usatvline Chapter 246 Life experience
Chapter 246 Life experience
Chapter 246 Background
This spring day.
Jiangzhou is calm and peaceful.
However, the capital city was rife with unpredictable events.
King Jing believed that the infant remains found in the pine and cypress forest were very likely related to Lu Qingyao, so he sent people to investigate thoroughly overnight.
It was discovered that Lu Qingyao did indeed give birth to a daughter three years ago, and less than two months after giving birth, the Lu family suffered a misfortune, followed by rumors that were detrimental to her.
She then took her three children to Jiangzhou.
However, they encountered several attacks along the way, and only thanks to the desperate protection of their servants were they able to reach Jiangzhou safely.
King Jing looked at the two paintings laid out on the table.
On the left is a portrait of the eldest sister as a child, in which the little girl nestles obediently in her mother's arms.
My elder sister was the first child of my father and mother, so she was cherished like a precious jewel, and every year on her birthday, an artist would paint a portrait of her.
The older sister in the painting is about the same age as Miaomiao now.
The painting on the right was drawn by Jiang Ziyan for Princess Rong'an and Miaomiao. He made up many excuses to borrow it from the princess.
I hadn't noticed it before, but now that I'm comparing the two side by side...
They do look somewhat alike.
Especially her phoenix eyes, they are exactly the same as her older sister's when she was young.
It's no coincidence that things happen; there are such coincidences in the world. No wonder he felt so close to Miao Miao.
Perhaps, this is simply the result of blood ties and kinship.
When Shi Shu entered, she found Prince Jing staring intently at the portrait.
He called out, "Master, a letter has arrived."
I've been so busy these past few days that I rushed back to report as soon as I got the news.
King Jing raised his eyes. "How is it?"
"My lord, our men searched the pine and cypress forest area thoroughly and finally found a monk in a nearby temple who recognized the hat. According to him, three years ago, a lady came to him with two half-grown boys and a stillborn baby, asking him to perform a ritual for the baby's soul."
"Are you sure it's the Lu family, mother and son?"
"The monk said that he remembered it very clearly. He said that the mother and her children were clearly from a wealthy family, but they were traveling alone without any maids or servants by their side, so he remembered it vividly."
With one step closer to finding his niece, Prince Jing paced back and forth excitedly in the room. Suddenly, he stopped and asked Shi Shu, "Has there been any news from Jiangzhou? Have we been able to find the swaddling clothes?"
Once it's confirmed that the swaddling clothes her sister sewed by hand are in Lu Qingyao's hands, Miaomiao's background will be self-evident.
"I just received news that almost all of the clothes Miss Miaomiao wears are made by the mother and daughter of the second branch of the Jiang family. Madam Lu occasionally makes some as well, and the stitches are mostly done by her."
"But the baby girl's swaddling clothes have not yet been found. No one dares to enter their garden. The secret guards have tried to enter several times, but they were discovered by Xiuxiu and Madam Lu."
Xiuxiu, that girl, is practically family to the Lu family, not just in terms of connections.
She devoted herself entirely to the Lu family mother and son, and practically cut off all contact with them.
If we expect her to be an inside agent, she'll probably be sold out to them in no time.
So he didn't tell Xiuxiu a single thing about it.
King Jing asked in surprise, "Are they really that powerful?"
"It wasn't them, it was that white wolf. That wolf has an extremely keen sense of smell and hearing. As soon as the guards entered Miaomiao's courtyard, it started howling. But strangely enough, no matter how it howled, it always managed to attract Madam Lu and Xiuxiu."
Fortunately, the guards had all met Xiuxiu before, otherwise they probably would have had to fight several times.
King Jing: ...
"A bunch of good-for-nothings, unable to handle even a single wolf. What use are they to me?"
"Your Highness, please calm down!" Shi Shu lowered her head and dared not say another word.
He had seen that wolf before; it was different from ordinary wolves—it was larger and seemed to possess a spiritual quality.
If it were an ordinary wolf, there would be many ways to deal with it.
But the white wolf was the little girl's beloved pet, and she cherished it like the apple of her eye. She would share everything with the wolf cub, turning a normal wolf into one that would eat anything, regardless of whether it was meat or vegetables.
Even if the guards had a million ways to deal with wolves, they couldn't use them on this one.
"Master, then we can only have the guards feed the white wolf more meat and see if it will be lenient," Shi Shu said helplessly.
King Jing: ...
No matter how much meat he fed it, it was no use. He had even tried to bribe it in order to see Xue'er.
However, it's exactly what they call an ingrate, yet it still howls at the top of its lungs.
He wasn't really angry. He looked down at the portrait and asked, "Shi Shu, do you think the two of them look alike?"
"Yes, in my opinion, Miao Miao's phoenix eyes are just like the Princess, and not only like the Princess, but also like you." Shi Shu looked at the person in the painting and sighed from the bottom of her heart.
However, he was puzzled as to why he hadn't noticed such an obvious feature before.
Perhaps it's because there's no comparison, but after this comparison, everyone who sees it would agree that they look alike.
The little girl and Princess Yuqing in her childhood were not exactly alike, but they were at least five or six points similar.
The reason no one noticed is...
Perhaps Princess Yuqing changed too much as she grew up, or perhaps no one dared to think that way.
After all, the Jiang family and Princess Yuqing have absolutely no connection whatsoever.
"And what about the rest of her features? Who does she resemble?" King Jing frowned in thought. "Who do you think her father is?"
There are quite a few young men who like her, but she seems indifferent to everyone, and it's hard to tell who she treats differently.
He simply couldn't understand how there could be a legitimate princess in the Great Liang Dynasty who loved someone she couldn't have, and yet was still willing to bear his child.
I wonder if something happened during the year he disappeared?
Shi Shu shook her head, "This...this old servant can't tell."
The eldest princess deliberately concealed it, and even if he figured it out, he dared not say anything.
The eldest princess is of extremely high status, and she would never let others know who she truly loves.
But... there's no clear pattern to follow.
It can only be said that the bond between blood relatives is very mysterious, and there will eventually come a day when they recognize each other as ancestors.
"Alright, one day my sister will tell me herself. Don't tell her about Miaomiao for now. If she asks, just say we're still investigating." Prince Jing put away the two paintings and had them returned to Princess Yuqing and Princess Rong'an.
Although he had already decided in his heart that he loved Miaomiao.
Based on the evidence, it can only be confirmed that Lu Qingyao's biological daughter has died, and Miaomiao is her adopted daughter.
As for whether she is the elder sister's daughter, we still need to find her swaddling clothes.
I didn't tell my sister because I was afraid she would get flustered and rush to Jiangzhou to see the child, disturbing the peace of the Lu mother and child.
Shi Shu pursed her lips and continued to report: "My lord, there is another matter. The biological mother of Princess Jiayue has come to light. She is the illegitimate daughter of Madam Cao's distant cousin. She went to the princess's residence yesterday demanding that she be released..."
"You need people? You need Jia Yue?"
"Yes, she publicly claimed that she was Princess Jiayue's biological mother and the prince consort's concubine, and wanted to reclaim the princess's title."
"How did the princess deal with the mother and daughter?"
Although the child wasn't particularly likable, he had been raised by his sister for three years, though not as well as before, living a life of luxury.
But it wasn't enough to kill her.
However, the next day, news came from the princess's residence that Princess Jiayue had died from her serious injuries.
……
The eldest princess's mansion.
Princess Yuqing looked down at the woman on the ground.
Cao's cousin, Lin.
Her appearance was so ordinary that she couldn't be more so. If she didn't look like Jia Yue, she wouldn't even give her a second glance in a crowd.
Her clothes and hair ornaments were extremely luxurious, and one or two pieces of jewelry on her hair were even gifts she had given to Madam Cao.
It seems that the Cao family mother and son treated her quite well.
Princess Yuqing was curious as to how this woman could bear to let her daughter recognize another woman as her mother.
She asked coldly, "You said you want to acknowledge Cao Jiayue as Cao Chong's concubine?"
"Yes, Your Highness, please grant my request. I will take Jia Yue away and will not let her be an eyesore in front of you, Princess." The woman knelt on the ground, occasionally stealing glances at Princess Yuqing.
They wanted to see just how stunning this woman, whom everyone called an absolute beauty, really was, that made Cousin Cao so obsessed with her that he refused to bring her into his household.
He would only offer her some gold and silver jewelry to appease her.
He looked up and met Princess Yuqing's sharp gaze.
With just one glance, she felt ashamed of herself and dared not look again.
She guessed why her cousin Cao had died, and she also hated Princess Yuqing's cold-heartedness. She was afraid...
She feared that Princess Yuqing might harm Jiayue.
Although they had been mother and daughter for more than three years, she had even killed her cousin Cao, so it was not necessarily true that she would show mercy to Jia Yue.
That's why she struck first and spread those rumors.
She had previously heard from Cao Fuma that the Crown Prince's health was not good and that the position of heir apparent was very likely to change hands.
At this critical juncture, she was certain that the eldest princess would be afraid of gossip and would consider the Cao family, thus allowing her and her daughter to stay.
As for Cousin Cao's family property.
Although Princess Yuqing is Cao's legal wife and also a noble princess, it would be impossible for her to be adopted by a member of the imperial family and raised like an ordinary widow.
She might remarry.
Jia Yue is Cao's only child. If the family property is not left to Jia Yue, who else can it be left to?
However, her hopes were dashed the next moment.
They heard Princess Yuqing's mocking laughter and cold voice coming from above.
"Do you think that after you spread those rumors, I would still be so magnanimous as to allow you and your daughter to reunite? And let you take Jia Yue to inherit Cao Chong's estate?"
Lin's thoughts were exposed, and her face turned ashen.
But she still forced herself to stay upright, saying, "What does Your Highness intend to do? Do you perhaps intend to bully the weak and kill us, a widow and her orphan? Aren't you afraid of being impeached by the censors, or criticized by the people of the world?"
Princess Yuqing's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a cold glint. "How dare you! You and the Cao family mother and son are the first in the Great Liang to threaten and scheme against me like this."
Lin felt a chill run down his spine.
This was the first time she had threatened a princess of a nation, but everyone says that fortune favors the bold.
She was willing to take the risk.
If Jia Yue's appearance weren't so different from Princess Yuqing's, the princess would never have discovered Jia Yue's true identity, and Cousin Cao and his aunt could probably have continued to deceive her.
It's clear that this princess wasn't that clever.
Madam Lin kowtowed sincerely, “Your Highness, I know you hate Consort Cao for taking your child away, but Jia Yue and I are innocent. Besides, Jia Yue has raised you for three years and called you ‘Mother’ for three years. She truly considers you her own mother. Putting everything else aside, just for the sake of your mother-child bond, please let me take Jia Yue away.”
innocent?
Princess Yuqing chuckled.
The thought that her precious daughter, whom she had raised all these years, was actually someone else's, and that her own daughter was suffering somewhere because of Cao Chong, filled her with rage.
This woman even dared to come up to her and talk about mother-son affection.
"Fine, you can enter the Cao family, and you can take Jia Yue with you..."
"really?"
Before she could finish speaking, Lin interrupted her.
Princess Yuqing changed the subject and said with a smile, "Of course... I will allow you to take Jiayue to stay at the estate for a while. It just so happens that Madam Cao is seriously ill from excessive grief, so you can go and fulfill your filial duties to her on behalf of me and the consort. You will finally be able to serve Madam Cao day and night. You must be overjoyed, right?"
Go to the village?
"Why not go back to the Cao residence?" Lin's smile vanished instantly.
I always felt that the princess's words had a hidden meaning.
Princess Yuqing smiled slightly and said calmly, "I forgot to tell you, I have already announced to the public that Princess Jiayue has died from her serious injuries and passed away with her husband. From now on, there will be no more Cao Jiayue, only Lin Jiayue."
There will never be another Cao Jiayue!
Lin felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, and she slumped to the ground, exclaiming, "How could this be?"
"What right do you have to take away Jia Yue's identity, to take everything from her? What right do you have?"
Princess Yuqing's eyes were cold and sharp. "What makes you think she deserves this? Because she stole my daughter's life, because she is your daughter, she doesn't deserve everything she has now."
"Take them away and tell the estate manager to keep a close watch on them. Anyone who dares to release them will be beheaded."
Lin's face turned ashen; she hadn't expected this outcome.
He ended up losing himself in the process.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a maid led Cao Jiayue in.
"Jiayue, is that you?" Lin hugged Cao Jiayue tightly with excitement.
She used to only dare to watch from afar and never dare to get close, but now that she was holding him in her arms, it felt very unreal.
She hadn't seen Jia Yue for more than half a year since she was taken to Jiangzhou, and she looked at her daughter with heartache in her eyes.
He's taller, darker, and thinner...
"Get away, who are you?" Cao Jiayue shoved the tearful woman aside and ran towards Princess Yuqing.
She ran while calling out, "Mother, Mother, Jiayue misses you so much..."
She missed it.
Princess Yuqing flung her away, saying, "Lin Jiayue, I am not your mother. The woman down there is your mother. Go find her."
"No, she's not my mother, you are." Cao Jiayue sat on the ground, looking at her mother with teary eyes, and then at the woman kneeling below.
why?
Why doesn't her mother want her, and instead wants someone else to be her mother?
“Jiayue, I really am your mother.” Madam Lin stepped forward and hugged her daughter tightly.
She has nothing left but Jia Yue. If her daughter doesn't acknowledge her, what's the point of her living?
Cao Jiayue screamed as she looked at the ugly and crazy woman in front of her, "Ugly woman, you're not my mother, let go... let go of me..."
"Mother, help me!"
Cao Jiayue's heart-wrenching cries could not sway Princess Yuqing's heart.
She asked the maid, "How is the investigation going with Prince Jing? Why haven't you reported back?"
"Your Highness, the Prince first led his men to the pine and cypress forest outside the villa, and then went to the temple. I heard that he is investigating a woman surnamed Lu, who is the wife of Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Rites."
……