Upon seeing the Marquis, Granny Cai showed no hint of fear. She promptly crawled towards him. Grasping at Master Wang’s robe, she wailed, "Save me, Marquis. Plead for mercy on my behalf, Marquis. I am truly remorseful, really remorseful!"
Le Yuanhou kicked her away in a fit of rage, growling, "What did you just say?!" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Granny Cai seemed to have lost her mind, anxiously explaining, "Lady Hou’s child, the child Lady Hou left behind, it’s not her, it’s not her. She’s the daughter of the Wang family, the daughter of Lady Wang! Lady Hou’s child, I strangled her. But I am innocent, it was the Wang family who forced me to do it. They are to blame, they are the ones to blame!"
Le Yuanhou almost stumbled and fell. His face turned deathly pale. His heart was in turmoil, bombarded with so many emotions, he nearly fainted. He gritted his teeth before barely managing to ask, "Then... my daughter? Is she dead?"
Granny Cai, struck with terror from Le Yuanhou’s chilling gaze, hurriedly replied, "No, no, she’s not necessarily —"
"Speak!" yelled Le Yuanhou.
Glancing fearfully at the blood-stained door opposite her, Granny Cai trembled uncontrollably as she blurted out, "A few days ago, I received news from the Wang family that they had found a girl who is also sixteen years old, also from Lian’an Town. This girl, she has... she has Lady Hou’s handkerchief. The members of Wang family, said they want to kill her. I suspect, perhaps she is still alive?"
"Who?" Le Yuanhou’s voice was barely audible, a sign of his extreme weakness.
"It’s the owner of the Qinghe store, Ji Xinhe," Granny Cai admitted through gritted teeth.
Hidden in the shadows, Ji Xinhe’s face turned deathly pale as she froze on the spot, her entire body rigid.
She had been searching for the truth for so long, just to find out why the Wang family was trying to kill her, just to expose the mastermind lurking behind her, only to discover such unexpected results ...
Various scenes from the past suddenly surfaced in her mind, all these disjointed clues traced a clear picture.
"Mother once said that this handkerchief must be kept for your dowry. Even when the Ding family took and sold all of our valuable items, I kept this handkerchief safe,"
"Mother loved you the most when she was alive, all the good things were preserved for you. When we were young, big brother was so jealous of you."
"Mother used to be a wet nurse in the Wang family. But sixteen years ago, after you were born, she suddenly quit her job and returned home to farm. I don’t understand why she left. She earned far more working for the Wang family than farming."
Ji Xinhe’s face gradually turned white, and her heart pounded. Her mother’s love for her was due to her noble heritage; when she insisted that she keep the handkerchief, it was because it was the only item that proved her identity; her mother left the Wang family because she had nefariously stolen a child meant to be annihilated...
In the face of these revelations, Le Yuanhou was practically stone-like in his shock, unable to utter a single word. His aged eyes were reddened from an unknown mixture of resentment and regret: "I should have realized it sooner, I should have."."
Upon first seeing Ji Xinhe, he had noted a resemblance, yet he hadn’t dared contemplate further, due to the stark difference in their temperament.
The girl he treasured for sixteen years turned out to be an imposter! His biological daughter was nearly strangled to death, even left to fend for herself in the countryside!
Filled with rage and regret, Le Yuanhou wished he could strangle Granny Cai on the spot!
"Come here! Drag this old woman away and beat her to death with a cudgel!" Le Yuanhou roared. But then, "Wait, lock her up first. Let me question the Wang family, then I’ll kill you!"
But Granny Cai showed no fear, and continued to kowtow, "I beg the spirit of Lady Hou in heaven not to come after me. I regret everything, I’ve told everything, don’t come after me, don’t come after me!"
Le Yuanhou roared in frustration, "Come here! Fetch the members of the Wang family!"
"Yes," his servants replied, frantic at their master’s unusually foul temper, and hurriedly rushed off.
Ji Xinhe, still frozen in place, was at a loss on how to accept this shocking revelation.
Mu Houchu’s face darkened slightly as a gnawing discomfort stirred within him. He slid his arm around her waist and quickly yet quietly whisked her away from Le Yuanhou’s residence. Everything that needed to be known had been revealed, there was no need to stay any longer.
Through the night, the lights remained lit in Le Yuanhou’s residence, without a moment of darkness.
Master Wang was abruptly awakened from his sleep when called upon by the servants of the Marquis. He rose grumpily, internally complaining about the interruption. Couldn’t they have waited until morning?
However, his mood instantly soured further upon seeing Le Yuanhou’s stern expression. A sense of dread washed over him.
"Marquis, what’s wrong?" Master Wang asked with a forced smile.
Le Yuanhou stared coldly at him, "Sixteen years ago, when our city was under siege, my pregnant wife escaped to Lanshan City where she was saved by the Wang family."
Master Wang’s forehead instinctively creased, a flash of stiffness crossed his features, "Why is the Marquis suddenly bringing this up?"
"For this act of kindness, I have always been deeply grateful," Le Yuanhou was trembling with rage. "My wife died in childbirth. I accepted that. You personally delivered my daughter back to the capital, for which I was eternally grateful. But I didn’t know then, you had already killed my daughter!"
Filled with terror, Master Wang sank to his knees, stuttering, "What...what...what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Nonsense?! Granny Cai spills it all! Wang Dezong! What a crafty and treacherous creature! For all these years, I’ve been so blind, raising a good-for-nothing scoundrel!" Le Yuanhou broke off in a hacking cough.
Master Wang hurriedly pleaded, "Granny Cai? Surely she must be spouting nonsense. What would she know? I’ve just heard that she’s gone mad. How can you believe the words of a madwoman, Marquis!"
Le Yuanhou kicked him, sending him sprawling. "Although I’m old, my eyes are not blind!"
He then yelled, "Guards!"
A few guards rushed in, "Your orders, Master."
"Arrest every single member of the Wang family! For defying the emperor’s decree by secretly returning to the capital, and for their gross disrespect, they are guilty of heinous crimes. Punish them all!" Le Yuanhou ordered, his voice strained with suppressed fury.
"Marquis... Marquis..." Master Wang was dragged away pleading.
Le Yuanhou staggered and fell into an armchair. Lady Sun moved to help him, but he raised his hand to stop her. His face was pale as he said, "Leave me be. Go, go... fetch Miss Ji. I... I want to see her." As he spoke, tears spilled down his aged face.
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