When the farce in the Yong'an Marquis Mansion reached the Princess Mansion, Princess Jingning was enjoying the lotus blossoms with Shen Baozhu and Chen Miaochun.
It was rare for Princess Jingning to have free time. This was the first time Chen Miaochun had spent such a long time with her, and she felt quite nervous.
Looking at the lotus flowers in the pond, Shen Baozhu sincerely praised, "They look so beautiful, and the lotus roots underneath must be delicious too."
These two unconnected sentences were put together by the gluttonous Shen Baozhu.
Princess Jingning gently tapped Shen Baozhu's head with her silk fan. "Little glutton. It's only July now. The lotus roots won't be ready for a while!"
"So late? Then I'll have to wait for the lotus roots." Shen Baozhu said regretfully.
Chen Miaochun was holding a special booklet in her hand. Shen Heqing had made it for her so that she could learn characters anytime and anywhere.
The servant was vividly describing what had happened in the study. Chen Miaochun listened while reciting the poems in the booklet. But when she heard that the Marquis of Yong'an had kicked Chen Linchun away, she suddenly froze, and her heart felt rather complicated.
During her days in the Princess Mansion, Chen Miaochun had felt Shen Heqing's care and also noticed something strange about Chen Linchun. However, she still remembered the kindness Chen Linchun had shown by rescuing her. For a moment, she didn't know whether she should be happy or sad.
The revelation of her and Chen Ruxia's true identities meant that they were now rightful sisters, which should have made her happy. But Chen Linchun seemed so miserable...
Noticing Chen Miaochun's state of mind, Princess Jingning took a sip of scented tea and said nothing.
By now, the servant had reached the part where the Marquis of Yong'an had thoroughly investigated Chen Linchun and found that he had been sending money to the Wang family since he was seven. The Wangs were idle, but they had managed to buy two shops, a mansion in the capital, and...
Chen Miaochun's expression changed. She subconsciously clenched the sleeves of her dress. "According to this, the Wang family isn't short of money?"
The servant, who had been sent by Chen Ruxia, was a smart one. "Miss, you're joking. The Wang family not only isn't short of money, but they're also living a very comfortable life. Even some small officials in the capital aren't as carefree as they are."
This was true. The money the Wangs got was all from Chen Linchun, which was like manna from heaven. It was even more than the salaries of some small officials. And those small officials still had to socialize and curry favor with their colleagues.
Thinking of her own experiences over the years, Chen Miaochun let out a crazy laugh. "I'm such a fool, a big fool."
Suddenly, her expression changed, and she asked, "Now that the Marquis of Yong'an knows the truth, what does he plan to do with Chen Linchun?"
For the sake of safety, Chen Ruxia had waited a few days before sending someone to report the news. During these days, Chen Miaochun hadn't heard the news of the tragic death of the heir of the Yong'an Marquis Mansion.
The servant first glanced at Shen Baozhu and then hesitantly looked at Princess Jingning.
Princess Jingning understood. Just as she was about to coax Shen Baozhu to go play somewhere else, she noticed that the scar on the corner of Chen Miaochun's eye was gone. It was all thanks to the god.
Remembering what Shen Baozhu had said about the god being by her side, Princess Jingning put down her fan, picked Shen Baozhu up and sat her on her lap, covering her ears with her hand. "It's okay. You can continue."
[Let this princess also hear what will happen to Chen Linchun.]
The Marquis of Yong'an had beaten Chen Linchun up and then carried Concubine Zhao out. The Marquise of Yong'an had wanted to kill Chen Linchun to vent her anger, but Chen Ruxia had stopped her.
Chen Ruxia had asked the Marquise of Yong'an to carry Chen Linchun out, invited a doctor to treat his wounds, and sent a few little maids to gossip at Chen Linchun's door, hinting to him that as the only male heir in the mansion, even if he had made a huge mistake, the Marquis of Yong'an would turn a blind eye. Father and son didn't have grudges that lasted overnight, and they would surely reconcile soon.
Chen Linchun had always regarded himself as the legitimate son of the Marquis of Yong'an. Now that something had gone wrong, he was panicked and, in his desperation, actually believed that he was still the heir of the Yong'an Marquis Mansion. Since the Marquis of Yong'an couldn't have children anymore, he was the only hope for the mansion, and the marquis surely wouldn't do anything to him.
The Marquis of Yong'an, who had endured the pain to settle Concubine Zhao down, came back and saw the villain who had made him childless being well taken care of. He was extremely angry and went straight to the Marquise of Yong'an's courtyard, where he heard her sobbing.
The maid was puzzled. "Madam, since you hate Wang Linchun for ruining our young master, why did you invite a doctor for him? Why not just kill him and be done with it?"
The Marquise of Yong'an sobbed softly. "Do you think I don't want to? But the marquis can't have children anymore. The whole marquis mansion still depends on Wang Linchun. If he dies, who will inherit the mansion? What about Qiuqiu and me? And what about Miaochun and Ruxia, especially Miaochun?"
"You've been serving me. You know how miserable Miaochun has been. She was originally the eldest miss of the marquis mansion, but that bastard stole her identity, and she became the child bride of that bastard's younger brother. It's so可恨! The Wang family took a lot of money, but they treated Miaochun harshly and even wanted to sell her."
"Poor marquis. His daughter almost..."
The Marquise of Yong'an let out a long sigh and continued, "My son, it's your mother who's useless. I watched helplessly as the villain who harmed you got away with it."
The maid also sighed. She said, "It would be great if we could establish a female heir and recruit a son-in-law. This servant thinks Wang Linchun is ruthless. Look how much the marquis valued him! But he still drugged the marquis. If he inherits the marquis mansion, the young ladies will probably have a hard time."
"The bloodline of the marquis mansion will be cut off. In the future, there will only be bastards, full of bastards in the courtyard. Who knows, Wang Linchun might even bring his biological parents into the mansion..."
The Marquis of Yong'an's heart skipped a beat. He had indeed thought about covering up the matter. After all, he couldn't have children anymore, and Chen Linchun was the only male in the mansion. If he killed Chen Linchun, others would surely stare at him and try to make him have another heir, and the news of his infertility would be exposed.
This was something the Marquis of Yong'an didn't want to see.
As for adopting a child, the Marquis of Yong'an was even more reluctant.
He wasn't too old yet and could still have children. Adopting a child directly would be like telling everyone that he couldn't have children.
The Marquis of Yong'an was very concerned about his reputation. After buying a coffin for Concubine Zhao, he had thought in a restaurant for a whole day but couldn't come up with a solution.
After hearing the maid's words, the Marquis of Yong'an had an idea. They could establish a female heir and recruit a son-in-law!
But this was a difficult thing to do, and there seemed to be no way.
Inside the room, the Marquise of Yong'an sighed. "Don't I know these things? If the marquis could let Miaochun establish a female heir and inherit the marquis mansion, that would be great. The reason is already there."
"Just say that the marquis had a dream in the middle of the night that the old marquis told him that there was a mix-up. Coincidentally, the next day, the marquis saw a young girl on the street who looked like the old marquis. After a careful investigation, he found that the children had been switched at birth, and this young girl was actually the eldest miss of the marquis mansion. Her name is Miaochun."
The maid continued, "This is a good idea. The marquis can also use the excuse of the old marquis's dream to ask the emperor to depose Wang Linchun's status as the heir and let the eldest miss establish a female heir!"
The eavesdropping Marquis of Yong'an thought this was an excellent idea. He turned around and left. He wanted to go to the palace to depose Chen Linchun's status as the heir while it was still early.
No, it was Wang Linchun.
The maid's voice sounded again. "Madam, will Concubine Zhao's method work?"
The Marquise of Yong'an waved her handkerchief. "Concubine Zhao said that the marquis would forgive that bastard. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems to be true. Fortunately, Ruxia stopped me."