Upon hearing Fu Hai's words, everyone in the Palace of Benevolent Peace was shocked.

The Empress Dowager was also stunned, thinking she had misheard. She quickly asked Fu Hai again, "What did you say? What girl?"

Fu Hai had to slow down his speech and explain, "Your Highness, it's like this. Last night, General Dingyuan fell from his horse and was injured. The Emperor was very concerned and sent people to investigate. The investigation revealed that this incident was related to the Marquess of Pingjin."

What? The Marquess of Pingjin?

The Empress Dowager was stunned again and quickly asked, "What does he have to do with this?"

Fu Hai had to explain further, "The Emperor sent the Imperial Guard to track down the person who collided with the General last night. According to this person's confession, it was the Marquess of Pingjin who arranged for him to attack the General."

The Empress Dowager was shocked again and frowned, "Why would the Marquess of Pingjin want to attack General Dingyuan? Isn't he An Bang's brother-in-law?"

Yanshu silently sympathized with the Empress Dowager. After all, the novel she had just written only told the story of the true and false noble ladies, and hadn't mentioned the other misdeeds of that scoundrel Huo Chengji, the Marquess of Pingjin. So now the Empress Dowager was in for quite a shock.

Fu Hai continued, "Regarding why the Marquess of Pingjin sent someone to attack General Yu, the Emperor is still investigating. But the urgent matter now is that when the Imperial Guard went to find the Marquess of Pingjin, he wasn't at home, but at his mistress's place."

What?

The Empress Dowager was stunned again, "Huo Chengji actually has a mistress?"

Yanshu: "..."

Poor Empress Dowager, tsk.

Fu Hai had to nod and confirm, "This was confessed by the Marquess of Pingjin's confidant. That woman is indeed the Marquess's mistress, and he has kept her for over a decade."

Perhaps due to experiencing too many surprises today, upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager finally couldn't contain her emotions and said, "That scoundrel!"

Yanshu hurriedly lowered her head along with the others, pretending not to have heard.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager composed herself and asked Fu Hai, "What does this have to do with the girl you mentioned earlier?"

Fu Hai quickly explained, "Because it's related to the General's injury, which is a serious matter, the Imperial Guard interrogated the Marquess of Pingjin, his mistress, and the other servants. Unexpectedly, the mistress's personal maid confessed that the current Miss Huo is not Madam Huo's biological daughter. Apparently, years ago, the Marquess of Pingjin switched his legitimate daughter with his mistress's daughter and sent his own daughter to a farming family surnamed Peng."

"..."

The Empress Dowager was too shocked to speak.

Fu Hai continued, "Given the gravity of the situation, the Emperor immediately ordered people to follow the clues to find the Peng family. They discovered that the family had indeed adopted a baby girl over a decade ago, who seems to be Madam Huo's biological child."

"???"

The Empress Dowager's face was full of shock and confusion.

— So the story she had just heard in that novel was actually about her own cousin?

This, this, this... This was the closest it had ever come to her...

The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked, "So what's the current situation?"

Fu Hai hurriedly replied, "The Imperial Guard has now brought this young lady to General Dingyuan's mansion to reunite with Madam Huo. However, General Dingyuan has just been injured, and the household is in chaos. The Emperor is worried about affecting General Yu's recovery and has sent me to ask for your instructions on how to handle this matter."

The Empress Dowager finally understood and nodded, "Indeed, the Yu family already has an injured person, wouldn't this make things even more chaotic? Ask Madam Huo to come here instead. I'll see how to handle this matter."

Yanshu: "???"

Wasn't the Empress Dowager just lying listlessly on her couch a moment ago?

Now she has the energy to meddle in affairs?

Fu Hai also looked worried and said, "But Your Highness's health..."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "It's fine. Important matters come first. Ask Madam Huo to come over."

Fu Hai finally agreed repeatedly and went out to summon her.

Yanshu's eyes lit up —

Tsk tsk, it seems her recent service to the Empress Dowager hadn't been in vain. Following a big shot really does allow one to witness drama firsthand!

Not long after, Madam Huo arrived at the palace.

This time, the girl accompanying her was not the previously seductive false daughter, but another girl of similar age.

Madam Huo had obviously cried hard, her eyes swollen. She had completely lost her usual vigor and spirit. As soon as she saw the Empress Dowager, she knelt down with a face full of grievance and cried, "Your Highness! Please do justice for your subject... How could he be so heartless..."

As she spoke, she pulled the young girl who came with her close and cried again, "My poor child..."

The Empress Dowager also said angrily, "Get up, don't cry now. I've only just heard about this matter. That Huo Chengji has really gone too far!"

After speaking, she quickly looked at the girl Madam Huo had brought.

She saw that the girl had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a round face, surprisingly similar to Madam Huo!

This, this, this... Was there any need to doubt anymore?

The Empress Dowager could only sigh and say, "You have all suffered."

Hearing these words, Madam Huo burst into tears again, crying until her face was red and her heart was breaking.

The girl who came with her quickly reached out to support her in her arms, taking out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, comforting her, "...Mother, don't cry anymore. Be careful of your health."

After these words, Madam Huo remembered the important matter at hand and quickly said to her biological daughter, "Hui Ying, come and pay your respects to the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi."

As she spoke, she introduced her to the Empress Dowager and Yanshu, "This is my flesh and blood, now called Hui Ying..."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but let tears fall again.

The girl called Hui Ying quickly bowed to Yanshu and the Empress Dowager, "This commoner pays respects to the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi."

Although she was a bit nervous, one could see she was obedient.

The Empress Dowager quickly asked someone to help her up, saying, "Stand up, good child. You've suffered for so many years. How have you been all this time? Have your foster parents treated you well?"

The true daughter Hui Ying quickly replied, "My parents at home... my foster parents have been very kind to me. I haven't suffered much."

At this moment, everyone's eyes were on this young girl. Although her demeanor was slightly inferior to those of official families' noble ladies, her complexion was fair, and her hands were not rough, indicating that she indeed hadn't suffered too much.

However, she probably hadn't had time to dress up, as her clothes were rather plain.

Seeing this, Madam Huo felt even more distressed and wanted to hug her biological daughter and cry again.

But her daughter looked worried and said, "It's just... this morning, someone suddenly came to our house looking for me, and that's when I found out about all this... Just now, those officials also took my Peng family parents away. I don't know what to do."

Yanshu hurriedly comforted her, "They probably want to understand the situation from back then. That's why the Imperial Guard took your foster parents away. As long as they haven't done anything wrong, they won't be falsely accused. They'll probably be sent back soon. Don't worry."

Hui Ying nodded and said, "That's good, thank you, Your Highness."

Although she was still a bit timid, one could see she was a filial child. She didn't cry or complain about her grievances, which made people feel reassured and deeply sympathetic at the same time.

To think, this was the child who should have been enjoying Madam Huo's love all along!

The Empress Dowager also sighed and lamented for a while, silently cursing the Marquess of Pingjin, Huo Chengji, as a scoundrel. She then quickly asked her cousin Madam Huo, "By the way, how is An Bang's leg now? I heard that his injury is also related to that Huo Chengji?"

Madam Huo wiped her tears and said with swollen eyes, "Please forgive your subject, I don't know yet..."

Sigh, ever since she learned the truth and met her biological child, she had only been concerned about the child, completely forgetting all other news.

The Empress Dowager could only nod.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, a voice suddenly announced from outside the hall, "His Majesty the Emperor arrives..."

Yuwen Lan stepped into the hall.

Everyone hurriedly bowed, and when Madam Huo saw his face, she couldn't help but burst into tears again.

Seeing this scene, Yuwen Lan said, "Madam, don't worry. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give you justice."

Madam Huo cried and kowtowed to him, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager quickly asked, "I just heard from Fu Hai that Huo Chengji plotted against General Dingyuan? What exactly happened?"

Yuwen Lan replied, "I have already had the Marquess of Pingjin brought here. It's better to let him explain to you in person."

As he spoke, he beckoned towards the outside of the hall.

In a moment, guards were seen pushing a man into the hall. It was none other than the Marquess of Pingjin, Huo Chengji.

Madam Huo's eyes instantly filled with hatred. No longer caring about etiquette, she rushed in front of him, grabbed his collar, and shouted at him, "You scoundrel! Why did you do this to me?!"

As she spoke, large teardrops fell continuously, revealing the deep hurt in her heart.

Her beloved daughter Hui Ying quickly stepped forward to support her. Madam Huo grasped her daughter's hand and confronted Huo Chengji, "Is this not your own flesh and blood? How could you treat her like this?! You heartless man!"

Everyone in the hall glared at him angrily.

Suddenly, Huo Chengji fell to his knees and began kowtowing to Madam Huo, sobbing as he did so, "My lady, I've wronged you terribly. I was foolish back then..."

Before Madam Huo could respond, the Empress Dowager coldly snorted, "Foolish? Even if you were foolish then, why didn't you come clean all these years afterwards?"

Huo Chengji hastily replied, "Empress Dowager, please forgive me. It's not that I didn't want to confess later, but the mistake had already been made. I feared my wife would be angry if she knew the truth, and since it was such a serious matter, I kept postponing it..."

"Nonsense!"

The Empress Dowager had wanted to curse more vulgarly, but mindful of the Emperor's presence, she restrained herself and chose milder words. Still fuming, she continued, "What could be more important than your own child being lost in the world? Have you forgotten how dangerous your wife's labor was? You've completely lost your conscience!"

Growing angrier by the second, the Empress Dowager ordered, "Fu Hai, slap his face!"

Caught off guard by the sudden command, Steward Fu hesitated for a moment, glancing at the Emperor. Seeing no objection from His Majesty, he quickly obeyed, walking up to Huo Chengji, rolling up his sleeves, and delivering two hard slaps across the man's face.

The sharp sound of the slaps echoed through the hall. Yanshu could barely restrain herself from applauding Fu Hai. She felt a sense of satisfaction – this scoundrel deserved far more than just ten slaps!

Huo Chengji's face immediately swelled up, but he dared not complain. He could only cover his face and continue kowtowing, saying, "I know my crimes, I know my crimes..."

The Empress Dowager's anger had not subsided. She continued, "What crimes do you know? Do you know how much time you've cost this mother and daughter? You even dared to cause General Dingyuan to fall from his horse? What were you thinking?!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the Emperor chimed in, "If General Dingyuan hadn't been an excellent horseman, it would have been more than just a fall. This is tantamount to deliberately harming a high-ranking official. Are you in league with someone, intending to cause chaos in the empire?"

Huo Chengji was startled. He hurriedly kowtowed again, crying, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was foolish. I only heard from Doctor Zhang that there had been incidents in the harem and few consorts remained. I thought to have my daughter enter the palace to serve Your Majesty... But when my wife visited the Empress Dowager yesterday, she was in a hurry to return... I could only come up with this plan to keep them in the capital for a few more days... I absolutely had no intention of causing turmoil in the empire, Your Majesty..."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager finally understood and exploded in rage, "Knowing she was the daughter of your mistress, you still dared to covet a position in the imperial harem for her? This crime deserves a thousand cuts! It's not enough to quell the anger in people's hearts!"

She then ordered Fu Hai, "Give him two more hard slaps!"

Fu Hai complied, stepping forward again and swinging his arm to deliver two more resounding slaps to the man's face.

It hurt his hand, but it felt satisfying.

Looking at Huo Chengji now, blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.

However, no one in the hall felt any sympathy for him. The Empress Dowager was still seething with anger.

This scoundrel of a man had done something so despicable – making his lawful wife raise the child of his mistress. Even if it were a stranger's child, how could his wife face such a situation?!

Just then, the Emperor suddenly said, "Oh, right. The Imperial Guard reported something earlier. I almost forgot about it."

Everyone in the hall immediately turned to look at Yuwen Lan. The Empress Dowager quickly asked, "What is it?"

Yuwen Lan coughed, glancing at Huo Chengji, and said, "According to the confession of his mistress's servants, that child might not even be his."

What?

This statement left everyone in the hall stunned.

Huo Chengji was the first to react, hurriedly asking, "What did Your Majesty say?"

Yuwen Lan coldly repeated, "The mistress's servants just confessed that over the years, she had liaisons with many other men behind your back. At that time, there was a merchant who was particularly close to her. She spent more time with that merchant than with you, so it's very likely that the child belongs to that merchant."

As these words fell, Huo Chengji's eyes widened in shock, as if struck by lightning.

Yanshu inwardly exclaimed, calling out to her system, [How could this be? System, was your information incorrect???]

The system leisurely replied, [I never said the child was the scoundrel's. I only said that when Madam Huo gave birth to a daughter, the mistress had just given birth to a girl as well.]

Yanshu: "..."

Well, thinking back carefully, the system indeed never explicitly stated that this was Huo Chengji's flesh and blood...

She asked again, her face full of shock, [So you're saying that the fake young lady has no blood relation to the Huo family at all???]

System: [You could say that.]

Yanshu couldn't help but exclaim inwardly again, [Then this mistress was incredibly daring! How could she do such a thing?!]

System: [This mistress was actually quite clever. She knew to prepare for the future, aware that relying on her beauty wouldn't last forever. She also feared that if her affair was exposed one day, this scoundrel wouldn't want her anymore. So she came up with this plan for her daughter – no matter what, her daughter was already being raised by the legal wife. Even if this scoundrel found out one day that it wasn't his flesh and blood, he wouldn't dare to deny it. In any case, her own daughter would end up in a good position.]

Yanshu: "..."

What a mastermind!

It turned out that the biggest winner in this situation was that unnamed merchant, who unknowingly had his own flesh and blood raised as the cherished daughter of a marquis's family for over a decade.

So the mistress's true love must have been that merchant!

She looked at the scoundrel Huo before her, unable to help but feel amused.

— Indeed, those who betray others often end up betrayed themselves.

This man had worked so hard for so many years, and now faced such serious charges, all for something that had nothing to do with him!

Was he about to have a breakdown?

The others were thinking along the same lines, all looking at the thunderstruck Huo Chengji with mocking gazes.

Only the Emperor thought to himself —

"Those who betray others often end up betrayed themselves?"

How did Mencius's famous saying end up twisted like this???

However, what happened next was that Huo Chengji began banging his head on the ground, wailing, "How could this be? How could this happen?! How could she do this to me?! Oh heavens!!!"

This truly startled everyone. Yuwen Lan ordered the guards outside, "Come in and drag him to the imperial prison. This man has deceived the Emperor and attempted to harm a high-ranking official. Order the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Justice to investigate thoroughly and determine his punishment!"

The guards immediately complied, entering the hall to drag Huo Chengji away.

The Empress Dowager then reminded, "That woman can't be let off either! She single-handedly played the Marquess of Pingjin's family and even the whole world for fools! It's preposterous!"

Yuwen Lan nodded in agreement, "Throw her in the imperial prison as well. She shall be dealt with severely!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall expressed their approval, feeling a sense of justice being served.

Madam Huo, still in tears, bowed to the Emperor and Empress Dowager, "Thank you, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, for upholding justice for me."

The Empress Dowager and Yuwen Lan both nodded slightly. Then Madam Huo embraced her daughter Hui Ying, crying, "I've wronged you most of all, my child!"

Hui Ying was also in tears, wiping her mother's face as she said, "Don't cry, Mother. You're not to blame for this. You've suffered too. Now that the truth is out, we can live well from now on."

Everyone watching this scene nodded inwardly. Although this daughter had been raised in a farming family for so many years, she seemed quite sensible.

It seemed that the farming couple who raised her were good people.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager asked, "Then, what should be done about that child?"

Everyone was taken aback – indeed, how should they deal with the false young lady of the Huo family?

They had thought she was still of Huo family blood, but now it turned out she had no blood relation to the Huo family at all?

Madam Huo paused, then cried again, "Since learning the truth today, I've been so focused on embracing Hui Ying and crying that I momentarily forgot about Yingxia... She's also a child I raised with my own hands!"

Everyone thought to themselves, "Isn't that right? You can't say that young lady was wrong. After all, she still has the blood of that mistress flowing in her veins. If she stays by Madam Huo's side in the future, won't Madam Huo be reminded of that mistress every time she sees her?"

But to say she was at fault would be wrong too. She was brought to Madam Huo's side just days after being born. What could a newborn infant who only knew how to nurse decide for herself?

What's even more pitiful is that now her birth mother is in prison, and her birth father's whereabouts are unknown...

Even if they wanted to send her away, where could they send her?

Moreover, Madam Huo raised her by hand, treating her as her own flesh and blood until yesterday. How could they bear to drive her out onto the streets?

Alas! When all is said and done, it's those scoundrels who deserve to die! Look at how many people they've hurt!

After lamenting for a while, everyone saw Madam Huo shaking her head and sobbing bitterly, showing just how much anguish she was in.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but regret asking her this question. She was also a victim, and that was a child she had raised with love. Wasn't it cruel to ask her this now?

Just as she was about to speak to ease the tension, Hui Ying suddenly said to her mother, "I'm young and don't understand many big principles. But I know that my adoptive parents in the Peng family have loved me dearly these years. If they suddenly couldn't find me, they would surely be worried sick. Isn't it the same for you, Mother? After all, she's the child you've raised for so many years. If you lost her, wouldn't you be very upset too?"

As she spoke, she wiped the tears from her mother's face and said tearfully, "I'll do whatever you say, Mother."

As her words fell, Madam Huo was speechless and could only hug her and cry again.

This child had suffered so much; the more sensible she was, the more it broke people's hearts.

The Empress Dowager felt comforted and nodded approvingly, "Good child, she deserves a reward! Those adoptive parents should be rewarded even more!"

She then looked at the Emperor and said, "Such a pure-hearted person should be praised and made known to the world. I intend to bestow upon this child the title of Rural Lady, to comfort her for the hardships she has endured over the years."

Yuwen Lan nodded, "Mother is merciful."

Hearing this, everyone congratulated the mother and daughter, "Congratulations to Madam Huo, congratulations to Rural Lady Huiying."

Madam Huo quickly led her daughter to bow to the mother and son, "Thank you for your great kindness, Empress Dowager and Emperor!"

The Empress Dowager continued, "As for the Peng couple, who treated their adopted daughter as their own and taught her to be so reasonable, I will reward them with a hundred taels of gold and make it known to the world as a commendation."

Hui Ying also hurried to thank them on behalf of her adoptive parents, a smile appearing in her eyes.

Everyone felt greatly comforted, but then they saw the Empress Dowager's expression turn cold as she said, "Huo Chengji is unworthy of his position and should be stripped of his title, to be inherited by his eldest son. As for his misdeeds, they must not be dealt with lightly, but punished severely, to serve as a warning to others."

Yuwen Lan agreed, but didn't forget to remind her, "Zhang Shengkang, as an imperial physician, abused Mother's trust by encouraging others to covet the imperial harem. He cannot go unpunished either."

The Empress Dowager sighed and nodded, "Indeed. Why don't we demote him by one rank and dock his salary for a year, to make him reflect on his actions?"

Yuwen Lan replied, "That might be too lenient. Let's double it - demote Zhang Shengkang by two ranks and dock his salary for two years. If he offends again in the future, we will not be so forgiving."

The Empress Dowager nodded and said nothing more.

Yanshu quietly raised an eyebrow.

— It seems the Empress Dowager still intends to have Zhang Shengkang treat her illness, but there's definitely a rift now. After all, being demoted by two ranks is quite harsh.

As a result, Doctor Jiang is now above him in rank.

Just as she was thinking this, she saw the Empress Dowager turn to Madam Huo and say, "As for that child, I think we should either find her birth father and send her back to him, or if we really can't find him, she's about the right age for marriage anyway. We should find a family for her to marry into. Keeping her around will only be a thorn in your heart."

[Tsk, to be honest, this girl having no blood relation to the Huo family is more comfortable than if she did. Hmph, that scoundrel deserves to be cuckolded!]

Yuwen Lan: "..."

Well, these two women often think alike.

Hearing this, Madam Huo quickly agreed.

The others listened, their hearts conflicted.

— Now that the truth is out, that girl has no connection to the Huo family, and she's become a "bastard" without a father. Even if she marries, what good family would take her?

Alas, when all is said and done, it's still that man who is truly despicable!!!

With that, the matter was temporarily settled, and Madam Huo left the palace with her own daughter.

After this incident, the Empress Dowager had completely shed her previous sickly appearance and become energetic. She instead asked the Emperor, "How does Your Majesty always know about these hidden matters?"

— Although the pretext was investigating the case due to General Dingyuan's injury, the story book came out early this morning. Even if it was written on the spot, it couldn't have been that fast!

So the Empress Dowager was convinced that the Emperor must have investigated in advance and had someone write the story book to deal with Marquess of Pingjin Huo Chengji.

This boy, how did he become so capable?

Yuwen Lan silently listened, momentarily at a loss for words.

But then Yanshu quickly spoke up for him, "Perhaps His Majesty noticed that the Huo girl didn't resemble Madam Huo. Nor did she resemble her father, so he became suspicious?"

Yuwen Lan was about to nod, but then quickly shook his head, frowning as he said, "When did I ever pay attention to that girl's appearance? I just vaguely heard some rumors from Tianjin and had someone investigate."

He then glanced at Yanshu, thinking to himself — I almost fell into her trap.