"What did you just say? You're saying that my youngest son is your baby? Bullshit!"
When He Gu heard the purpose of Song Yi's visit, flew into a rage. Grabbing a large broom, she started whacking him relentlessly.
Mingting is her son!
He eats the food she cooked, wears the clothes she made, called her 'Mom', and earns her a royal title. He is the child of her late husband!
No one was taking her boy away!
"You vulgar woman! Stop this at once! Such disgraceful behavior!"
"A crude woman like you could never raise a Zhuangyuan. Mingting is my son."
Covered in dust and filth, Song Yi staggered backward.
"Bah! I've never seen someone so desperate to be a father! Can't you have sons of your own, so you have to steal mine?"
He Gu was so angry that she grabbed a basin of laundry water and dumped it straight onto Song Yi's head.
"Get out of here! If I see you again, I'll beat you every time!"
He Gu chased Song Yi halfway down the street with a washing club in hand.
Since the owner of the small courtyard became the Zhuangyuan and was also named a count, and was about to move to the Count's Mansion, Mingting had been the talk of the neighborhood.
When people saw He Gu chasing and cursing a man, many neighbors came out to ask what had happened and if she needed help.
"Someone is trying to steal my youngest son!"
He Gu cried and explained the situation.
"I may not be his birth mother, but my youngest boy is my life!"
"Before Mingting's parents passed away, they entrusted him to me, and I promised them that I'll take good care of him."
"Now that he's finally made something of himself, some shameless scoundrel comes to claim him as his own. How can the world have such despicable people? Why doesn't the heaven strike him down with lightning?!"
"If anyone tries to take my youngest son, I'll fight them to the death!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Hearing He Gu saying that Mingting's parents were both dead, as if cursing him to death, Song Yi hurriedly wiped the dirty water from his face.
"Look at me! dDoesn't my face look very similar to the Zhuangyuan? We are legitimate father and son!"
Song Yi had dressed meticulously for the occasion, even trimming his beard.
And indeed, their resemblance was uncanny!
Whispers spread among the crowd, and as the commotion grew, more and more people came to watch the excitement.
"Bah! Plenty of people look alike. If every no-good scoundrel could claim a successful young man as their son just because they resemble each other, the world would be in chaos."
Although He Gu is a scholar's wife, she had grown up in the countryside and had once been a fiery and sharp-tongued woman. She has only mellowed in recent years.
But now, someone is actually trying to snatch her son away! It's like plucking hairs from a tiger's head.
He Gu's fighting spirit flared up instantly.
"Heaven above, my son became a Zhuangyuan at fourteen. He must be the reincarnation of the God of Literature. Are you just going to watch this villain bully us orphans and widows like this?"
"Heaven, please send a thunderbolt to kill this shameless dog!"
The moment He Gu repeated this plea, there was a loud 'crack' in the clear sky, and then a bolt of lightning streaked down, directly striking Song Yi on the head.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Song Yi, with his hair standing up and his face blackened with soot, spewed out a few puffs of black smoke. He swayed unsteadily before collapsing face-first onto the ground.
This was just too bizarre!
Everyone who witnessed it was stunned speechless.
In less than half a day, this incident had spread like wildfire across the capital.
"Have you heard? There was a shameless man who insisted that he was the biological father of Lord Zhongyi, and then he got struck by lightning!"
"Ah, your news is outdated! I heard he was charred into a lump of coal by the lightning! Lord Zhongyi is a celestial being reborn, protected by the heavens!"
"Evil-doers get what they deserve, the heavens see all! Amitabha, I must do more good deeds..."
When Song Yi, who was lying on the bed, listened to the rumors circulating outside, he was so angry that he spit out blood.
'I am really Mingting's biological father!'
Princess Dongyang also learned about this incident when Song Yi was carried back.
"Well, well! I was wondering why you've been acting strange lately. It turns out that you already had a grown son back in your hometown!"
Princess Dongyang looked cold and stared at Song Yi as if she was looking at a heartless scoundrel.
"Hah! You hid it from me all these years, afraid I'd find out."
"Now that your son has become successful, you sneak behind my back to claim him, but the other party didn't show up at all and didn't care about you. Instead, you became a big joke! Serves you right!"
Princess Dongyang's sarcastic remarks only fueled Song Yi's anger even more.
He had already tolerated her being a remarried woman with a daughter and had treated Du Ruowei as his own. And how had she repaid him?!
If Princess Dongyang hadn't been so fierce, he would have long confessed Mingting's existence and openly brought his son home. How could he have abandoned the child alone in their hometown, leading to their separation for so many years?
'This vicious woman!'
While Princess Dongyang was fuming over this matter, her elder brother, Prince of Qi, came to see her. They spoke behind closed doors for a long time.
Prince Qi's stance was clear, that Song Yi should acknowledge his son.
"This Count Zhongyi is incredibly capable. At such a young age, he had earned the Emperor's favor and was destined for great achievements in the future."
"I also heard that Count Zhongyi and the Crown Prince had become sworn brothers and he even recognized the Emperor as his Foster Father."
"The white sugar refining technique was invented by him. Even though the sugar factory is state-run, the emperor still gave him a ten percent share of the profits. Sister, don't underestimate that ten percent… the sugar industry is wildly lucrative!"
"Moreover, the boy is still so young and sharp-minded. He's bound to come up with more inventions! Even if he doesn't, just his friendship with the Crown Prince alone guarantees at least two generations of prosperity!"
Prince of Qi listed many benefits of Song Yi reclaiming Mingting.
The son is already so old, so he doesn't need to be raised or taught. They don't need to spend a penny for him.
All they had to do was claim the title of Mingting's parents. Even if Mingting harbored resentment, he would still have to fulfill his filial duties to Song Yi and Princess Dongyang.
For them, this was a completely risk-free, profit-only arrangement.