Chapter 1609 — The Agitated Tang Family

Although she was Tang Yuyu's own biological mother, the things she had done were utterly despicable in his eyes. His relationship with her was icy cold — he kept his distance, treating her with mere surface courtesy.

"That is true!" Old Master Tang nodded. "But Yuyu, do you know why I have never given you my blessing to become the young family head?"

"Huh?" Tang Yuyu was taken aback, not knowing why Grandfather had suddenly brought this up.

"Yuyu, you are a good man — upright and honorable in every way, and there is nothing wrong with your character. But you are far too sincere; you are not adept at schemes and stratagems! Placing you in the position of young family head too early would not be helping you — it would be destroying you! Within the family, there are many who have their eyes fixed on that seat. Open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are impossible to guard against. If you truly became the young family head, you would soon become everyone's target, and by then, you might not even know how you died!" Old Master Tang sighed.

"Ah!" Tang Yuyu was stunned, suddenly grasping the depths of his grandfather's good intentions! So in Grandfather's heart, he had always been on his own side! At the thought, Tang Yuyu was deeply moved: "Thank you, Grandfather, for looking after me..."

"Enough — let's not speak of this further. This matter must be kept in the strictest confidence. You must not mention it to anyone at all. At present, only you and I, grandfather and grandson, know of this! If word were to leak, whether it would bring fortune or disaster to our Tang family is impossible to predict!" Old Master Tang admonished.

"Yes!" Tang Yuyu promptly replied with solemn gravity.

"Good. Now — come with me immediately to see your Third Concubine Mother!" Old Master Tang said. "Stay close to me, be careful, and don't let anyone see us!"

"Yes!" Tang Yuyu said.

So Old Master Tang led Tang Yuyu out of the secret chamber, avoiding everyone's gaze, and went straight to the courtyard where the Third Concubine was confined! Old Master Tang was a Heaven-tier expert, and this sort of thing was as effortless as flipping his hand.

The servant in the Third Concubine's courtyard suddenly noticed two extra figures in the yard and instinctively opened his mouth to cry out — but the moment he recognized the visitors, he was struck dumb with shock: "Old Master... Eldest Young Master..."

"Go about your business. This doesn't concern you." Tang Yuyu waved his hand in dismissal.

"Yes, Eldest Young Master." The servant didn't dare speak another word, promptly lowering his head and hurrying off to tend to his own duties, while Tang Yuyu and Old Master Tang walked directly into the Third Concubine's room.

What met their eyes was a woman dressed plainly and simply. Her spirit was somewhat downcast, but she was by no means the lunatic she had been described as! Her beauty had long since faded, yet one could tell that in her youth she must have been a lovely creature.

Looking at this Third Concubine before him, Tang Yuyu could not help but sigh. He recalled how, when he was a child and she took him out to play, she had been such a beautiful young maiden — much like the current Palace Mistress of the Ice Palace. But now... after years apart, the place was the same, but the person was gone!

Over the years, though Tang Yuyu had regularly had food and clothing sent to the Third Concubine through others, he had never visited in person — for fear of attracting suspicion! After all, he was the legitimate son and grandson; what would it look like if he were mixed up with the Third Concubine?

Old Master Tang too lamented that the years spared no one. In just ten years, this Third Concubine had withered to such a state! Thinking of his eldest son, who would stop at nothing in pursuit of power, Old Master Tang shook his head.

What had happened back then — had it not been for the eldest son's tacit consent, no matter how domineering and jealous the eldest daughter-in-law might have been, this was still the Tang family's home — not hers! Not a place where she could do as she pleased! Yet to gain leverage over the eldest daughter-in-law and harness her family's power, his own eldest son had actually been willing to cast aside his own flesh and blood — an act utterly devoid of humanity!

Old Master Tang had seen all of these things with his own eyes, yet he had said nothing. The Tang family needed to grow, and it needed someone as ruthlessly capable as this eldest son. As long as he did not act against the Tang family's interests, Old Master Tang would not interfere.

Hearing the noise, the Third Concubine turned her head and saw the old man and the young man standing before her — she was stunned at once! She naturally recognized the old man, but as for the youth... he looked somewhat familiar, yet she didn't dare acknowledge him...

"Father... how is it that you've come..." The Third Concubine hurried to her feet and bowed: "Father, please sit down quickly..."

The Third Concubine was both flattered and fearful. For over ten years, no one from the Tang family had ever appeared before her, and now the family's old master had suddenly arrived — it left her quite flustered. She had been born into poverty, not from any great family. All these years since losing her daughter, she had been consumed by melancholy. She knew the First Madam disliked her, and staying here she could only wait for life to slowly draw to its end.

"Xiaoming, it has been so many years — how you have suffered, and that unfathful son of mine, sigh!" Old Master Tang waved his hand the moment he stepped through the door, sighing heavily.

"Father... do not blame him... only blame Xiaoming for being careless..." The Third Concubine was terrified, unsure what Old Master Tang intended.

"Over all these years, your father has never given up searching for your daughter. But you must know — the family power behind the First Madam's side is on equal footing with our Tang family. I could only have Yuyu carry out a covert investigation!" Old Master Tang didn't even blink at his own lie. He pointed to Tang Yuyu and said, "Yuyu was always close to you as a child. After his sister went missing, it even put a rift between him and his own mother..."

"Ah! It's the Eldest Young Master!" Having heard Old Master Tang's words, the Third Concubine finally recognized him — the young man before her was Tang Yuyu!

"Third Concubine Mother... all these years, out of caution I have not come to see you, and for that I am truly ashamed!" Tang Yuyu bowed deeply — it was the honest truth. He did not possess Old Master Tang's hypocrisy; he and this Third Concubine had always been close, otherwise he could not have had things sent to her over all these years.

"The Eldest Young Master is too kind... over the years, you have taken such good care of me — there has never been any lack of food or clothing here..." The Third Concubine did not doubt Old Master Tang's words. If anyone else had forgotten her, she might have believed it, but all these years, Tang Yuyu had sent gifts through others during every festival — it had touched her deeply! She had not been kind to Yuyu for nothing — this child truly was a good one!

Learning that Tang Yuyu had been secretly searching for her daughter's whereabouts all these years, the Third Concubine was beside herself with excitement: "Eldest Young Master... then... have you found any news of Tangtang?"

The Third Concubine's daughter had the pet name Tangtang — a sweet and pleasant name. Her given name was Tang Tang as well, just written with a different character.

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