Chapter 723: What Don’t You Know?

Chapter 723: What Don't You Know?

The magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture frowned briefly before relaxing his expression. "Bring them in!"

A lean, wiry man led a woman in.

The woman appeared neat and tidy, her hair neatly combed, showing no visible signs of distress. Yet her face was filled with terror, and her steps were unsteady—clear indications that she had been subjected to torture.

She had clearly been broken.

The wiry man clasped his fists and reported, "Your Honor, we are from Chaoyang Tower. We came across this woman engaging in unlawful activities and have brought her here to surrender. Among her numerous crimes, there is one old case that has some connection to today's matter. We thought she might serve as a witness in this affair."

The woman trembled as she knelt and immediately blurted out a string of crimes.

The magistrate's expression grew increasingly grave as he listened—many of these were long-unsolved cases!

Jiao Shi initially frowned in confusion, but as she listened, her whole body trembled violently upon hearing the confession: "In the tenth year of Qingzhao, I accepted thirty thousand taels of silver from the Zou family to swap their daughter with the newborn infant of the heir apparent of the Duke of Xinguo's wife!"

Yu Mingzhu's face turned deathly pale!

In a frenzy, Jiao Shi rushed forward and shoved the woman's shoulders. "What did you say?! You—"

The kneeling woman toppled over from the shove. Her face was ashen, and she struggled weakly, too weak to get up—

Xingxing and Sun Qiyi could tell at a glance that the woman had likely endured severe torture, leaving her badly injured beneath the surface.

The agitated Jiao Shi was pulled back by the constables. The woman, sprawled on the ground, took a long moment to recover before finally managing to rise. Her breathing was ragged, but with trembling hands, she retrieved a ledger from her robes.

"This ledger documents all my crimes over the years. Your Honor may examine it to see if it aligns with my confession," the woman said, her voice quivering.

Though she knew full well that the crimes recorded in this ledger were enough to have her executed in the autumn, there were times when death was a release.

The real horror was being trapped—unable to live or die.

The woman knelt there, her whole body trembling slightly.

Compared to the agitated Jiao Shi, Xingxing remained far calmer.

She listened to the woman’s account—how she had bribed the coachman, tampered with Jiao Shi’s route, and set up the whole plan—as if it were someone else’s story, her expression cool and detached.

In the end, she had been taken from her birth mother and handed over to a "thief," where she suffered torment.

To Xingxing, it felt like someone else's story.

There was no sense of reality to it.

The Duke and Dowager Duchess of Xin, the elderly couple, were far more agitated—this kneeling woman was the final link in the chain!

The Chaoyang Tower had handed over this final piece so easily!

Though their motives remained unclear, the Dowager Duchess of Xin knew that all the pieces now fit together—enough to prove that Xingxing was indeed their own granddaughter!

Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng were completely shocked!

Though they had sensed it before…

Now that the truth lay bare before them, what they felt most was—heartbreak.

It hurt—deep and relentless! In other words, their beloved Xingxing should have grown up pampered in luxury in the Duke’s mansion, the most privileged young lady in the entire capital. Yet, due to the malice of certain individuals, she had suffered abuse at such a tender age—even thrown into the churning river by that wicked woman!

Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng covered their mouths, their shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

They just couldn’t stop crying!

As for Jiao Shi, she looked completely numb.

"Mother, I—I didn't know—" A burst of sobbing came as Yu Mingzhu, for the first time in front of so many people, broke down sobbing, not caring how she looked. She stumbled toward Jiao Shi, tears pouring down like a waterfall. "Mother, I truly didn’t know..."

Jiao Shi turned her numb face toward Yu Mingzhu.

This was the daughter she’d once been so proud of.

This was the daughter she had once loved most dearly.

Though she had long known that her Zhu Zhu was not her biological daughter, she’d loved her all the same.

She had thought, after all, this was the daughter she’d doted on for years—

But now, now!

Jiao Shi stared blankly at Yu Mingzhu, who was sobbing hysterically, clutching her sleeve desperately.

In the past, she would have long since pulled Yu Mingzhu into her arms, holding and soothing her.

But now, one revelation after another felt like punches to the gut.

First, she learned that her daughter had taken medicine to deceive her—while not a huge crime, it shattered Yu Mingzhu’s perfect-daughter image in her heart.

Then, she discovered that Xingxing, who could be her real daughter, had endured such misery as a child, even being thrown into a river and nearly drowning.

Jiao Shi couldn’t help but wonder: What kind of luxury had Zhu Zhu enjoyed in the Duke of Xinguo’s manor all this time?

From the moment Zhu Zhu was born, she had four wet nurses on rotation just for feeding her. Not to mention the twelve maids attending her in her chambers, with even more servants sweeping and cleaning the outer courtyards.

As the first girl in the household, the whole household spoiled her.

But what kind of life had her real daughter been living?

Thrown into a river, left to drown?

Jiao Shi shook violently, trembling head to toe.

For the first first time, she didn’t look away from Xingxing, her voice hoarse as she said, "I—I didn’t know... I truly didn’t know..."

Xingxing had originally felt no particular emotion.

But hearing Jiao Shi’s words, a hot rush of anger surged through her heart.

Xingxing spoke up: "What didn’t you know? That when I was two or three years old, the Zou family treated me like a dog, beating me black and blue whenever they pleased? Or that while I was with the Zou family, I never had a full meal—surviving only because a kind maid sister fed me leftover rice soaked in broth until they threw me into the river? If you didn’t know, you could have asked me. But you... never even bothered to wonder, did you?"

Li Chunhua and Bai Xiaofeng were sobbing their hearts out, rushing over to hug Xingxing as they cried.

The Dowager Duchess of Xin turned her head away, tears streaming down her face.

Even the old Duke of Xin’s eyes blurred with tears.

Jiao Shi stood frozen, as if lightning had struck her.

She couldn’t even bring herself to meet Xingxing’s gaze, only whispering again and again, "I—I didn’t know... I truly, truly didn’t know..."

Xingxing looked at Jiao Shi and asked earnestly, "Is that so?"

She smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Jiao Shi stood in the courtroom, feeling the draft cut through her, chilling her to the bone.

It was so cold—like the cold had sunk deep into her bones.

Each breath felt like inhaling ice crystals.

Jiao Shi let out a choked laugh, almost a sob. "Xingxing, believe me, I—I really..."

She took a step forward, but her sleeve jerked taut.

Jiao Shi remembered—her sleeve was still clutched by Yu Mingzhu, who was sobbing like a drenched flower.