Chapter 1633 — Bing Tang's Worry: And Why Did She and Xiao Ming Truly Look So Alike?

Could it be...? A thought suddenly struck Bing Tang. Xiao Ming had said earlier that she had been spotted by Tang Litou while accompanying her sister and brother-in-law to the Tang family to register the household. If that was so, could her true parents be Xiao Ming's sister and brother-in-law? Which would make Xiao Ming her aunt!

The more she thought of it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, how could such a coincidence exist in this world?

By now Xiao Qing had already begun discussing with Old Master Tang the matter of the family serving as the Ice Palace's eyes and ears. Though the outcome differed somewhat from what Old Master Tang had expected, it still counted as a great stroke of fortune; that Bing Tang had not simply slaughtered them out of hand or turned and walked away was a blessing amid calamity—what more could the Tang family ask for?

In truth, the Hidden Tang family understood perfectly well that the Ice Palace merely wished to find itself a pair of eyes and ears, and that the Hidden Tang family had merely happened to be on hand. To claim any real connection between them and Bing Tang was simply laughable; it was no more than a collateral blood tie. And as the Hidden Tang family had branched out and multiplied, collaterals had never been looked upon with much favor.

"Who are my real parents?" Once Xiao Qing and Old Master Tang had finished speaking, Bing Tang turned to Da Bo and asked, coldly.

Da Bo trembled with fright, not daring to conceal anything. Shaking, he said, "That collateral branch of the Tang family—the man was called Tang Jucheng. His wife's name I cannot recall. That would have to be looked up in the family genealogy..."

"What! Tang Jucheng!" Before Bing Tang could speak, Xiao Ming cried out in shock.

"What is it?" Everyone turned to look at Xiao Ming, and Bing Tang asked, somewhat puzzled, "Xiao Ming... Auntie, you know... this... Tang Jucheng, that is, my father?"

"He is my brother-in-law! Of course I know him! So you are my niece!" Xiao Ming exclaimed. No wonder Bing Tang resembled her so closely—she was in fact Bing Tang's aunt! And her own child had been taken home and raised by her sister and brother-in-law!

At that thought, Xiao Ming's heart suddenly eased. Her child was with her sister and brother-in-law; nothing should have befallen it there. Her sister's family was not well off either, but they could at least get by...

Thinking of her brother-in-law, Xiao Ming felt deeply ashamed. By rights, having married into a grand establishment like the Hidden Tang family, she ought to have brought her sister's family no small benefit; yet she had brought them nothing at all, and her own days had been lived in misery and squalor!

All these years she had had no contact with her sister and brother-in-law; she did not even know whether they were well. It was truly as the old saying went: once you enter a great house, it is as deep as the sea; inside it, even to reach the outside world was difficult!

Hearing Xiao Ming's words, Bing Tang was startled too. Though she had already had a vague feeling of it in her heart, now that the truth was laid bare she was still astonished. Yet her impression of Xiao Ming had always been good, so she called out gently, "Auntie!"

"Ai!" Though Xiao Ming had not yet seen her own child, the thought that Bing Tang was her niece delighted her greatly, and she answered cheerfully.

Tang Litou wanted to hurry over and join the fun, to get close to Bing Tang in his capacity as uncle by marriage. But seeing that Bing Tang had no intention whatsoever of acknowledging him as such, he could not help feeling awkward.

"In this Hidden Tang family of yours, the only ones who count as human are my aunt and my cousin Tang Yu here," Bing Tang said coolly. "The rest of you are about the same as pigs and dogs!"

Bing Tang's words enraged the Tang family, but angry as they were, not one of them dared utter half a word of protest. Old Master Tang put on a bitter face and thought to himself that it was fortunate Tang Yu had spoken up so often on behalf of Xiao Ming and Bing Tang; otherwise Bing Tang would likely have walked out on them altogether.

Tang Yu was somewhat embarrassed too. Hearing Bing Tang call him cousin, he was both surprised and delighted, yet also a little at a loss, unsure how to respond; he could only stand there awkwardly rubbing his hands, cautious and uneasy.

"How can they be the same as pigs and dogs? Pork can be eaten—they cannot!" Feng Xiaoxiao cut in. "I would say they are worse than pigs and dogs!"

"Pff..." Xiao Qing, standing nearby, nearly burst out laughing at Feng Xiaoxiao's words. In such an atmosphere, her remark was simply too funny.

The Hidden Tang family was furious as well, but toward Feng Xiaoxiao, the future Palace Master of the Ice Palace, they dared not act out. Low as her strength might be, she was, properly speaking, Bing Tang's junior fellow disciple!

"Auntie, come to my room and talk with me!" Bing Tang took Xiao Ming's hand, not giving a moment's face to the rest of the Tang family.

Xiao Ming hesitated a moment, then followed Bing Tang and the others out of the conference room; Old Master Tang and the rest could only sigh and groan as they saw them off.

In the Palace Master's room, Bing Tang held Xiao Ming's hand affectionately and would not let go. She was not her birth mother, but she was her aunt, and thus one of her closest kin. Having lacked family affection since childhood, Bing Tang was naturally overjoyed at this moment.

"Palace Master Bing, toward the Hidden Tang family, you..." Xiao Ming asked, a little cautiously.

"Auntie, just call me Bing Tang. 'Palace Master Bing' is what outsiders call me—why stand on ceremony with me?" Bing Tang said quickly, seeing her aunt's constraint.

"Ah... then... all right..." In truth, Xiao Ming felt a closeness to Bing Tang from the bottom of her heart—so it had been from the very first glance. So hearing Bing Tang say this now, she nodded.

"As for the Hidden Tang family, I do not intend to do anything to them. Here, I acknowledge only you, Auntie! At most, that Tang Yu can be counted as my cousin; as for the rest, they are merely vassals of the Ice Palace." Bing Tang said coolly. "Auntie, do not worry. I will not do anything to them; it is simply a relationship of cooperation between the two sides."

"Then... your real parents—do you want to go and acknowledge them?" Truthfully, Xiao Ming missed her sister and brother-in-law as well. She had not seen them in so many years and did not know what they looked like now; more than that, she missed her own child...

"Acknowledge them..." Bing Tang sighed. She had in fact been hesitating over this question all along: to acknowledge, or not to acknowledge? If she did, then what of her aunt's daughter? Was she to send her back to the Hidden Tang family? Truthfully, Bing Tang did not want her aunt's daughter here—here, she would be happier as the daughter of an ordinary household!

Moreover, Bing Tang did not want to destroy that family. If her parents were to learn that the child they had raised from infancy was not their own but someone else's, then that tranquil family would be shattered—and that would be unfair to the child!

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