Aunt Zhu was in her fifties. Because of years of vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist prayers, she was emaciated and her once beautiful appearance was gone. Only her eyes were still bright, but at this moment, those bright eyes were filled with resentment.

Aunt Zhu stared at the Marquis and said through gritted teeth, "You have no idea how much I have suffered in order to preserve the Crown Prince's bloodline. I, a young lady from a noble family, was thrown into prison, and it was a death row prison. I endured all kinds of humiliation from the prison guards, all for the sake of continuing the bloodline in my womb."

Aunt Zhu's eyes reddened as she thought of what happened back then. Xu Rao couldn't bear it. It was cruel for someone to recall the most unbearable things. She wanted to stop her, but said, "Aunt, it's all in the past."

Aunt Zhu glared fiercely at Xu Rao and shouted, "You can get through, but I can't. My Zhu family's century-old foundation, hundreds of lives in my Zhu family, how can you expect me to get through? And the Crown Prince, everyone knows that the Crown Prince has no intention of rebelling, everyone knows that the Zhu family has been wronged, but not a single person has stood up to say a word of justice."

Tears streamed down Aunt Zhu's face, and the Marquis felt a pang of sorrow. He and the eldest son of the Zhu family were once close friends. The eldest son of the Zhu family was a famous scholar in the capital, handsome and talented. Who wouldn't like him? It's just a pity that he ended up like that.

Aunt Zhu wiped away her tears and said, “I know you visited my brother in prison, and I know he asked you to look for me. I also know you helped with the funeral arrangements for our family. But back then, the old Marquis clearly had influence, so why didn’t he say a few words for us, or even just beg the Emperor to show leniency and spare the lives of our children? You did nothing and just watched my grandfather and the others go to the execution ground.”

The Marquis sighed and said, “Sister Shen, being loyal to the emperor is a duty not only for your family, but also for our family, and even for all the families in this capital. All the glory we enjoy is given by the emperor. If the emperor allows us to live, we can live; if the emperor allows us to die, we can only silently wait to die. This is how it is for your family when things happen, and it is the same for our great Marquis’s mansion when things happen.”

After the Marquis said these words, Aunt Zhu sneered a few times and said, "What do you mean by eating the emperor's food and being loyal to the emperor? Our Zhu family has been established since the previous dynasty, for hundreds of years. We are not comparable to you peasants who have risen to power by a few days of merit."

The Marquis said, "Zhu Shen, you were personally taught by Grand Tutor Zhu back then. You must understand these principles. Even Grand Tutor Zhu was willing to be executed without hesitation. Why? Because he was willing to accept defeat. If you lose, you lose. The old Grand Tutor knew this from the beginning. You've been meditating in this Buddhist hall for decades, haven't you understood it yet? Let's not talk about anything else. You came to our Xu family, and although you're given the title of concubine, it's still a place for you to stay. You know how my mother treats you. Without her, you wouldn't be able to live so comfortably in this mansion. How have you treated her? She's so old, and you even tried to poison her. Is your heart made of stone?"

Aunt Zhu said, "A bet's a bet? Hahaha, you're telling me now that a bet's ...

The Marquis knew that all these years, Aunt Zhu had been holding back her anger. He sighed and said, "It's no use saying more now. The old lady and I have already spoken with the Emperor. We will not switch Shao'er and Rao'er's identities. From now on, Shao'er will still be the eldest daughter of our Yongning Marquis's mansion, and Rao'er will always be the child of yours, Aunt Zhu."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhu's face turned pale, and she said, "You brought the child back; are you here to see me off?"

The Marquis nodded and said, "This is all the Emperor's will. The Emperor has shown leniency to Shao'er and has preserved her status as the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family. This is already an extraordinary act of kindness. However, Shao'er will not come to see you."

Aunt Zhu nodded and said, "I should have died long ago, but I have lived on for so many years. Shao'er is so grown up now. I have done my duty to the Crown Prince. My Lord, please bury me next to my parents. I have been away from them for too long. I want to be with them again in the future."

Xu Rao thought for a long time and felt that she should ask Yuansheng a question. When she walked to the entrance of the Buddhist hall, she looked at the thin figure kneeling in front of the Buddha and asked, "Auntie, when you switched me back then, did you feel guilty towards me?"

Aunt Zhu slowly turned her head, looked at the tall figure against the light, chuckled softly, then sighed deeply and said, "Auntie never does anything she will regret."

Xu Rao knew from this that Aunt Zhu did not think she was wrong, so she nodded and said, "I understand."

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!