The night was dark with sparse stars.

He Shi was locked in a woodshed in a remote corner.

In this quiet place, her mind was clear enough to slowly figure out what had really happened.

This must be Concubine Yu and Concubine Tao conspiring against her. The cursed puppets should have been made by Concubine Tao, that master should have been hired with money by Concubine Yu, and the Madam definitely knew about their scheme and deliberately added fuel to the fire…

Once the Master returned to the residence, he would surely give her justice.

While thinking this through, she heard the door lock rattle. Borrowing the moonlight from outside, she saw two people walk in.

One was An’er, one was Ping’er.

Her eyes revealed joy.

Since returning to the Xie family, the children rarely came to find her on their own to avoid suspicion.

Previously, every time something happened to her, the children had never come to see her. To be honest, as their birth mother, she felt somewhat disappointed inside.

But now, seeing the two siblings appear in the woodshed, that slight disappointment in her heart instantly disappeared completely.

She knew it—in the children’s hearts, she as their biological mother could be replaced by no one.

“Why did you two come?”

He Shi stood up to greet them.

Xie Ping stood behind Xie Shi’an, gripping the handkerchief in her hand tightly, completely at a loss for what to say.

Xie Shi’an spoke: “Old Madam and Mother both know about your situation.”

He Shi’s body swayed: “An’er, what did you say? I didn’t hear clearly. Say it again.”

“Your grandfather was Minister of Finance He Tao from over twenty years ago. You are a descendant of the He family. The three children you gave birth to are also descendants of criminal officials.” Xie Shi’an’s voice was extremely hoarse. “Although the court didn’t completely exterminate the He family, it absolutely won’t allow descendants of criminal officials to pursue official careers, nor will it allow elder sister to marry into the imperial family… Because of your identity, we are destined to have no future.”

He Shi’s heart felt as if someone had gripped it, making even breathing difficult: “How… how could anyone find out?”

She had hidden it so well, changed her surname, stayed far from clan residences. Who exactly investigated her identity?

She also knew that He family descendants could never serve as court officials, much less marry princes. That’s why she never dared to be the children’s mother.

She had endured for so many years, willingly handing over three children for others to raise. Why did it still all come to nothing?

Her knees went weak and she leaned against the wall.

Xie Shi’an walked over, supported her arm, and helped her sit on the straw mat on the woodshed floor: “The embroidered items you sold were seen by interested parties. They’re investigating the Xie family, investigating your identity.”

He Shi’s lips trembled.

Some time ago, her personal savings were all taken by that vile woman Concubine Tao. The silver deposited at the money house was gambled away by that scoundrel brother. She was penniless and couldn’t move an inch in the Xie residence. She really had no choice but to embroider handkerchiefs and screens to exchange for money…

Why, after over twenty years, could someone still recognize the He family’s needlework techniques?

“Mother.”

Xie Shi’an suddenly called out.

This call of “Mother” pulled He Shi’s memory back to many years ago, when she was Xie Jingyu’s mistress and all three children were raised by her side.

Ping’er was sensible, An’er was clever, Wei’er was mischievous—all were her children, calling her mother every day.

After the children returned to acknowledge their ancestors, except for Wei’er occasionally calling her mother, she had never heard this address from An’er’s or Ping’er’s mouths again.

He Shi’s eyelashes trembled, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

She didn’t know why, but a strong unease suddenly surfaced in her heart. This call of “mother” brought that unease to its peak.

She reached out and touched Xie Shi’an’s face: “An’er, from now on… don’t call me mother anymore. With my kind of identity, I’ll only delay your future… Have your father send me away. I can’t implicate you children…”

“Will everything be fine if you leave? Old Madam said… said…” Xie Ping bit her lower lip, pausing for a long time before speaking. “If you truly think of us children, you should… you should…”

The following words, she couldn’t say no matter what. Her throat felt blocked by something.

Xie Shi’an suddenly thought of two months ago, when Mother told him that story.

It was about a farm woman who raised three children. Those three children weren’t her biological offspring, but the farm woman still devoted herself to raising them.

But one day, the farm woman was implicated in a treason case. Those three children, for the sake of the family, killed the farm woman who was their foster mother.

At the time, Mother asked him whether those three children were right or wrong…

How did he answer?

He couldn’t remember.

Now, it was his turn to choose.

He could hardly believe that he needed no hesitation at all to make the choice most advantageous to himself.

For the first time, he realized he was such a selfish, cold-blooded monster.

He took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve: “This is from father. Drink it, and within a quarter hour you’ll slowly fall asleep and die without pain…”

He Shi’s pupils contracted sharply.

She finally understood what the unease in her heart was—the child she had carried for ten months and given birth to was going to feed her poison.

Even if it were someone else, even Old Madam, she could accept it.

Why did it have to be An’er and Ping’er?

“No!!”

He Shi couldn’t control herself and let out a shriek.

“Mother.” Yet Xie Shi’an was very calm. “Hundreds of people from the He family died in that case over twenty years ago. The century-old aristocratic He family disappeared just like that. Now when the He family is mentioned, how many people in the capital still remember? In the will that great-grandfather left before his death, it was written clearly and plainly that he hoped the He family descendants could overturn the He family’s case and restore the He family’s glory. It’s precisely because I hold this conviction that I could become the top scholar at the age of twelve…”

He Shi broke down crying.

When the He family incident happened, she was already old enough to remember. She was the He family’s legitimate youngest daughter, and grandfather especially doted on her.

She knew grandfather’s dying wish, but she didn’t think she had the ability to achieve it. As for that waste He Xu, it was even more impossible for him to restore the He family’s glory.

All hope rested on An’er…

If An’er’s identity as a He family descendant was exposed, then An’er couldn’t enter the Imperial Academy, couldn’t take the civil service examinations, much less pursue an official career…

He Shi’s crying sounds came from the woodshed.

Yun Chu stood at the bottom of the steps, hearing the words between the mother and her two children clearly.

She thought of her previous life, on a similar night, when Xie Shi’an persuaded her to drink poisoned wine, telling her to die for the sake of the Xie family.

At that time, the Yun family matter still had no resolution. How could she possibly die? So several children came and held her down, forcing that poison down her throat…

What she drank was toxic wine. The poison entered her intestines, causing pain through all four limbs and bones, through her internal organs.

The poison He Shi was drinking had no pain, allowing her to die silently and unconsciously. That could be considered a kind of fortune.

He Shi didn’t feel fortunate at all.

Being forced to death by her own biological son and daughter—how many sins had she committed to suffer such heart-piercing pain?

Seeing He Shi not moving, Xie Ping stepped forward, picked up the porcelain bottle, and opened the lid. A fragrant scent wafted out. Her voice trembled: “Do you want us to force you to drink it?”