Chapter 1484: Brother Xuxu Side Story (Part 2)
Madam Yin shook her head. "I just feel we can’t keep making a scene like this." If this went on and on, it wouldn’t be decent.
Yueyao thought it over seriously, then said, "Since Bu Bing wants to have the concubine-born child registered under An Ning’s name, as long as he agrees to send Maternal Aunt Hua to the Family Temple and promises that Maternal Aunt Hua will never step over the Bu family’s threshold again, we will agree to his request."
Madam Yin’s heart trembled when she heard this. "This is a good idea, but will Bu Bing agree?" This condition, Madam Yin felt An Ning would agree to.
Yueyao said expressionlessly, "If he won’t agree, then divorce. Anyway, Sister Yi is already married; even if they divorce, it won’t affect Sister Yi." Sister Yi was An Ning’s daughter; she had married earlier in the year, and into a family in the Capital City.
Bu Yi resembled An Zhichen by a good forty to fifty percent, and what was rare was that the child did not take after the way An Ning looked when she was young, and was very sensible. Although An Zhichen outwardly ignored An Ning, his own younger sister by blood, he still held a trace of familial feeling for her, and on top of that, since Bu Yi resembled him, An Zhichen had proposed Bu Yi to the eldest son of a former subordinate of his. With this connection, even if An Ning really divorced Bu Bing, it would not have too great an impact on Bu Yi.
Madam Yin was very hesitant. Even a divorce would have a great impact on the girls in the household.
Yueyao said, "In the past, because we were taking Bu Yi’s situation into account, we all turned a blind eye to this matter. Now that Sister Yi is married, what does she have to fear? The one who should be afraid is Bu Bing."
Madam Yin understood what Yueyao meant. Someone with nothing to lose is not afraid of someone with everything to lose—unless Bu Bing no longer wanted his career, nor cared about his son’s prospects, he had no choice but to compromise.
An Ning was not very willing to have Maternal Aunt Hua’s son registered under her own name.
Madam Yin said, looking displeased, "This is your Third Sister-in-law’s idea. You know what your Third Sister-in-law’s temperament is like; if you refuse to listen, she definitely won’t concern herself with your affairs in future." Speaking of it, An Ning could be considered fortunate: she had run into An Zhichen and Yueyao, and neither of these two were petty people. Otherwise, if their hearts had been even slightly narrower, they wouldn’t have bothered with An Ning. Without her natal family backing her, how could An Ning possibly have passed more than ten years in the Bu family in relative peace?
Thinking of Yueyao’s coldness, An Ning finally nodded in agreement.
Between a woman and his own prospects, property, and very life, anyone with a sound mind knew how to choose. Within a few days, Bu Bing sent Maternal Aunt Hua to the Nunnery.
An Ning went to the Earl’s Mansion to thank Yueyao.
Looking at the wan and haggard An Ning, Yueyao sighed softly. No matter what, An Ning was still her husband’s own younger sister; if she lived badly, An Zhichen would never truly be able to ignore it. Thinking this, Yueyao said, "I know you think that the three sons born to Maternal Aunt Hua—even the youngest already understands things—if you keep them by your side, they won’t grow truly close to you."
An Ning indeed thought so.
Yueyao really did not know what to say about Maternal Aunt Liu. Just from Maternal Aunt Liu’s maneuver of switching the babies back then, one could tell she was by no means an ordinary woman; yet why was the daughter she had raised so firmly controlled by a concubine? If Maternal Aunt Liu knew of this in the underworld, who knew what she would think. "Have the eldest son registered under your name, then have Bu Bing take two more concubines. When they bear children, you can have the babies brought up by your side. Once they’re raised by you, they will naturally grow close to you." With Maternal Aunt Hua gone, An Ning would also be able to quietly and securely keep a child by her side to raise.
An Ning was startled; she had not expected Yueyao to be thinking this way. Remembering what she had done to Yueyao in the past, An Ning sincerely apologized to Yueyao. "Sister-in-law, about what happened back then, I’m sorry." In those years she had indeed been young and ignorant, and, unable to bear the sight of Yueyao, would mock her with her words. Even when her mother, on her deathbed later, had told her to draw closer to her legitimate elder brother and sister-in-law, she had not been able to put aside her pride.
Yueyao was somewhat surprised, but to hear these words from An Ning still made her rather gratified. "What’s past is past. From now on you should just live your life in peace. With your brother there, as long as you don’t overstep, the people of the Bu family won’t dare bully you."
An Ning’s tears streamed down. She knew that if her brother had not covertly shielded her all these years, she would long ago have been devoured by Bu Bing and Maternal Aunt Hua. Now that An Zhichen had also found a good match for Sister Yi, in her heart she felt both grateful and ashamed.
Yueyao smiled a little; for her to understand things now was not too late.
Not long after, Brother Xuxu was brought back to the Capital City by An Zhichen. He was not kept by his side, but was directly placed into the Imperial Forest Army, and obtained for him a post as a Second-class Guard.
