Chapter 030: The Fake Heiress’s Yandere Nature (14)

Chapter 030: The Fake Heiress's Yandere Nature (14)

"My Yi'er, my dear, why did you fall into the water?"

The Grand Elder Lady sat by Zhou Yi’s bedside, speaking in a low voice while wiping away her tears.

She knew Zhou Yi’s situation in the marquis’s mansion wasn’t good, but she was helpless.

The Han family had their eyes on Zhou Qincheng, so she had to be the daughter of the Zhou family.

She couldn’t be an adopted daughter, and her identity couldn’t have any flaws.

Thus, Yi'er had to be wronged.

In fact, the Grand Elder Lady wasn’t even sure if Zhou Yi was truly of the Zhou family’s bloodline.

But she had raised Zhou Yi for over a decade, investing her heart and emotions.

She really couldn’t bear to let her go.

If not for the marquis’s mansion being at such a critical juncture and if not for the matter involving her only son, the Grand Elder Lady wouldn’t want to wrong Zhou Yi.

"It’s all Madam Li’s fault..."

After thinking in circles, the Grand Elder Lady couldn’t find anyone else to vent her anger on.

In the end, she placed all the blame on Madam Li, the instigator.

Hmph, if she hadn’t insisted on going to the nunnery to "pray for blessings," how could such a ridiculous incident of swapped children have happened?

Moreover, Madam Li was the official mistress of the marquis’s mansion, managing everything inside and out, from maids to servants.

Yet now, she let the heir apparent fall into the water. In truth, it was all due to Madam Li’s poor management of the household.

"That heartless woman, a child not raised by her wouldn’t hurt her heart!"

"She must be trying to pull my Yi'er down and let her Zhou Ren snatch the position of the heir!"

In the eyes of the Grand Elder Lady, Madam Li was a complete fool.

But being able to triumph in the inner battles of the marquis’s mansion, the Grand Elder Lady wasn’t truly a fool herself.

So, she was well aware of Madam Li’s schemes.

However, what good was understanding?

The situation was now developing in a way that benefited Madam Li.

To say nothing else, just Zhou Qincheng’s high marriage into the En Gongju Fu (Duke of Grace’s Mansion) was enough to put Madam Li in the spotlight.

"Yi'er, rest assured, Grandma will find a way and never let that vixen’s plot succeed!"

The marquis’s mansion could only belong to Yi'er.

Bloodline or not, a child she raised herself, even if not of the Zhou family’s blood, would still be close to her.

Clenching the prayer beads in her hand, the Grand Elder Lady thought angrily.

On the sickbed, Zhou Yi’s face was pale, her eyes tightly shut, and her brows furrowed.

Her expression was one of great pain, as if she was struggling intensely with something, or perhaps trapped in a nightmare.

Only when the Grand Elder Lady grew tired and left, leaving the room empty except for Zhou Yi, did she suddenly open her eyes wide.

"Phew! It was all a dream!"

Seeing her surroundings clearly, Zhou Yi exhaled deeply, as if surviving a great ordeal.

She slowly calmed her racing heart and raised her hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.

After a long while, she murmured again, "Really, just a dream?"

She didn’t believe it, for the dream had felt too real.

So real that she couldn’t distinguish between reality and the dream.

Zhou Yi’s eyes began to focus, and her expression slowly turned serious as she finally made a decision.

……

Zhou Yi’s fall into the water was like a pebble thrown into the ocean, causing barely a ripple in the marquis’s mansion.

The entire Zhou family, from Zhou Qi to the maids and servants, were busy with Zhou Qincheng’s wedding preparations.

The Duke of Grace’s Mansion was in a hurry.

From proposing to paying the betrothal gifts and setting the wedding date, it all happened within a few days.

And the wedding ceremony was set for a month later.

This urgency, to put it nicely, was because the groom’s family liked Zhou Qincheng so much they were eager to marry her.

To put it bluntly—

"Zhou Qincheng, do you know why the Han family is in such a rush to marry you?"

Upon hearing that Zhou Qincheng’s wedding date was set, Zhou Baozhu finally emerged from her aunt’s home.

She ran to the Weirui Courtyard, her eyes filled with jealousy as she looked at the stunningly beautiful and noble Zhou Qincheng, speaking with ill intentions.

"Of course!"

Gu Qingcheng didn’t even need to think. Just by seeing the malice flickering in Zhou Baozhu’s eyes, she knew that this cheaper sister (or perhaps older sister?) had come with ill intentions.

She lightly uttered the two words, leaving Zhou Baozhu speechless and utterly embarrassed.

Zhou Baozhu widened her eyes in shock. "What? You… you knew?"

Why the Han family was in such a hurry to arrange a marriage, and why they would marry someone like Zhou Qingcheng, a woman with only beauty but a flawed status… These questions had haunted Zhou Baozhu her entire previous life, and she had never found the answers.

Reborn into this new life, instead of staying in the marquis’s residence to suffer, Zhou Baozhu had run off to her aunt’s house.

Her aunt doted on her, pampered her, and was also willing to guide her.

From her aunt’s words, Zhou Baozhu learned about the private matters of many powerful and noble families in the capital.

Among them was the “battle between the legitimate and illegitimate children” in the Cheng’en Duke’s mansion.

Only then did Zhou Baozhu realize that the “good marriage” she had been obsessing over for her entire life was, in reality, merely a facade—glamorous on the outside but filthy on the inside.

With this realization, Zhou Baozhu felt both disappointed and excited.

Her disappointment stemmed from her muddled past life—how foolish she had been, regretting for so many years over such a worthless man, even turning against her parents because of him.

What excited her, however, was that in her previous life, Zhou Qingcheng must have lived a miserable existence in places Zhou Baozhu had never known.

On the surface, Zhou Qingcheng appeared to live a glamorous life, but in reality, she had been suppressed by a favored concubine, stuck under her thumb. Tsk tsk, how stifling it must have been. Didn’t Zhou Qingcheng spend her days hiding in her room, wiping away tears?

Even better, in this life, Zhou Qingcheng was still destined to marry a useless playboy like Han Erlang.

Just imagining Zhou Qingcheng, right after she entered the Han family, having to accept tea from a favored concubine with a large belly…

Haha! Ha ha ha!

Zhou Baozhu could laugh herself awake from such a dream.

In her excitement, Zhou Baozhu couldn’t be bothered to stay angry at Mrs. Li and returned to the marquis’s residence herself.

She was going to tell Zhou Qingcheng certain behind-the-scenes details in person and then watch with her own eyes as Zhou Qingcheng’s face lost all color and she flew into a rage!

But what Zhou Baozhu never expected was that Zhou Qingcheng didn’t follow the script she had prepared.

"Yes! Mother had already told me about the situation in the Han family!"

Seeing Zhou Baozhu’s dumbfounded expression, as if struck by lightning, Gu Qingcheng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: How could Mrs. Li be so clever yet give birth to such a fool like Zhou Baozhu?

What Gu Qingcheng found even more baffling was that this Zhou Baozhu was actually the protagonist of a storybook!

"Perhaps, it’s what they call ‘fools have their own blessings’?"

Gu Qingcheng could only help find such an excuse.

Misfortune Water: “...I never knew that someone as noble as Gu Qingcheng would also make such a scathing remark.”

“Han Erlang just has a close female friend, and it seems that the woman is pregnant.”

In her heart, Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but mock, but she pretended to be indifferent as she spoke to Zhou Baozhu, “The Han family is probably in such a hurry because they don’t want the situation to escalate.”

If they marry Han Erlang off early and have the concubine serve tea to the new wife, thus confirming her status, no scandal will emerge.

Advancing the wedding would benefit the Han family, the Marquis’s residence, and the Cousin Miss who is suspected to be pregnant.

The only one who might feel wronged would probably be the new bride, “Zhou Qingcheng.”

However, Gu Qingcheng felt no grievance at all; instead, she was rather pleased with herself. “Baozhu, you might not know this, but our Marquis’s residence isn’t as wealthy and stable as it appears on the surface.”

“Although my father holds the title of Marquis, he has never had real power.”

The Zhou family had already shown signs of decline.

In contrast, the Duke of Bestowed Grace’s residence had military power and the emperor's favor, truly flourishing like adding flowers to brocade, as oil boils in a fiery pan.

Zhou Qingcheng marrying into the Han family was definitely a high match.

Therefore, Gu Qingcheng pretended to be delightedly satisfied. “Alas, if it weren’t for Han Erlang’s slight imperfection, with the status of our Zhou family, I wouldn’t even have the qualification to marry into the Duke of Bestowed Grace’s residence.”

Zhou Baozhu: ...

Huh? That’s right!

How could she forget this?

The Zhou family had declined, and no matter how lacking Han Erlang was, he was still the heir of the Duke of Bestowed Grace’s residence and the Empress’s own brother.

Zhou Qingcheng marrying him was definitely a huge advantage for her.

As for herself, Zhou Baozhu, not to mention surpassing her, even finding a family as good as the Han family was a daydream!

Ps: Thank you to the garlic giant monster who loves eating razor clams for the tip, and thank you everyone for the recommendations, monthly tickets, and favorites. Thanks for all the support.

Pps: We’ve hit 40 monthly tickets! Extra chapter coming soon, (^·^)