Chapter 3

Clang! The prison door opened. Madam Zhao did not hurry to leave. Instead, she looked at all the women in the cell. Suddenly, she knelt down and kowtowed to the Dowager Madam, who was sitting at the front. “Mother, please forgive your daughter-in-law for being unfilial. I can no longer serve you!” The Dowager Madam looked coldly at Madam Zhao, her lips pressed tightly together. She was naturally angry, even somewhat resentful, that her daughter-in-law was unwilling to endure hardship together with the Wang family. But she also knew that this was simply human nature. And Just as the Dowager Madam's eyes flickered and she was about to speak, Madam Zhao spoke first. “Mother, please rest assured. Once I return to my family today, I will definitely go to the city gate tomorrow to see everyone off.” She would find a way to prepare some money, clothes, food, and other necessities for the Wang family. This wasn't only because of their years of family ties. It was also for the sake of her children. Hearing this, the coldness on the Dowager Madam's face finally faded slightly. Her tone softened as she suppressed her resentment toward Madam Zhao and said quietly, “Very well. What Sister Si said just now was correct. The Wang family's disaster has nothing to do with you. Even if you had not taken the initiative to divorce him, I would have let you go!” “Once you return to the Zhao family, you don't need to worry too much about us. Take good care of Sister Si and live your own life well.” Although the Dowager Madam's tone remained somewhat stiff, her words were quite reasonable. Madam Zhao was deeply moved. The conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law that had lasted for more than a decade, along with all the curses she had silently directed at her harsh mother-in-law over the years, seemed to turn into smoke and disappear at this moment. With tears in her eyes and guilt and emotion on her face, Madam Zhao said, “Mother! I'm sorry. I'm sorry to you, and I'm sorry to the Wang family!” Seeing Madam Zhao like this, a trace of satisfaction quickly flashed through the Dowager Madam's eyes. She then looked at Wang Si. “Seventh Girl, your Sixth Sister only said those hurtful things because she wanted you to stay in the capital without feeling burdened. Don't hold it against her.” “She is your elder sister, so she should indeed take care of her younger sister. But as her younger sister, you should also know how to yield to your elder sister!” “You should always remember this kindness she is showing you.” “Seventh Girl, while you are enjoying fine clothes, good food, peace, and prosperity in the Duke Weiguo's household, don't forget that your elder sister is suffering for your sake on the road to exile and struggling to survive in the bitterly cold borderlands...” The Dowager Madam put on the appearance of a fair and righteous family matriarch and lectured Wang Si at length. Wang Si lowered her eyes, hiding the coldness in them. In her previous life, she had gone into exile with the Wang family and spent several years with the Dowager Madam. She had already seen through her true nature. Back then, she had only known that the Dowager Madam was an unkind grandmother. She hadn't expected her to be this biased as well. Oh, no. There had been signs even in her previous life. It was just that the Wang family had eventually returned to the capital in glory, while Wang Jiao, who had remained in the capital, had lived a miserable life. The Dowager Madam and the rest of the Wang family had favored Wang Jiao more, but Wang Si had simply thought they were “showing sympathy to the weaker one” and “making up for what she had suffered.” Now that they had been reborn, Wang Jiao had fought to go into exile and had even insulted Madam Zhao just to achieve her goal. And the Dowager Madam was deliberately distorting the truth to clear Wang Jiao's name. She was even trying to place a moral burden on Wang Si and force her to acknowledge Wang Jiao as her “benefactor.” Ha! Dream on! She had transmigrated once and been reborn once. Wang Si had lived through three lifetimes in total. She was no longer the naive fool who could easily be deceived. With a thump, she knelt beside Madam Zhao and squeezed out two tears. “So Sister did all of that for my sake, which is why she insulted Mother!” “My sister has treated me so well. I can't possibly let her suffer any injustice either!” “Sister, why don't you go with Mother instead? I'll stay here and serve Grandmother and take care of Father” Before Wang Si could finish, Wang Jiao suddenly shouted, “No! I don't want to stay in the capital! I want to go into exile!” Wang Jiao hadn't expected everything to have almost worked out, only for the grandmother who had always doted on her to suddenly interfere! She hurriedly looked at the Dowager Madam and gave her an anxious look. Grandmother! Stop talking! Don't ruin everything for me! The Dowager Madam understood Wang Jiao's expression and nearly fainted from anger. What on earth had happened to this child? Before the Dowager Madam could ask, Wang Jiao hurriedly rushed to her side. Leaning close to her grandmother's ear, Wang Jiao whispered quickly, “Grandmother, you don't understand! I'll explain everything to you later!” The Dowager Madam was so frustrated that she felt her granddaughter was hopeless. Wang Si acted as though she hadn't noticed the interaction between the grandmother and granddaughter and continued, “Sister, Grandmother is right. As your younger sister, I should yield to you” “No! I don't want you to yield to me!” Wang Jiao was truly panicking now. Afraid that something might change, she shouted without thinking. All the women in the cell looked at Wang Jiao strangely. Only then did Wang Jiao realize what she had said. She hurriedly tried to explain, “We're sisters from the same family. There's no need for us to keep yielding to each other!” “I... I can't bear to leave Grandmother, while you care more about Mother. If I go into exile and you stay in the capital, wouldn't that be the best arrangement for everyone?” Wang Si slowly nodded and said softly, “So, Sister, you're not letting me stay in the capital to enjoy a life of comfort. Instead, between Grandmother and Mother, you chose Grandmother. Is that right?” Therefore, Wang Jiao wasn't a kind elder sister who was forced to suffer for her younger sister. Nor was she a devoted daughter to her mother. Wang Si, Madam Zhao, and the Duke Weiguo's household behind her owed Wang Jiao nothing! Madam Zhao had always known that her elder daughter was closer to her grandmother. It had been that way since childhood. After twelve or thirteen years, Madam Zhao had long since grown accustomed to it. She even understood that her elder daughter's earlier insults, calling her selfish and cold-hearted, had not merely been words said to persuade her younger sister. A-Jiao genuinely believed that Zhao Wan was greedy for wealth and status and unwilling to endure hardship alongside her husband and daughters. Madam Zhao knew everything. Yet she was a mother. Even though her daughter had broken her heart, she still couldn't bring herself to hate her. If A-Jiao had done something wrong, then perhaps it was because she, as her mother, had failed to raise her properly. That was what Madam Zhao had always told herself. For all these years, she had silently endured it. But today, after A-Jiao had repeatedly refused to leave with her, Madam Zhao suddenly realized something. Her elder daughter truly had no affection or filial love for her as a mother. She genuinely despised the woman who had given birth to her and raised her. Her heart was completely broken. It felt as though it was slowly dying. At that very moment, Wang Si firmly said, “Sister is right! I do care more about Mother. I care about how she risked her life to give birth to us. I care about how she worked so hard to raise us. And for our sake, she endured countless grievances.” “Let alone staying in the capital with Mothereven if I had to go into exile with her, I would still be willing!” As she spoke, Wang Si held Madam Zhao's hand. “Mother, don't be sad. I'll stay by your side. I'll take care of you and be a filial daughter to you!” “...Good!” Madam Zhao tightly held her daughter's small hand. She raised her head, and there was no longer any guilt in her eyes. That invisible moral burden had been broken by her younger daughter with her own hands. She owed nothing to the Wuchang Marquis's household. And she owed Wang Yong nothing. Only her children... She would find a way to prepare more supplies for them. She would also ask her father and brothers to send several people to accompany them along the way. At the very least, they could ensure that the children arrived safely at the border and were able to settle down there. As for everything else, Madam Zhao would no longer force herself to do more. All she wanted was to have a clear conscience.