Chapter 136

Li Xusheng had only wanted to test the waters, but seeing Aunt Zhu’s nervous and fearful demeanor, it was obvious that she knew everything!

Mrs. Zuo’s entire body went limp at the words, and she sat down on the ground.

Her still-beautiful face was now pale and tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at Zuo Anning.

“Ning’er, why did you follow along…”

Seeing that she had been exposed, Zuo Anning could no longer hold back and tears flowed down her face as well.

“Mother, before you ask me like this, have you ever thought about why you did such a thing?”

“Why, why did you do this!”

Zuo Anning suddenly rushed to Mrs. Zuo, her voice choked with tears.

“I’m sorry, Ning’er, it’s Mother’s fault, Mother was wrong, Mother harmed you.”

Zuo Anning shook her head desperately, grabbing Mrs. Zuo’s hand and said in a mournful voice:

“Mother, you didn’t harm me, you harmed yourself!”

“Whether I become a nun or remain unmarried for life, I have no complaints. But have you ever thought that if today’s matter is exposed, you won’t survive!”

Hearing Zuo Anning still thinking about her at this moment, Mrs. Zuo’s heart was filled with unbearable pain, and she said in a mournful voice:

“Ning’er, don’t say anymore, it’s Mother’s fault, Mother is sorry for you!”

Seeing Mrs. Zuo’s agonizing appearance, Li Xusheng coldly said to Zuo Anning:

“If you want your mother to live, just pretend that today’s events never happened. Or do you want to sacrifice your mother for the greater good?”

Zuo Anning suddenly stood up when she heard this, looking up at Li Xusheng with hatred burning in her heart, fearless and unyielding.

“You scheming man! You deliberately approached my mother just to use her to gather information about the Qiao family!”

Li Xusheng’s face turned cold at her words, instinctively retorting, “No, I didn’t!”

Zuo Anning’s face was as cold as ice, “I can tell. You and my mother have had grievances in the past, but your initial intention in approaching her was for the Qiao family, right?”

“Don’t say that you genuinely cared for my mother. If a man truly loves a woman, how could he lead her into such disgrace? For a woman, this is the ultimate disaster!”

Li Xusheng was momentarily silenced by Zuo Anning’s sharp words, his eyes widened with anger, but Zuo Anning was not afraid.

Since the cards had been laid out, even if it meant death, she would wake her mother up!

Thinking of this, Zuo Anning squatted down, looking at Mrs. Zuo with tears in her eyes, and said in a choked voice:

“Mother, daughter knows Father is not good, Father is unfaithful. I’ve advised him privately several times to treat you well, but he wouldn’t change.”

“So it’s not your fault if you don’t love Father.”

“But, if you are really determined not to live with Father, you can divorce him, leave the mansion, but you absolutely cannot resort to… such disgraceful acts!”

“If you propose a divorce, daughter will definitely be the first to stand up for you. I don’t care about reputation or whether I can marry, I just hope you can be happy.”

“But why did you take such a wrong step? Grandfather has been extremely kind to you. Because of Father’s mistakes, Grandfather has always favored you in everything. But now, you’re stomping on his dignity!”

“He’s old, how could he bear such a blow!”

Thinking of Duke Yan, Zuo Anning couldn’t control her grief. How desperate would he be when he learned of this!

Mrs. Zuo’s tears were about to dry up too. She grabbed Zuo Anning’s hand and pleaded:

“Ning’er, don’t say anymore, Mother is sorry for you, sorry for your grandfather.”

Zuo Anning’s face was full of disappointment as she tightly held Mrs. Zuo’s hand and said in a despairing tone:

“Mother, you still don’t understand. The person you have wronged the most is yourself!”

“In this life, one may have personal desires, seek petty gains, but one must not forget righteousness!”

“This man, he is solely interested in using you to extract information about the Qiao family. Why? Because Uncle is a loyal and important minister, and someone wants to use this to discredit him, to overthrow him!”

“How could you agree to do such a thing? Has Aunt ever treated you, treated us poorly?”

“Think about it, who is behind this man? His goal is huge, it involves the people, it involves the state, how could you joke about it!”

Mrs. Zuo listened to this, staring blankly at Zuo Anning, seemingly not expecting her daughter to speak such words.

She had never thought about these things before. What did the people and the state have to do with a woman like her?

She was just extremely tired of Zuo Heying. She wanted a man who would cherish and love her, she wanted to live happily!

At this moment, Li Xusheng appeared, awakening the feelings of her youth and filling the void in her heart.

Gathering information about the Qiao family was just one insignificant condition among them.

Looking at Mrs. Zuo’s bewildered and confused expression, Zuo Anning’s heart sank inch by inch.

She knew clearly that her mother had gone too far down this wrong path.

If she hadn’t followed along today, what would her mother have done?

Would she have abandoned her and eloped with this man who bewitched her?

Thinking of this, Zuo Anning suddenly felt extremely exhausted.

Today’s events were like a deadlock, and now their lives, hers and Aunt Zhu’s, were still in the hands of this man.

“Mother, you should go back with Ning’er. Tell Grandfather about this matter truthfully. Grandfather is kind-hearted, he won’t treat you harshly.”

“No matter what the outcome is, whether it’s going to the nunnery or going to prison, Ning’er is willing to accompany you!”

“Mother, don’t keep making mistakes!”

Zuo Anning looked at Mrs. Zuo firmly, still holding onto a glimmer of hope.

Mrs. Zuo heard this, and it was impossible not to be moved and shocked. She hadn’t expected things to develop to this extent.

But, when she thought of Li Xusheng behind her, and the child in her belly, she still shook her head while clutching her stomach.

“No! Ning’er, it’s not possible! If your grandfather finds out, the child in Mother’s belly won’t survive!”

Zuo Anning burst into tears when she heard this.

“Mother, then what about Ning’er? Isn’t Ning’er your child?”

“Enough!”

Li Xusheng suddenly spoke coldly, bending down to lift Mrs. Zuo up.

He would not allow anyone to harm their child!

“Lady Li, I’ve always been decisive in my actions. If this girl wasn’t your daughter, I would’ve silenced her long ago. There’s no need to drag it out to this point.”

Mrs. Zuo shivered at his words and hurriedly exclaimed, “No! You can’t harm Ning’er!”

Li Xusheng’s face was stern as he said sharply:

“From what she said just now, she will never help you cover up anymore. In that case, you won’t be able to return to Duke Yan’s Mansion.”

“Come with me!”