Chapter 52 Spreading Rumors
Pushing open the door to the inferior room, the warmth that greeted them surprised everyone.
"this……"
"Please rest assured, this is what Lord Yang instructed. The nights are chilly in early spring, so our shop has prepared hot water and clean clothes for you. If you need anything else, please let us know."
"Thank you, shopkeeper!"
After seeing the shopkeeper off, the group looked at the meticulous preparations throughout the room and felt a sense of emotion.
"No wonder this Lord Yang rose from humble beginnings to become a county magistrate at such a young age; he is meticulous and detail-oriented."
He is grateful and has become a disciple of Master Luo; who knows, he might rise to great heights in the future, his future is limitless!
As Yun Zhao listened to the adults' analysis, he unconsciously fell into deep thought.
She remembered that in her previous life, there was indeed a Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review named Yang in the capital.
It is said that this person comes from humble origins, is bold yet meticulous, and was apprenticed to a certain official at the Imperial Academy.
But she remembered that in the tenth year of the Yuanqi era, this Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review angered the emperor because of an old case and was sentenced to be beheaded at the Meridian Gate.
Yun Zhao suddenly wondered if this Lord Yang was actually the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
So, could the old case that angered the Emperor be related to her father, the prince?
Seeing that she didn't speak, Xu Yifei thought she was tired.
"Zhao Zhao, would you like to take a hot bath before you rest?"
Yun Zhao's thoughts returned, and he nodded happily: "Okay, okay!"
Hearing that her daughter was tired, Xu Qingyi hurriedly went to ask someone for hot water.
Xu Qingyi used to take care of her daughter herself, so she is quite skilled at bathing her son and daughter.
What's more, Zhichun and Zhidong were there to help.
Yun Zhao sat in the small basin. It had been a long time since anyone had helped her bathe, and she shrank her body shyly.
"This is the first time Mother has helped Zhao Zhao take a bath."
Xu Qingyi pinched Yun Zhao's little face and smiled.
"Actually, Zhao Zhao can take a bath by herself!"
She was already twenty years old when she died in her previous life.
She felt a little embarrassed to suddenly ask her mother to bathe her.
"How can that be? Zhao Zhao is my little darling. If I missed Zhao Zhao's first five years..."
"Let Mother help Zhao Zhao wash a few more times. Once we get to Lingnan and everything settles down, Zhao Zhao can wash herself, okay?"
As Xu Qingyi spoke, she couldn't help but shed tears again.
She touched Yun Zhao's forearm; the mark from when Marquis Dingyuan hit him was gone.
But whenever Xu Qingyi thinks of that shocking mark, she can't help but feel sad.
How could she not recognize her own daughter?
Yun Zhao raised her hand to wipe away Xu Qingyi's tears and said earnestly, "Mother, don't cry. Zhao Zhao is no longer in pain, really!"
Xu Qingyi rubbed her daughter's little hand and asked with heartache, "Have they ever bullied you like this before?"
She didn't say it directly, but Yun Zhao knew.
Xu Qingyi was worried because the Marquis of Dingyuan had been abusing her.
Yun Zhao shook her head. "No, they used to be very good to me. It was only later that we found out they had been switched at birth."
That's why they started treating me like this. Perhaps Xue'er doesn't like me and sometimes causes me trouble.
Everyone felt sorry for her, so naturally they were more critical of me, since I wasn't their biological child.
Ling Xuerou had only been back at the Dingyuan Marquis's residence for three days, and in fact, Ling Ruofeng hadn't had a chance to do anything to her yet.
That was the day she refused to admit her mistake, so I hit her.
What Yun Zhao was talking about happened after she chose to stay in the Marquis's mansion in her previous life.
Yun Zhao is lively and intelligent.
Although she was young, her intelligence was well-known at various banquets in the capital.
As she grew older, she was chosen to be a companion to the princess, and frequently entered and exited the palace, appearing before the ladies of the palace and the wives of the imperial clan.
Ling Xue Rou grew increasingly disliked her, and when Ling Ruo Feng was harsh on her, Lin Shu Jing would come to persuade her.
The family of three would always give her a slap followed by a treat.
He always told her that she was the daughter of a disgraced official, and that if she was not careful, she would bring disaster to the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion.
Everything she has now is because of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion.
She used to think that Ling Xuerou was targeting her because she had been wronged in the Prince of Jin's mansion and hated her for stealing her family's affection.
It wasn't until Ling Xuerou spoke those words before her death that Yun Zhao realized that her targeting of him was entirely out of jealousy.
Seeing Yun Zhao's ever-changing expression, Xu Qingyi felt heartbroken.
"It's your fault, Mother. Your uncle often says that Xue'er doesn't look like me. I thought he was just being paranoid. If Mother had noticed earlier, you wouldn't have suffered in the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion!"
"Mother, Xue'er always says that you beat her and torment her, but you are clearly so good to her, how could you treat her like that?"
Yun Zhao tilted his head and looked at her in confusion.
Zhichun and Zhidong, who were standing nearby, were taken aback. Zhidong, being younger, spoke up even more directly.
"How could that be! Miss, please don't listen to her nonsense! Miss has treated her so well, how could she speak ill of Miss like that?"
Xu Qingyi's face was filled with disbelief.
"She really said that?"
Yun Zhao reached out her hand, and Zhi Chun immediately wrapped it in a clean cloth and scooped it out of the wooden bucket.
"Xue'er told me that if I go back to the Prince of Jin's mansion, I will be bullied to death. My mother is extremely fierce."
Her uncles misbehave outside, often bullying her at the Prince's mansion. Her father is rarely home; when he does return, he punishes her by making her kneel for several hours!
What Yun Zhao said was all told to her by the Ling family in her previous life.
Five-year-old Yun Zhao was too incapable of distinguishing between the real and the fake.
After the incident involving the Prince of Jin, no one in the capital dared to mention him again.
As Yun Zhao spoke, Zhi Chun helped her change her clothes, her fists clenching as she listened.
"Miss Xue'er is going too far. She's slacking off and being lazy in her studies. You were just correcting her."
He had never mistreated her! The prince punished her by making her kneel because she had said some things she shouldn't have.
If those words got out, the whole family would be in trouble! How dare she fabricate such nonsense in front of the young lady!
Zhi Dong also got angry.
"That's right, no wonder the Second Young Master always says that Miss Xue'er doesn't seem like a daughter of the Yun family!"
"Spreading rumors and being lazy at such a young age! He's definitely the son of the Marquis of Dingyuan!"
"Zhichun, Zhidong, don't spout nonsense in front of Zhaozhao!"
Although Xu Qingyi was angry, she also knew that she couldn't say too much in front of Yun Zhao.
Zhi Chun and Zhi Dong immediately lowered their heads.
"This servant knows her mistake!"
Yun Zhao was worried that Xu Qingyi still had feelings for Ling Xuerou, so he rushed into Xu Qingyi's arms without even getting dressed properly.
"Mother, Zhao Zhao is so scared..."
Feeling her daughter's body trembling, Xu Qingyi's heart broke.
"What's wrong with Zhao Zhao? Your mother is here, don't be afraid!"
"Xue'er said that when Zhaozhao grows up, she will be sent away to be a man's concubine. Mother, can Zhaozhao not be a concubine?"
"Waaah! In the past, concubines in the Marquis's mansion were always beaten to death and carried out. Zhao Zhao is so scared! Zhao Zhao doesn't want to be a concubine!"
Yun Zhao hugged Xu Qingyi and started crying loudly, as if she had been frightened by something, her small body trembling.
Her words were like a thunderclap, making Xu Qingyi's head buzz!
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