Chapter 729: Left No Good Impression

Chapter 729: Not Leaving a Single Good Impression

Yu Shanglian’s heart twisted with anguish.

Yu Mingzhu sobbed and clung to Jiao Shi's legs: "Mother, please take care of yourself first. The county princess will visit you. Mother!"

Only then did Jiao Shi realize Yu Mingzhu was still there. Her unfocused gaze settled on Yu Mingzhu.

She murmured, "Zhu Zhu... it's Zhu Zhu..."

Yu Mingzhu’s heart swelled with hope, and she lifted her tear-streaked face: "Yes, Mother, I'm Zhu Zhu, I’m your *Zhu Zhu*!"

Jiao Shi's tears splashed onto Yu Mingzhu’s face.

Yu Mingzhu went rigid with shock.

Jiao Shi trembled as she spoke: "Zhu Zhu... all these years, I gave you everything I had. But how did your cruel mother treat my daughter?!"

Jiao Shi knew these things couldn’t be blamed on Yu Mingzhu, yet she couldn’t help it!

Every time she saw Yu Mingzhu—her refined, pampered demeanor—she couldn’t stop thinking: While their entire household doted on Yu Mingzhu, what hell was her real daughter living through?

Before, she had avoided the thought, too afraid to confront it. But now, the brutal truth stared her in the face, forcing her to face it.

What kind of life had Yu Mingzhu lived all these years?

And what kind of struggle to survive had her own flesh and blood endured?

How could she not blame Yu Mingzhu?!

Moreover, Yu Mingzhu had known all along that Zou Wan Shi was the one who ripped her away from her real daughter—yet she still gave money to that vile woman!

Jiao Shi also understood that her Zhu Zhu had a kind heart, and handing money to that monster didn’t necessarily mean she was in cahoots. But Jiao Shi simply couldn’t reconcile it in her heart!

Hearing Jiao Shi’s words, Yu Mingzhu’s face drained of all color, and her sobs grew even more desperate: "Mother!"

Jiao Shi wept so violently her knees buckled: "Zhu Zhu, how could you... how could you team up with that Zou Wan Shi to lie to me?!"

Yu Mingzhu, now crying just as hard, clung to Jiao Shi’s legs and shook her head desperately: "Mother, I didn’t, I truly didn’t!"

For a moment, the two women in the room broke down completely.

Finally, Yu Shanglian couldn’t bear it any longer and sighed deeply: "That’s enough crying, both of you."

At the words "both of you," Yu Mingzhu’s ears twitched slightly, and her sobs quieted somewhat.

She saw things clearly now—her brothers, who’d once doted on her, had already begun treating her differently because of another woman. And now, knowing that Yu Xingxing was their real sister, their guilt was written all over their faces.

Yu Mingzhu knew that, at this moment, the only ones still in her corner were Jiao Shi and Yu Shanglian.

She turned her tear-reddened eyes to Yu Shanglian: "Father..."

Yu Shanglian sighed but said nothing more.

As for Jiao Shi, hearing Yu Mingzhu call him "Father," she flew into a frenzy again, frantic to see Xingxing.

"I’ll go to the Yu family... I must see my daughter..." Jiao Shi, like a woman possessed, thrashed in Yu Shanglian’s grip. "If she won’t come, I’ll go to her myself..."

Yu Shanglian could hardly hold her back!

Yu Chongting couldn't help but step forward and call out, "Mom."

Perhaps because Yu Chongting's tone was somewhat sharp when he uttered "Mom," Yu Shanglian, Jiao Shi, and Yu Mingzhu were all stunned.

Jiao Shi, in particular, gaped at Yu Chongting.

Yu Chongting took a deep breath. "Mom, there's something I've wanted to say for a long time. During my years of study abroad, I’ve heard the name of Princess Fusui. She has spent considerable time in the capital and frequently visited our Duke of Xinguo's residence. Father, Mom, did you truly never suspect that Princess Fusui might be your own long-lost daughter?"

The question turned what little color remained in Jiao Shi's already pale face even paler.

Yu Chongting only needed one look at Jiao Shi to understand.

She must have had her doubts too—

And from what he had observed, though Princess Fusui was young, she was strong-willed.

Her indifference upon learning the truth about her origins suddenly made sense to him.

Perhaps, in all their previous interactions, aside from their grandparents, the entire household had never given her any reason to like them!

Yu Chongting was speechless.

Should he mention how his own sister seemed more affectionate toward Sun Qiyi, whom she had just met, than toward anyone in the Duke of Xinguo's household?

What a damn mess this was...

Yu Chongting felt his head starting to throb.

"Is Xingxing blaming me...?" Jiao Shi whispered brokenly. "Does she resent me for not recognizing her sooner...?"

Clutching Yu Shanglian's clothes tightly, her eyes filled with urgency, she begged, "Lian-ge, is it too late for me to apologize to Xingxing now? Lian-ge, will she forgive me? Will she ever call me 'Mom'?"

Her agitation grew with each question until, suddenly, her body stiffened, and she fainted once more.

The room erupted into chaos again.

Yu Mingzhu, shoved into a corner by someone, looked a pitiful sight.

As she watched the flurry of activity around Jiao Shi, an icy glare flashed through her swollen, tear-filled eyes.

...

Empress Nie sent for Xingxing to the palace.

The moment she saw Xingxing, her eyes reddened slightly. She beckoned Xingxing closer, took her hands, and studied her face. "Dear Xingxing, I’ve met you many times, yet I never imagined you were the lost daughter of the Duke of Xinguo's household... The family that raised you must have loved you dearly to have nurtured you so well."

Xingxing nodded softly. "You’re right, Your Majesty... Grandma found me and took me in, treating me as her own granddaughter. She spoiled me rotten compared to my brothers. The entire Yu family has always been kind to me. Since the day I joined them, I’ve never known a day of hardship."

Empress Nie's chest tightened even more.

She had, after all, investigated the circumstances. The year the Yu family found Xingxing, the region was still starving through a famine, and the Yu family was dirt-poor. No matter how much they loved Xingxing, she had indeed endured hardship alongside them for a time.

Yet Xingxing spoke not a word of those past sufferings.

Empress Nie held Xingxing's hand and spoke with her at length before showering her with gifts. Finally, she instructed her chief palace maid to personally escort Xingxing out of the palace gates.

Empress Nie had drawn a line in the sand.

From that day onward, invitations and congratulatory gifts poured in like a blizzard to the residence of the General of the Western Garrison.

The General of the Western Garrison's residence acted with great caution, turning away all visitors and gifts alike on the grounds of needing to prepare for Yu Yongliu and Princess Qing An's wedding, leaving no time for trivial matters.

The Duke of Xinguo's household handled things with equal discretion.

On an entirely unremarkable evening, a small sedan chair and over a dozen carriages quietly departed from the Duke of Xinguo's residence, arriving at the entrance of a modest two-courtyard house in a narrow alley.

Those in the know might recognize this residence as part of Lady Jiao's dowry back when she was the heir's wife.

And the delicate young lady who stepped out of the carriage, delicate as a willow swaying in the breeze, was none other than the Duke of Xinguo's household's imposter heiress, Yu Mingzhu.