Chapter 36 The Real and Fake Heiress (Part 2)
Although Dr. Chu's deceased husband did not hold an official position, he came from a prominent family and was obsessed with mathematics from a young age. As an adult, he was a talented scholar with some fame.
Later, he married Dr. Chu. The couple were both passionate about mathematics, spending their days solving problems and writing books together, finding great joy in it. Gradually, Dr. Chu's talent in mathematics even surpassed that of her husband, who had guided her into the field.
"My husband and I have been friends for many years. The Imperial Observatory uses mathematics to observe celestial phenomena, determine the calendar, and measure the weather. So my husband often comes to consult me. Our two families are also close friends and visit each other frequently."
Dr. Chu cried for a while, and Princess Tong'an, fearing that the extreme joy or sorrow would upset her, quickly invited her into the room to talk, and also had the kitchen prepare a sweet soup to soothe her emotions.
Dr. Chu held up a bowl of hot red date and lotus seed soup and began to explain to the people present.
“I’ve watched Yu Sha grow up. Before Bai Yu came to our door, we never doubted that she wasn’t Yao’s daughter. Yu Sha was very interested in stargazing and mathematics from a young age, and she was very talented. When she was seven or eight years old, she started reading the ‘Gan Shi Xing Jing’ and could recite the star charts treasured in Lord Yao’s study by heart. She could point to every star in the sky and know them like the back of her hand.”
When Lord Yao realized his daughter's talent, he was overjoyed. He not only personally taught her to read, but also asked Dr. Chu and his wife to teach her mathematics.
“Yusha was intelligent and studious from a young age, and also filial and obedient. I didn’t have a daughter, so I loved her as if she were my own. When she turned eighteen, the Yao family arranged a marriage for her with a cousin of my husband’s, named Chen Ang. He often came to our house to play when he was a child, and he had met Yusha before. They had studied together and were childhood sweethearts. Both our families were happy to see this happen, but Madam Yao was reluctant to let her daughter marry so early and wanted to save up a dowry for her for two more years…”
Dr. Chu lowered his head sadly, "If I had known that such a change would happen later, I would have preferred to let Yusha get married earlier."
When Yu Sha was twenty years old, a girl named Bai Yu came to the Yao family and said that she was the Yao family's biological daughter.
Twenty years ago, on a rainy night, Madam Yao and a peasant woman from Baihe Village on the outskirts of Beijing were trapped in a temple. Rumor had it that a group of bandits had fled into the mountains and that the temple was their next target for robbery.
In the chaos, the two pregnant women went into premature labor one after the other. After finally giving birth, they were in a hurry to pack their things and escape down the mountain. It is unclear at what point things went wrong, but the two baby girls were switched at birth.
“When Bai Yu first came to our door, she looked exactly like Madam Yao. Later, we met Bai Yu’s adoptive mother, Li, whose features were also strikingly similar to Yu Sha’s.”
The overwhelming evidence was a huge blow to the Yao couple.
Madam Yao felt sorry for her biological daughter suffering in the village, and she couldn't bear to part with Yao Yusha, whom she had carefully raised for twenty years. So she thought of keeping both daughters by her side and treating them equally.
“I remember that the Yao couple took Yusha to Baihe Village to give many gifts to Baiyu’s adoptive parents to thank them for raising Baiyu and to ask them to stay with the Yao family, since she was about to get married and it would be more respectable for her to marry from the Yao family.”
"But just three days before the wedding, Yu Sha suddenly left a note and ran away, saying that she was too ashamed to stay in the Yao family and that she was too greedy to enjoy the love of her adoptive parents. She wanted to return to her biological parents to fulfill her filial duties, and the marriage with Chen Ang was called off."
Princess Tong'an listened attentively, her brows furrowing sharply.
Something seems off.
Yao Yusha and Chen Ang were childhood sweethearts, so there was no reason for them to be unwillingly married. Even if she was in an awkward position in the Yao family and didn't know how to get along with the real Miss Yao, Yao Baiyu, she was about to get married and wouldn't stay in the Yao family forever.
If she could just hold on for three more days, she would no longer be a daughter of the Yao family, but a wife of the Chen family.
Getting married and taking care of her biological parents in the village doesn't conflict with her being able to do so.
Shen Lingyue couldn't help but ask, "Dr. Chu, Yao Yusha has been missing for the past five years. Didn't you ever have any doubts? Didn't you ever think of going to Baihe Village to look for her? It's not that far from the outskirts of Beijing."
"Yes, of course we searched," Dr. Chu said. "The next day, after Madam Yao found the letter left by Yu Sha, she immediately hitched up a carriage and went out of the city to chase after her. But when she arrived at Baihe Village, she found that Bai Yu's adoptive parents' house was empty. The villagers said that the whole family had moved away more than a month ago, saying that they had gone to stay with relatives in another place."
"The Bai family has all moved away. Where can Yao Yusha find them to fulfill her filial duties?"
Yan Yi also frowned. This matter was strange and unreasonable in every way. How could Yao Yusha have been picked up by Wang Erlaizi and become his silly wife?
Princess Tong'an instructed her maid to go out, and she soon brought back the captain of the guard who smelled faintly of blood.
She had just come out of the woodshed where she had interrogated Wang Erlaizi.
"Wang Erlaizi confessed that he found Miss Yao unconscious in the woods five years ago when he went up the mountain to collect firewood. Seeing that she was alone and young and beautiful, he had evil intentions and intended to assault her."
During the process, Yao Yusha suddenly woke up and struggled violently. In desperation, Wang Erlaizi hit her on the head with a stone, knocking her unconscious. He then hid her in a secluded cave and tortured her for several days until she became delirious and gradually forgot her name and identity. Only then did he take her back to the village.
"Because Miss Yao had mentioned that her father was some kind of official in the capital, and she begged Wang Erlaizi to let her go, he kept her locked up at home even tighter. He also secretly bought some drug powder from a sorceress that could make people drowsy, and would force-feed it to her every few days..."
"It seems he was just 'lucky'?"
Princess Tong'an gripped the armrest tightly, revealing a chilling sneer.
"Since that's the case, there's no need to keep it."
She ordered expressionlessly, "Take him to a secluded spot outside the city and chop him up. Don't dirty my princess's residence."
"yes."
The captain of the guard responded decisively, turned around, and strode out.
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi secretly high-fived, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at the captain of the guard's neat and dashing back.
My sister is so cool!
Just then, another maid came running from the backyard, "Your Highness, Miss Yao has woken up!"
"...I'll go check on Yusha."
Dr. Chu was the first to stand up and hurried outside.
The others quickly followed suit.
They quickly arrived at the backyard and heard the woman's terrified scream from afar, "Don't come any closer!"
With a crash, something shattered on the ground, and then an old doctor ran out in a disheveled state.
"Your Highness, you should find someone else more capable."
He was a doctor frequently used in the princess's residence, and at this moment his face showed bitterness. "The patient's delirium requires acupuncture and acupuncture, but she won't let me get close at all."
"Jade Sand!"
Dr. Chu had already strode past him into the room and saw Yao Yusha huddled in a ball in the corner of the bed, her eyes filled with fear and resistance. He felt a pang of heartache.
She reached out her hand and slowly stepped forward, speaking softly, "Yusha, do you still remember Aunt Chu? It's me, your teacher Chu Lian."
Yao Yusha tilted her head and looked at her, her gaze unfocused, but she wasn't as resistant as before.
"Aunt Chu?" she mumbled, "Aunt Chu, Lian?"
Dr. Chu approached her little by little, recalling what his student Guan Pu had said: Silly Sister-in-law only regained her senses when solving problems.
She thought for a moment and then asked, "There are pheasants and rabbits in the same cage. There are 35 heads and 94 feet. How many pheasants and rabbits are there?"
Sure enough, Yao Yusha immediately replied without hesitation: "Place the head on top, the feet on the bottom, half the feet, subtract the feet from the head, and subtract the head from the feet. Therefore, there are twenty-three pheasants and twelve rabbits."
After saying that, she gave Dr. Chu a sweet, girlish, boastful smile.
Dr. Chu held back his tears, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, all of that is right, our Yu Sha is so smart..."
She finally sat down on the edge of the bed and beckoned to Yao Yusha, "Yusha, come here a little closer, let me test you again, okay?"
For the past two years, she has been lecturing and setting questions at Yunshao Girls' School, and she can handle questions of all kinds of difficulty with ease.
Yao Yusha was already attracted to her, and she leaned against Dr. Chu's chest, completely relaxed, and they went back and forth asking and answering questions.
As Dr. Chu's questions became increasingly difficult, Yao Yusha could no longer solve them by mental calculation alone. She tried to write the words on the quilt with her fingers, but she couldn't. She became so anxious that her face turned red and she was about to cry.
She kept rubbing against the blanket, making a rustling sound.
Upon seeing this, Dr. Chu immediately shouted towards the door, "Quickly, bring paper and pen!"
"They're here, they're here."
Shen Lingyue snatched the paper and pen from the maid and ran into the room.
Fearing that Yao Yusha would be further agitated, she stopped a few steps away from the bedside and stretched out her arm to reach out.
But Yao Yusha only glanced at her quickly, took the paper and pen and immediately started writing numbers, immersing herself in her own world, completely ignoring Shen Lingyue.
So she mustered up her courage and moved a little closer.
Yao Yusha still didn't react.
Shen Lingyue remained silent, and only after leaving the room did she say to Princess Tong'an, "She doesn't seem to be averse to women and little girls. Could we ask a female doctor to examine her?"
Princess Tong'an nodded and gave the order, "Take my invitation to the Imperial Hospital and ask Physician Wen to come here."
There are few skilled female doctors in the general population, and even if there are, they are mostly good at treating leukorrhea. Yao Yusha's injury was to the head, so only the female doctors in the Imperial Hospital who were in charge of the imperial concubines and relatives could give her a try.
Yan Yi spoke up to remind him, "Your Highness, now that Miss Yao's identity has been confirmed, shouldn't we invite Lord Yao and his wife to come and recognize her? Perhaps we can obtain more details about Miss Yao's life before and after she left home."
Dr. Chu was not a member of the Yao family after all, and he only learned about many things from Mrs. Yao afterward, so there may be omissions.
"You're right, I was almost driven mad by that beast."
Princess Tong'an pinched the bridge of her nose and sent another group of people to the Yao family to deliver the message.
About half an hour later, Imperial Physician Wen's carriage and the Yao family's carriage stopped in front of the Princess's residence at almost the same time.
As soon as the carriage door opened, Lord Yao and his wife couldn't wait to get out and stumbled towards the princess's residence.
"This old minister pays his respects to Your Highness!"
Lord Yao, nearly sixty years old with white hair and beard, staggered and knelt before Princess Tong'an, choking back tears as he asked, "I heard Your Highness has found my little daughter, Yusha? Where is she? How has she been these past few years?"
Madam Yao knelt down beside her, equally anxious, craning her neck to look ahead.
Princess Tong'an helped the two people up, one in each arm, and after a moment's thought, she said, "Yu Sha's condition... is not good. You should be prepared."
She stopped Lord Yao again and said tactfully, "It is not appropriate for Yu Sha to see you now, Lord Yao. Please just take a look from afar outside the door."
These words startled and frightened the couple, who followed the maid forward in confusion and helplessness.
Mrs. Yao entered the room first and saw her longtime friend Dr. Chu. Next to her was Yao Yusha, who was nestled in her arms, looking innocent and naive like a child, urging Dr. Chu to hurry up and give her the questions.
Although the maids in the princess's residence had tried their best to take care of her, her rough, sallow skin, gray hair, and emaciated body made Madam Yao unable to support herself any longer, and her knees buckled and she fell to the ground.
"My daughter..."
Madam Yao staggered to the bedside, grabbed Yao Yusha's hand in disbelief, and let out a series of sorrowful sobs.
Outside the window, Lord Yao, witnessing this scene, was also in tears, his body trembling violently, and he tightly covered his mouth to prevent himself from making a sound.
Madam Yao's tears fell in large drops onto Yao Yusha's hand. She finally felt it, turned her head and looked at the old woman who was crying bitterly in confusion.
After thinking for a moment, Yao Yusha slowly reached out and gently wiped her face with her sleeve.
No, cry.
Madam Yao cried even harder, her heart aching terribly, wishing she could take her place.
She was over thirty when she became pregnant with her youngest daughter. The delivery was extremely dangerous, and she cherished and raised her like a precious jewel. Even though she was later told that Yusha was not her biological child, the affection she had shared with her day and night for the past twenty years was genuine.
When she found Bai Yu, she was heartbroken for the hardships her biological daughter had endured and vowed to make it up to her in the future. But that didn't mean she would abandon Yu Sha. Both of them were her flesh and blood.
Moreover, after Yu Sha's identity was revealed, the Chen family not only did not cancel the engagement, but Yu Sha's fiancé, Chen Ang, even came to their door in person, vowing that he only wanted to marry Yu Sha as a person, and that he would treat her the same as always, regardless of whether she was a daughter of the Yao family.
This silly girl, why did she give up such a wonderful marriage and a smooth life, and insist on getting stuck on this one thing?
...
The Yao couple were invited back to the front, where Princess Tong'an personally explained to them how she started her investigation from the haunted Yunshao Girls' School incident and eventually rescued Yao Yusha by chance.
Although Yao Yusha glossed over the abuse and harm she experienced at Wang Erlaizi's house, the Yao couple were not fools; they could see how much suffering their daughter had endured.
Madam Yao nearly fainted several times, but was jolted back to her senses by a surge of anger.
Lord Yao was furious, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth as he said, "Where is that beast? I will avenge my Yu Sha!"
He hated him so much he wanted to tear off pieces of his flesh and drink his blood!
"Lord Yao, please calm down. This is a trivial matter and you need not dirty your hands."
Princess Tong'an said calmly, "I have invited Physician Wen to treat Miss Yusha. She is exceptionally talented in mathematics. If she can regain her senses, my Yunshao Girls' School is in dire need of such a doctor."
Lord Yao knelt down again, "Your Highness's kindness and virtue are beyond repayment..."
"That day will come, Lord Yao."
Princess Tong'an helped him up, a mysterious smile appearing on her lips. "Perhaps in the near future, Supervisor Yao will be very important to me."
*
Imperial Physician Wen Xian was about the same age as Dr. Chu. Dressed in a dark blue eighth-rank official robe, she looked solemn and dignified, but she had a baby face and a deep dimple on the left side when she smiled, which made her look more approachable.
But when it came to treating patients, she was quick and efficient. With Dr. Chu's help, she first took Yao Yusha's pulse, then prescribed medicine and prepared it on the spot. At the same time, she coaxed Yao Yusha to play games with her, and swiftly stuck a circle of silver needles into her head.
After doing all this, she came out and reported to Princess Tong'an: "The physical deficiency needs to be slowly treated, and the blood stasis in her head will gradually be expelled within about six months, but how much she can recover to normal depends on fate."
Princess Tong'an was quite familiar with her, and spoke more casually, "I naturally trust Aunt Wen's medical skills, so please don't be modest."
Wenxian stopped smiling and sighed softly, "It's not that I'm being modest, it's just that this child's experience is heartbreaking."
Princess Tong'an nodded. "Supervisor Yao truly loves this adopted daughter. He owes me a great favor this time. As for how much he can help me in the future, that depends entirely on you, Aunt Wen."
Wenxian rubbed her forehead, feigning a troubled expression: "Your Highness really knows how to give me a difficult problem. Alas, I can only use my most secret skills."
...
On the other side, Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi were talking to Madam Yao, guiding her to recall more details from five years ago.
As the conversation progressed, the topic inevitably turned to Yao Baiyu, the Yao family's biological daughter.
“Yu Sha is the name my husband gave her. He spends his days dealing with the stars in the sky, and our children are all named after stars and celestial phenomena. Bai Yu… Her adoptive father’s surname is Bai, so her siblings are all named Bai Yang, Bai Liu, Bai Tao’er, Bai Xing’er, and so on.”
Mrs. Yao recalled: "When we recognized Baiyu, we considered whether to change her name, but we had been calling her that for twenty years, and the name Baiyu was also suitable for the Yao family's children, so we just added the surname Yao in front of her, Yao Baiyu."
What is there in the sky? White elms are planted everywhere.
Yan Yi probed indirectly: "Yao Baiyu, how was her life in the Bai family before? It must have been very difficult, right?"
Madam Yao frowned and said uncertainly, "Those years when she was a child must have been quite difficult. The Bai family had not yet divided the household, and her grandparents were in charge. Several brothers from different branches of the family were crammed into one large courtyard. Her adoptive mother, Madam Li, only gave birth to three daughters and no sons, so she was often ostracized by her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law."
"However, when Bai Yu turned six, she moved out and lived separately with her parents and two younger sisters."
"Six years old?" Shen Lingyue was surprised. "She's so young, yet she can already make decisions about her parents?"
Madam Yao's face showed a hint of pride. "Yes, Bai Yu has always been a strong-willed person since she was a child. When she returned to the Yao family, she never complained to me. She only said that since the family separated, she and her parents started carrying loads into the city to set up a food stall and slowly saved up a lot of money. Their lives have gotten better and better."
Because she wasn't confined to the countryside, she wandered the streets and alleys from a young age, making her very bold and knowledgeable than most people.
The older she got, the more she felt that she didn't look much like her parents or her two younger sisters. Her grandmother had tried to use this to control her family, spreading rumors and slander that her mother, Li, had cheated on her, almost driving her to jump into a well.
Later, Bai Yu learned that Li Shi was not at home the night she gave birth, but at a temple in the mountains. At that time, a wife of an official from the capital was also giving birth. She took it to heart and inquired everywhere. She also secretly followed Madam Yao when she went out several times. After confirming that the two had similar facial features, she dared to go to the temple to recognize her relatives.
Shen Lingyue looked on with envy: "You have two wonderful daughters, they are both very capable."
Madam Yao smiled gently, but then she thought of her adopted daughter who was still receiving treatment in the backyard, and a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes.
"Yes, I used to have two wonderful daughters, how did things turn out like this..."
Yan Yi wanted to distract her, so she asked softly, "Where is Yao Baiyu now? Is she married?"
Madam Yao came to her senses and nodded. "Yes, she married her father's student last year. He's a man with a keen sense of smell and a sharp mind. He just gave birth to my grandson last month."
Shen Lingyue counted on her fingers: "She was twenty years old when she rejoined the Yao family five years ago, and she was twenty-four when she got married last year... So late?"
Although the law stipulates that women in Daye must be at least eighteen years old to get married, this has been relaxed in the last two or three decades. Apart from the capital and some wealthy areas in Jiangnan, where families are reluctant to let their daughters get married, it is not uncommon for women in some remote rural areas to get married at the age of sixteen or seventeen. However, the officials do not investigate unless the people complain.
However, Yao Baiyu didn't get married until she was twenty-four, which was considered late marriage in Beijing, especially among families who doted on their daughters.
Madam Yao shook her head and sighed, "I don't know what Bai Yu is thinking. I wanted to arrange a marriage for her when she was twenty, but she refused. She insisted on staying with us to take care of her parents. So it dragged on until last year. I said that if she didn't get married soon, she would never be able to get married. That's when my husband made the decision and chose one of his disciples."
The Imperial Observatory was different from other places. It emphasized apprenticeship and family learning. After all, it was easy for ordinary people to study and take the imperial examinations, but it was very difficult to learn astrology and calendar systems on their own without guidance.
Lord Yao served as the Director of the Imperial Observatory for decades, and this official position was largely passed down from generation to generation by him and his disciples or descendants.
The husband he chose for his biological daughter Yao Baiyu was most likely to become the future Director of the Imperial Observatory.
Madam Yao sighed, "Although Bai Yu is my biological daughter, she grew up in the countryside and did not receive a good education. She has also been out in the world since she was a child, doing business... If we force her to marry into a wealthy family, I'm afraid she herself will be uncomfortable."
It would be better to marry his master's personal disciple, whom he had taught for many years. He knew her well and wouldn't dare to neglect the Yao family's daughter out of respect for his master and mistress.
Yan Yi then asked, "Five years ago, when you were arranging a marriage for Yao Baiyu, had Yao Yusha already left the Yao family? Her wedding to the Chen family's son was approaching, but she suddenly left without saying goodbye. Did the Chen family have any objections?"
“The Chen family…sigh.” Madam Yao’s face showed bitterness. “We are sorry for Chen Ang. At that time, Yu Sha suddenly left a letter and ran away, while the Chen family had already sent out wedding invitations and was just waiting to bring the new bride home. We were really caught off guard.”
With their wedding day fast approaching, Yao Yusha was still missing.
"Bai Yu is a kind-hearted girl who cares about us. She even suggested that we let her marry into the Yao family in place of Yu Sha, so that both families could save face. After all, she is also a daughter of the Yao family."
Madam Yao shook her head repeatedly, "How can this be? Chen Ang wants to marry Yu Sha. We can't just find him a new wife at the last minute, can we?"
"You mean, Yao Baiyu volunteered to take her place in the marriage?"
Shen Lingyue's eyes flickered slightly, sensing a hint of conspiracy.
She was very familiar with the idea of a substitute bride; just a few months ago, someone had offered to take her place.
Yan Yi instantly understood her meaning and followed up with, "And then what? How did the marriage with the Chen family end?"
Madam Yao gave a bitter smile. "There's no way to end this. The wedding will be canceled, and we'll have to go door to door to apologize. The Yao family will lose all face."
She shook her head. "It's been five years, and Chen Ang... he's still unmarried."
-----------------------
Author's Note: [A Hellish Joke]
When talking about family of origin—
Yan Yi: Lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Yuezai: What is the family of origin?
//I'll try to finish this story tomorrow. [heart emoji]
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