Chapter 367

From calmness to indignation, from somberness to shouting.

Jiang Jizu took a step forward, and Mrs. Liao took a step back.

He stared at her with fiery eyes, trembling, she shook her head.

Those in the know, like Old Lady Jiang, had a bitter feeling in their noses. Those who vaguely understood, like the Second Madam Jiang, had sympathy written all over their faces. And those who were completely unaware, like Jiang Chenghua, were in a state of shock.

"For seven long years, that little child endured hardship, crawling and begging for survival, fighting with dogs for food, wandering from place to place. What kind of life do you think she had? Do you know?" Jiang Jizu gritted his teeth and spoke through clenched jaw. "Mrs. Liao, answer me!"

Mrs. Liao was shaken and couldn't regain her composure for a while, instinctively shaking her head, again and again.

"Do you want to deny it?" Jiang Jizu didn't give her a chance and clapped his hands.

Two guards armed with knives appeared, escorting a drunken man with bleary eyes. Who else could it be but the fallen scions of the Lv Family from over a decade ago?

Jiang Chenghua's biological father had appeared.

Mrs. Liao glared with anger, as if she wanted to shout back, but couldn't bring herself to speak.

"If you dare to deny it again, I'll have someone dig up Mrs. Lv's grave, scatter her bones, and desecrate her memory," Jiang Jizu said coldly.

Before Mrs. Liao could say anything, the drunken Young Master Lv, who was now awake, heard the conversation. He struggled to get up from the ground. "Who, who dares to desecrate my beloved wife's grave and disturb her eternal peace?"

Turning his head and seeing Mrs. Liao, he smiled, revealing his rotten teeth. "So, you're my sister-in-law. How is my girl doing with you? I... hiccup... promised not to disturb you, and I really didn't. I'll leave now, don't let my girl see me. It's not good, not good."

He staggered away, still showing traces of his former handsome and elegant self, but mostly soaked in the stench of decay.

In the distance, Jiang Chenghua's eyes were filled with tears as he slowly crouched down, covering his mouth.

Jiang Jizu sighed, seemingly feeling guilty for not being able to prevent his adopted daughter from going to Famen Temple. "Mrs. Liao, do you have anything else to say?"

The Lv Family had admitted it, so what was left for the Liao Family to deny?

Mrs. Liao lifted the corner of her mouth. "Yes, I switched the children."

"You call that switching children? You switched Jiang's child with another child," Old Lady Jiang finally couldn't contain her anger and said, leaning on her cane. "You switched Jiang's bloodline, you harmed Nannan for half her life!" "You don't deserve to be Jiang's lawful wife, you don't deserve to be Nannan's birth mother, and you don't deserve to have a child like Chengyuan!"

"You should be glad that Nannan is still alive. If she weren't in this world, the entire Liao Family would pay the price for her!"

Old Lady Jiang, who had cultivated her manners for half a lifetime, the former heiress of the Yao Family, the most composed and intelligent lady in Fengjing, finally had a moment of losing control and roaring.

Jiang Sheng stood by, worriedly patting her back.

Jiang Sheng rushed over and tightly embraced her waist.

After a long while, Old Lady Jiang finally calmed down. "Back then, when I allowed you to enter this family, it was the most shameful thing I've ever done to the Jiang Family."

An ancient saying goes, marrying an unwise wife destroys three generations.

A wife may not be beautiful or wealthy, but she must possess wisdom.

A foolish woman not only brings calamity upon her husband and children but also affects future generations.

"Blinded by love, he chose Mrs. Liao as his wife," Jiang Jizu knelt on one knee. "I apologize to my father and mother, to the ancestors of the Jiang family, and especially to my daughter, Jiang Sheng."

He knelt facing Old Lady Jiang, causing Tan Yue and Jiang Chenghua, who stood in the same direction, to recoil in fear.

They couldn't bear to witness their father's gesture of submission.

"It's not your fault. It was my mistake for not considering the importance of social status and compatibility. I only thought about avoiding conflicts and forgot about the significance of a suitable match," Old Lady Jiang said with a bitter smile, waving her hand.

Their mother-son bond had grown deep but had angered Mrs. Liao.

"Our families may not be a perfect match, and you chose me not out of affection but because of my obedience and filial piety. You have never respected the Liao family," Mrs. Liao said tearfully. "I have worked diligently all these years, managing the household with devotion. Although I may not have any merits, I have certainly endured hardships. But you treat my rights as disposable and take away my position as the head of the Jiang family. Do you consider me the mistress of the Jiang family? Do you see me as the wife of a general?"

"Don't change the subject," Old Lady Jiang regained her composure. "We took away your position because you lost the Jiang family's bloodline."

"Even now, you still haven't clearly stated why you replaced the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family."

"Just because you and your sister have a deep bond? But according to the old maid from the Liao family, you and your sister didn't seem to get along well."

It was indeed strange.

If Mrs. Liao had sacrificed her own child for the sake of her sister's child, who had a closer relationship with her, it would have been understandable.

But their relationship was ordinary, even with a tendency for rivalry.

When the eldest Mrs. Liao married into the Lv family, it was considered a great honor. Yet, shortly after, Mrs. Liao married into the Jiang family, which was even more prestigious. The eldest Mrs. Liao had been resentful for a long time, believing that the Lv family was inferior to the Jiang family and that she was inferior to her younger sister.

Later, the eldest Mrs. Liao died from postpartum complications while giving birth to a legitimate daughter, and Mrs. Liao herself suffered from a lingering illness after giving birth to Jiang Sheng. "Could it be that you hold a grudge against Jiang Sheng for being unable to bear children?" Old Lady Jiang posed her final question. "Indeed, you had a premature birth that led to infertility, but the Jiang family already had legitimate sons and daughters, so there was no need for you to bear children. There's simply no reason for it."

Everyone, including Jiang Sheng, looked at Mrs. Liao with confusion.

Why did this happen?

Perhaps each of them had their own suspicions, but they needed to hear the truth from Mrs. Liao's own mouth in order to fully believe.

"Speak!"

"Speak!"

"Speak!"

The demands echoed, each word filled with anger and shock.

Mrs. Liao clenched her teeth, her pupils shifting unconsciously from side to side, clearly contemplating something.

"Are you going to speak or not?" Jiang Jizu's hatred reached its peak, and he took three quick steps forward, confronting her.

Mrs. Liao panicked.

Jiang Chenghua, who was sobbing in the corner, was startled as well. Although she hadn't fully processed the fact that Jiang Sheng had suffered for seven years or that her biological father had suddenly appeared, she instinctively rushed forward and stood in front of Mrs. Liao with her frail body.

"Father... General," she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "You can't hit Mother."

Perhaps Mother had indeed made a mistake, perhaps a grave one.

But she was still her mother, the one who had cared for her and loved her. She couldn't bear to see her mother being struck.

"The men of the Jiang Family never lay a hand on women," Jiang Jizu clenched his fists tightly. "I only want her to speak the truth of what happened back then."

"If she refuses to speak, one by one, the members of the Liao Family will meet a gruesome end, starting with the young ones. I heard that the head of the Liao Family just became a grandfather."

"The people of the Lv Family won't escape either. Those who are alive will have no peace, and those who are dead will be disgraced."

Perhaps a general devoted to his country and its people would never resort to such actions, but a father who yearns for his daughter is willing to do anything.

Jiang Chenghua trembled as he shook his head, rushing into the arms of Mrs. Liao. "Mother, please tell me, speak up."

"Speak up!"

"Hurry, speak up!"

Countless voices overwhelmed them, and Mrs. Liao couldn't bear it any longer. She screamed, "I don't want to say it, I don't want to say it. It's you who forced me, it's all of you who are forcing me..."

"Jiang Sheng, she is not my biological child!"

"She is not of the Liao bloodline. She deserves to be abandoned, to beg for a living, to die out there!"