Chapter 342 Giving Up the Eldest Son

is headdress"Meng Jinyao replied softly, "Put it back in the warehouse."Ning Dong followed the sound and saw his wife holding the headdress she had taken from the storeroom yesterday. She looked confu...Wuan Bo pondered for a moment, his voice unusually cold: "Let's pretend we know nothing. We'll just think that Xiaoger is having a disagreement with his wife, and Xuanyi has returned to her parents' home. We won't inquire about anything else."

Upon hearing this, Lady Wu An was incredulous: “But if we say that to the Gu family, wouldn't it be like pushing Xiao’er out” Her heart ached, “My husband, Xiao’er is our first child, our eldest son. How can you bear to do this”

What else can be done

"Wuan Bo's brows were furrowed, his face grave: 'If the Gu family learned that we knew the truth of what happened, knowing that Xiao’er had beaten Xuanyi but did not punish their own son, then as elders, we would be derelict in our duty. Furthermore, we would appear to favor and protect our own son. You can afford to lose face, but I cannot.'"

Lady Wu An felt her face tighten. She almost forgot about this matter. Her son had beaten his daughter-in-law. If they were reasonable in-laws, they would definitely punish their son. After all, even if the daughter-in-law was wrong, she shouldn't be physically assaulted. They knew their son had hit Xu Yi, but they didn't punish him because punishing their son would only make things worse. They covered up the news, pretending it was a normal argument between a husband and wife. Since Xu Yi wasn't in any danger, they didn't even call a doctor. They just kept her confined and told her to recover from her injuries.

Wuan Bo narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning sinister. He spoke in a low voice: “Blame can only be placed on Xiaor's impulsive actions, leading him into such a large mess. There must have been the involvement of the fourth branch in this matter, or perhaps it was orchestrated by my good stepmother. The second and third sons wouldn’t dare to do something like this.”

Lady Wu'an, the wife of Marquis Wu'an, was deeply worried: "With this kind of thing happening, I think Marquis Changxing won't let him go. He will definitely make him pay for it."

As for this, Duke Wu'an was quite magnanimous. He had two legitimate sons and two illegitimate sons, a total of four sons. His eldest son was incompetent, but he still had three other sons. "We have two legitimate sons, what are we afraid of Even if Shao'er doesn't become the crown prince, there's Qi'er. Qi'er is also our son."

Upon hearing this, Lady Wu An was aghast. She looked at her husband in disbelief. She hadn't expected that he had already made plans for the worst. Qi'er was their child, there was no doubt about that, but Qi'er wasn't as capable as Shao'er. He wasn't even as promising as those two illegitimate sons. He wasn't suitable to be heir at all.

Lord Wu An instructed, "My wife, when Xiao'er returns later, don't tell him about this. Lest he cause a commotion, and after going to the Gu family, stir up more trouble. We will have to clean up the mess again."

He finished speaking, his eyes narrowed warningly at his wife.

Lady Wu'an, unable to find words, thought of her other son inheriting the title. In the end, she swallowed her retort and nodded lightly. She didn't want the situation to become even more disadvantageous for her and her son. However, this incident revealed her husband's coldness. Before this, Shaoger was still her husband’s most beloved son. Now, he could be cast aside at any time.

Wu An Bo's voice was filled with anger as he said in a low tone, "Don't blame me for being heartless. Xiao Er's current state is also due to your indulgence and protection. If you had told me about the situation back then, perhaps things wouldn't have developed to this point. At least he would have only disgraced himself, and I, as his father, wouldn't have been dragged down by shame as well.

Upon hearing this, Lady Wu An lowered her eyes. In truth, she knew that Shao'er had a fondness for men. When she first discovered it, she felt as if the sky was falling. In order to correct her son's preferences, she had given him medicine and arranged for beautiful maidservants. However, her son threw the maidservants aside and slept with the young male attendants instead.

This dealt her another massive blow. Even with medicine, her son couldn't be with women. He truly had no interest in them whatsoever. However, she didn't tell her husband about this. After careful consideration, she chose to keep it a secret. Because the two sons of the concubine were more outstanding than her legitimate second son, if the eldest son lost his husband's favor, who knew whether he would be stripped of his position as heir

Choosing Gu Xuanyiy as his daughter-in-law was also the result of her careful consideration. In fact, there were women from better families than Gu Xuanyiy. One such woman's father was legitimate, and she herself was also legitimate. Although Gu Xuanyiy was legitimate, her father was a concubine's son. Fortunately, she came from the Changxing Houfu, where the Duke enjoyed imperial favor. With this background, Gu Xuanyiy's lineage was considered suitable for Shao'er.

Xiaoner finally chose Gu Xuanyi, the reason was simple: Gu Xuanyi was prettier and not very smart. She liked sweet talk and believed everything she heard. This kind of fool was the easiest to manipulate. As for Xiaoner's unwillingness to have children with a woman, she had already thought it through. After Xiaoner was married for several years and his wife was unable to conceive, she would adopt Qi’er's son.

As for the daughter-in-law, all he needed to do was keep her under control and not speak carelessly. She would also help him properly discipline her, making her obedient. Unexpectedly, things still went wrong in the end. Xiao'er's affair was ultimately exposed, causing such a huge scandal.

Lord Wu An glared at his wife and scolded, "A loving mother often spoils her children. Look at how you've raised them! Although Xiao'er is intelligent, he has such disgraceful habits. Qi'er only knows how to eat, drink, play, and the daughter is arrogant and domineering. Look at the children born by concubines; none are like this! The sons of concubines are studious and diligent, while the daughters are graceful and elegant. Reflect on yourself properly."

When Lady Wu An heard this, a nameless fire rose in her heart. It was those few lowly concubines and lowly illegitimate sons and daughters again, belittling the children she had given birth to and elevating the illegitimate sons and daughters. If Shao’er lost his position as crown prince, would that position then fall to her other son

Just as Lady Wu An was worrying about her son's interests, a servant came to report that the Crown Prince had returned. They looked at each other and then motioned for their son to come in and speak.

In a moment, Marquis Wu'an's son appeared within their line of sight. Seeing his parents' serious expressions, he felt a sudden unease despite not knowing what had happened. He asked, "Father, Mother, you looked so urgent calling me back. What is the matter"

Lady Wu'an took a deep breath, her voice heavy: "Xiaor, Xuanyi and one of her maidservants have run away. I estimate they've already returned to Changxing Houfu."

The Prince of Wu'an subconsciously said, "It's impossible. When I went back this morning, she was still asleep. I also ordered the maids in the courtyard to watch over her and not allow her or her maid to leave the courtyard even half a step. How could they have gone out"

"Perhaps she left a long time ago. You didn't actually see her this morning, did you After all, you didn't get a good look at her face. Besides, don't forget that things haven't been peaceful in this household lately. It's likely your grandmother or your fourth uncle is involved. Not too long ago, the Marquis of Changxing sent someone to deliver a message asking me, your mother, and you to go to his residence."me repay this silver, I will definitely reform and become a better person.Grandma Qiao's eyes reddened, her heart torn: "Six thousand taels of silver, trading with the eldest daughter, who knows what...