When Ye Zhengqing was awakened, the carriage had already arrived at the foot of Lingguang Temple.
Just as the coachman was about to wake him, he saw a servant from the Ye family running down the street in a panic. Curious, the coachman stopped the servant and asked him a question.
Only then did we learn that Wang had jumped into the river behind Lingguang Temple!
The monks and worshippers in the temple were helping to retrieve the body, and the abbot sent the Ye family servants back to the city to report the news.
Wang's suicide attempt was even more unbelievable to him than her departure from the capital.
Ye Zhengqing assumed he was still half asleep, closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the servant's panicked face was still right in front of him.
He slumped back into the carriage.
How is that possible?
How could someone as cowardly as Wang commit suicide?
She's dead, what happened to all that money?
Soon, the other worshippers in the temple gave him the answer.
“I saw her kneeling before the Buddha, crying and complaining that she had devoted half her life to her husband and children, but her husband neglected her and even had an affair behind her back, fathering two children with her, the eldest of whom was already sixteen years old.”
A female worshipper said, "Her son was sent to the army by her husband at a young age and died on the battlefield. Now she is all alone, with no hope of living. At that time, I only felt sorry for her, seeing her crying so desperately."
But later she confessed that she had taken someone else's daughter to raise and hadn't treated her well, so I stopped sympathizing with her.
"Yes, I heard it too. They said that the child she kidnapped was only a few months old when she abandoned her in the village. She still doesn't know her own origins and is left to fend for herself. It's really vicious."
An elderly woman with kind eyes chimed in, "Amitabha, the fact that she came before the Buddha to repent shows that she has a repentant heart."
"I don't think she's remorseful; she might have gone crazy from the fact that her husband was keeping a mistress."
A middle-aged man said, "I saw her burning silver notes in the ingot furnace."
No sane person would burn living people's banknotes for Buddha.
That thick stack of banknotes suggests she burned all her possessions; she's determined to die and take revenge on her husband.
...
The crowd chattered around Ye Zhengqing by the river. Ye Zhengqing's mind was buzzing. Wang Shi had discovered that he was keeping a mistress and had burned all his money.
He originally planned to wait until his official career was successful before trying to bring the two children into his household and register them under Wang's name.
Thus, the two children would be the legitimate sons of the Ye family, which would be advantageous for their future careers in government. However, with Wang's recent outburst, the children's identities could no longer be concealed.
They might even be branded as having driven their stepmother to her death.
That Wang woman is truly wicked; she ruined the future of his two sons for no reason.
But then again, I wonder, could someone like Wang really die?
After all, so many people went into the water to search, but they still couldn't find the body.
Just as I was thinking this, I heard a woman shout, "Speaking of silver notes, I remember now, before that person went to the back mountain, he stuffed a thick stack of notes into the donation box. Could it also be silver notes?"
Another person countered, "I saw it too, but since it wasn't a banknote, I noticed a reddish tinge in the paper."
"Red? The stamp on the banknotes won't smudge, will it?"
"Could it be a letter written in blood?"
Upon hearing this, the host hurriedly ordered someone to open the donation box.
It was indeed a letter written in blood.
The contents of the blood letter were similar to what the worshippers had said, mostly accusing Ye Zhengqing of wronging her.
It is said that she passed through the gates of hell twice, gave birth to a son and a daughter, but in the end, no one could accompany her for the rest of her life, and they even forced her to a dead end.
Finally, in just a few strokes, she apologized to Ye Zhen and asked for his forgiveness.
The blood letter was placed in the donation box by Wang, which was in a sense a temple item. Fearing there might be other secrets inside, the abbot showed the contents to everyone before giving it to Ye Zhengqing.
This process inevitably involves being seen by others.
Someone started the conversation, saying, "Madam Ye apologized to Princess Zhaoning, and Princess Zhaoning was indeed sent to the estate after only a few months."
This means that the child Madam Ye abducted back then was Princess Zhaoning. What about Madam Ye's own child?
Everyone was curious.
A lady from a family of higher social standing than the Ye family directly asked Ye Zhengqing, "Yes, Lord Ye, where are your own children? Why are you trying to take someone else's child?"
"Wang only gave birth to two children, but in her letter she said that her children were driving her to her death."
Some people, acting as detectives, argued that "Wang was already dead in battle, so the one who forced her was her own daughter, which means her daughter is still alive."
"If she's alive, why not keep her by your side? And who are Princess Zhaoning's biological parents?"
"Do the two families have a grudge? Otherwise, why would they take someone else's child and then torment them?"
In an instant, all the questions exploded above Ye Zhengqing's head.
His hands were trembling as he held the letter.
I don't know how things turned out this way, and I can't help but keep thinking about what the Taoist priest said.
Admitting now that Ye Zhen is not his child would be a good opportunity; he could then pin the blame for taking the child entirely on Wang.
But Wang's suicide by leaving a note was really suspicious. Based on his understanding of Wang, even if she had really been driven crazy by the shock, she would not apologize to Ye Zhen.
Adding to his suspicions was the Taoist priest he had met that day, which made him worry that there might be some kind of conspiracy involved.
While they were hesitating, Wanxing, disguised as an ordinary citizen, said softly, "Perhaps they were envious of others' wealth and switched their children with wealthy families. They were worried that the other party would find out, so they sent Princess Zhaoning far away."
"I think what you're saying is very likely."
Xing Ze, who was also in disguise, hurriedly chimed in, "I heard that General Ye went to war right after giving birth, leaving the child with his brother and sister-in-law."
Could they have switched the two children because they were after the wealth and luxury of the general's mansion?
Wanxing nodded seriously, "After you put it that way, I feel even more that it makes sense."
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