"Madam, your...husband who's been dead for over thirty years, he's still alive!"

This sentence from Accountant Wang stunned everyone in the room into silence.

Lan Jingxue was even more stunned, not able to form coherent words for a while, who?

Who was still alive?

She had just turned fifty this year, and as the dowager of the Marquis of Wu'an, she should have lived a life of dignity and grandeur.

But instead, she had lost her husband soon after their marriage and was so worn down by the noble household that wrinkles covered her face, leading her to look even older than a common woman. Her health was deteriorating as well.

After a while, she asked in a trembling voice, "What did you just say?"

"Madam." Accountant Wang braced himself and delivered another bombshell, "Not only is your husband not dead, he has been keeping a concubine behind your back, and now their grandchildren are already running around."

At this point, Lan Jingxue finally confirmed that she had not misheard - her "deceased" husband was indeed alive!

When she was seventeen, she had married into the Marquis of Wu'an's household as the official wife of the second son, Chu Yinan. To their misfortune, on their wedding night before they could consummate the marriage, her husband was summoned to the battlefield by a royal decree.

That departure turned out to be permanent.

News came from outside that he had been killed on the battlefield, and thus Lan Jingxue became a widow.

Afterwards, the Marquis' household declined, all the men in the household died, and yet everyone held their mouths open for food - the elderly and the young. It was all up to her to hold the family together!

Time flew by, and under her management, the Marquis' household had become the first among the eight great families. This seemed to be a credit to their ancestors, and also to her deceased husband.

But that "deceased" husband, it appeared, was not dead at all. In fact, he was alive and well, having happily married another woman?

Her hand gripping the cane was trembling, "Wang De, you can't make such unrestrained accusations, be careful, it could cost you your life!"

Housekeeper Wang kept kowtowing, "Madam, without solid evidence, this old servant wouldn't dare make such claims recklessly. It's just that the marquis's account book records a monthly expense of a hundred taels. This expenditure was for aiding distant relatives during the lifetime of the Old Madam and it has been given out for over thirty years."

"A few days ago, I deliberately sent someone to the Peach Blossom Village where the money is sent, and astonishingly discovered that the person living there is the third young master! After confirming it several times, I returned to report this to you."

Lan Jingxue has been managing the Marquis of Wu'an's household for thirty years, and Wang De has been with her for that long, too. He's always been loyal and would never deceive her with groundless rumors.

She closed her eyes, struggling to maintain a calm demeanor, but her heart was already half chilled.

After a long while, her aged face showed a hint of annoyance, "Go up the mountain today, I want to see..."

Before she could finish her words, she suddenly started coughing violently.

Yu Momo hurriedly came forward, only to see the old lady spitting out a mouthful of blood. She hesitated and advised, "Madam, your health..."

Over the years, the old lady has exhausted herself for the Marquis's household. In recent days, the doctors have subtly hinted that the household should be prepared for the worst.

"I won't rest easy without seeing him once before I die!"

Saying so, Lan Jingxue pushed Yu Momo away and walked out with the support of her cane.

Yu Momo had no choice but to accompany the old lady onto the horse carriage.

After two hours of travel, they finally arrived at the foot of the Peach Blossom Village. Because it was a mountain road and it had just rained, the horse carriage couldn't go further. They were forced to make their way on foot.

Lan Jingxue's health was frail. She didn't want to die in obscurity, so with her last bit of strength, she trudged up the mountain.

The mountain path was difficult to trek, and she hadn't walked much further when she could no longer straighten her back. However, she still didn't stop.

The mountainside was in full bloom with peach blossoms, their fragrance wafting in the air. Clusters of them gathered together, contrasting against the blue sky and white clouds. Whenever a breeze passed by, the tender pink petals would be stirred, creating an illusion of a flower rain.

Further on, a quadrangle courtyard came into view — his home.

She trod along the bluestone path, and the stronger the scent of peach blossoms became, the bleaker her life seemed. How laughable it was that she had spent years scheme against and competing with others in the capital for the sake of others, resulting in the creation of this peach grove.

How truly laughable!

"Madame, let's go back, please," advised Nurse Yu, her face filled with sympathy.

Lan Jingxue, panting heavily, stared intently at the courtyard and replied in a chilly voice, "I've come this far; I have to go in and see him."

Was she supposed to bury this question along with herself in the soil?

She was always a calm and relentless person, living her life openly and honestly.

The wooden gate outside wasn't locked. Lan Jingxue stepped into the yard, where she saw a tall man trimming the branches of the peach trees.

The man was clad in a simple blue cloth robe. Although there was some white hair on his head, he still looked robust, with his back straight.

Nearby, several young children played gleefully, even begging the man for branches of peach blossoms.

"Grandpa, I want that branch with lots of blossoms."

"You can't play favorites! If you give him a branch, you have to give me one too."

Six or seven children surrounded the man, each pleading for a branch of peach blossoms.

The oldest amongst these children were no more than ten years old, while the youngest were toddlers who had just learned to walk. All of them were plump, rosy-cheeked, and adorable.

The man snipped off a branch casually, amusing the children who reached out their hands for it. They were all running around the peach blossom tree in a circle.

"Stop running, you're too old to act like a child." A matriarch walked out from the house with a gentle smile on her face.

She still had black hair and her complexion was rosy. Even though she was almost fifty, she still maintained her charm.

The man stopped in his tracks, looking at the matriarch with eyes filled with love, "Isn't this about grandchildren around the knee, and getting lost in the pleasure?"

Lan Jingxue stared at the man's unfamiliar face, pondering for a while, until she finally saw a touch of familiarity.

"Yuchi, is that him?" Lan Jingxue asked uncertainly.

The maid Yuchi sighed helplessly, "It's the third master."

"So it's true. He abandoned his family and wife, and came here to take a concubine. He even planted a large peach orchard for that woman," Lan Jingxue's voice choked slightly.

After a lifetime of widowhood, she was greeted with the sight of her husband surrounded by another woman's children, living happily.

So what was the point of her remaining widowed?

Was she trying to move herself or the world around her?

In that moment, she truly felt that even a fool lived more comfortably.

With that thought, she started to cough ferociously again. Blood was stuck in her throat, and she coughed so hard that her back hunched over.

Finally catching her breath, she asked again, "They look younger than me."

With a bitter smile, the maid Yuchi said, "You've worked your whole life for the Marquis's residence, while they live here, in a place surrounded by beautiful mountains and clear waters, free from worry. It's natural that they look younger."

The man placed a peach blossom in the woman's hair bun, praising, "Mei Niang, it is my greatest honor to spend the farewell season with you."

The woman blushed, playfully answering, "I feel the same. The nobleman of the Marquis's residence doesn't have much time left. Why don't you go and see her one last time?"

"Why should I see her?"

Holding the woman’s hand, the man replied indifferently, "I have no connection with her."

Lan Jing Xue, unable to hold back any longer, pointed at them and shouted angrily, "You… You…"

Before she could finish, she started to cough.

The two turned their heads to look. The woman asked in confusion, "My Lord, do you recognize this old madam?"

The man's face was filled with indifference: "She must be mistaking me for someone else due to her failing eyesight."

Two simple sentences hit Lan Jing Xue like a ton of bricks. She spat a mouthful of blood, her body softening and eventually falling to the ground.

Yu Manman, taken aback, quickly went over to assist the old madam and tremblingly touched her nose to feel for any signs of breathing.

"The Old Madam has passed away…"