Thank you explaining! That clears up so much! The poor family! That's so sad.
Honestly, I'm still disappointed in the father for not realizing what's going on. I know they shouldn't interfere, but he just seems a different level of stupid. I didn't hate him, but I didn't like him. I didn't think he was a good husband or a good father.
I read a section where he's remembering the past. I don't remember the exactphrasong, but it sounds like he knows his wife was hurt by everything. However, he still agreed with her knowing her pain because the situation. That's probably realistic, but it just made him seen slightly incompetent to me. Especially because the empire seemed to know everything the whole time.
That aside, what also pissed me off alot was how he didnt immediately kill or punish the concubine when she found. I understand she's the mother of two of his children. However these two children and that concubine have been treating Tonger horribly so often, and he still wanted to be dumb and clueless? Not a fan.
Although, hes not as bad as the other adoptive parent in another of her novels. That father was going to let his (who he thought was his biological) daughter steal the identity of his adoptive daughter. The adoptive daughters father died saving his life and he treated her so poorly. Urggg this author doesn't seem to write parental figures that well lol
