Chapter 720: The Fake Sister and the Real Sister

Chapter 720: The Fake Sister and the Real Sister

Zou Wan Shi’s face went deathly pale. She even ignored the magistrate’s order, shrieking, "He's lying! He's lying! I don't even know him!"

The old boatman scowled at Zou Wan Shi, furious. "You wicked woman! You may not know me, but I know you! I’ll never forget how you tossed that little girl into the river!… I just don’t understand—how could such a tiny child have been any trouble to you? What difference would an extra ten or twenty pounds make?! Even if you didn’t want to take her, why not just leave her on the main boat?! How could you be so cruel?! Even the river bandits wouldn’t kill a child that small!"

Zou Wan Shi was deathly pale, desperate to defend herself but at a loss for words. She could only shout, "This proves nothing! What does it matter?! It’s useless, completely useless!"

It was the panicked flailing of someone caught red-handed, trying to mask her guilt with senseless noise.

The magistrate slammed his gavel again in fury. "You deceitful woman! Not a single word from your mouth holds truth! This only proves your vile nature. You only accused Princess Fusui to take advantage of the fact that you once raised her for a few years in her childhood—a shameless lie!"

Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng, eyes welling with tears, nodded fervently. They wanted to shout, "Your Honor sees the truth!"

Yes, exactly!

This vicious, cold-hearted witch before them—how could anything she said be trusted?!

How could she—how dare she—hurt Xingxing, their precious girl, like that?!

...

Qi Huang hurried into Yu Mingzhu’s room and locked the door behind her.

The large room was dark, heavy curtains covering the windows.

A figure sat hunched in a chair by the table.

As Qi Huang entered, the figure—clearly Yu Mingzhu—suddenly stood up.

"Well?!" Yu Mingzhu’s voice was rough with urgency.

"The bandits fled into the mountains, and all traces have been erased," Qi Huang reported.

Yu Mingzhu murmured, "Good, good."

But as she spoke, her already pallid face twisted with rage. "...Such a simple job, and they botched it—after taking tens of thousands of taels from me!... Worthless scum! They were supposed to kill them all, yet three of them are still alive!"

Yu Mingzhu stormed around the room.

She clawed at her hair, frantic. "...Zou Wan Shi is still alive! Zou Pingping is still alive! All thanks to that nosy Sun sticking his nose in... And now, now they’ve got the nerve to sue Yu Xingxing in the magistrate’s court!"

Her rambling grew more hysterical.

Normally, Yu Mingzhu would love seeing Yu Xingxing in court, but this was not the time!

Zou Wan Shi’s stunt will just make things worse!

"...Have you checked on the situation at the magistrate’s court?"

Yu Mingzhu suddenly whirled to face Qi Huang.

Qi Huang paused.

"...Zou Wan Shi accused Princess Fusui of hiring assassins..."

Yu Mingzhu cut her off impatiently, "I already know that! What else?!"

She couldn’t help but curse. "Is she stupid?! Who’d buy that a highborn princess like Yu Xingxing would just slaughter some commoners for no reason?!"

No matter how much Yu Mingzhu hated Yu Xingxing, she thought Zou Wan Shi was out of her damn mind—this was utterly absurd!

Qi Huang paused, her tone slightly peculiar: "...I overheard at the door for a while. Zou Wan Shi claimed that... because she had once raised Princess Fusui, and later Princess Fusui accidentally fell into the river, Princess Fusui held a grudge toward them..."

"What?!"

Yu Mingzhu felt like she'd been hit by a thunderbolt!

It was beyond anything she'd ever felt. She gripped the table, shaking like a leaf.

She had questioned Zou Wan Shi before, but Zou Wan Shi had only said the baby she'd been switched with had drowned in the river. She had never mentioned that the child was Yu Xingxing?!

Yu Xingxing... Yu Xingxing was the one who should've had her life?!

Yu Mingzhu's breathing grew rapid; she could barely breathe!

Yu Xingxing...

She had never imagined it was Yu Xingxing!

Was this why, deep down, she had always despised Yu Xingxing so much?

Yu Mingzhu clenched her fingers tightly, her breath ragged, she wanted to burst out laughing.

Yu Xingxing!

She was the real heir of the Duke of Xinguo's household, the one the Zou family had swapped!

Hahahaha, who could have predicted this?!

Yu Mingzhu was losing it, doubled over in silent hysterics.

Qi Huang merely watched her in silence.

After a while, Yu Mingzhu suddenly straightened, murmuring, "Forget my mother, even my brothers treated Yu Xingxing with such disdain... But those damn old folks, my grandparents, treated Xingxing even better than they treated me. Tell me, did they know all along?"

Qi Huang hesitated before replying, "I couldn't say. But when I went to the Shuntian Prefecture earlier to check things out, I saw the Duke and the old Duchess there."

Yu Mingzhu smirked without making a sound.

Of course!

Those two old fools had known all along that Yu Xingxing was their real granddaughter—that was why they had been so damn unfair, always favoring her!

Yu Mingzhu felt as though she had unraveled many mysteries, yet her mind remained in chaos from the sheer magnitude of it all.

She paced like a caged animal.

She gasped and panted, then tried to calm herself with muttered words.

Before Yu Mingzhu could fully compose herself, a maid came banging on the door, her voice shaky with fear:

"Miss, the Duke and the old Duchess have sent word... They want you right now."

Yu Mingzhu froze, it took her forever to speak: "...What?"

She tried hard to steady her voice from sounding too obvious.

She had just learned that the Duke of Xinguo and his wife were at the Shuntian Prefecture—what the hell did they want now?!

Call her to the court?!

Make her face Zou Wan Shi in court?!

Do they know something?!

Yu Mingzhu began trembling all over again.

But at this moment, Jiao Shi hurried over.

Yu Mingzhu could hear Jiao Shi in the courtyard asking the maid, "Where is Miss Yu?"

"Madam, she's in her room."

Jiao Shi's breath was unsteady, clearly agitated. It was rare for her to show resentment toward the Duke of Xin and his wife in front of the servants: "How could Father and Mother do this! Zhu Zhu is a young lady of noble birth, perfectly fine—how absurd for them to drag her to court!"

Hearing this inside, Yu Mingzhu's stiff eyes finally flickered as she realized one thing—

Jiao Shi, this whole time, had no idea that Yu Xingxing was her biological daughter!

Moreover, even after learning Yu Mingzhu was not her own, Jiao Shi still treated her as lovingly as ever...

Yu Mingzhu stumbled out the door.

Jiao Shi looked surprised and concerned as Yu Mingzhu rushed over and hugged her, resting her head on Jiao Shi's shoulder, trembling slightly.

Jiao Shi was heartbroken: "My child, what's wrong? Why are you crying like this?"

Yu Mingzhu shivered slightly: "Mother, I just had a nightmare... I dreamed..."

Gritting her teeth, she said something harsh, "I dreamed I was captured by bandits. No matter how I tried to escape, I couldn't... In the end, I was chased to a cliff and jumped off..."

Jiao Shi finally let out a soft sigh of relief.

So it was just a nightmare.

She held Yu Mingzhu tenderly: "My silly Zhu Zhu, dreams are just dreams—they mean nothing... Good child, don't cry. Your tears break my heart."

With that, she led Yu Mingzhu back inside, instructing the maid to bring hot water. She then wrung out a warm cloth herself and gently dabbed Yu Mingzhu's face.

The maid who had come to deliver the message hesitated several times. Finally, seeing Jiao Shi and Yu Mingzhu settled side by side on the couch, she mustered the courage to step forward: "Madam, Miss Yu, the messenger sent by the Duke and his wife has been waiting outside the courtyard for some time. They've grown impatient waiting. What should I—"

Jiao Shi, still holding Yu Mingzhu's hand, refused outright: "The Duke and his wife have always doted on Zhu Zhu. Since she's unwell now, why must she go to a place like the court? Tell the messenger that Miss Yu is ill and cannot go."

The maid opened her mouth several times but ultimately agreed reluctantly and went to relay the message to the chief attendant sent by the Duke of Xin—who, being a man, couldn't enter the inner courtyard. She had to give some reply.

Meanwhile, the chief attendant waiting by the moon gate archway was getting more impatient by the minute.

How much longer must he wait? Still no word.

He touched the sword at his waist, recalling the Duke's stern tone when giving the order, and was about to force his way in.

Just then, the maid from the inner courtyard finally arrived, out of breath. Before she could speak, Third Young Master Yu Chongting and Sun Qiyi appeared down the long covered walkway.

Sun Qiyi had just returned from the court. Her family had ties—the forensic examiner there was close to one of her father's disciples, so she had been asked for her help.

Unexpectedly, she had encountered her betrothed Yu Chongting's grandparents there.

Coincidentally, when Yu Chongting went to fetch Sun Qiyi, the Duke of Xin had given him another errand to run:

"Escort Miss Sun back to the estate and kindly ask her to check if your sister is ill."

Yu Chongting felt something was amiss. On the way back, after hearing Sun Qiyi briefly recount what had happened earlier at the Shuntian Prefecture, he was completely stunned.

Thinking of Princess Fusui, whom he had previously encountered, who turned out to be his own biological sister... it was almost too much to process.

The maid and the head servant hastened to greet Yu Chongting.

Sun Qiyi suddenly remarked, "This is the head servant who came to deliver the message earlier."

Though this seemed out of nowhere, Yu Chongting immediately grasped the implication in his fiancée's words.

Yu Chongting raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? Didn’t Grandfather send you to deliver a message?"

The head servant hurriedly bowed. "This lowly servant had someone relay the message, but unfortunately, the messenger just returned..."

Yu Chongting turned to the other maid present.

The maid, sweating profusely, curtsied. "Third Young Master, it wasn't that this maid was shirking her duties, but the Eldest Miss seems genuinely unwell... The Lady, taking pity on her condition, said that the Duke and the Dowager Duchess, who dote on the Eldest Miss, surely wouldn’t mind..."

Yu Chongting felt a pang in his chest upon hearing this.

Did Zhu Zhu know all along?

Yu Chongting was already stunned to learn that Princess Fusui might be his biological sister.

But now, realizing that Zhu Zhu, who had been his sister for over a decade, might have known the truth all along, cut just as deep.

Yu Chongting heaved a heavy sigh.

Sun Qiyi watched him quietly, saying nothing.

The choice before Yu Chongting was clear: between the "sister in name only" he had grown up with for over a decade, or the "blood sister" who had suffered a tragic fate, drifting outside, finally with a sliver of hope to return to her roots.

Though Sun Qiyi had her own views, she did not wish to interfere with Yu Chongting’s decision.

"You’re saying the Eldest Miss is ill?" Yu Chongting finally spoke, his voice thick with emotion.

The maid nodded repeatedly.

"This servant saw with her own eyes—the Eldest Miss’s face was ghostly pale, and she kept sobbing in the Lady’s arms, saying she had a nightmare. If I may venture a guess, she must have fallen ill because of it."

Yu Chongting’s expression darkened slightly as he nodded. "Very well, I understand. Luckily, Miss Sun is quite the physician. I’ll take her to visit the Eldest Miss now."

The maid looked as if she'd been granted a reprieve.

The head servant hesitated. "Third Young Master, and the Duke's orders..."

Yu Chongting sighed. "Don’t worry, Grandfather will understand. You may return."

The head servant, equally relieved, departed.

Yu Chongting and Sun Qiyi exchanged a glance.

They understood each other perfectly, discerning the meaning in each other's eyes.

Sun Qiyi smiled faintly and made their way together toward Yu Mingzhu’s courtyard.

Along the way, Sun Qiyi arched a brow and observed casually, without any hidden meaning, "Your household certainly favors this Eldest Miss. I’ve noticed her courtyard is much larger and in a more privileged location than yours."

Yu Chongting gave a helpless smile: "That's only natural. My mother bore three sons, and Zhu Zhu is her only daughter... Naturally, she's doted on like a priceless treasure."

Sun Qiyi said nothing.

But Yu Chongting’s thoughts turned to Princess Fusui, Xingxing, who might truly be his sister.

Though Xingxing now holds the noble title of princess, judging from the details Sun Qiyi recounted, her childhood must have been harsh.

While his false sister was spoiled rotten by the family, decked out in finery, ordering maids around, his real sister was fighting for her life!

Yu Chongting’s heart ached, nearly stealing his breath.

Sun Qiyi comfortingly rubbed his back.

Yu Chongting let out a bitter laugh and shook his head: "Qiyi, I'm fine."

Sun Qiyi replied, "I know. I just want you to know that no matter what, I'm here with you."

Yu Chongting forced a small smile.

Hand in hand, they arrived at Yu Mingzhu's courtyard.

Yu Chongting glanced inside and saw not only Yu Mingzhu's maids but also his mother Jiao Shi's maid waiting under the eaves. It was clear his mother was still there with Yu Mingzhu.