Hearing what Lu Yi did, Mrs. Fan fainted from anger.
After waking up, she immediately sent a servant to call Ling Yaodong, who had just returned home, and told him everything.
Ling Yaodong also couldn’t accept that his own daughter was maliciously swapped by a maid and her whereabouts were still unknown, while the daughter he had loved for eleven years was someone else’s child.
It was impossible for them to give up Ling Zhuo, whom they had loved sincerely for eleven years, but they also could not let their own daughter stay outside to suffer.
So after knowing this, Ling Yaodong sent people back to Jiangzhou to investigate and found the other women who gave birth in Wenquxing Temple that day.
The Yu family was the last family they found.
Two of the other three families gave birth to sons that year, but they died at one and a half months old, while the other one died just after birth.
Another family also gave birth to a daughter, but her appearance was very similar to that of the couple. It was obvious that she was definitely their biological daughter.
In this way, the last family became the key.
But at that time, Mrs. Yu and Yu Fucai heard that the Wenquxing Temple in Lin County was effective and rushed there specially. It took a long time to identify their identities, so it was almost half a year after they learned the truth before they found Xiaoxi Village.
“What about the Yu family’s children?”
Nanny Liu stared at Li Xu and asked, “At that time, my Eldest Madam gave birth to twin girls in the Wenquxing Temple. Unfortunately, bandits were rioting at that time, and in the panic, our Little Miss was taken away. It was not until recently that we finally found out the identity of the criminal, and that person was Mrs. Yu.”
This was the statement that the Marquis’ Mansion had thought of to the outside world.
After all, Mrs. Fan and Ling Yaodong had raised Ling Zhuo for eleven years and loved her for eleven years. How could they let her go so easily?
So, they simply made up the lie about twins.
But that could only be concealed from people outside the mansion. Some of the maids in the mansion, who had accompanied Mrs. Fan to the temple, had given birth and were still in the mansion. At that time, Mrs. Fan had given birth to one or two, how could those people not know?
“I heard that Mrs. Yu gave birth to a stillborn baby at the time. Because she was afraid that her husband would blame her, she stole our Little Miss, causing my Eldest Madam and Little Miss to be separated for many years. It would be better if she died now, otherwise, she would be arrested and punished.”
The nanny’s superb acting skills frightened Li Xu.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Wu was born like this. At this point, Li Xu instantly understood why Mrs. Yu did not like her daughter Xiao Wu and could cruelly sell her.
If this daughter was stolen by her and was not her child, then everything could be explained.
Xiao Wu should have been a beautiful young lady from a wealthy family. Li Xu was heartbroken and felt that Mrs. Yu died too easily. Her two children were ruined because of her selfishness.
“The young lady you’re looking for is still alive. After the Yu couple died, I took Xiao Wu in to take care of her. She should be back soon.”
Li Xu was reluctant to leave the child she had raised as her own daughter, but now it was Xiao Wu’s best choice to leave with the gorgeously dressed nanny in front of her.
As soon as she finished speaking, a little girl in a gray-blue double-breasted skirt walked in.
She was carrying a bamboo basket full of unknown herbs. Her hair was simply combed into two buns and tied with cloth of the same color.
The little girl looked a little thin, with slender limbs, but her chest was slightly raised, much fuller than other parts of her body. Her pair of peach blossom eyes were particularly attractive, and at first glance, they attracted everyone’s attention.
At just one glance, Nanny Liu, one of Mrs. Fan’s wet nurses, determined that the little girl in front of her was the biological daughter of the Marquis and the Eldest Madam.
There was no other girl who looked more like the Eldest Madam when she was a child than this child.
Before setting out to look for someone, Nanny Liu always felt that a biological child might not be as close as an adopted child, and she was even partial to the Sixth Young Lady Ling Zhuo because she had taken care of her for a period of time.
But now that she had seen the real Sixth Young Lady, she suddenly felt that the Eldest Madam and the Marquis were right in their insistence.
After all, they are blood relatives. Who would be willing to let a piece of flesh, who fell from their body, suffer outside?
“Seventh Young Lady, I have found you.”
Nanny Liu knelt down and saluted. The two maids behind her also followed suit to greet Ah Wu.
Ah Wu, who had just returned from the mountains after testing a batch of new medicine, was puzzled when she saw a stranger bowing to her and calling her Seventh Young Lady.
*****
Translator’s Comment:
Let me summarize Marquis of Changping’s genealogy. Even I was very confused when I translated this chapter, haha…
继承人, jìchéngrén: heir/successor.
Hereditary titles are traditionally passed down to the eldest son. But, it can also be passed down to other sons if the current title holder wants it. Just like in this chapter, Old Mrs. Wu wants her son to be the heir although he is the second son.
Marquis of Changping is the hereditary title for three generations.
– The first generation is of course the Old Marquis who fought with the Emperor. He married Old Madam (in the text, it doesn’t mention who is her clan/maiden name).
They have several children, but the text doesn’t mention their names or the total number of children.
– The second generation is the late Marquis (the son of Old Marquis), who married his first wife (died) and then married his second wife (Old Mrs. Wu).
[NOTES: I will also sometimes address Old Mrs. Wu as Old Madam because the previous Old Madam was already dead, so she got the title of Old Madam.
When I mention the first old madam, I will address her as Old Madam of the Old Marquis. (Relax! She is only mentioned in this chapter, so you will not be confused again after this chapter.)]
From his first wife, the late Marquis has one son (eldest son Ling Yaodong/the heir/first branch).
From his second wife, he has Ling Yaokang (second son/second branch). Ling Yaokang is married to the Second Madam (Mrs. Xiao Wu).
He also has an illegitimate son, Ling Yaoping (I think he was born from a concubine). Ling Yaoping is married to the Third Madam (Mrs. Xue).
This chapter only mentioned his sons, not daughters.
– The third generation is the current Marquis of Changping, Ling Yaodong. He married his main wife Mrs. Fang (Eldest Madam).
From his main wife, he has one son Ling Zihuai (eldest son), and one daughter (supposed to be Ah Wu, but now Ling Zhou/Sixth Young Lady).
From his concubines, he has Ling Ziyu (second son) and Ling Lian (eldest daughter).
[NOTES: Ling Zhou is addressed as Sixth Young Lady not because Ling Yaodong has six daughters.
This order is based on the birth order of girls in the same generation in the family.]
After the third generation of the Marquis of Changping, the title will be demoted from the Marquis of Changping to the Earl of Changping.
So, whoever will get the title, either Ling Zihuai or if the second branch could snatch it, the heir will get the Earl’s title.
Btw, the second and third branch genealogy will be mentioned in the next few chapters, so I will not include them here.
Just to summarize this, I am already dizzy, hehe…
The last day of the triple update, all…
Tomorrow will update as per usual 🙂
You can support your favorite novel by buying me a cup of Ko-fi ( ˘▽˘)っ♨
I will really appreciate it. ♥️♥️♥️
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1