Chapter 683 She’s not her biological daughter

Chapter 683: Not Her Biological Daughter

Before the senior matriarchs of the Yu family, Aunt Jiao tactfully refrained from pressing further. Pushing down her doubts, she kept up a pleasant front, making pleasant small talk with the older women for quite some time before taking her leave.

Once she stepped out of the main courtyard, the smile on Aunt Jiao’s face faded instantly. With a frown, she rushed briskly toward Jiao Shi’s residence.

Jiao Shi had not yet returned from visiting friends outside. A maid in the courtyard warmly welcomed Aunt Jiao: "...Would you like to go rest in your room first? When our mistress returns, I’ll inform her immediately that you came looking for her."

But Aunt Jiao waved her hand dismissively.

She was too agitated, and since she had nothing else to do, she chose to wait right then and there for Jiao Shi.

By the time Aunt Jiao finished her third cup of tea, Jiao Shi finally returned.

Jiao Shi was in good spirits, but upon learning that Aunt Jiao had been waiting for her for so long, she was surprised: "Third Sister-in-law? ...Has something happened?"

Aunt Jiao gripped Jiao Shi’s wrist, her expression grave: "Sister, tell me—is there something you’ve been keeping from me?"

The moment Jiao Shi saw Aunt Jiao’s demeanor, her stomach dropped. She looked away awkwardly and forced a smile: "...Third Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? What could I possibly be hiding from you? What’s this about?"

Seeing Jiao Shi’s reaction, Aunt Jiao knew immediately that something was indeed being concealed from her.

Frustrated and worried, she tightened her grip on Jiao Shi’s wrist: "Sister, earlier I tactfully asked your family’s matriarch whether Ming Zhu had been betrothed, but she told me to ask you instead. Just tell me straight—have you already arranged a match for Ming Zhu without telling us? ...If so, just say it outright! Our Yu Lou wouldn't insist on marrying Ming Zhu. If you’d just told us, we wouldn’t have clung to the idea. What hurts me is that I’m your own sister-in-law from your maiden family—how could you keep this from me?"

Jiao Shi was at a loss for how to explain, but the implications in Aunt Jiao’s words made her think...

If Yu Mingzhu were her own daughter, she would never willingly marry her off to a nephew from her maiden family. In Jiao Shi’s eyes, her Zhu Zhu could marry a prince—or even the crown prince.

But the problem lay precisely here: Yu Mingzhu was not her biological daughter.

This was no secret, and though Jiao Shi hated to admit it, the truth could not be hidden forever. Under such circumstances, marrying her Zhu Zhu to a well-known and trusted nephew from her maiden family became an excellent option.

Her eyes lit up. She grasped Aunt Jiao’s hand and dismissed all the maids from the room: "Third Sister-in-law, I have something to tell you."

Aunt Jiao hesitated, eyeing Jiao Shi’s demeanor warily as she followed her to sit on the soft couch.

Jiao Shi held her hand, organizing her thoughts for a long moment before breaking the news: "...Third Sister-in-law, the truth is—Zhu Zhu isn’t my biological child."

Aunt Jiao was shocked speechless, leaping to her feet in shock: "What?! You can’t be serious!"

Jiao Shi quickly pulled her back down, said with a pained smile: "Third Sister-in-law, I wish it weren’t true, but it is..."

She recounted how the Duke of Xinguo’s household had discovered that Yu Mingzhu was not their biological daughter, leaving Aunt Jiao too shocked to speak for a long time.

The revelation was simply too shocking. Aunt Jiao had trouble taking it in, unable to fully grasp the implications even after a long while.

When she finally regained her composure, Aunt Jiao was equal parts angry and hurt: "No, Sister, how could you be so foolish?! How could you not tell us about something this important sooner?!"

For instance, this time, when she had come to the capital from Zhoushui, she had brought lavish dowry gifts from the women of their family for Yu Mingzhu—some of them extremely valuable gifts.

Had Yu Mingzhu been her true niece, she wouldn’t have minded the expense.

But the problem was—Yu Mingzhu wasn’t Jiao Shi’s biological daughter and carried none of their Jiao family’s blood!

Pain flashed across Jiao Shi’s face: "Third Sister-in-law! This has been unbearable for me too. I didn’t know how to tell you all..."

"Then... have you found your real daughter?" Aunt Jiao pressed urgently.

Jiao Shi’s expression stiffened, an uncomfortable expression crossing her face: "Not yet..."

Aunt Jiao was completely stunned at the moment and didn’t even notice Jiao Shi’s uneasiness. She let out a long sigh, “It’s been so many years, and back then, it was villains who deliberately switched the babies. In this vast world, how could it be easy to find her?”

As she spoke, Aunt Jiao’s eyes reddened again, and she cursed bitterly, “Those wretched bastards!”

Jiao Shi also felt a pang of sorrow, shedding a few tears.

Aunt Jiao vented her anger by cursing the scoundrels for a long time before finally grasping Jiao Shi’s hand again. “Sister-in-law, this is a serious matter. I must inform the family about this…”

She paused, then asked, “Does Ming Zhu know about her origins?”

Jiao Shi sighed. “Of course Zhu Zhu knows. We’ve spoiled her rotten since she was little, and she didn’t want this to happen either… Aunt Jiao, you don’t know, but back then, Zhu Zhu even went to the temple and wrote sutras in her own blood to pray for us… Zhu Zhu is truly a wonderful child.”

Jiao Shi recalled Yu Mingzhu’s appearance at the time, her heart aching again.

Aunt Jiao couldn’t quite describe her own feelings either, her emotions a tangled mess.

Jiao Shi tightened her grip on Aunt Jiao’s hand. “…Aunt Jiao, there’s something I’ve wanted to discuss with you for a long time. Although Zhu Zhu isn’t my biological daughter, our family has always treated her as our most treasured jewel since she was little, and I can’t bear to just abandon her. What do you think about Yu Lou… The two of them practically grew up together, and you’ve watched Zhu Zhu grow up too. You know what kind of person she is. Aunt Jiao, how about we betroth Zhu Zhu to Yu Lou? Would that be acceptable?”

Aunt Jiao’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.

In the past, if Jiao Shi had taken the initiative to propose betrothing Yu Mingzhu to her Yu Lou, she would have been overjoyed.

But now, Yu Mingzhu wasn’t Jiao Shi’s biological daughter, and her bloodline was unclear. It was easy to guess—a child smuggled into a noble household couldn’t possibly come from respectable blood, could they?

Her Yu Lou would take the imperial exams in a couple of years, and it was almost certain he would pass as a jinshi. With a bit more effort, he could even place as a top scholar.

Moreover, with the Zhoushui Jiao family’s connections in the court, his future would be boundless.

In other words, her Yu Lou might very well rise to high office in the future.

But what if Yu Mingzhu’s true origins were later uncovered? Even if she turned out to be from a commoner family, that would still be acceptable—but what if she’s from the gutter?

Aunt Jiao’s worries were practically written on her face.

Jiao Shi observed her sister-in-law’s expression, her stomach dropped. She hadn’t expected her sister-in-law to be unwilling!

Her sister-in-law had always doted on her Zhu Zhu and had even hinted before, saying things like “cousins marrying keeps the family close.”

Wasn’t that a way of suggesting she marry Zhu Zhu to Yu Lou?

Before, Jiao Shi had thought her Zhu Zhu was good enough to marry a prince, so she had dodged it by saying the children were still young.

Now, Zhu Zhu was about to turn another year older—by traditional reckoning, she would soon be fourteen or fifteen, the prime marriageable age. At this point, her nephew Yu Lou seemed like the best match Zhu Zhu could hope for…

With this thought, Jiao Shi’s expression grew more urgent, and her grip on Aunt Jiao’s hand tightened. “…Aunt Jiao, what are you worried about? You know Zhu Zhu’s heart—don’t you? Once Zhu Zhu and Yu Lou are betrothed, I’ll hand over every bit of Zhu Zhu’s dowry I’ve saved over the years to Zhoushui. And if Yu Lou passes the imperial exams and enters officialdom, Zhu Zhu’s father and brothers will surely help him pull strings at court…”

The rest was just talk, but these two promises from Jiao Shi genuinely swayed Aunt Jiao.

When Jiao Shi had married, Aunt Jiao knew full well that her mother-in-law had given her a lavish dowry—so extravagant it made tongues wag. While money isn’t everything, marrying a bride with substantial assets was still preferable to marrying someone from a modest family with no fortune.

But what really hooked Aunt Jiao was Jiao Shi’s promise that Yu Mingzhu’s father and brothers would help give Yu Lou a leg up once he became an official—that was the hardest to resist.

Still, Aunt Jiao held her tongue and sighed. “…Sister-in-law, hold on now. The news about Ming Zhu not being your biological daughter has left me too shocked to make a decision right now. Besides, you know Yu Lou is the most promising of his generation, and matters like marriage must be decided by the elders. How about this—I’ll write home first and consult them. What do you think?”

Jiao Shi was somewhat displeased to hear that Aunt Jiao wanted to discuss it with the family.

Before, they had practically begged for Zhu Zhu’s hand! Now that they knew Zhu Zhu wasn’t her biological daughter, they’re suddenly acting high and mighty!

But Jiao Shi couldn’t show her irritation and forced a smile. “Very well. Zhu Zhu’s birthday is in just a couple of days, and half the noble ladies in town have already sent invitations, eager to propose matches for her… I just want what’s best for Zhu Zhu, which is why I’m willing to marry her back into the Jiao family. After all, we are family.”

Third Aunt Jiao smiled on the surface and agreed smoothly, "Of course, we all care deeply for our children."

Yet inwardly, she scoffed. Her younger sister-in-law really thought she didn’t know—had Yu Mingzhu still been her biological daughter, her sister-in-law would’ve scorned the idea of her son, Yulou, as a match in the first place.

After the two women talked for a while, a maid came in to announce that Cousin and Eldest Miss had returned.

Both mothers brightened, exchanging a glance before wordlessly dropping the conversation about the marriage proposal.

"Mother, look what I brought you!"

Yu Mingzhu’s sweet voice rang from outside the door before she even entered.

Jiao Shi’s face lit up, shooting a pointed look at Third Aunt Jiao as if to say, *See how thoughtful my daughter is?*

Third Aunt Jiao felt somewhat speechless. What was her sister-in-law so proud of? However devoted, this wasn’t even her real daughter.

When Yu Mingzhu stepped inside and saw Third Aunt Jiao, she bowed with a smile. "Third Aunt Jiao is here too! Perfect—I also got you a little gift."

It was a cloak from the Western Regions, boldly colored yet undeniably beautiful, radiating foreign elegance.

Third Aunt Jiao was quite pleased, her eyes showing a glint of approval, and some of her reservations about Yu Mingzhu not being Jiao Shi’s biological daughter faded slightly.

Jiao Yulou, waiting his turn nearby, waited until Yu Mingzhu had presented the gifts before smiling and saying, "Mother, Aunt, guess who we ran into outside?"

Yu Mingzhu’s smile stiffened.

Third Aunt Jiao asked curiously, "Who did you meet?"

Jiao Yulou grinned. "Cousin and I first encountered the Fourth Prince, who treated us to a meal. Then, at the restaurant, we also happened upon Princess Fusui."

At the mention of "Princess Fusui," Jiao Shi’s expression grew slightly uneasy, and she quickly glanced at Third Aunt Jiao’s reaction.

But Third Aunt Jiao didn’t read into it. After all, the princess was a highborn lady of the illustrious Yu clan—she had looked into it before and dismissed further speculation.

Even now, knowing Yu Mingzhu wasn’t Jiao Shi’s real daughter, she never once considered that Princess Fusui might be Jiao Shi’s biological child.

After all, put simply, if she really were, wouldn’t they have reunited by now?

So Third Aunt Jiao simply wrote it off as chance and remarked with a smile, "So you’ve seen Princess Fusui too? Don’t you think she looks a bit like Yuan Jie’er?"

Jiao Yulou chuckled. "She really does..."

Yu Mingzhu suddenly interjected, cutting in to redirect the conversation: "Mother, we also met the Fourth Prince. He found out my birthday is in two days and said he’d send someone with a gift."

Jiao Shi brightened at once. "Really? You don’t say!"

Truthfully, Jiao Shi had initially had her eye on either the Third Prince, Wei Shiyu, or the Fourth Prince, Wei Shibu, as perfect suitors for Yu Mingzhu.

One was the Empress’s legitimate son, while the other was kind-hearted and cultured—either would have been a fine match for her precious Zhu Zhu.

But fate had other plans. Now that her Zhu Zhu was no longer of Duke of Xinguo’s bloodline, even becoming a prince’s consort was likely beyond reach.

Besides, Jiao Shi couldn’t bear the thought of her beloved daughter being made a mere concubine.

Yet hearing that the Fourth Prince had taken the initiative to show favor, a spark of hope flared in her heart.

Her Zhu Zhu was so wonderful—what if the Fourth Prince, even after learning the truth, still wished to marry her as his principal consort?

The idea sent her pulse soaring.

Third Aunt Jiao shot a look at Jiao Shi.

Jiao Shi's thoughts were written all over her face.

Third Aunt Jiao couldn’t help but feel annoyed. She stood up stiffly and snapped, "I’ve been out for quite some time now and am tired. Yu Lou, accompany me back."

At that moment, Jiao Shi was completely absorbed in her daughter's marriage prospects and paid no heed to Third Aunt Jiao.

Third Aunt Jiao flounced out angrily.

Yu Lou was still puzzled. Once they returned to their quarters, he asked in confusion, "Mother, why are you so upset?"

Third Aunt Jiao remained irritated. After a long pause, she finally asked Yu Lou, "Did you know that your cousin Pearl isn’t actually your aunt’s biological daughter?"