Traveling back to ancient times to get rich

Chapter 133 Meeting That Woman

After the full moon celebration ended, Ye Qingchen bid farewell to Consort Li and returned home with Gu Mochen. It had been a long time since she'd been home, so Gu Mochen specially brought Xiaoyue'er back from the Princess's residence. Xiaoyue'er was overjoyed to see her mother return and immediately hugged Ye Qingchen tightly. Ye Qingchen was also happy; for so long, aside from exchanging information, she hadn't dared to return to ensure the safety of Consort Li and their two children.

Accompanying them were Aunt Dong and Dong Nanxi. Grandpa Lu and Liu Yufeng were out busy again. Aunt Dong was now pregnant and would soon have her own child. Liu Yufeng had found several capable maids who knew martial arts to take good care of her, not letting her do anything or worry about anything. She looked a little plump.

Ye Qingchen hadn't seen everyone for a while and was especially happy. She chatted with this person and that person, but she was too shy to talk to Gu Mochen directly. Gu Mochen wasn't angry; his wife was just too busy, so he just watched from the side. At this moment, Ye Qingchen suddenly remembered Ye Shiqing's child and asked Gu Mochen, "Husband, where is that child?"

Knowing Ye Qingchen would be curious about this, Gu Mochen had Bai Zhi and Fu Ling lead everyone to prepare the dishes, while his aunt waited there and watched over Xiao Yue'er. He and Dong Nanxi then took Ye Qingchen to the Dong residence. Since this was a royal residence, they naturally didn't intend to let that woman and child in, so they went to the Dong residence instead.

The woman was quietly placed in an inconspicuous, even extremely secluded, courtyard. After a period of recuperation and rest, her health had recovered quite well, and she appeared slightly plumper than before, but even so, it could not conceal her naturally beautiful face. She was holding an infant still in swaddling clothes, and upon closer inspection, people would be astonished to find that the child looked exactly like her.

Of course, the reason for this striking resemblance isn't hard to guess. It turns out that when Ye's mother was choosing women, she specifically selected those who bore some resemblance to Ye Shiqing. This woman was arguably the most similar among them. Perhaps even Ye's mother herself didn't anticipate that this woman, so strikingly similar to Ye Shiqing, would give birth to a boy, while Ye Shiqing would give birth to a girl. So, they unknowingly switched the children.

However, to ensure this crucial matter remained buried forever, unknown to others, Ye Shiqing and her mother harbored malicious intentions and cruelly decided to kill the woman. If it weren't for the intervention of the kind and upright Grandpa Liu, this poor woman would likely have already perished in the lake, becoming a cold corpse.

At first, the woman's heart was filled with endless hatred and raging rage. She desperately wanted to kill the girl born to Ye Shiqing's daughter. However, each time this terrible thought surged through her mind, a rational voice would echo in her head: if she acted so rashly, she would lose all the crucial evidence that could irrefutably accuse Ye Shiqing and her daughter of their crimes. The consequences were unimaginable, a crushing weight that made it hard to breathe.

After much deliberation and weighing of options, she ultimately had to painfully and helplessly abandon this impulsive and insane idea. Afterwards, she seemed like a different person, wholeheartedly and tirelessly taking on the responsibility of raising the child. In the deepest, most secret corner of her heart, she had harbored an extremely vicious plan—to sell the child to a brothel after he grew up, to subject him to endless humiliation and torture. But at this moment, Aunt Dong suddenly stepped forward and advised, "There's absolutely no need to do such a heinous thing! Those who commit heinous crimes will ultimately not escape the judgment and punishment of justice, but how much does all this have to do with an innocent child?" These words were like a wake-up call, causing even her previously hardened heart to waver.

The woman found Madam Liu's words very reasonable, which was why she remained silent. Since this girl was currently her daughter, she would raise her to adulthood, and one day she could exchange her for her own son—consider it an act of good karma for her son. Furthermore, she wanted to let the woman who had sold her know that when she rose to power, she would make that woman pay the price. Because of her jealousy, she had been separated from her son and was now forced to raise her enemy's daughter.

The woman saw Ye Qingchen and, recognizing her as a noblewoman, immediately knelt, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Excellency." Ye Qingchen glanced at Gu Mochen, who whispered, "I didn't tell her who I am, yet she still addresses me that way. She knows Dong Nanxi. For now, this woman will stay at the Dong residence temporarily. In a while, Uncle Liu will take both of them away." Ye Qingchen told the woman, "Get up quickly. You've just finished your confinement period. In my opinion, there's no need for you to leave the capital. Nanxi, in a couple of days, buy another courtyard nearby and let her live there. Bring a few servants; she can stay in the capital!" Then she looked at the woman again and said, "For your own life, try to go out as little as possible. When you do go out, wear a veil. When your daughter grows up, it's best if she always wears a veil. Do you understand?" The woman gave a slight bow, indicating that she understood. At the same time, she knew that she probably had other uses. This enormous secret would be revealed sooner or later, and she and her daughter were key figures in it.

The woman simply couldn't believe that Ye Qingchen was actually Ye Shiqing's sister. They were completely unrelated, making no connection whatsoever. While both Ye Qingchen and Ye Shiqing were beautiful, Ye Qingchen's beauty was ethereal and otherworldly, like that of a fairy, with bright and elegant features that needed no embellishment. Ye Shiqing was also beautiful, but she had a more delicate, refined look; her features weren't unattractive, but without makeup, she was just average, not particularly striking. Therefore, the woman couldn't see any connection between them.

Gu Mochen, who was observing his wife from the sidelines, also noticed that the Holy Maiden looked remarkably like Ye Qingchen, while his wife bore no resemblance to her biological father and was completely different from Ye Qingchen. Her beauty far surpassed Ye Shiqing's. This made Gu Mochen suspect that Ye Zhao's mistreatment of the mother and daughter might be because Ye Qingchen wasn't actually his child. However, judging from Ye Qingchen's appearance, her mother must have been a gentle, elegant, and beautiful woman. So, what was the reason she didn't give birth to Ye Zhao's child? Ye Qingchen herself also had her suspicions, but she hadn't had time to investigate. Gu Mochen, however, had already made a plan to investigate this matter and help his wife get rid of her scumbag father, Ye Zhao, as soon as possible.