Chen Wufu said, "My lord, you were forced to redeem Consort Zhu from the brothel and settle her outside. Later, when Consort Zhu became pregnant and was about to give birth, you had no choice but to bring her back to the manor. Do you remember what happened after that?"
The Marquis thought for a moment and said, "After Consort Zhu entered the manor, I settled her in a side courtyard and then left her alone. Later, she gave birth on the same day as my wife, and my mother was the one who arranged for the midwife to come."
Chen Wufu sighed and said, "On the day of the delivery, the Lady Hou had a difficult labor, and the whole mansion was in chaos. Concubine Zhu sent someone to switch the babies."
Upon hearing this, the Marquis suddenly stood up, feeling dizzy. Xu Di, who had been listening in, exclaimed "Oh my god!" and saw the Marquis swaying, so he quickly supported him. The Marquis waved his hand, sat down slowly, and said, "What evidence do you have for saying this?"
Chen Wufu said, "The two midwives who delivered the baby for the family back then, on the day of the delivery, the families of both families were taken out of the capital. If they did not follow the instructions, the two families would die. After the two midwives finished the job, they received the reward from the family and went to pick up their families. Then they went far south. This is all the information that the Imperial Guards around the Emperor found out when they investigated Consort Zhu and followed the clues to the south."
The Marquis asked with a grim expression, "I have treated her well, why would she do this?"
Chen Wufu said, "Because the child she gave birth to was the child of the late Crown Prince. The reason why Consort Zhu went to great lengths to enter your household was because she was pregnant with the child of the late Crown Prince. Grand Tutor Zhu was the late Crown Prince's mentor. Consort Zhu and the late Crown Prince were childhood sweethearts and secretly developed feelings for each other. Later, they were betrothed and couldn't control their feelings. It's just a pity that the late Crown Prince passed away early. When Consort Zhu found out that she was pregnant, she wanted to give birth to the child."
The Marquis asked, "Why me? I have no grudge against the Zhu family."
Chen Wufu said, "But your mansion is the quietest place in the capital. The backyard is clean, and the old lady is fair in rewarding and punishing. Once you enter your mansion, you can say that it is the safest place. Most importantly, the old lady has an excellent relationship with the late emperor."
The Marquis sighed, his eyes red, and said, "It's precisely because it's most advantageous to her that she schemes against me and my newborn child. My poor Rao'er, bearing the name of an illegitimate son, suffers endless scorn, while her daughter is raised in my family with the utmost care and privilege."
Tears streamed down the Marquis's face; these were tears of love for his child, and also tears of hatred for Concubine Zhu.
Chen Wufu said, "The matter has been thoroughly investigated. As for what to do next, you can make your own plans. Concubine Zhu still has a list of people left behind by the late Crown Prince. She alone cannot stir up such a storm."
The Marquis stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Wufu, and said, "Eunuch Chen, I'll take my leave now."
The Marquis brought Xu Di in a carriage, an unremarkable ordinary carriage carrying the grandfather and grandson. The Marquis held Xu Di's hand and kept saying, "Your father has suffered so much over the years. Who would have thought that vicious woman would do such a thing? Di'er, your father and mother have really suffered a lot over the years."
Xu Di patted the Marquis's hand and said, "Grandfather, my father and mother have been living well under your and Grandmother's protection. You shouldn't blame yourself anymore. Let's discuss how to deal with Aunt Zhu's matter first. The most urgent thing is to get Father back from Ganzhou. You should go to the Emperor to ask for an imperial decree to bring Father back."
The Marquis quickly arranged for someone to submit a petition to the palace, requesting an audience with the Emperor. After the Emperor granted permission, the Marquis sent people to Ganzhou, while the Marquis's residence deployed personnel to closely surround the courtyard where Consort Zhu lived.
Zhang Zhaoci took the children to the estate and carefully cared for the old lady. The old lady was very old and her health had been very weak since this incident, especially her spleen and stomach. If she ate anything that was slightly cold, she would have a stomachache for half a day.
Zhang Zhaoci went to great lengths to help the old lady recover, and with great difficulty, the old lady's health gradually improved, finally putting the family's minds at ease.
The Marquis and Xu Di are the only two people in the Marquis's mansion who know about Aunt Zhu's child swapping. The Marquis has told Xu Di not to tell anyone in the mansion yet, as this matter involves too many things, including the deposed crown prince from the late emperor's time, the deposed crown prince's descendant Xu Shao, and even Xu Shao's husband's family, the Zhao family.
Xu Shao is a descendant of the deposed crown prince, but she married into the Zhao family as the eldest daughter of the Yongning Marquis's household. If Xu Shao and Xu Rao's identities are restored, how will the Zhao family explain this? And what about Xu Shao's children? These are all things that need to be carefully considered before deciding what to do.
The Marquis's hair has turned quite white these past few days because of this matter. When Xu Di saw this, he sighed and said, "Grandfather, don't worry. Things are already like this. What good will worrying do if you don't change the outcome?"
The Marquis sighed and said, “My dear Di’er, I regret it now. I shouldn’t have been so soft-hearted and fallen into Zhu’s trap. I was a close friend of the eldest son of the Zhu family back then. After the Zhu family’s misfortune, all the Zhu family’s daughters were sold to brothels. Before he died, the eldest son of the Zhu family asked someone to pass on a message to me, asking me to take good care of his sister. When I found out about Zhu’s whereabouts, I went to visit her. After drinking a cup of tea, I don’t remember what happened after that. When I came to my senses again, the people serving Zhu’s side said that I had bullied her. Now that I think about it, it was all just a bunch of baseless rumors.”
The Marquis felt a little embarrassed to talk about the past with his grandchildren, but Xu Di was no ordinary person. Now, whenever the Marquis had something to say, he liked to talk to Xu Di and ask him for advice.
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