Chapter 014: Inherit the Title

Inherit the title—

How familiar these two words were.

Zhou Ziheng had spent the first half of his life running around for these two words, pretending for a lifetime, only revealing his true nature when he was about to die. Whenever he heard these words, he thought of his tumultuous life.

He was deceiving people every moment, every breath filled with fear that Qin Chanyue would discover the truth. Now, as he was about to die, he could finally be himself for once.

Fang Qingqing, kneeling silently by the bed, was still shedding tears. She whispered, “You always said that your elder brother bullied you, making your life difficult. Even as the second son, you suffered so much. What will become of our son in the future? After you’re gone, how will Qin Chanyue treat me? You must leave us something to rely on.”

Yes, he had to support his son.

Looking at Fang Qingqing’s tear-stained face, Zhou Ziheng recalled the grievances she had endured over the years. He also remembered how, to please Qin Chanyue, he had done countless things that hurt Fang Qingqing’s feelings.

He should make it up to Fang Qingqing and their son. As for Qin Chanyue… Qin Chanyue had enjoyed a lifetime of good fortune. She was a Junzhu, had never suffered much, and had everything she could want. Her son would also have the Qin family and Zhennan Wang to look after him. Why should she cling to his title?

Zhou Ziheng, in a daze, murmured, “Yes… the good things should be left to our son.”

His entire life had been a haze for the sake of the title, forcing him to do many things he never wanted to do. Now that he was about to die, he couldn’t let his son suffer the same fate.

He wanted to leave his son something good.

“Go—go and invite Lady Qin over,” Zhou Ziheng murmured.

Fang Qingqing hurriedly sent someone to fetch Qin Chanyue.

When Qin Chanyue arrived, Zhou Ziheng ordered everyone to leave. With great difficulty, he sat up, took Qin Chanyue’s hand, and spoke to her.

He looked utterly confused, his body emaciated from illness, sitting on the bed as if only bones remained, as though his last breath could leave him at any moment.

But when he held Qin Chanyue’s hand, sincere tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.

“I still remember the first time I saw you. You stood in the pavilion, wearing a vibrant red pomegranate skirt—’How I envy the peach trees of the Jade Pond, their rosy cheeks lasting a thousand years.’ I thought to myself, how wonderful it would be if such a woman married me.”

When a husband and wife reminisce about their first meeting, such words would soften anyone’s heart.

He continued, “I’ve wronged you. You married me and endured many grievances. Now that I’m about to die, there’s one more thing I must ask of you.”

When someone is about to die and adds the word “ask,” who could refuse?

Tears welled up in Qin Chanyue’s eyes. She held his hand and said, “Just tell me. If I can do it, I will.”

“Our sons—among these three sons, the first two have disappointed me greatly. Their character is unworthy of being our sons. Only Zhou Wenshan, who has just returned, has a good nature. Although he is not your biological son, he will surely treat you as his own mother and serve you. I wish to pass my title to him. In the future, let him take care of you in my place. Is that acceptable?”

When Qin Chanyue heard this, she raised her eyes and studied Zhou Ziheng’s face carefully.

He still had that handsome face; even with age, it did not diminish his refined elegance.

When he spoke these words, Qin Chanyue thought, he must have been driven to desperation by this sudden illness, leaving him no time to devise a more thorough plan.

If it were Zhou Ziheng in good health, wanting Zhou Wenshan to inherit his title, he would have first found a way to suppress his two sons, then built some reputation and official positions for Zhou Wenshan, and finally devised a plan to push Qin Chanyue aside. But now, he had no time for any of that. He could only grasp her hand, deluding himself into thinking she would yield.

Who would yield? Who would willingly hand over their wealth and power to someone else?

At least, the Qin Chanyue of the past would never have accepted it.

But when the current Qin Chanyue heard these words, her first response was not to refute. Instead, she hesitated and asked, “I am not familiar with Wenshan. Will he truly honor and care for me in the future?”

“Of course!” A flush of excitement rose to Zhou Ziheng’s face. He turned and called out, “Bring Zhou Wenshan in!”

In just a moment, Zhou Wenshan entered the room with his head bowed.

He was merely a youth, taught some unsavory tricks by Fang Qingqing, which he regarded as treasures. As soon as he entered, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Qin Chanyue, repeatedly saying, “I will serve my legal mother diligently in the future.”

Qin Chanyue observed Zhou Wenshan’s features, which resembled Zhou Ziheng’s, then slowly nodded and said, “This child—I can see he is filial. Since my husband favors him, let it be as you wish.”

It was actually a victory!

Zhou Ziheng never expected everything to go so smoothly. He grasped his wife’s hand, trembling as he said, “You are truly a good wife. In the future, Wenshan will surely honor and care for you.”

Looking at his sickly, hunched figure, Qin Chanyue suddenly felt a pang of reluctance to let him die.

She really ought to let him live on, to witness the fate of this mother and son.

—

The news that Zhou Ziheng intended to pass his title to his outside son, Zhou Wenshan, quickly spread throughout the Houfu.

Liu Yandai closed her eyes, seeing nothing. Bai Yuning and Zhou Chiye were busy with their secret nighttime rendezvous, and neither of them paid it any mind—Zhou Chiye was, after all, the second son, with no expectations of becoming the Marquis. He wasn’t even the Shiziye. Whether the Shiziye was him or not made no difference. In the past, when he was on good terms with Zhou Yuanting, if the Shiziye wasn’t his elder brother, he might have stood up for Zhou Yuanting. But now… he didn’t care who the Shiziye was.

The only one who panicked was Zhou Yuanting. He temporarily set aside the betrayal of his younger brother and Bai Yuning, his mind consumed by thoughts of the title.

This was his title!

Zhou Yuanting was still recuperating from his injuries in Qiufeng Hall, which happened to be adjacent to his father’s room, separated only by a rockery landscape. Upon hearing that his father intended to pass the Shiziye position to that outside son, he immediately sat up in shock and hurried to find his father.

He was the legitimate eldest son of the Houfu, the child with the blood of the Qin Mansion and the Zhou Mansion. That outside son was merely the offspring of a lowly servant—how could he possibly deserve the title? Since ancient times, no concubine’s son had ever inherited a title. What made Zhou Wenshan so special? The entire court would mock their family, and how could the Emperor possibly agree? His father had grown senile!

It was afternoon, Zhou Ziheng was recuperating from his injuries in the side chamber, with Fang Qingqing doing everything in her power to attend to him. Zhou Yuanting arrived at the door seeking an audience with his father, but Zhou Ziheng inside refused to see him.

“Tell him to leave,” Zhou Ziheng waved his hand dismissively.

Zhou Yuanting was unwilling to accept this. Enduring the pain in his chest, he knelt on the ground, bowing his head, and through the closed door, he questioned his father: “Father, I heard you intend to let an outside son inherit the title. This goes against propriety!”

Propriety?

Zhou Ziheng flew into a rage. A son who had done wrong actually dared to question his own father! If it weren’t for Zhou Yuanting’s mistakes, which had infuriated him to the point of being bedridden, why would he not pass the title to Zhou Yuanting?

“This title is mine. I can give it to you, but you cannot demand it!” Through the door, Zhou Ziheng threw a teacup and roared, “Drive this unfilial son out!”

Having hit a wall with his own father and unwilling to give up, Zhou Yuanting turned to seek an audience with Qin Chanyue.

His father had been bewitched by Concubine Fang and Zhou Wenshan, but how could his own mother agree? If she was unwilling to scheme for her own son, why would she allow the marquisate to go to an outside son?

Zhou Yuanting hurried to see his mother.

As he entered, he saw his mother sitting alone by the window, reviewing account books.

The sunlight outside was bright, falling on his mother’s face, illuminating her striking features with a radiant glow.

“Mother!” At the sight of his mother, Zhou Yuanting felt a surge of grievance. As he had always done before, whenever trouble arose, he couldn’t help but turn to his mother for help. Anxiously, he said, “Father intends to give the title to that outside son. Why didn’t you stop him? How could you let a concubine rise above you and let an outside son rise above me?”

Seeing Zhou Yuanting arrive, Qin Chanyue, seated by the window, lifted her eyes and calmly looked at her son.

In her previous life, Zhou Yuanting and Zhou Wenshan had been the best of brothers.

Back then, she had lost her influence and been driven out, while her husband had brought that mother and son into the household. Zhou Yuanting, also for the sake of the title, had promptly acknowledged Fang Qingqing as his legal mother and Zhou Wenshan as his brother.

At that time, their relationship had been excellent—nothing like it was now.

Qin Chanyue rested her chin on her hand, her expression indifferent as she spoke to Zhou Yuanting: “You made your own mistakes. Your father dislikes you now, and your mother cannot help you either. Look at yourself—what state are you in now? And look at Wenshan—that child comes to pay his respects to me every day, appearing far more filial than you.”

Zhou Yuanting was shocked: “Has Mother gone mad?! I am your son!”

Qin Chanyue sneered. In her previous life, when she had lost power, he had disowned her. Now that he was about to lose power, he came claiming to be her son.

What nonsense.

Qin Chanyue said calmly, “I cannot change your father’s mind. There’s no need to come to me. The matter of the title is already settled. In a few days, once your father’s health improves slightly, he will petition for Zhou Wenshan’s succession. It cannot be changed.”

Devastated, Zhou Yuanting left Shangyue Garden in a daze and returned to his Qiufeng Hall.

That night, he spent half the night thinking in his room, convinced he could not simply give up. He immediately began scheming, planning to take some action.

Zhou Yuanting’s little plan did not escape Qin Chanyue’s notice. The moment he made the slightest move, word reached Qin Chanyue’s ears.

Qin Chanyue nodded faintly in acknowledgment.

She had long anticipated this day.

In her previous life, after Fang Qingqing returned to the Houfu, she had wanted her son to be granted a noble title. This lifetime was no different. Moreover, she understood her son well—Zhou Yuanting had been the Shiziye for so many years; how could he easily let go?

He was bound to fight for it too.

Meanwhile, Qin Chanyue quietly fanned the flames, letting the two of them clash silently in the shadows.

She didn’t need to lift a finger herself. The various factions within the Houfu were enough to wear each other down on their own.

In the past, Qin Chanyue had regarded them all as family, treating them with utmost sincerity and never resorting to such scheming tactics against them. But now that she had truly begun to act, it took only a few moves to have them all spinning in confusion.

Ambition and greed wove into fine threads, intertwining into a net, waiting for someone to take a single misstep and fall into utter ruin.