CHAPTER 278: CHAPTER 278 BATTLE WHEELS 5 (BOOK REVIEW PLUS MORE) _1

Yan Xixi made an instant decision and immediately went downstairs. At the head of the stairs, she paused briefly. From a distance, she spotted a lady with slightly silvered hair seated on the sofa. Even from afar, Yan Xixi could feel an overwhelmingly powerful and distinctly lethal aura emanating from her.

This isn’t good. This lethal aura is reminiscent of a war-torn era—a complete contrast to someone like Zhou Ting, a sheltered flower from a greenhouse.

Yan Xixi suddenly felt her palms grow warm, and a fine layer of cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

Finally, the two women faced each other. Yan Xixi immediately understood where Wan Donglin inherited his looks. Although time had etched lines of hardship onto her face, the old Madam Wan—Liu Daqing—still held herself ramrod straight. Her spirit was vigorous. Her thick eyebrows framed large, elegant, and beautiful eyes, contributing to her thoroughly Empress Dowager-like demeanor. Yan Xixi also stood ramrod straight and bowed slightly.

Liu Daqing had watched her descend the stairs. Now, the young woman finally stood before her. What a striking figure! She had expected some irresistible seductress, a "fox spirit." But instead, the young woman before her was dressed in simple, clean clothes, with well-defined eyebrows and captivating eyes, possessing an extraordinary elegance. What was especially striking was her posture—so humble, so gentle, so reassuring, yet subtly conveying a spirit that was neither servile nor overbearing. Even Liu Daqing was inwardly amazed. She had seen many young people in her life but never one so poised and impressive.

However, Liu Daqing’s gaze lingered on Yan Xixi’s bandaged forehead, fixating on the faint scar beneath. A sharp glint flashed through her eyes.

"My name is Liu Daqing. I am Wan Donglin’s mother."

Liu Daqing had minced no words. Yan Xixi didn’t dare to reply. She simply lowered her head slightly, standing opposite her.

"Wan Donglin had a long-standing engagement through a family alliance to a young woman named Zhou Ting. You must know this. However, on the eve of their wedding, he suddenly concocted an excuse to break off the engagement with the Zhou Family. We were deceived by him and only recently uncovered the truth. We never knew the reason before. Only today do we understand that all of this... it was all because of you!"

Yan Xixi dared not even breathe, her mind in turmoil. This is a terrible injustice! A huge misunderstanding! I knew absolutely nothing about Wan Donglin breaking his engagement with Zhou Ting! How did I get dragged into this? Besides, I have no idea what excuse Wan Donglin even used!

However, when her gaze met the Empress Dowager’s piercing eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, she was reminded of Ma Chunhua, a character from Jin Yong’s novels. Ma Chunhua, the daughter of a convoy escort master, came from a humble background. By a twist of fate, she met Fo Kang’an, the son of the prime minister. After a brief affair, the young master returned to the capital, leaving Ma Chunhua secretly pregnant with twins and eventually forcing her to marry another man. Years later, Fo Kang’an’s legitimate wife was unable to bear children, so he arranged to find Ma Chunhua and bring her back to the capital. If this were some ancient-setting CEO romance novel, Ma Chunhua would surely have basked in success, rising to prominence through a series of household and family power struggles. But Jin Yong was clearly no writer of mere light romance. The reality was that Fo Kang’an’s mother and his own wife conspired to secretly poison the commoner Ma Chunhua. Then, as a matter of course, they seized her twin sons and had them raised under the legitimate wife’s name. Ma Chunhua died in vain. Fo Kang’an, however, continued to live a carefree and merry life. He soon took several beautiful concubines, all while maintaining a peaceful coexistence with his legitimate wife, who hailed from a prominent family.

If Ma Chunhua met such an end even after bearing sons, what about me, who’s being blamed for sabotaging the alliance between the great Wan and Zhou families? Yan Xixi looked at Liu Daqing’s expression and instantly understood: If I answer poorly today, I’ll suffer Ma Chunhua’s fate.

She didn’t want to die, and she certainly couldn’t bear to die unjustly. In that short moment, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. She instantly decided to tell the absolute truth, without a single lie.

Lying to Liu Daqing would only hasten my demise.