Chapter 143 Full Term
A moment later, the two, who had already exchanged their stories, sat facing each other.
Xiao Yuxuan thought that her rebirth was a unique opportunity for her, but she didn't expect that Ren Ze would also be reborn.
However, Ren Ze avoided talking about why he became the head of Tianji Tower, only saying that it was by chance.
She looked at Ren Ze, who had put his mask back on, and hesitated, thinking about the several things related to Tianji Tower that she had encountered recently.
Ren Ze personally poured tea for Xiao Yuxuan.
"Xiao Ye, we met when we were both humble beginnings, and now we've both had the chance to start over. We're kindred spirits."
"Have you ever thought about why the Xiao family has been so stubborn, protecting Xiao Yuyao in every way, both in this life and the last?"
Ren Ze's tone was nonchalant, but Xiao Yuxuan's heart tightened upon hearing it.
Of course she had thought about this question.
Thinking about it carefully, even if Xiao Yuyao was the daughter of Xiao Su and his beloved mistress, it was understandable that Xiao Su doted on her so much.
Why were my mother and three brothers like madmen in their past life, severing ties with me and even ruining their futures for her sake...?
Even in this lifetime, things haven't gotten much better. Even if he hasn't completely turned against his former allies and still retains a few shreds of reason, it's far from enough.
She gave a bitter smile:
"I thought I would be able to reclaim everything that was rightfully mine in this lifetime, but in the end I still turned against my family, and now I can only seek the protection of the eldest princess..."
“I no longer crave their love and respect. My family is just an added bonus to my life. Even without them, I will live a better life in this life as a married woman than in my previous life.”
Her tone was relaxed, as if she had already made up her mind, which made Ren Ze feel a little bitter.
She was always like this. Even in her past life, when she fell into such a predicament, she never gave up. If it weren't for that vicious woman Xiao Yuyao's determination to kill her, with just her resilience and open-mindedness, Xiao Ye should have been able to live out her days in peace...
"Xiao Ye, I am now in charge of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and I have found some things recently."
He turned the candlestick beside him, and a hidden compartment appeared on the bookshelf. He took out the contents and handed them to Xiao Yuxuan.
"This is……"
"These are the testimonies of the two midwives who delivered Gu Linyan and Madam Xiao back then."
Xiao Yuxuan lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly.
“I’ve already seen these…”
It was simply that the midwife who delivered Madam Xiao's baby got drunk and made a mistake, confusing the child her fellow villager had entrusted to her care with Madam Xiao's child, which led to this incident of the daughter being switched.
In her previous life, before she knew Xiao Yuyao's true background, she investigated the midwife, only to find that she had disappeared without a trace, along with her entire family. The neighbors only said that she had gone to live with distant relatives.
But now that she knows the truth, there's no point in looking at it anymore.
"No, it's the confession collected by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, and it differs somewhat from what you know."
Xiao Yuxuan picked up the carefully tidied testimony with some skepticism and opened it to examine it closely.
First, there was the document from Wang, the midwife who delivered Lin Hui—
According to Wang the midwife, she had been bribed by Xiao Su before Lin Hui gave birth, with the aim of switching the two children, but something went wrong during the delivery.
Lin Hui was already exhausted after giving birth to twins. In ordinary families, twin births are considered an ominous sign, with the possibility of three deaths. However, she forced herself to stay awake and insisted on seeing her two children.
But the midwife, Wang, didn't want things to get complicated, so she switched the babies right after the baby was born. Xiao Yuyao was actually a few days older than Xiao Yuxuan, and as soon as she held her in front of Lin Hui, she sensed something was wrong.
Fortunately, Xiao Su smoothed things over, and Xiao Jin, who was born at the same time, cried loudly, which finally dispelled Lin Hui's doubts, but it gave the midwife Wang a fright.
When the child was delivered to the courtyard of the woman named Madam Gu, she was still in her postpartum period, a time when a mother's heart should be at its most tender. Yet, when she saw the newborn child, her eyes were colder than snow in the dead of winter.
The midwife left the child at the door, but she couldn't shake off her unease. When she turned back, she saw that the child she had just brought had been thrown out. In the tiny swaddling clothes, the infant's face was already bluish-purple, and there were obvious finger marks on his neck!
It's that Mrs. Gu!
Wang, the midwife, had spent most of her life delivering babies and had never done anything so wicked. Fortunately, the child was still breathing, and she couldn't bear to do it, so she took the child away and found a family that hadn't had children for many years to give him away.
What Xiao Yuxuan knew roughly matched what she had learned, but she never expected that her mistress had actually planned to kill her.
Although she was only knocked unconscious and thrown out, it was in the twelfth lunar month, and the baby was only wrapped in a thin swaddle. What difference is there between that and murder?
She calmed her anger slightly before moving on to the next document.
When the midwife, Li, arrived at Madam Gu's courtyard, Madam Gu's belly was already quite large, and she looked like she was full-term and could give birth at any time.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yuxuan immediately sensed something was amiss.
Midwives are usually found at least a month before delivery. There are many variables in childbirth, and some women give birth in seven, eight, nine, or even ten months. Unless they are poor, families who can afford to hire a midwife will do so as early as possible to prevent premature births from being unprepared.
Why did Li, the midwife, only start taking care of Gu Linyan when she was about to give birth?
She was puzzled, so she looked up slightly and realized that Ren Ze had been watching her the whole time. She smiled, not caring, and continued to look.
The day after Li the midwife arrived, Madam Gu gave birth to a full-term baby girl, who later became Xiao Yuyao.
Madam Gu's love for her child was almost outrageous. During those days when the child was still by her side, she would often hold the child and murmur to herself, saying things like, "Our child...our child, just like you..."
Li, the midwife, was worried that the child would be born mentally challenged, and she was concerned for a while. Later, she saw that Li was mostly staring blankly at the child.
Later, a young man came to the courtyard. He looked to be in his early twenties, a time when he was full of vigor and ambition. The midwife, Li, originally thought that this was the husband of this Madam Gu, but she did not expect that she was actually the young man's mistress.
This wasn't the most shocking thing for her.
Madam Gu actually instructed her to describe her full-term delivery as premature.
Madam Gu threatened Li, the midwife, with her life and fortune, saying that her husband was a rising star in the court and that if he ruined her chance to marry into a wealthy family, she would fight Li's family to the death.
The midwife, Li, had never seen such a crazy person before and was immediately frightened. She agreed to tell the young man that she had given birth prematurely.
Unexpectedly, that young man was also blinded by lust. In order to appease Madam Gu, he actually proposed the terrible idea of switching his own biological child with the illegitimate child, so that the illegitimate child could be included in the family genealogy.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yuxuan's fingers unconsciously tightened around her sleeves. She dared not miss a single word, and her eyes grew increasingly solemn.
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