After the old lady's health improved considerably, the Marquis told her about Consort Zhu's matter.
Hearing this, the old lady sighed and said, "This is something she is capable of doing. If you ask her why she did this, she will definitely say that our mansion did nothing to help them when they were dying, and that we watched helplessly as the Zhu family was destroyed. Although I have known her mother since childhood, at that time, when the emperor was angry, corpses would float for thousands of miles. With the abilities of our mansion, we would only have gotten ourselves into trouble."
The old lady said, "The late emperor knew all about what she did back then. It was only because Shao'er was a girl that the late emperor was able to tolerate her. If Shao'er had been a boy, the late emperor would not have been able to tolerate her."
Upon hearing this, the Marquis's eyes widened. The old lady nodded and said, "The late Emperor knew very well how she entered our household. It was out of pity for the Crown Prince. After all, both the deposed Crown Prince and Lady Zhu were children he had watched grow up. After the deposed Crown Prince died, the late Emperor felt some regret. Knowing that Lady Zhu was pregnant, he naturally made an exception for her."
After listening, the Marquis remained silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said, "The late Emperor was truly an unfathomable person."
The old lady said, "That's why I didn't go to the palace much later. I was related to the late emperor by marriage. The late emperor became a bit confused later on. Everyone gets old eventually, but how many people truly accept old age? Grand Tutor Zhu just saw that the late emperor's health was deteriorating and said a few more words about the crown prince. The late emperor was furious and confiscated the Zhu family's property, causing the century-old Zhu family to be destroyed. Alas, it's such a pity for all those good sons of the Zhu family."
The Marquis was stunned for a long time after hearing this, and said, "More than 30 years have passed since this happened. Sometimes I still dream about the blood outside the Meridian Gate. It is the blood of people I know very well. Mother, I didn't sleep well for a long time afterward."
The old lady sighed and said, "It's not just you who hasn't slept well for a long time. In this vast capital, how many families can get a good night's sleep? The Zhu family is the Grand Tutor of the court. They can confiscate your property and behead you at will. No wonder the Zhu family is like this today. Later, she insisted on coming to our mansion. The late emperor thought that putting her in our mansion would allow for closer supervision, so he agreed. Otherwise, if she really got pregnant with your child, would I have let her come to our mansion? Concubines and illegitimate children are the root of family troubles."
The Marquis said, "Did you know that she switched the children?"
The old lady said, "I didn't know at first, but I noticed later that Shao'er looks quite like the late Crown Prince, while Rao'er looks more like his uncle, the one from the Wu family who was ranked third in the imperial examination and later resigned from his official post to open an academy in Jiangnan."
The Marquis thought for a moment and said, "No wonder, no wonder. Mother, since you knew, why didn't you say so?"
The old lady said, "After learning about this matter, the late emperor did not say anything, so I could only go along with the mistake. Rao'er is clearly the legitimate son of our family, but because of her own selfishness, he was given the title of illegitimate son. Fortunately, Rao'er is ambitious and has been smart and studious since he was a child."
The Marquis said, "No wonder you insisted on arranging Rao'er's marriage yourself, and the one you chose was your favorite granddaughter from the Zhang family."
The old lady said, "We owe Rao'er all of this. Everyone complains that I treat my illegitimate son better than my legitimate son. Rao'er is so pitiful. I know perfectly well why. If I don't treat him well, how can I live with myself?"
The Marquis asked, "Mother, what do you think? Should we reveal this matter or not?"
The old lady sighed and said, "How can we reveal this? Shao'er has always grown up as the eldest daughter of the family, and she married into a marquis's family. The Emperor already knows about this. Let me write a letter to the Emperor and explain what happened. My point is, if we can avoid revealing this, let's not. It's been decades since then, what's the point of revealing it again? The Emperor is already old, and he has entrusted his most beloved prince to Rao'er. If we bring this up again, it will only cause more trouble."
The Marquis said, "Rao'er will be back soon. When he returns, I will take him to meet Aunt Zhu."
The old lady sighed and said, "It would be good to see her once. Rao'er knows, so be it. As for Shao'er, let it go. Don't tell her. Telling her will only cause more trouble."
It would take Xu Rao more than twenty days to return by fast horse. After hearing what Xu Di told her, Zhang Zhaoci was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth. After a long while, she asked, "It really isn't her biological child?"
Xu Di said, "Of course. If she were her own daughter, would she even think of harming people? Luckily, our family ran away quickly back then, otherwise, we might really have been harmed by Aunt Zhu. This is not something she can do by herself. She has a bunch of subordinates outside."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "This family is so pitiful. Luckily we came."
Xu Di nodded inwardly. It was truly fortunate that his family had come. Thinking about the original owner's tragic experiences and the final fate of the once grand Marquis's mansion, Xu Di could only sigh. Aunt Zhu was indeed a person capable of stirring up trouble.
Zhang Zhaoci asked, "Then, will your father's status be restored?"
Xu Di thought for a moment and said, "I doubt it. There are too many things involved. At most, we can just change it in the family tree. As for anything else, it probably won't be changed back. My aunt has been the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family for more than 30 years. What would it look like if we changed it back? We wouldn't be able to explain it to the Zhao family either."
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