah Xun grow up, and you know her character best. She would never do something so outrageous. There must be another reason.”

"You mean, it was my old woman who forced her to do this?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. It's just that you should have informed me about this important matter of marriage. Maybe if I had talked to Ah Xun, she wouldn't have acted so rashly."

“As her grandmother, don’t I have the right to choose a husband for her? You, as her father, how many days a year are you even home? What kind of husband can you possibly choose for her? Are you suggesting she choose a merchant, something to be ashamed of?”

Wei Rongde lowered his head even further: "Son wouldn't dare, son just feels there's a misunderstanding..."

Just as he was about to explain, a girl's voice came from behind him: "Father, it's not a misunderstanding. Grandmother's words are all true."