Chapter 6 Don't Cry, Mother

• Yang Mingrui and Zhang Ling were deeply in love, but the only downside was that their three children weren't up to par.
• Zhang Ling's lips twisted with a hint of bitterness.
• Xu Jia shot Jiang Ning a glance. Madam had been sitting here all day, waiting for Master who hadn't returned. She was feeling upset.
• Just as she was about to say something, there was a knock on the door.
• "Madam, Miss Hu Yue has returned."
• Zhang Ling sat up straight.
• Hu Yue's face turned grim and unpleasant. "You two, go wait outside." The two junior maids quickly left the room.
• As the door closed, Zhang Ling's expression soured a bit.
• Hu Yue dropped to her knees with a heavy thud.
• Her eyes were red, her body trembling all over, almost grinding her teeth as she spoke, "Madam, you've got a keen insight. In Cran Alley … " Hu Yue's eyes flashed red as she described what she had witnessed, almost going mad on the spot.
• "When I arrived, Master was helping a woman, completely wrapped up, into a carriage. He was even holding a newborn baby in his arms."
• Hu Yue was almost crying.
• 'Oh, I wasn't killed and those two maids were caught, so they must have been worried about getting caught, so they moved … '
• Zhang Ling heard this sentence quite clearly.
• She took a deep breath, trying to contain her shock.
• "Did you get a good look? Was it really ... Lord Yang?" She practically gritted her teeth, her face pale as a ghost.
• Hu Yue wiped her tears. "I heard her call him Mingrui.
• "I pretended as if I was looking for a place to rent, and I heard from the neighbours that they've been living there for years, always referring to each other as husband and wife. They … " Hu Yue wiped her tears.
• "They were extremely affectionate. Lord Yang was worried she might be mistreated, so he bought gifts and visited each household, asking everyone to look out for her. Everyone had a great impression of them."
• Zhang Ling felt like her heart had been ripped out.
• "Madam … " Hu Yue couldn't help but glance at her. If she felt like she'd been struck by lightning, how much worse must it be for Madam?
• 'Don't cry, pretty Mother. Don't shed tears for that jerk. It hurts to see you like this … ' The little one smacked her lips, clearly admiring his Mother's beauty. That jerk must be blind.
• "What's that girl's surname?" Zhang Ling finally asked after a long silence.
• Her voice carried a touch of despair.
• "I only heard her surname was Wu. Master usually called her 'Xiaoning,' maybe it's her nickname."
• The last glimmer of hope in Zhang Ling's eyes shattered.
• Xiaoning?
• A few years ago, during a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering, after indulging in a few too many drinks, in the dead of night, Yang Mingrui muttered the name "Xiaoning" in his sleep.
• Zhang Ling felt a bitter taste in her mouth. Years of love and trust had collapsed in an instant.
• She leaned against the headboard, tears streaming down her face.
• Before she could even process it, she heard that soft, tender voice again.
• 'Mother, please don't cry. There's the current Emperor's Eight Characters underneath the crooked tree in your family's yard … '
• Yang Yuting cursed her inability to speak. When the Zhang family was searched, treasonous materials were found beneath the crooked tree, and her mother's eldest brother took the blame, being executed publicly.
• This marked the beginning of the downfall of the Zhang family.
• Hearing this, Zhang Ling felt a tingling sensation in her chest.
• Back when Yang Mingrui sought to marry her, her family members objected, but she insisted on marrying him, which led to this marriage.
• Over the years, because Yang Mingrui wasn't fond of her family, she deliberately distanced herself from them.
• She was afraid of upsetting him.