The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 60

The atmosphere at the dining table instantly grew tense, and Bai Zhi couldn’t help but feel nervous.

She had anticipated this yesterday—what if they couldn’t reach an agreement? What if things turned hostile? Although Bai Hongmo had assured her that nothing would happen, she still couldn’t shake her unease.

Sure enough, Bai Shu’s expression immediately darkened: “It’s been many years since we last met, sister. Since you’ve brought your child here, why not stay for a few more days?”

Bai Hongmo sneered: “Big brother, you ruined me back then, and now you want to ruin my daughter too?”

This man was just as detestable as he had been all those years ago.

“You should understand that everything I do is for the sake of the Bai family. Don’t worry, you and your daughter can stay here peacefully. Once Zhou Luo’er secures the throne, I’ll let you leave.” Bai Shu said coldly, slamming his hand heavily on the table.

The dishes and bowls on the table rattled noisily, and the hall fell silent once more.

Bai Hongmo remained standing, her eyes turbulent with emotion.

It was Bai Li who spoke up: “Father, perhaps we should consider Cousin Bai Zhi…”

“Silence! What do you know?” Bai Shu sharply cut him off.

Bai Li opened his mouth, a struggle evident in his eyes, but having always followed Bai Shu’s orders, he silently lowered his head.

Seeing this, Bai Hongmo let out a mocking laugh and said word by word: “Big brother, do you think things are still the same as they were back then? If we don’t leave this place safely within half an hour, the Emperor will know everything you’ve been plotting. At worst, we’ll all perish together. I’ve already died once—I wonder if you’re afraid of death.”

As she finished speaking, a hint of mockery appeared at the corner of her eye. Those who fear death have weaknesses, which is why she dared to come.

Bai Hongmo’s words put Bai Shu on guard. Indeed, things were different now. The younger sister who had once been soft-spoken and easily pressured into compromise had learned to play games.

He sighed with mixed emotions: “Hongmo, you never used to speak to your big brother like this.”

Bai Hongmo let out a cold laugh, the mockery on her lips deepening: “Oh? Big brother, you’re just the same as you were back then—just as shameless, just as despicable.”

She had once cared for the Bai family and respected her elder brother, but what happened afterward was like a series of relentless slaps, making her realize how foolish she had been.

As Bai Hongmo thought of the past, her expression calmed, and her voice grew softer: “If we can’t see eye to eye, there’s no point in talking further. Big brother, you can drink this wine alone.”

“Wait.”

“Wait.”

Two voices spoke at the same time. Bai Shu looked at Bai Li, who had spoken alongside him. His son seemed off today.

Bai Li clenched his fists and said to Bai Hongmo and Bai Zhi: “Aunt, Cousin, please wait a moment. I need to speak with my father.”

He then met Bai Shu’s scrutinizing gaze and steeled himself: “Father, I have something to say to you.”

Bai Shu knew his son well. In all these years, Bai Li had never gone against his wishes. Today was unusually abnormal.

He studied Bai Li’s expression and, without further objection, stood up and followed him.

The father and son left for the side hall one after the other, leaving only Bai Hongmo, Bai Zhi, and Wei Ziwan in the main hall.

The air was filled with the aroma of food and the scent of wine, but there was no joy among the guests.

“No need to worry. Even if this were a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair, we could still fight our way out.” Bai Hongmo said casually, taking a sip of wine from her cup. “The food and wine here are quite good. You two should eat something too.”

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan nodded silently. They exchanged a glance and picked up their chopsticks. Since Bai Hongmo had said everything was fine, even if it wasn’t, they had to play along.

They couldn’t undermine their own position. Whether it was true or not, they had to stay composed. Both of them understood this and performed well.

When Bai Shu and Bai Li returned, they found the three of them eating heartily as if nothing was wrong.

“Zhi’er, try this.”

“Thank you, Mother. Ziwan, you try it too.”

“Thank you, husband. Mother, drink less wine.”

Bai Shu’s already gloomy face turned completely dark. He snorted and sat down: “You are, after all, my sister, and Bai Zhi is my niece. I trust you more. I can bring Zhou Luo’er down, but in exchange, you must agree to one condition.”

As he spoke, his gaze flicked toward Bai Li, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes.

Bai Li avoided his gaze and lowered his head again.

Bai Hongmo glanced at Bai Li, then turned to Bai Shu with a frown: “What condition?”

What were these two father and son up to?

Bai Shu’s expression darkened, and he asked abruptly: “If Bai Zhi becomes Empress, who will she make her consort?”

The topic shifted too quickly, and Bai Hongmo was momentarily stunned. She instinctively looked at Bai Zhi.

Bai Zhi set down her chopsticks and, under the gazes of everyone, replied calmly: “Of course, it will be Ziwan.”

Not just as consort—if she could give the entire world to Wei Ziwan, she wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.

Bai Hongmo raised an eyebrow, a faint smile flickering at the corner of her lips.

Wei Ziwan put down her bowl and chopsticks, reaching out to intertwine her fingers with Bai Zhi’s. Words were unnecessary between them.

But the reactions from the father and son across the table were different.

Bai Li’s eyes darkened, and he lowered his head again, sullen.

Bai Shu, however, frowned deeply, his tone growing heavier: “My condition is that the position of consort must go to Li’er.”

Li’er?

Who was that?

Bai Hongmo frowned in confusion, her eyes filled with doubt.

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan were also stunned. Where had this “Li’er” come from?

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Bai Shu closed his eyes and said: “I mean my son, Bai Li.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the three across the table were stunned, their gazes uniformly shifting to Bai Li.

Bai Li looked uneasy, and when his eyes met Bai Zhi’s, a trace of shame crossed his heart: “It’s Father’s decision.”

His parents’ orders were not to be disobeyed, so he had no choice but to comply.

Bai Zhi’s face showed displeasure: “I don’t agree.”

Bai Shu paid no attention to her words. He looked at Bai Hongmo.

Bai Hongmo’s eyes flickered with scrutiny: “Big brother, didn’t you mention earlier that Bai Li and Zhou Luo’er are already married?”

There must have been some issue between Bai Li and Zhou Luo’er—likely a significant one—that forced Bai Shu to change his mind. But what could it be?

Bai Shu smiled at her words. The fact that she didn’t outright refuse meant there was still room for negotiation. His little sister had truly changed.

“So what if they’re married? They can just divorce when the time comes.”

Bai Hongmo fell into thoughtful silence.

Seeing this, Bai Zhi grew anxious: “Mother, I won’t agree to this.”

Bai Shu ignored her, focusing solely on Bai Hongmo: “I know you must have some means to ensure mutual destruction, which is why you dared to come here. I’m not afraid, but you’ve only just reunited with your daughter. Hongmo, even if you don’t care about yourself, think about your child.”

His sister had always been soft-hearted. Now that her own daughter’s safety was at stake, how could she not care?

People with vulnerabilities are like snakes exposing their weak spot—once revealed, they’re easily struck.

Bai Hongmo remained silent for a moment, then looked at Bai Zhi. After a long while, she finally said: “I agree.”

“I don’t agree.”

“Enough. If you say another word, don’t call me your mother.” Bai Hongmo frowned sharply, suddenly picking up her cup and draining the wine in one gulp, as if venting something.

“Mother…”

Bai Zhi stared at Bai Hongmo in a daze, a glimmer of tears in her eyes. For a moment, she almost forgot she was acting.

Her mother had never intended to acknowledge her in the first place…

A tear rolled down her cheek, and Bai Zhi lowered her head, her voice muffled: “You’re my mother. What you say goes. What else can I do?”

Only then did Bai Shu smile: “That’s more like it. We Bai family members must stand united. Don’t worry, little sister. I have leverage over Zhou Luo’er. Just wait for the good news.”

Bai Hongmo nodded, though her mind seemed elsewhere as she watched Bai Zhi’s despondent expression.

Before leaving, she personally wrote out a guarantee, stamped it with her fingerprint, and promised that once Bai Zhi ascended the throne, Bai Li would be made male consort and could never be deposed. Only then was the cooperation with Bai Shu formally established.

After leaving the residence, as they passed through a crowded area, the carriage slowed down.

The coachman quietly instructed Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan to disembark discreetly from the front and head to the Lou Shang Lou restaurant to meet Bai Hongmo.

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan followed the instructions. When they arrived at Lou Shang Lou, they found Bai Hongmo waiting for them on the second floor.

“There are people tailing us. We’ll stay here at Lou Shang Lou tonight and not leave the city.” Bai Hongmo said, greeting the manager and leading them through the kitchen to the backyard.

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan exchanged a silent glance. The way Bai Hongmo navigated the place with such familiarity made it seem like her own backyard.

Song Village had been recommended to them by Manager Xi of Lou Shang Lou. Now, seeing how Bai Hongmo could casually give orders to the manager of the largest Lou Shang Lou in the capital, it was clear she held a significant position within the establishment.

In the sitting room, Bai Hongmo drank some sobering soup: “The contract was made by me. You don’t have to abide by it in the future.”

“You agreed not to force me onto the throne, so how could there be any consort?” Bai Zhi’s expression grew serious as she listened to Bai Hongmo’s words.

At Bai Shu’s place, everything she had done today was an act, just as they had agreed beforehand—a performance for others.

Bai Hongmo’s lips curved into a faint smile, her face showing a rare liveliness: “I wouldn’t deceive my… I wouldn’t deceive you. Just wait patiently. Now that my dear brother has changed his mind, he’s probably more anxious than anyone. He’s likely already causing trouble for Zhou Luo’er.”

‘Daughter’—such an unfamiliar word. It had been so long since she had last uttered it, not since giving birth to her child.

But it didn’t matter. As long as her child lived well, whether they acknowledged each other or not was unimportant.

Bai Zhi pursed her lips, vaguely catching the words Bai Hongmo had almost said before changing her mind. She buried the turmoil in her heart and said calmly: “But why did Uncle and his son abandon Zhou Luo’er? Could it affect our plans?”

That father and son were hard to trust.

At the mention of Bai Shu, Bai Hongmo’s eyes turned cold: “What else could it be? Probably because Zhou Luo’er refused to bear Bai Li’s child, so they turned their attention to you. Big brother has always been despicable. Once we enter the palace and secure our position, don’t hold back.”

If that day ever came, she would personally settle the score, to finally resolve the hatred of so many years.