What?

The daughter doted on by the Marquess of Pingjin's Wife like the apple of her eye is actually not hers, but the child of the Marquess's mistress???

A sense of scandalous drama immediately filled the air, and Yanshu quickly asked, "What exactly happened? Where did Madam Huo's own daughter go? Does she know she's raising someone else's child?"

The system replied, "She definitely doesn't know. If she did, would the Marquess of Pingjin still be alive today?"

"Madam Huo comes from a military family and has a straightforward personality. She's also very capable. Since marrying the Marquess of Pingjin, she's been managing everything inside and outside the household. The Marquess is quite different - he has all the bad habits of an aristocratic son, lazy and indulgent, considering himself refined, and fond of composing poetry."

"Back then, if it weren't for saving his declining family, the Marquess of Pingjin wouldn't have wanted to marry a daughter from a military family. Even after the marriage, he never liked Madam Huo, so he secretly set up a mistress outside who was more to his liking. However, Madam Huo was wholeheartedly devoted to her husband. Since their marriage, she gave birth to five sons in a row. But Madam Huo noticed that apart from showing some care for the eldest son, her husband didn't seem to care much about the other sons. After much consideration, she thought her husband preferred girls, so despite her age, she tried hard again and gave birth to a daughter for the Marquess of Pingjin."

"Who would have thought that by coincidence, just a few days before Madam Huo gave birth, the mistress had also just given birth to a daughter. The mistress certainly didn't want her own daughter to remain hidden, so she came up with a bold idea. She begged the Marquess of Pingjin to swap her child with Madam Huo's, bringing her own child to Madam Huo's side and sending Madam Huo's daughter away."

Hearing this, Yanshu was already full of questions, "??? The Marquess of Pingjin actually agreed? Is there something wrong with his head? Wasn't the child sent away his own flesh and blood? How could he do such a thing?"

The system replied, "There's a saying that goes, 'A scumbag doesn't love his own flesh and blood, but the child born by the woman he favors.' The Marquess of Pingjin is exactly this kind of scumbag. Because he doesn't like his legal wife but likes his mistress, he's biased towards the children as well, so he did such a thing."

Yanshu was speechless, feeling angry for a while before asking, "But swapping babies isn't that simple, right? Didn't Madam Huo notice it wasn't her own child?"

The system sighed, "Madam Huo was of advanced age when she gave birth to a girl, and the situation was very critical. She fainted right after giving birth, and it took the doctors three days to save her. During this time, the servants in the room were taking care of her, and the Marquess of Pingjin took the newborn baby to his mother for care."

"His mother was also elderly at the time and her eyesight was poor. Plus, she never imagined her son could do such a beastly thing, so she didn't realize her granddaughter had been switched. Additionally, Madam Huo's own daughter took after her and was born with a larger build, while the mistress's daughter had been cared for for two extra days, so the two babies looked quite similar. Therefore, the servants in the mansion didn't notice either. Thus, when Madam Huo recovered, she had no idea that the baby the Marquess of Pingjin brought back was no longer her own daughter."

...Alright.

Yanshu once again lamented the Marquess of Pingjin's heartlessness, and asked, "So what about Madam Huo's real child now? Is she doing alright?"

The system nodded, "That little girl was initially switched to the mistress's place, where the mistress certainly didn't treat her well. Once she even starved her until she fell ill. Coincidentally, the Marquess of Pingjin discovered this, and feeling a moment of fatherly compassion, he sent her to be raised by a well-off farming family outside. That family was kind-hearted and quite fond of her, never letting her suffer from childhood to adulthood, so she's doing okay now."

Yanshu breathed a sigh of relief, "Compared to staying with that viper of a mistress, this girl is indeed better off now. What about that mistress? Wasn't she punished?"

But the system said, "Not only was she not punished, but now she's almost in her thirties and still maintains the appearance of a woman in her twenties. The Marquess of Pingjin still visits her two or three times a month."

Yanshu: "??? Wait, the woman who abused his daughter, and he let her off? And still goes to see her two or three times a month?"

System: "As I said before, he prefers that woman over his own flesh and blood."

Yanshu: "..."

Well, the level of scumbaggery is truly astounding!

This Marquess of Pingjin could easily rank in the top three scumbags of the year.

...

She silently finished digesting this information, while nearby, Madam Huo and her daughter had started conversing with the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager asked, "Why did you suddenly come? When did you arrive in the capital?"

Madam Huo replied, "We set out before dawn today and just arrived in the capital. After changing clothes at the General's mansion, we hurried over. How are you feeling, Your Majesty?"

The Empress Dowager sighed, "It's just my old ailment acting up again, not worth you making a special trip."

But Madam Huo inquired further, "Your Majesty usually only suffers from your old illness when catching a chill in winter. How did it suddenly flare up in such hot weather? If my husband hadn't heard the news while corresponding with Imperial Physician Zhang, I wouldn't have known you were suffering."

As soon as she finished speaking, before the Empress Dowager could say anything, Yanshu was startled.

— The Marquess of Pingjin corresponds with Zhang Shengkang?

When did these two become connected?

The system immediately clarified for her, "The Marquess of Pingjin is very concerned about health preservation, and Zhang Shengkang wants to establish connections with the powerful. They've been in contact for years, occasionally exchanging letters and greetings. It's a mutually beneficial relationship."

Yanshu silently scoffed. Birds of a feather indeed!

Moreover, that scumbag Marquess of Pingjin usually doesn't care about anything, leaving all household matters to his wife, yet he still keeps a mistress, despises his wife, and even abandoned his wife's child...

Such a creature is just a waste of food! What's the point of preserving his health!

She silently cursed the scumbag, then heard the Empress Dowager say to Madam Huo, "It might be because the weather is too hot. I had them fan me and caught a chill from the wind. But it will be fine after a few days of recuperation. It's too much trouble for you two to come all this way, neglecting your affairs at home."

Madam Huo quickly said, "We're not far away, it's only right for us to come and visit Your Majesty. Besides, my husband specifically asked me to come today."

Hearing this, Yanshu raised an eyebrow secretly.

— Last winter when the Empress Dowager fell ill, no one came to the palace specifically to visit. Now, right after the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration, the Marquess of Pingjin hears the news and specially sends his wife and daughter over. Could he be plotting something?

After all, although the capital isn't far from Tianjin, it still takes most of a day to travel.

The system said, "That's right. The Marquess of Pingjin, following Zhang Shengkang's advice, plans to send his daughter into the imperial harem."

Yanshu raised an eyebrow. So it was indeed Zhang Shengkang causing trouble.

She knew that when the Emperor promoted Imperial Physician Jiang to fourth-rank Inner Court Physician the other day, it was clear he was just one step away from surpassing Zhang. Zhang Shengkang must be getting nervous.

Moreover, the Emperor's attitude that day was already very clear - he would never use Zhang again in the future. So of course Zhang had to quickly cultivate his own power base to rely on.

Hah, for a mere imperial physician to have such great influence!

Of course, the Marquess of Pingjin was also quite bold, daring to try to place his mistress's daughter in the palace.

The system sighed, "If he doesn't say anything himself, who would even think of it? His own wife hasn't noticed."

Yanshu: "..."

True, who could have imagined?

After consuming all this gossip for so long, she had long since discovered that these people had one outrageous idea after another, and they dared to both think and act on them, which was truly admirable.

However, Madam Huo had also brought her daughter today. Could it be that she also wanted to send her daughter into the palace?

But the system said, "Madam Huo came this time only because of her husband's wishes. She actually plans to play dumb."

Just as these words fell, the Empress Dowager said to her cousin, "It's getting late, and it wasn't easy for you two to come. Unfortunately, I'm still ill, so I'll have Consort Yi entertain you on my behalf later."

Suddenly being called upon, Yanshu could only hurriedly agree.

Madam Huo politely said, "How dare I disturb the noble ladies? Being able to visit Your Majesty today is already more than satisfying. We'll take our leave while it's still early."

But the Empress Dowager said, "You've come all this way, how can I let you leave without a meal? At least stay for dinner before you go."

Yet there was no intention of asking them to stay longer.

Seeing the Empress Dowager's tired expression, Yanshu had to quickly persuade Madam Huo, "This is the Empress Dowager's high regard for you, Madam. Please don't stand on ceremony."

Only then did Madam Huo respond, leading her daughter to curtsy to the Empress Dowager before following Yanshu out of the hall.

The Palace of Benevolent Peace quieted down for a moment. Nanny Zhuang said to the Empress Dowager, "It wasn't easy for Madam Huo to come, given her concern for Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager sighed, "Indeed. Who knows why Zhang Shengkang had to be so talkative?"

Nanny Zhuang didn't dare respond.

After a pause, she tentatively said, "This servant noticed that Miss Huo has grown more beautiful and is very obedient. If she could come to the palace..."

Before she could finish, the Empress Dowager cut her off, "I'm too tired to worry about such things now. You needn't say more."

She closed her eyes with an impatient expression.

Hmph, from now on she wouldn't bother worrying about the Yuwen family's affairs!

Let them do as they please!

Nanny Zhuang was startled and finally dared not speak further.

With the Empress Dowager ill, the banquet to entertain Madam Huo couldn't be held in the Palace of Benevolent Peace. It wouldn't be appropriate to set it up in Ganlu Palace either, so Yanshu arranged for it to be held in the Cool Breeze Pavilion in the Imperial Garden.

The Cool Breeze Pavilion was built near the water, and it was the height of the flowering season, making for a beautiful scene.

Besides the various exotic flowers and trees, there were several white swans, rarely seen outside the palace, floating gracefully and contentedly on the nearby water.

This was the first time Yanshu was hosting guests on behalf of the Empress Dowager, so she restrained her appetite somewhat and did her best to smile and entertain the Huo mother and daughter.

"Madam, please don't stand on ceremony. Feel free to eat whatever you like."

Madam Huo politely replied, "We're truly sorry to trouble Your Highness today."

Yanshu smiled, "Not at all."

Just as she finished speaking, the white swans in the water suddenly began to sing loudly.

Miss Huo's eyes immediately lit up, and she said to Madam Huo, "Mother, Mother, look quickly! So this is how white swans sound. It really is like my cousin said - they sound just like big white geese!"

What, big white geese?

The palace servants were all stunned.

Yanshu, however, could barely keep from laughing out loud.

— White swans are actually just white day-swans, and they do indeed sound a lot like geese.

This girl was certainly frank and straightforward.

Madam Huo looked embarrassed and said, "We beg Your Highness's pardon."

She then turned to scold her daughter, "How can you be so ill-mannered in front of Her Highness?"

Yanshu quickly said politely, "It's quite alright. It's refreshing to see Miss Huo's innocent romanticism. I actually think the same."

Huo Yingxia pouted, looking rather aggrieved, "But it's true, and... they even look a lot like big geese..."

Seeing that Madam Huo was about to scold her again, Yanshu laughed and said, "I think so too. White swans just have longer necks, but at first glance, they do look quite like geese."

Huo Yingxia nodded vigorously and quickly said to Yanshu, "That's exactly what my cousin said! At first, I didn't believe it! After all, white swans are rare birds, how could they be like geese? Now I see it's true."

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, her tone suggesting she saw Yanshu as a kindred spirit.

Yanshu nodded in agreement and reminded her, "Don't let the food get cold."

Huo Yingxia quickly nodded and resumed eating.

Yanshu quietly asked the system, [This girl seems to care a lot about her cousin. What's the story there?]

The system replied, [She's talking about General Dingyuan's son, who is Madam Huo's nephew. His name is Yu Hongyuan, and he's two years older than this fake young lady. They grew up together and are very close childhood friends.]

Yanshu raised an eyebrow. So this girl already had someone she liked?

However, the fact that she could mention her love interest so innocently showed that Madam Huo truly doted on her daughter like the apple of her eye.

It was a pity that her father planned to send her to the palace, completely disregarding her personality. Clearly, he didn't truly love her.

The system said, [Seeing the Marquis of Ping Jin's Mansion growing increasingly distant from the royal family, this scumbag Huo is certainly anxious. After Zhang Shengkang's persuasion, he's set his mind on this. Do you think someone who sends away his own daughter would have any fatherly love? It's all for his own glory and wealth.]

Yanshu strongly agreed.

Before long, the meal was finished.

Madam Huo stood up and said, "We are extremely grateful for Consort Yi's personal hospitality. This humble servant will now bid farewell to the Empress Dowager and return to Jinmen."

Yanshu nodded, "Madam is too kind."

In her heart, she wondered, these two hadn't even seen the Emperor, and they were already planning to go home?

It seemed Madam Huo was indeed just putting on an act for her husband, making this trip merely for show.

Just then, Miss Huo pouted and said, "We only arrived this morning and we're leaving in the afternoon? Mother, at least let me stay one night at Uncle's house. It's so tiring to travel back and forth..."

She tugged at her mother's sleeve, looking earnest.

Yanshu thought to herself, this girl probably isn't complaining about being tired, she just wants to see her cousin Hongyuan again.

Unable to resist her daughter's pleading, Madam Huo nodded and said, "Alright, we'll impose on your uncle and aunt for one more night."

She added helplessly, "I've really spoiled you too much. I'm afraid we're making Consort Yi laugh at us."

Yanshu could only smile and say, "Your love for each other is truly touching."

Inwardly, she sighed.

— If one day Madam Huo learns the truth, how will she treat this daughter she's mistakenly doted on?

So, should she intervene in this matter or not?

After bidding farewell to Madam Huo and her daughter, and with the Empress Dowager retiring for her afternoon rest, Yanshu found time to return to Ganlu Palace.

However, she didn't have time to rest. She hurried to her desk and began writing a story.

— In any case, the Huo family's soap opera was too good to pass up. While the inspiration was still fresh, she had to write it down!

As for whether to publish it or not, she'd decide that later.

Yanshu didn't stop writing for the entire afternoon, continuing until dusk fell.

A message came from the Palace of Benevolent Peace, saying that the Empress Dowager would retire after dinner and that she needn't come over.

Yanshu breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up to stretch her muscles and began her evening meal.

— Ever since finding the Three Pure Pills, the Qianming Palace was no longer dangerous, and a certain workaholic Emperor felt more at ease to work overtime.

Moreover, with court affairs being particularly busy recently, for the past few days, he would only come over after Yanshu had fallen asleep.

Sometimes, if it was too late, he would just rest in Qianming Palace.

So when Yanshu finished her dinner and didn't see the Emperor, she assumed he wouldn't be coming tonight either, and went to take a bath.

The weather was hot, and Yinfeng had thoughtfully added a few drops of cooling essence to the bathtub, making it refreshingly comfortable.

Yanshu was closing her eyes and enjoying the water when she suddenly heard a ding in her ear —

[New gossip! General Dingyuan just had an accident.]

Yanshu was startled, [General Dingyuan? Isn't that the Marquess of Pingjin's Wife's younger brother? What happened to him?]

The system explained, [General Dingyuan was riding his horse home after working overtime at the military camp tonight. He was going fast when suddenly someone rushed out from the roadside. To avoid hitting them, the General accidentally fell off his horse and broke his leg.]

"..."

Yanshu was confused, [Isn't General Dingyuan a famous military general of this dynasty? How could he be so careless while riding a horse?]

The system quickly explained, [It's not his fault. On a familiar road, with few people around at night, it's natural to go faster. Suddenly having someone rush out from the roadside could be fatal, right? Besides, this was deliberately arranged by his brother-in-law, the Marquess of Pingjin.]

What?

Yanshu was startled again, [The Marquess of Pingjin deliberately arranged for someone to startle his brother-in-law's horse? What's his aim? How does his brother-in-law breaking his leg benefit him?]

The system said, [Care to guess?]

Yanshu, [...]

This annoying system always asked her to guess at crucial moments.

But for a deduction genius like her, guessing wasn't much of a challenge.

So she pondered —

With General Dingyuan suddenly breaking his leg, the General's mansion would surely be in chaos. If so, wouldn't Madam Huo, who had planned to return home tomorrow morning, be unable to leave?

In fact, she probably wouldn't be able to return home for quite some time.

— After all, with her younger brother injured, her sister-in-law would have to take care of her husband, look after the children, and manage the household. One person couldn't handle it all, so as the elder sister, she would inevitably have to help out.

The system, which had been called annoying, suddenly spoke again, [That's right. The Marquess of Pingjin is determined to send his daughter into the palace. He finally got the chance when the Empress Dowager was unwell and managed to lure his wife and daughter to the capital. But Madam Huo and her daughter didn't even get to see the Emperor before rushing to go home. Do you think he would easily give up?]

Yanshu nodded, [Indeed, and General Dingyuan is also the Empress Dowager's cousin. Now that he's suddenly injured, the Empress Dowager will surely be concerned. This will inevitably lead to someone being summoned to the palace to report on the situation. Since there are no idle people at General Dingyuan's mansion, it can only be Madam Huo who enters the palace to report. This way, doesn't it create another opportunity to see the Emperor?]

Damn it...

The Marquess of Pingjin is such a scumbag!

To come up with such a scheme!

Isn't he afraid that his brother-in-law might be seriously injured?

After all, falling from a horse could potentially be fatal!

The system replied, [Wouldn't that be even better for him? If so, the cousin his daughter has been pining for would have to observe a three-year mourning period, making their relationship even more hopeless. His wife would certainly stay in the capital longer. After all, he's a scumbag who doesn't even care about his own flesh and blood, so why would he care about his brother-in-law's life or death?]

This, this, this is too evil!!!

Yanshu was so angry that she quickly got out of the bathtub, hastily dried herself, changed into her nightgown, and walked towards the main hall.

No, she couldn't tolerate the Marquess of Pingjin's despicable behavior anymore!

-- She must quickly publish the story to expose him! Otherwise, keeping this scumbag around would harm who knows how many innocent people!!!

She walked briskly, filled with righteous indignation, but before she could reach her writing desk, a sudden announcement came from outside.

"His Majesty the Emperor arrives..."

Immediately after, the Emperor stepped into the hall.

Yanshu was startled but quickly went forward to bow, "Greetings to Your Majesty."

Yuwen Lan was wearing a light blue gauze robe tonight, giving him a somewhat lazy appearance. He casually took her hand to help her up, giving her a dangerously intense look up and down before smiling and saying in a low voice, "Did you finish your bath early, knowing I'd come at this hour?"

Without waiting for her reply, he directly picked her up by the waist and headed towards the bed.

The surrounding attendants blushed and retreated.

Yanshu, however, became anxious and hurriedly said, "No, no, no, now is not the time, I still have matters to attend to..."

But before she could finish speaking, they had already reached the bed.

He chuckled softly, "What matter could be more urgent than this?"

As he spoke, he leaned down.

-- Ahem, for the past few nights, she had always been asleep when he came. Especially last night, when he finished his work and realized it was already midnight, he was afraid of disturbing her rest, so he had to sleep in Qianming Palace by himself.

So... Heaven knows how eager he was at this moment?

Especially since she had even taken a bath in preparation...

Seeing that an urgent kiss was about to land without room for argument, Yanshu struggled to protest before losing her willpower, "Your Majesty, please listen to what I have to say first..."

But he mumbled, "We'll talk later..."

Yanshu had no choice. Just as she was about to lose the ability to speak, she made a great effort to shout, "There's an extremely dramatic story about a baby swap, and it's related to Your Majesty!!!"

Hmm?

The man finally paused and looked at her, "What baby swap? And it's related to me?"

Yanshu took a deep breath and said, "The daughter of the Marquess of Pingjin is actually from his mistress. Madam Huo's real daughter has been given away by the Marquess to be raised by others. Madam Huo has been kept in the dark for over ten years. Now the Marquess plans to send this daughter born of his mistress into the palace. What's worse is that General Dingyuan's injury tonight was orchestrated by him!!!"

Damn, she almost suffocated herself saying so much in one breath.

As she finished speaking, Yuwen Lan was finally stunned and frowned, "What???"

In this flood of information, he only caught the name Marquess of Pingjin.

This person seemed to have been busy doing many things?

Fortunately, Yanshu explained to him in detail once again.

"It means that years ago, the Marquess of Pingjin's wife and his mistress gave birth to daughters at the same time. The heartless Marquess swapped the mistress's daughter with his legitimate daughter. The real legitimate daughter was given to a peasant family, but Madam Huo still doesn't know about this to this day."

"Recently, with the Empress Dowager's illness, the Marquess of Pingjin, instigated by Zhang Shengkang, plans to use this opportunity to send this fake legitimate daughter into the imperial harem. However, neither Madam Huo nor Miss Huo have such intentions. They planned to return home after visiting the Empress Dowager today. To make his wife and daughter stay longer in the capital, the Marquess actually arranged for people to ambush General Dingyuan on his way home tonight, causing him to fall and break his leg."

"Can you understand the Marquess of Pingjin's purpose in doing this?"

Yuwen Lan certainly understood.

That Marquess of Pingjin, how dare he commit so many evil deeds!

And he even dared to set his sights on the imperial harem?

Moreover, he dared to harm a great general of the court in such a way?!!!

For the moment, he put aside the matter at hand and immediately got up to walk outside, calling for someone to come.

...

The next day, the Carefree Master's story "Whose Fault Is It: The True and False Young Lady" suddenly appeared.

When the Empress Dowager heard the news, she hurriedly had someone buy a copy and bring it into the palace.

The task of reading the story naturally fell to Yanshu again.

Of course, she was very satisfied with her new work and read it with particular vividness and emotion.

The Empress Dowager was deeply drawn into the twists and turns of the plot, frowning and looking shocked, her expressions quite rich.

After a while, when the dramatic story was finished, the Empress Dowager angrily said, "Are there really such heartless people in this world? To not even care about their own flesh and blood?"

Yanshu quickly nodded in agreement, "That's right, that's right, the father in this story is too infuriating!"

Then the Empress Dowager asked her, "By the way, who is this story about?"

Yanshu, "...Uh..."

She was about to say she didn't know either when suddenly, Fuhai rushed in from outside the hall and reported to the Empress Dowager, "It's terrible, Your Highness! A young lady just arrived from General Dingyuan's mansion outside the palace, claiming to be Madam Huo's real daughter from the Marquess of Pingjin's household!"

"What?"

The Empress Dowager was stunned.

In that instant, it seemed even her headache was forgotten.