vrcanaries Chapter 145 The plan, meticulously crafted over many years, has utterly failed.
Chapter 145 The plan, meticulously crafted over many years, has utterly failed.
"What did you say?" Cui Ruixin looked at him in disbelief.
The servant, Cheng Dashan, replied, "I went to Chunhua Mountain to find the young lady. While resting at the foot of the mountain, I heard a man scolding his wife, and the woman defending herself. The voice sounded familiar, like the young lady's former wet nurse. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was indeed her. And then I heard all this."
He never expected to encounter such an explosive thing on this trip.
He hadn't been paying attention to what they were saying, but when he heard "the Marquis's residence," he immediately perked up his ears.
Upon closer listening, they discovered something extraordinary.
The man actually said that they had switched the children back then, and now that their daughter was a noble lady, what was wrong with her spending some money on her younger brother?
Her three younger brothers all need to go to school, so as the older sister, she should be the one to pay for it. If they hadn't switched the babies, she wouldn't be living such a good life now.
He even scolded women for being useless, saying they couldn't even trick their children into meeting them by posing as wet nurses.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Dashan instantly became alert.
He didn't alert them, but quietly followed the couple.
They discovered that the guards at Chunhua Mountain were trying to bribe them and specifically requested to see Yu Ruowei.
He was now seventy percent certain.
The child they're talking about must be a young lady from a wealthy family.
The matter was of great importance, and he dared not make a decision on his own, so he simply knocked the couple unconscious and brought them back.
The couple woke up on the way, and he questioned them separately, thus confirming the truth.
Yu Ruowei is the couple's child.
The real young lady, however, was sold to someone by their mother-in-law.
"Go and bring me the midwife who delivered my baby back then!!! Remember to be discreet and don't let anyone notice." Cui Ruixin was trembling with anger.
She never imagined that while she was mocking the third wife for raising an orphan, she herself had been raising an illegitimate child who had usurped her place for so many years.
"Yes." Cheng Dashan received the order and quickly went to arrest the person.
Following Cui Ruixin's instructions, the person was locked in the backyard of the shop that was part of her dowry.
Cui Ruixin went to conduct the trial herself.
Seeing Cui Ruixin's ashen face, and recalling the violent way Cheng Dashan had arrested her, Chen was deeply moved.
She then knew that things might have been exposed.
"When you delivered my baby, what exactly happened? I only want the truth. If there's even a sliver of a lie, I'll have your three grandsons tortured slowly. For every lie told, I'll cut off a finger."
Cui Ruixin's expression was cold and stern; she was too lazy to beat around the bush with her.
Upon hearing this, Chen's face turned deathly pale.
She immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Madam, please spare my life! I was just bewitched at the time. Please, Madam, spare my three grandsons; they are innocent."
After kowtowing three times to Cui Ruixin, she finally recounted the process of switching the children back then.
After hearing this, Cui Ruixin felt dizzy.
She steadied herself, kicked Chen, and then demanded sharply, "Where is my daughter? Where did she go?"
"I don't know. They were a couple from the countryside who came seeking a child. I tricked them into believing that if they bought the child, they would get their own child. So they bought the child and took it away." Chen was now very regretful, wondering why she hadn't asked more questions.
Cui Ruixin never expected that the clues would end like this.
If Yu Ruowei isn't her daughter, then what does all her sacrifice over the years amount to?
If she becomes famous in the future, what will she, as her mother, be then?
Cui Rui's mind was in turmoil.
Her first reaction wasn't to torment Chen to vent her anger, but rather to worry about what would happen to her reputation if this matter were leaked.
No, we can't let this get out.
Before her biological daughter is found, she can only have one daughter, Weiwei.
Cui Ruixin quickly made up her mind.
She looked at Madam Chen: "Sell your three grandsons to the Marquis's mansion as servants."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen was terrified. If her grandson were to sell himself into slavery, he would have no future.
She hurriedly shook her head: "Madam, please have mercy!"
"You have no right to bargain with me." Cui Ruixin stared at her coldly.
"It is already a great mercy that I have spared your lives."
"I will return the indentures of those three children to you once you find the couple who bought them."
Upon hearing Cui Ruixin's words, Chen's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
It's over, it's all over now.
Their plan, which they had been scheming for many years, has completely failed.
……
Yu Ningyao's family knew nothing about this; they were all preparing for Yu Ziheng to participate in the imperial examination.
In addition to finding him a renowned tutor for extra help, Yu Ningyao also suggested that he engage in a "sea of questions" approach and take "mock exams".
What is the "sea of questions" strategy?
What is a mock exam?
The Yu family was very curious.
Yu Ningyao explained to them methodically: "Well, before going to war, Master and the others use sand tables to simulate real battles. Father said that the officialdom is like a battlefield, so can we use this method to deal with the imperial examinations?"
“My older brother is doing all the past exam papers to simulate the exam environment. He does this every day, and once he gets used to it, he won’t panic when he’s actually in the exam room.”
Her explanation was considered brilliant by everyone.
“Before I got married, I heard my brothers say that some people are very good at studying and do very well on exams, but they panic when they get to the exam hall and can’t write anything, so they fail.” Shen Jinzhu nodded and thought it was a good idea.
"Following Yaoyao's method, at least Ziheng won't panic when he goes to the exam room."
"Yaoyao is so smart, she can come up with such a good idea!" Yu Kangjing looked at his daughter with admiration.
As expected of his daughter, she's so smart.
"There's no need for that. I won't be nervous," Yu Ziheng shook his head.
He had rehearsed it countless times in his mind.
I never panicked when I put pen to paper.
"Stop nagging, listen to Yaoyao," Yu Kangjing and Shen Jinzhu said at the same time.
"Oh." Yu Ziheng could only silently shut his mouth.
Because Yu Kangjing was the only person in his family who had taken the imperial examinations, he was the only one with experience.
Therefore, he was in charge of setting up the examination room and conducting mock invigilation.
Yu Kangjing found joy in it.
Based on his memory, he drew a picture of the examination room, and Yu Zizong helped him build this miniature version of the examination room.
The father and son worked together and finished the task in a few days.
Yu Kangjing decided to let his eldest son try the "mock exam".
The entire process was conducted as if it were a formal exam.
The household servants acted as examiners, and Yu Kangjing served as the proctor.
Seeing such a large scene, Yu Ziheng, who had originally said he would never be nervous, swallowed hard, his heart beating faster involuntarily.
When he sat in the examination room that had been built in his home, all his inspiration vanished in that narrow and cramped space.
His study at home is usually very spacious and bright, but this was the first time he had ever written an article in such a place.
Wait until the father announces the start.
He forced himself to calm down and start writing.
Fortunately, he adapted quickly.
Yu Kangjing nodded in satisfaction as he watched his son writing furiously.
After Yu Ziheng gradually adapted to answering questions and writing articles in such a place...
On this day, Yu Kangjing brought back a bucket of manure.
The stench was so strong that everyone had to cover their noses.