Chapter 242: The Zhengs Suspect the Child Might Not Have Been Switched at Birth

Chapter 242: The Zhengs Suspect the Child Might Not Have Been Switched at Birth

"Why would they bathe in such cold weather?"

"Newborns often have blood on them; of course, they need to be bathed."

"I said it was Fang's child. The Fang family's baby was born a day earlier. Presumably, she would have been cleaned up by then. Why would they bathe her again in the freezing cold?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Zheng's heart skipped a beat.

Indeed, this doesn't make sense.

If it were summer, it would be understandable for more fastidious families to bathe their children daily.

But Zheng Jinxiu and Zheng Jinyu were born right after the new year, when the weather was still chilly. Even the most meticulous family wouldn't bathe their infants every day.

The two of them exchanged glances, both wearing grim expressions.

"Sir, do you think it could be that..."

"Well, we can't make baseless accusations without evidence. We should spend some silver to send people to investigate in Fang Village. You should also find an opportunity to test their reactions."

Back then, the Fang family had indeed taken them in and saved their lives. If it turned out to be a misunderstanding, wouldn't they be repaying kindness with enmity by revealing it carelessly?

After discussing it, the two agreed to pretend ignorance for now and secretly investigate further.

...

With the autumn examinations over, Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu both seemed gloomy, likely due to the impact of Zheng Jinxiu's situation on their performance.

Not only were they affected, but the entire household's atmosphere was somber because of Zheng Jinxiu, making breakfast a silent affair.

Just as Zheng Jinyu was about to put down her chopsticks, Zheng Jinxiu, sitting across from her, suddenly vomited.

In the quiet and oppressive environment, her retching sounded particularly jarring, drawing everyone's attention to her.

Madam Zheng asked, "Jinxiu, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine, it's just that this is a bit greasy. I... vomit..." Another bout followed.

Zheng Jinyu couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Lady Zheng, who had experienced such matters herself, paled, exchanging a glance with Lady Luo standing behind her.

Lady Luo quickly interjected, "Perhaps it's due to the recent cold weather, and Miss Zheng has caught a chill. My lady, we should call in a physician to examine her later."

"Very well." At that moment, Lady Zheng's expression was so ghastly that it was frightening.

After breakfast, Lady Zheng personally escorted Zheng Jinxiu back to Jinxiu Courtyard. Soon after, a physician was summoned to the residence.

Spring Plum couldn't glean any information, as she mentioned that Lady Zheng had cleared the area, dismissing all the servants.

This was like shouting, "There's no silver here!" It was evident that something significant had transpired, likely that Zheng Jinxiu was pregnant with Lu Shen's child.

Zheng Jinyu counted the days on her fingers. Ah, about right, nearly two months had passed since Zheng Jinxiu and Lu Shen spent that fateful night at the temple.

Interesting.

"You go inquire discreetly if she has missed her monthly cycle for a while."

Chunmei gasped. "No monthly cycle? Could it be…?"

"Hush, such matters should not be discussed openly. If anyone finds out, it won't just be a simple punishment or selling you off."

Chunmei shrunk her neck and replied, "This servant understands."

She wasn't foolish; she knew how to delicately inquire about the situation.

At Jinxiu Courtyard, chaos reigned. The physician had indeed detected a pregnancy pulse, completely upending Master Zheng and his wife's previous plans.

How could they send Zheng Jinxiu to the countryside to marry an honest man with a child on the way? Wouldn't that be harming the innocent man? He hadn't done anything wrong to them.

This meant that Zheng Jinxiu could now become Lu Shen's concubine.

Madam Zheng was devastated.

"What sin have I committed? Never in my life, from the Cui family to the Zheng family, have I been involved in such a disgraceful incident."

Both the Cui and Zheng families were esteemed lineages with centuries of history.

With a profound family background and refined upbringing, even a concubine-born daughter was expected to remain chaste before marriage, let alone bear a child out of wedlock.

Zheng Jinxiu had been nurtured solely by Lady Zheng, and now that such an incident had occurred, it felt like a tremendous humiliation to her.

If news of this were to spread, others would only criticize her for failing to raise her daughter properly.

Lady Zheng, disregarding her dignified image, wept and scolded uncontrollably.

On the bed, Zheng Jinxiu's face was ashen. With a tone of injustice, she said, "Mother, I was also a victim. I'm an innocent maiden, and that Lu family...that Lu Shen...sob, sob, I've brought shame upon our family. I'd rather not live anymore..."

Upon finishing her words, she attempted to jump off the bed and bang her head against the wall.

Her wet nurse, Lady Zhou, held her tightly, weeping, "Miss, this is not your fault; how can you blame yourself? Please don't do this."

Then, she turned to Lady Zheng, pleading, "Madam, please say something. Even if Miss isn't your biological daughter, you've raised her with your own hands. After being bullied like this, you can't just ignore it."

Lady Zheng was at a loss for words.

Recently, she had become increasingly disappointed in Zheng Jinxiu, but upon reflection, it wasn't her fault that she had been sullied and became pregnant.

It was all because of that beast, Lu Shen. They shouldn't have tolerated the scandal back then. But now, it would be futile to report it. Unless the Zheng family was willing to forsake their reputation and engage in a bitter feud with the Lu family, both sides would end up losing.

They now suspected that the children were switched at birth, not by accident.

But even if it wasn't an accident, it was still Fang couple's fault; it had nothing to do with Zheng Jinxiu.

Lady Zheng's mind was in chaos. She had no idea how to deal with the situation they found themselves in.

After a long while, she summoned Lady Luo and instructed her to visit the Lu residence, informing Lady Lu about Zheng Jinxiu's pregnancy.

She also warned Lady Luo that if the Lu family overstepped, she would retaliate fiercely, leaving both families in ruins.

The Zheng family could sacrifice one adopted daughter, but the Lu family would suffer the loss of their heir apparent.

Lady Lu was indeed frightened by Lady Zheng's threat and hurried to the Zheng residence to verify the situation.

Seeing the doctor following behind Lady Lu, Lady Zheng sneered mockingly, "Don't you trust me?"

Lady Lu explained, "This is such a significant matter. I must be cautious, especially since our two families just canceled our engagement."

Madam Lu gestured for the physician to proceed with the pulse diagnosis.

Madam Zheng remained silent.

After the examination, the physician nodded at Madam Lu.

Madam Zheng sneered. "Well? What's the plan now?"

Madam Lu grew restless. Could it be that the child was truly on the way?

Families like theirs placed great importance on offspring. Even if the servant girl in Madam Zheng's household had become pregnant by her son, they hadn't terminated the pregnancy but instead arranged for her to give birth safely in a manor outside the city.

"We'll definitely keep the child."

"Very well, let's discuss this then. How do you plan to proceed?"

The two women retreated to a private room, dismissing their servants.

Madam Lu spoke. "As we previously discussed, Jinxiu will become a noble concubine to Shen'er. Rest assured, even as a concubine, she won't be treated any less than a proper wife. After all, she carries our Lu family's first child. If it's a boy, he would be my eldest grandson. With Shen'er's affection for her and a eldest son by her side, their future will be secure."

"Ha ha ha!" Madam Zheng burst into laughter, a sound that made Madam Lu feel deeply uneasy; her expression turned somewhat rigid.

Madam Zheng spoke with a cold tone, "Who do you think you're deceiving? Don't think I'm unaware that your eldest grandson is being raised in a manor outside the city, his birth mother being a former maid who attended to you."