Chapter 48

The Empress once again held Ruan Tang's hand and spoke words of affection for a good while longer before finally letting him leave.

As soon as Ruan Tang left, the Empress immediately withdrew the affection from her face and asked her personal lady-in-waiting with a cold, stern expression: 'Is the mother of our Duchess really mentally incapacitated by poison?'

'I am not entirely clear on that,' the lady-in-waiting immediately reported all the information she knew to the Empress: 'But in recent days, the Duke has indeed sought out famous doctors from the Imperial Star for the Lady to treat the conditions of her mother and siblings. I heard that the doctor who treated the Duchess's mother, after returning, began researching a method to clear a rare toxin that causes dementia...'

The Empress's chief lady-in-waiting was both her secretary and her eyes and ears.

The Empress sighed lightly: 'That Ruan Ming's heart is truly ruthless. However, the cycle of heaven's justice is inexorable; heaven punished him by giving him such a good son. This time, father and son will soon be at odds, and it is still unclear who will come out on top.'

No matter how formidable Ruan Ming is, he is already old.

Meanwhile, Ruan Tang is still the newly rising sun...

'Then, Your Majesty, if this lady wants to seize the Ruan family, should we help him?' The lady-in-waiting knew well that it was Ruan Tang's statement that Ruan Ming could turn against them at any time, and that as soon as Ruan Tang gave birth to a child, he would be completely bound to the Empress like grasshoppers tied to the same rope, at her command, which struck a chord with the Empress and moved her to grant him this opportunity.

Therefore, the lady-in-waiting was very curious about what the Empress had in mind, whether she intended to help Ruan Tang seize the position of head of the Ruan family, so that the Ruan family's power could be fully used for her own purposes.

'Help him? Help him do what?' The Empress began trimming her flower arrangement with a bored expression: 'Since he wants the position of head of the Ruan family, he must prove to me that he has the capability to sit in that seat. Otherwise, if his virtue does not match his position, what use is he to me?'

She was willing to give Ruan Tang this opportunity, allowing him to have the capital to compete with his father and brother, but she would not help him, nor would she place her bets on Ruan Tang.

In other words, if Ruan Tang succeeded, she would be happy to see it; if Ruan Tang failed, she would also suffer no loss and feel no pity for him whatsoever.

Only if Ruan Tang proved to her that he had the ability would he be qualified to join her camp and become her confidant; otherwise, he would only be fit to be a breeding tool...

'Yes, Your Majesty,' the lady-in-waiting immediately nodded in acknowledgment, then suddenly thought of something and asked: 'By the way, Your Majesty, regarding the Duchess's extensive conversation with you, should we keep it from the Duke?'

The mother-son relationship between the Empress and Auston had long been irreconcilable. Although Ruan Tang was currently quite favored by Auston, if Auston were to find out that Ruan Tang was getting close to the Empress and trying to become her person, Auston would likely fly into a rage, and his favor toward Ruan Tang might even cease to exist.

Although the lady-in-waiting did not care about Ruan Tang, she clearly remembered that Ruan Tang's foremost duty as the Duchess was to bear the Crown Prince. If he made Auston dislike him, how could he conceive the Crown Prince?

'There is nothing to hide. Since he begged me for this opportunity... Auston will eventually find out that his good lady has aligned with us.' The Empress gently inserted the trimmed branch into the vase: 'Such a young Omega, if he cannot even manage his own Alpha, what right does he have to boast so arrogantly?'

She rather appreciated the ambition and ruthlessness in Ruan Tang's eyes, and wished to cultivate him into her confidant.

And her method of cultivating confidants was like raising poisonous insects to fight each other...

If the cultivation failed and the promising sprout fell by the wayside, she would not be particularly distressed or care about his life or death.

After all, he was just a tool; if this one died, she could replace him with the next.

......

Weary and exhausted, Ruan Tang left the Imperial Palace in a hovercar. The first thing he did upon returning to the Ducal Palace was to visit the quarters of his mother, brother, and sister to check on them.

He knew that once he entered the game, there was no turning back; he had to stay constantly alert, consider every detail thoroughly and meticulously, and allow no room for slack.

And the force that kept him vigilant and propelled him forward was the family in the manor and Auston...

'Madam, you've arrived.' As soon as she saw Ruan Tang, the maid responsible for caring for Tang Yun and her three children respectfully came forward to greet him.

Ruan Tang nodded gently to her: 'Mm.'

Tang Yun and Ruan Yang were still the same as before—one lay motionless on the bed, while the other hugged a pillow, babbling away in his own world.

Ruan Yue, however, looked very different from usual. Not only had she carefully cleaned herself up and put on a new dress that she would never wear no matter how much she was urged before, but she had also sprayed perfume and applied light makeup. Her dim, unfocused eyes now held a faint sparkle as she looked left and right in the mirror with great anticipation...

Although weathered by hardship, she suddenly reminded others of her former breathtaking beauty.

'Big sister, what's happened today? Why are you so happy?' Ruan Tang almost didn't recognize her. He immediately stepped forward, took the comb from her hand, and began to comb her hair.

Ruan Yue seemed to have encountered something especially joyful; she was overjoyed and said upon seeing him: 'Xiao Tang...'

Ruan Tang hadn't expected her to recognize him. This was a rare moment of lucidity since Ruan Yue had gone mad. For his mother Tang Yun and brother Ruan Yang, there were treatment methods that offered hope of recovery, but Ruan Yue alone had truly endured too much hardship and stimulation, sealing off her heart and driving her mad, leaving no cure to be found.

Seeing her suddenly lucid, Ruan Tang became immensely excited and asked happily: 'Big sister, do you recognize me now?'

'Xiao Tang, the child who came to see me today—will he come again tomorrow? I want to see him. I don't know why, but seeing him makes me so happy...' Ruan Yue did not answer his question; it was as if she hadn't heard him, immersed in her own world as she spoke of the reason for her joy.

Ruan Tang felt greatly disappointed, realizing that although Ruan Yue recognized him, she was not truly healed. He frowned in surprise and asked the maid caring for them: 'Child? What child? Did a child come to the manor today?'

Logically, there should be no children appearing in the Ducal Palace.

Could it be that Ruan Yue had developed a new form of madness, beginning to hallucinate seeing a child?

'No child has come,' the maid shook her head.

Ruan Tang frowned slightly, about to say 'just as I thought,' and planned to consult Ruan Yue's doctor again.

But the maid suddenly thought of something and added: 'However, today Chief Wen Run came to visit the young lady. The young lady was very happy as soon as she saw him.'

She had heard that this Chief Wen was the young lady's...

He was also someone the young lady could refer to as a child, wasn't he?

'Wen Run?' Ruan Tang was startled; he hadn't expected Wen Run to have come.

The maid immediately answered: 'Yes.'

Ruan Tang didn't catch what she said; he just stared blankly at Ruan Yue, who hadn't been so radiant in a long time, as if she had come back to life.

Wen Run was such an adult, yet Ruan Yue saw him as a child...

They should have been strangers to each other, yet Ruan Yue, mad for so long, became much more lucid and joyful at the sight of him. Could this be the legendary mother-child bond, the connection of blood?

'Xiao Tang, do you think he'll come again?' Seeing that Ruan Tang wasn't responding, Ruan Yue anxiously tugged at his sleeve and urged him with hopeful expectation.

Ruan Tang's gaze turned slightly somber: 'He will come, he will come to see you again. As long as you want to see him, no matter what method I have to use, I will make him come to visit you often...'

'That's good.' Ruan Yue immediately smiled with satisfaction.

Ruan Tang gently held her hand and said: 'Things will get better, big sister. Our family will all get better from now on.'

Looking at his loved ones, even if his heart wished for nothing more than a peaceful corner, he found the courage to face life and death...

......

After visiting his mother, brother, and sister, it was already very late.

After washing up, Ruan Tang still took the copy of One Thousand and One Nights and knocked on Auston's door.

Even though he knew Auston only regarded him as an extremely beloved pet, without any romantic feelings, Ruan Tang had still been tamed by his dominance.

He had developed a habit of needing to see him every day before he could sleep peacefully.

The light in Auston's room was still dimly lit, clearly waiting for him.

Auston's face was dark and gloomy; even through the mask, one could feel the shadow and intense pressure of his displeasure.

'My lord, what story would you like to hear tonight?' Ruan Tang looked at him, took a deep breath, and felt inexplicably a bit nervous.

Auston's face was sullen; he sneered and said coldly: 'How about telling me the story of what you and the Empress discussed today?'

Ruan Tang hadn't expected his intelligence to be so efficient; he was taken aback: 'My lord...'

'Who gave you the guts to provoke even the Empress? Do you think you have nine lives?' The next moment, Auston furiously overturned the tea and snacks on his coffee table.

Ruan Tang grew nervous, his palms slightly sweating: 'I didn't provoke the Empress...'

Auston deeply hated the Empress. When he made this decision, Ruan Tang didn't actually know whether Auston would believe or understand him, but he still wanted to tell the truth in front of Auston.

Regardless of whether Auston was willing to believe him.

'I may be mad, but don't take me for a fool!' Auston's tone was dark, his blue eyes emitting a terrifying murderous glare through the mask: 'Is what I've given you not enough? That you need to beg her? Do you think the Empress is some simple character? A fool like you who knows nothing and can do nothing dares to negotiate with her and ask for power? You're taken in by her sweet talk, and you'll only be used by her, devoured until not even a bone is left...'

'What do you think you are, worthy of her use?' He was furious.

No one knew a mother better than her son; there was no one in the world who understood Her Majesty the Empress better than he did.

Hearing his fierce words, Ruan Tang suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had been thawed from the freezing fear.

Although Auston's expression was very awkward, Ruan Tang could still tell that he hadn't misunderstood him, hadn't doubted him for seeking out the Empress. He was worried about him, caring for him...

For some reason, in Auston's eyes, he seemed to have a very thick filter of naive sweetness.