Chapter 18: More Like a True Mother
Page (1/3)
Perhaps Rong Zhao was simply too slender; his inner robe hung loosely from his body, leaving half his collarbone exposed.
“Your Highness…”
Sheng Mingyue’s eyes flickered. The moment she saw him like that, she hurriedly looked away and spun around.
“I… I deserve ten thousand deaths!”
Rong Zhao had not expected to find her outside. He froze for a moment, then his face instantly flushed crimson. He retreated into the room and used the door to conceal his body.
“Benefactor… why are you here?”
[Everyone knows that wearing only an inner robe in ancient times was practically the same as wearing nothing at all~]
[Good heavens, how is this any different from watching a handsome man bathe?]
[The cannon-fodder girl really knows how to treat us. She gives us something this exciting first thing in the morning!]
[That wretched girl is eating better and better!]
The shameless remarks from the onlookers startled Sheng Mingyue into a shiver. Her face reddened at once, and even her ears began to burn.
“I… I wanted to leave the residence and go see my father…”
Rong Zhao hid behind the door, his eyes darting away as the tips of his ears gradually turned red.
“Go, then. I’ll have someone follow nearby to ensure your safety.”
Sheng Mingyue had not expected him to agree so readily. She blinked, regaining some clarity. She was just about to refuse when she remembered that she had no idea where Rong Yan might be lying in wait. She quickly accepted.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Sheng Mingyue did not wait for his reply. She turned and fled from the Wutong Courtyard as though her feet had been greased.
She could never stay in a place where people blushed at the slightest thing!
The sound of footsteps in the courtyard gradually faded into the distance. Rong Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, and the heat in his face slowly subsided.
The sight of Sheng Mingyue in a panic rose in his mind. Rong Zhao walked over to the bronze mirror and studied his reflection.
Hmm… He was fairly handsome.
—
At the northernmost end of the Eastern Market stood an extremely deep alley. It was crowded and disorderly, utterly unlike the wealthy splendor of the city center.
Sheng Qiming was staying there temporarily.
Sheng Mingyue stood at the mouth of the alley and peered inside.
No one knew how many families lived there. Almost every household had piled a heap of things outside its door, leaving the once fairly spacious lane barely wide enough for a single person to pass through.
“Go back. There’s no need to see me off.”
A woman’s voice drifted out from within the alley. Sheng Mingyue stood at its entrance, watching a man and woman walking toward her.
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
Sheng Qiming halted. His eyes fell upon his daughter’s face, and he called softly, “Yue’er?”
The woman behind him leaned out halfway. When she saw Sheng Mingyue, her eyes brightened.
“Mingyue has grown so much…”
Sheng Mingyue’s brows drew tightly together, and surprise entered her voice.
“Aunt Lan… what brings you to the capital?”
She had not been mistaken. The person she had seen near the prince’s residence yesterday really was her.
Wang Jinlan.
The woman who had once been betrothed to her father.
Wang Jinlan pushed Sheng Qiming out of the alley, her gaze fixed on Sheng Mingyue. The tenderness in her eyes could not be concealed.
“I heard about what happened to you from your father… Child, you’ve suffered. Why don’t you come back to the village with Aunt Lan? I’ll protect you with my life!”
“Jinlan, Mingyue has her own plans. Don’t interfere.” Sheng Qiming frowned slightly. His eyes were filled with longing as he looked at his daughter. “Your mother was arrested for offending a noble person. I hear she won’t be released for another half a month. At least things will be a little easier for you now.”
“That’s right, child. Take this silver!”
Wang Jinlan pulled several purses from her bosom and stuffed them all into Sheng Mingyue’s arms.
“Aunt Lan earned this money from embroidery. Life is difficult for you in the capital. At least having some money will make things a little easier.”
Sheng Mingyue’s expression changed, and she hurriedly tried to refuse.
“Aunt Lan, I can’t take this. I have enough food and drink at the prince’s residence, and there’s nowhere for me to spend money…”
“Just take it. It’s a token of Aunt Lan’s love for you.”
Wang Jinlan gazed at her small face. She smiled, but then her eyes suddenly reddened. Fighting back her tears, she turned to Sheng Qiming.
“Brother Sheng, I’ll be going now. I won’t disturb you. You and your daughter should have a proper talk.”
With that, she fled as though escaping, her steps hurried. Before long, she disappeared from sight.
Sheng Qiming took two steps after her retreating figure, then sensed that something was amiss and stopped himself. All he could do was stare helplessly in the direction Wang Jinlan had gone.
“Father…” Sheng Mingyue lowered her head and looked at the crumpled purses in her palm. She murmured, “Why did Aunt Lan come here?”
Sheng Qiming lowered his gaze. The scars on his face seemed to have increased rather than diminished.
“Your mother must have sent word to your maternal grandmother. By now, the entire village knows that you’ve been abandoned by the nobleman and are living in dire circumstances.”
“When Jinlan heard those things, she insisted on coming to see you. Earlier, she tried to give me that money, but I repeatedly refused. She had only just given up when she happened to run into you on her way out.”
Sheng Qiming raised a hand and gently rubbed his daughter’s head, his voice tinged with regret.
“Jinlan’s son, who died young, was born on the same day as you. He was your age. Seeing you made her happy, and I suppose she was reminded of her own child.”
Sheng Mingyue fell silent, her grip tightening around the purses.
When she was little, she had heard the village women say that Wang Jinlan had become pregnant before marriage, though no one knew who the father was. She had given birth on the same day as Liu Cuixi—one had a boy, the other a girl.
Wang Jinlan’s son had been born without breath. His tiny face had been purplish-black, and he had never even had the chance to look upon this world.
Out of respect for the village chief, the villagers had not dared speak openly of the matter. In private, however, they had pointed fingers at Wang Jinlan, saying that she was born with too little fortune to keep either a husband or a son.
[Who is this woman who suddenly appeared? She seems to have an unusual relationship with the little cannon-fodder girl’s father!]
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
[The little cannon-fodder girl is so transparent that she was barely mentioned at all. Now that we’re seeing things from her perspective, we have to piece everything together ourselves!]
[That woman is so good to the little cannon-fodder girl. She’s handing over her entire fortune. Isn’t she more like her real mother than the girl’s own mother?]
[Did no one notice what her father said? Two children born in the same year, month, and day—one lived, and one died…]
[Don’t scare me! Could the two children have been switched?]
[Wait… wasn’t I reading a story about raising a little cannon-fodder girl? How did we suddenly end up with a case of a true heiress and a false one?]
The onlookers continued chattering, while Sheng Mingyue’s body grew increasingly rigid.
Switched… True and false…
Could that really be possible?
Suppressing the shock in her heart, Sheng Mingyue looked at her father and asked softly, “Father… if I don’t care about Sheng Li, will you blame me?”
Sheng Qiming was stunned for a moment, then laughed and shook his head.
“You are a living, breathing person. And so long as one is human, one naturally wishes to live.”
“Do you know why Sheng Li was taken away?”
Confusion appeared in Sheng Mingyue’s eyes. She slowly shook her head.
“I don’t.”
Sheng Qiming let out a quiet sigh, his tone calm and emotionless.
“The Crown Prince sent people to our home. They said only that they wished to arrange a marriage for you, but that you would rather die than submit. Sheng Li claimed he had a way to make you willingly marry and took the initiative to leave with the Crown Prince’s men.”
“At the time, those people left ten ounces of silver behind. Your mother was overjoyed and kept praising Sheng Li, saying that he had grown up and could finally earn money for the family.”
“It was only after Sheng Li vanished without a trace that she began to panic. She came all the way to the capital searching for him, only to fall into the Crown Prince’s hands as well.”
Upon hearing this, Sheng Mingyue felt cold from head to toe, and her heart plunged instantly into the abyss.
So that was what had happened!
She had thought that she was the one who had brought disaster upon her family. She had never imagined that Liu Cuixi and Sheng Li had long ago planned to sell her once more!
What kind of family was this?
Sheng Mingyue’s breathing quickened, and her entire body trembled violently. It took a long while before she managed to calm herself.
In a small voice, she asked, “Father, do you know… who delivered Aunt Lan’s baby back then?”
Page (3/3)