"You did not accuse her because you believe it was her who had bought you and your siblings to this world?" Ren Ye chuckled deeply, "You disregarded your brother's life, don't you think?"
Ren Ye said in a mocking tone as he watched Kang Di's lips slowly curl into a genuine smile.
"Disregard my brother's life?" Kang Di smiled genuinely, "He is dead and my mother is alive."
"That is the difference between my mother and my brother. One has long passed and one has been here when my dad was at his lowest."
Kang Di curled his eyes as he pursed his lips into a straight line, "I am glad you have to confirm whatever suspicion I have but I will not consider letting my mother leave nor go to jail for whatever she did sixty years ago."
Ren Ye's eyes gleamed with coldness, "You are siding with your mother. I came here with no intentions to drag your mother to court with me."
"I simply came here on the wish of your brother."
"I know. Whatever you want, my family will provide for you," Kang Di said as he smiled at Ren Ye, "I hope you will let go of whatever you have come here for and let my mother live off her life."
"Live off her life? She murdered someone and you believe she has the rights to enjoy a peaceful life. Your Excellency, you are not the just man I believe you to be," Ren Ye chuckled mockingly.
"She won't enjoy nor will she get her peace," Kang Di lowered his head and watched his father wail in agony, "I will take necessary actions to reprimand and punish her according to my family's laws and rules."
"Di'Er!" Xuan Jie cried out with pitiful tears streaming down her face, she kneeled on the ground as she attempted to grab onto her son's hands.
Kang Di mercilessly took his hands away from her and lowered his cold eyes onto her, "Mother."
"Di'Er!"
"Mother."
"Why are you doing this to me? Your mother."
Everyone knew the Kang Family was strict with whatever rules they had kept for the longest time. For every wrong doing, their honorable members would report the culprit to the Patriarch, where he had to take actions against the culprit.
The lightest punishment is getting fined.
The most moderate punishment is getting isolated for a limited time and whipped a hundred times.
The most severe punishment is getting put in complete isolation for their entire lives and have their status stripped down.
As a member of the Kang Family, Kang Di could not bring himself to give her the most moderate punishment. A murder was still a murder despite it happening almost sixty years ago.
As an honorable son of Xuan Jie, Kang Di could only bring himself to have his mother isolated from everyone including himself. The harsh punishment would have to include ten thousands whips but as her son, Kang Di could never let his mother go through that.
After all, he is her son and she is the woman who had given him life and everything he has known.
Kang Di raised his head upwards and glanced at his father, Kang Fan, "I will receive the ten thousands whips in her stead."
His words shocked his mother and Ren Ye, who frowned and scoffed.
"Di'Er!"
"Mother, I am sorry."
Kang Di genuinely apologized to his mother as his dark eyes slowly became filled with sadness, "As I have stated before, I will take the punishment in your stead."
"Mother could never let you do that. You are the patriarch of this family!"
"Patriarch or not. It will not clean away the sins you have committed, mother. I am saying this in hope that you and me will be forgiven of our past. I do not want to be a leader who is known to have ascended to the position because of the wrongdoings of my mother."
"He is honorable," Ren Ye remarked and praised him for his character, "A stern but yet resolute man in his words."
His eyes softened significantly before he spoke out, "Your Excellency…"
As soon as he said, he overheard a soft cough from behind as he turned his head to look at Kang Fan, who started coughing.
"Father!" Kang Di exclaimed as he rushed forward to hold his father in his place as Kang Fan struggled to get up from his sleeping posture, "Stay there."
"Di'Er…"
Kang Fan let go of the box that contained Kang Lei's ashes as he grabbed onto his son's slender hands, his rough and wrinkled hands contrasted each other.
For the first time in so many years, Kang Fan uttered his name.
Kang Di's indifferent eyes significantly softened as he smiled at his father, "Yes, father."
Kang Di's heart trembled slightly as this was the first time his father had acknowledged him. Ever since Kang Fan had abdicated his position to his eldest son, Kang Fan isolated himself from everyone and everything until one day he fell extremely sick.
Even in the emergency room, Kang Fan never called out his name. Instead, he called for his true eldest son. Muttering Kang Lei's words for years and calling out for him to come back.
Kang Di could only wish it had been his name that his father was calling for but thankfully, his mother always assured him that he was his father's most loved son.
"I don't believe that, mother. I don't believe dad loves me like him," Kang Di lowered his lips with his head lowered down, his shouldering slumping. Kang Di was 16 years old when he had this conversation with his mother, years before he was given the position of patriarch.
"Stop overthinking. You are his and he is your father. No matter what, you are his true born son. He will love you nevertheless," Xuan Jie patted her son's head with a gloomy smile, "You look like him and acts like him. Never doubt your father's love for you."
Although she repeatedly said these words throughout his entire life, Kang Di truly never felt his father had ever looked at him. Instead, whenever his father lays his eyes on him, all he could see was immense sadness and regret.
Regret that it hadn't been his first son that was alive. Regret that it had been him who replaced his beloved son.
For the longest time, Kang Di trained himself to be capable of leading and made sure everything was in his father's hope. Wanting to surpass his brother's image in his father's heart.
"Di'Er."
Kang Fan spoke weakly as he gripped his hands and shed tears, "My…son."
After he has said that, a drop of tear slid down from the corner of Kang Di's eyes before a long line of tears came along.
The light in Kang Fan's eyes slowly faded as he coughed and pointed at Ren Ye, "Thank…him…for…what…he…has…given…father."
Kang Di turned his head to look at Ren Ye with red eyes before nodding to his father, "Rest assured, father. I will protect him in accordance to you and brother's wishes."
Kang Fan coughed harshly, "Father…is…sorry…"
"No, father. I am sorry," Kang Di gripped his hands in return, feeling his strength slowly become weaker and weaker.
Kang Fan curled his lips into a genuine smile before losing his eyes, his hands held onto the pictures of his son and his first wife. His heart rate slowly cease to rise and drop.
He became a lifeless man in his bed.
Tears rolled down Kang Di's eyes as he repeatedly gripped his father's hands, "Father…"
Xuan Jie quickly joined him as they shed tears alongside each other. Ren Ye felt somewhat sad from watching this as he commented,
"I feel he only wished to see Kang Lei first before he decides to pass app," Ren Ye gloomily shook his head, "To think he would allow his soul to wander in this lifeless body of his for so long just to get to know the truth about his family."
"Very touching," Old Yi remarked as he chuckled deeply, "It appears he truly loved his first family. Even more so than his second."
"Yes," Ren Ye nodded his head and agreed with Old Yi's statement.
-
After the funeral,
Ren Ye was dressed in black and white as he bowed his head in respect to a picture of Kang Fan in his youth, alongside that of his son.
He had been cremated and placed alongside that of his son as every member from the Kang Family came over to pay their respects to their beloved former patriarch.
As he had promised Kang Di and Kang Lei, he didn't intend to let it slid off his mouth that it had been his wife that bought the demise of his first family.
Instead, Xuan Jie was nowhere to be found.
The smell of burning incense flowed in and out the room as a man with a slim physique came over with a young woman beside him. Both of them wore extremely gloomy expressions as the young woman respectfully bowed her body toward him.
Her swollen belly was visible to Ren Ye's eyes.
Kang Di introduced him to the young woman, "My wife."
"This is my brother's…childhood friend."
Kang Di said with a somewhat strange expression, "I have come here to discuss something with you."