Fu Rong was stunned, and gradually regained his breath...
Caught up... caught up!
As soon as she learned that Gao Qingnian was visiting the Xue family, she guessed what this guy was going to do, so she quickly asked Caizhi to invite someone. If she had been a little bit worse, her reputation would have been ruined!
Upon hearing this, Fu Ling frowned even deeper: "Who's causing trouble? Beat them out!"
This person was Fu Rongxin's lifeline. She hurriedly advised, "Aunt, maybe there's something important going on?"
Glancing at her, Fu Ling hesitated for a moment and asked the servant, "What's the matter?"
The servant hesitated, "It was a woman who was making a scene outside, saying... saying that the Third Young Miss was not of the Xue family's bloodline."
"W...what?" Fu Ling was stunned.
Of course she knew that Xue Zhiyi was not a member of the Xue family, and this matter would be made public sooner or later. However, what happened at this moment was not in her plan. What was going on?
Xue Tingliu, who had been watching from the sidelines, sat up straight when he heard this. A guess flashed through his mind like a shooting star, and he quickly looked at Xue Zhiyi.
Xue Zhiyi was just surprised. She asked Fu Ling, "Mother, what's going on?"
Before Fu Ling could react, she heard Fu Rongxin say, "Aunt, I'm afraid he's a lunatic who's trying to pick on my cousin. We should get him in quickly, otherwise he'll start talking nonsense outside and ruin my cousin's reputation if passersby hear him."
Looking at Fu Rongxin beside her, Fu Ling was still a little dazed. She could see that the surprise and indignation on Fu Rongxin's face were all fake.
Suddenly, she understood. She had told Rongxin about Meigu's backup plan, and now Rongxin had used it without telling her.
"Aunt, let's bring the person in first, okay?"
Although Fu Rongxin smiled slightly, her eyes were full of guilt and even a hint of pleading.
Fu Ling glanced at Gao Qingnian. Now that this outsider was here, she was afraid that she would have to advance her plan of recognizing Rongxin.
At this point, Rong Xin was so anxious that she even schemed against her...
Despite feeling disappointed, she still ordered, "Bring the person in."
Gao Qingnian was a little unwilling to finish his words, and only heard Fu Ling say: "Master Gao, this happened suddenly. If you don't mind, please take a seat first."
Gao Qingnian could only bow: "You are welcome, Madam."
Soon, two servants came up with a woman.
Fu Ling looked and saw that it was indeed Mei Gu.
She sighed exhaustedly. Now that things had come to this, she could only go along with the rest of the story. So she said righteously, "Who are you? How dare you speak nonsense outside the Shangshu Mansion!"
Mei Gu's face was as pale as a veil. She knelt down and bowed solemnly: "After seventeen years, I wonder if Madam still remembers me?"
Fu Ling sneered, "How could I recognize you? If you don't explain this matter clearly, I will hand you over to the authorities!"
Aunt Mei looked up at her and said, "Back then, I was just a midwife. It's not surprising that Madam doesn't remember me. But Madam may not know that for so many years, she actually raised a child for someone else."
"What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly!" Fu Rongxin asked her sternly.
Then Aunt Mei said, "Seventeen years ago, Madam was trapped in an inn outside Beijing to give birth. At that time, there was another woman in the inn who was also about to give birth. Madam, you should remember this, right?"
Fu Ling's face was solemn. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "It is true. Go on."
Aunt Mei raised her eyebrows, looked around at everyone, and suddenly looked at Xue Zhiyi: "This Third Miss Xue in front of us, the noble lady that Madam has taken so much trouble to raise, is actually not Madam's daughter at all. She was replaced by another woman's daughter!"
On the side, Xue Tingliu stared at Xue Zhiyi intently, only to see that Xue Zhiyi was calm and composed: "Madam, please don't talk nonsense. Do you have any evidence for what you said?"
Fu Rongxin also agreed: "Yes, you said that woman was stealing and replacing the original. How did you know that? Who is that woman?"
Mei Gu knelt upright, her eyes hollow. She said in a deep voice, "Because I was the one who was bewitched and accepted money from that woman to switch the two babies. That woman was a concubine of a merchant family in Linzhou. She wanted her daughter to be a daughter of a wealthy family. I was the only midwife in the inn at the time, so she bribed me."
She pointed at Xue Zhiyi and said, "This Third Miss Xue is actually the daughter of the Shang family's concubine. If Madam Xue doesn't believe me, she can go and look for the Shang family. Perhaps Madam Xue's biological daughter is still living there."
"Linzhou?" Fu Rongxin stood up in surprise and said, "I am from Linzhou. Which Linzhou are you talking about? If you dare to lie, you'll be in trouble!"
Aunt Mei lowered her eyes, her face devoid of emotion, as if every word she spoke was numb. "If I remember correctly, that woman is from the Fu family business in Linzhou. Her surname is Su. Since you are from Linzhou, you only need to ask around to find out whether that Su concubine gave birth to a daughter seventeen years ago."
"The Linzhou Fu family? Aunt Su?" Fu Rongxin feigned shock. She stared at Fu Ling blankly, "Aunt, isn't that... my biological mother?"
Fu Ling was also shocked. She asked Aunt Mei, "Do you know that the Linzhou Fu family is my mother's family? If you want to talk nonsense, you should know who you are talking to!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Mei suddenly realized, "That's no wonder. I suspected from the beginning that Concubine Su knew Madam Xue. She immediately asked me to swap her child with the legitimate daughter of Madam Xue from the Shangshu Mansion. I found it strange. I was the midwife for you, Madam, and I didn't even know your identity. How could she know your name and identity so well? It's hard to say if she had planned it all along."
Fu Rongxin covered her mouth, her eyes red with shock: "You're talking nonsense! I was clearly born two days later than my cousin..."
Aunt Mei said, "Young lady, I am absolutely certain that Madam Xue and Concubine Su gave birth on the same day. Concubine Su was not accompanied by any men at the time. She must have chosen to give birth in the same place as Madam Xue, a plan she made on her own. Since she had such a plan, it's not surprising that she wanted to lie about your birthday."
Fu Rongxin's tears fell as she seemed to be thinking about something: "...My aunt did say that I was born on her way back to her parents' home to visit her relatives."
Fu Ling and Fu Rongxin were enjoying their performance so much that they didn't even have time to glance at Xue Zhiyi.
But Xue Zhiyi suddenly said, "Your story is very complete, but this is a serious crime. You did it that day, so why are you telling it again today?"
Xue Zhiyi knew that she was not from the Fu family, and that concubine Su was not her biological mother. It was hard to believe that the mother and daughter acted out this half-true-and-half-false story they had fabricated so skillfully. This story must have been prepared for a long time, waiting to be performed when necessary, so that Fu Rongxin could return to her husband intact.
However, the existence of the variable Gao Qingnian forced Fu Rongxin to perform this drama early.
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