Chapter 96.1: One Place Chaotic, One Place Harmonious

At first, the mother and daughter pair both didn't comprehend, but before they could voice their doubt, they immediately came to realization.

"Little sister Wan got engaged? How can that be? It has only been a few days. There hasn't been any messages at all!" Sun Yi Jia found it hard to accept.

The Ding Duchess also opened her mouth, but in reality, she was actually happy inside. That kind of a daughter-in-law, even if there was nothing to nitpick about, and her family background, she can also lower her requirements on, but just based her son having her placed at the tip of his heart, this bit, she was unable to accept. But now, seeing her son suffering this much, he who has never been drunk before, his complexion even appearing somewhat pale, she really was unbearably heartbroken. "Yi Lin, it's just an engagement only. If you really must have the Luo family third miss, mother will think of a way to let the groom's side withdraw the engagement. Then, use this time to propose marriage to the Luo family. Surely the Luo family won't have a reason to refuse."

Hearing this, Sun Yi Jia pursed her lips. Towards her mother's aggressive way of doing things, she didn't dare to blindly agree, but this matter concerned her closest older brother's marriage. Some things, despite clearly knowing were underhanded, but for the sake of someone you care about, perhaps you would still go do without the slightest hesitation. However, right now, she still wanted to hear her fifth brother's thoughts.

Sun Yi Lin bitterly laughed, "Mother, doing this, what will that make me? Tearing apart someone else's engagement first, then take advantage of the situation afterwards. How many people are eyeing our Ding Duke Manor? Once this kind of thing goes through, it'll inevitably be known by others immediately. Using one's position to take advantage of people, this kind of thing, can be said to be big or small. When times comes, not only father, but the Empress, and the clansman as well, will all blame mother. There's similarly a lot of people attentively watching mother, just waiting for you to make a mistake. Besides, the things I wholeheartedly scheme for will undoubtedly become the things that certain people want to destroy at all cost. Once these people intervene, how likely will I be able to succeed? And in the end, I might even cause trouble for Miss Luo. I further don't want to leave behind the impression as a despicable person in her heart."

(T/N: I feel the nuance is always so important in lines like these, for instance, SYL doesn't think it's wrong to scheme for JW, but rather it might cause him trouble if he does. I'm pretty sure if he had guaranteed success he would try to scheme to get JW.)

"But, Yi Lin, with you like this, mother feels so heartbroken." The Ding Duchess couldn't help wiping her tears.

"Mother, I'm fine. I just drank a bit too much, that's all. I'll be alright after a while." Sun Yi Lin closed his eyes, and when he opened his mouth again, his voice carried an endless sorrow. "In the end, my fate with her is thin."

"Yi Lin, Yi Lin, don't be like this. Mother will find a better one for you. Mother won't stubbornly cling to my ideals, and we don't need to care about the others either, we'll just find one you like. If there isn't one in the capital, then we'll look outside the capital. With the Qi Yuan dynasty this big, how can we not find a girl you like? Yi Lin........."

"Mother, don't waste the effort, I don't want............"

"Yi Lin!" The Ding Duchess's sharp voice interrupted him, "Don't tell me you won't take a wife and have children your whole life? If you do this, what position will you put me in? I painstakingly carried you in the womb for ten months, then meticulously had you raised to adulthood, yet in the end, you repay me like this? How can you, ah, how can you?!"

"Mother, don't get worked up. I just temporarily don't want to, that's all. Give me a few years to think things through. In any case, my age right now isn't that big either. Perhaps, when the time comes, the fate will naturally come." Sun Yi Lin somewhat powerlessly said.

"Alright, alright, alright, mother will listen to you." She took the handkerchief from the servant boy's hand and personally wiped his face for him.

"Mother, I'll do it myself."

Sun Yi Jia silently withdrew from the room. Without a comparison, there was no way of knowing. In her mother's heart, as expected, it was still her fifth brother that was the most important. This kind of situation was the most capable at reflecting a person's true thoughts, no?

Sun Yi Jia strangely felt a bit cold for some reason, as she hugged her arms.

Seeing her like this, her wet nurse felt unbearably heartbroken, "My good miss, how about.........."

"Wet nurse, let someone prepare the carriage, I want to go to the Luo Manor."

"Miss, going to the Luo Manor at this time, won't it be inappropriate?" Her wet nurse slightly hesitated.

"Wet nurse, what are you thinking? It's just that I, as the older sister, feels this younger sister is a bit insincere. This kind of big news, how can she not mention a single word to me? She should've told me, so as to let me get in on some of the good fortune."

Sun Yi Jia's wet nurse felt, seeing that her mood was still considered calm, not at all intending to go denounce Miss Luo, and in addition to seemingly getting hurt yet again because of madam's words and actions, letting her go meet Miss Luo wasn't necessarily not doable.

Sun Yi Jia didn't know that not long after she left, the Ding Duke returned to the manor, and together with him was also her other older brothers. And that essay that Sun Yi Lin wrote, they although still didn't know the entirety of it, they still were aware that it was very untimely.

The Ding Duke took his eldest son to see his youngest di son's situation, and while he was at it, also ask what exactly happened.

As the eldest brother, Sun Yi Bin, on the surface, appeared to be concerned for Sun Yi Lin, but in reality, his words, inside and out, were all criticizing Sun Yi Lin's various faults, criticizing that he shouldn't have gone out while still plagued with rumors, shouldn't have written that kind of essay, attracting the gossips of others, shouldn't have gotten completely drunk like mud, damaging the Ding Duke Manor's image, and further shouldn't have become such a mess and still trouble mother to come take care of him.

"Sun Yi Bin, enough!" The Ding Duchess practically interrupted her eldest son's words with an angry roar. Even the Ding Duke was startled by her. The Ding Duchess looked to him with cold eyes, "Can't you see your younger brother is currently unwell? Even your father hasn't said anything, yet as soon as you enter, you start pointing at his faults, is that how you should act as an older brother?"

"Mother, it's not that, I just........." Have to say, Sun Yi Bin's age was even slightly older than Kang Qinwang's. His appearance was also handsome, refined and elegant, the appearance of a scholarly gentleman. But at the moment, he was helpless like a small child.

"No need to explain to me. That bit of thought of yours, who doesn't know. You're just wishing for your younger brother to die, then you'll finally be happy."

"Mother, how can you think this? I also watched Yi Lin grow up. I was just hoping for him........" Sun Yi Bin kneaded his forehead, showing a weary look like he was always being misunderstood by other and very much hurt.

"Don't bother with putting on an act here. If you really do have the slightest care for your younger brother, then immediately get out."

Sun Yi Bin forcibly twitched the corner of his mouth, "Mother, I know, compared to Yi Lin, you pretty much don't like me, and ever since Yi Lin was born, you've always sided with him. That, I won't comment. But, because of Yi Lin, must it be like this between us mother and son? If word gets out, how many people would come laugh at us?"

"If you don't say, would this matter even get leaked out?"

These words were practically just the same as saying, 'You're precisely the lowly person causing trouble. If this matter gets out, then it definitely must be because of you', making Sun Yi Bin's face appear incredibly unsightly.

"Aren't you precisely striving to let outsiders all think you're a filial son, a good older brother, and it's Yi Lin's fault for suppressing you, blocking your path? You appear to be calm and magnanimous, appear to be indifferent, but in reality, you just want to smear your younger brother's reputation. So what if I'm bias towards him? You won't say anything? What can you say? Your father has always favored you, has Yi Lin ever said a word before? You have received the best of everything from your father's side, yet still want to obtain all my affections? All the good things in the world, you want to possess it all. Isn't your heart a little too big?"

Sun Yi Bin's complexion really was black like the bottom of a pot, not the least bit pretending.

"Madam, enough." Watching with folded arms, the Ding Duke finally couldn't keep watching. Originally, he was still thinking, if they were to talk things out, then perhaps can ease the tension between them. After all, for a long time now, his wife has always been cold towards this eldest son, even he was helpless. But in actuality, the more they talk the further they got. Their relationship very much appear to be getting even worse.

"Not enough. Today, since the words have already been said up to this point, then just let it completely unfold." The Ding Duchess looked to Sun Yi Bin, her eyes cold as ice, "You are my eldest son. From the moment you were born, I've placed the greatest hope onto you, and I've spared no effort in raising you. After your second brother was born, you at the time was also still young. I worried that you might get schemed against by others, so I further paid more attention to you. In fact, I even neglected your second brother a lot. But by the time Yi Lin was born, you were already more than ten years old. I figured you should also have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong by then, and thinking that since I've already wronged your second brother, I mustn't wrong your fifth brother, thus I watched over him a little more. But I've never once showed no concerns towards you either. Yet, even so, you still became jealous of him, resenting him inside. And further because after he began schooling, he displayed an intelligence far beyond that of an ordinary person, you became unable to tolerate him, and wanted for him to die.........."

"Mother........." Sun Yi Bin's pupils rapidly shrunk, revealing a panic-stricken look. He hurriedly cut off the Ding Duchess's words, seemingly feeling that her next words might cause him great trouble.

The Ding Duchess coldly laughed, "That year when Yi Lin was five, in the wintery twelfth lunar month.........."

"Mother——-" Sun Yi Bin even disregarded proper decorum and extended his hand, wanting to cover the Ding Duchess's mouth.

This time, not only did the silent Sun Yi Lin widened his eyes, even the Ding Duke turned and looked over.

The Ding Duchess slapped him across the face, causing Sun Yi Bin to move back. "With your own hands, you had your younger brother pushed into the lotus pond, you think I don't know?"

Sun Yi Lin widened his eyes in disbelief, and the Ding Duke was further shocked speechless. But they could see that Sun Yi Bin had his two fists tightly clenched, as he trembled all over. This meant that the Ding Duchess's words were true. How could that be, how could that be..............

T/N: Sometimes I feel it's no wonder the Ding Duchess is so unstable mentally, really can't imagine how it feels to see your oldest son try to kill your youngest son, I mean honestly what can you do at that point.......