Chapter 1050 - 448: Wives and Concubines (Part 1)
Xi Yu stepped forward and said: "Please, Great Aunt, have a seat in the side hall. My Madam needs to nurse the Eldest Miss." In noble families, it wasn’t unusual for the Madam to personally nurse the children, so Yueyao nursing Xiao Kexin was perfectly normal, and there were no comments about it from outsiders.
An Ning’s eyes were still on Xiao Kexin: "May I hold her?" For some reason, looking at this child made An Ning feel a sense of closeness.
Seeing An Ning’s attitude, Yueyao’s dislike for her lessened a little: "Go out for a bit, and I’ll let you hold her later." This child was usually very well-behaved, but if she was hungry and not fed, she would cry loudly enough to raise the roof.
An Ning didn’t stay, and obediently went to the side hall to wait. An Ning softly asked her maid, Chun Wen: "Don’t you think that child’s features resemble Maternal Auntie? No, not just resemble, they are exactly the same." The nose and mouth also looked very much like Maternal Auntie.
After saying this, An Ning was stunned without Chun Wen needing to remind her. Her Maternal Auntie let her come to see Xiao Kexin, could it be... her third brother’s child looks like Maternal Auntie, what does that signify? At this thought, An Ning’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest.
An Ning asked the maid serving in the room: "When can I go in?" She had to see that little girl again, she had to look carefully.
Waiting seemed particularly long, and although it was less than a quarter of an hour, An Ning felt as if a year had passed.
Yueyao was very meticulous about nursing the child. Because milk would splash onto her clothes each time she fed, Yueyao had to change her clothes several times a day. Speaking of post-partum recovery, Yueyao was also quite comfortable. Five days after giving birth, Nanny Hua suggested that Yueyao wipe herself with hot water every day. Yueyao was surprised, remembering Mingzhu saying a month without washing her hair or bathing was necessary. Back then, Nanny Hua had replied that Mingzhu doesn’t need to nurse a child, but Yueyao does, so she should keep herself clean which is better for the child.
Yueyao felt very embarrassed at the time. In good weather, Nanny Hua even allowed Yueyao to wash her hair, though it had to be dried by the maid immediately. Because of these privileges, Yueyao didn’t find it difficult, except for not being able to go out.
After changing her clothes, Yueyao looked at her daughter beside her, who was sleeping sweetly, and kissed her with a smile: "You eat well and sleep well every day, truly a little pig."
Xi Yu softly reminded Yueyao: "Miss, Great Aunt is urging about when she can come in." If it weren’t for fear of the Old Master getting angry, she would have thrown this woman out already.
Yueyao snapped back to reality, realizing An Ning was still waiting outside: "Let her come in!" This matter couldn’t be hidden and needed to be resolved sooner.
When An Ning came in, she carefully observed Xiao Kexin, the more she looked, the more she felt she resembled Maternal Auntie, and the more she looked, the more panic she felt. When An Ning left, it was as if a storm was raging in her heart.
On the carriage, Chun Wen softly asked: "Miss, are we going back to the Qin Mansion, or to Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion?" Chun Wen felt that it was best for her Miss not to get involved in this mess, considering the consequences of this matter.
An Ning said: "To Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion."
Upon reaching Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion, An Ning immediately sought out Maternal Aunt Liu, telling her what she had seen: "Mother, the child’s features are exactly like yours. Mother, what is going on?" Mother always told her that her real brother was her second brother, but why does her third brother’s daughter resemble her mother so much?
Maternal Aunt Liu always thought Lady Fang was foolish, but reality proved it was she who was foolish, not Lady Fang. She prided herself on being smart, yet had unwittingly fallen into Lady Fang’s trap. Thinking of what she had done to her son, Maternal Aunt Liu fainted.
An Ning panicked: "Mother, Mother..."
The maid next to Maternal Aunt Liu immediately ran out to call a doctor.
Marquis Weiyuan, hearing of Maternal Aunt Liu’s collapse, rushed over in haste. In truth, Marquis Weiyuan no longer managed matters, as the household’s affairs were mostly left to An Zhiren, so although the servants were gossiping about An Zhichen’s daughter resembling Maternal Aunt Liu, Marquis Weiyuan was unaware.
When Maternal Aunt Liu woke up and saw Marquis Weiyuan, she cried out loud: "Marquis, Marquis..." Maternal Aunt Liu usually cried with delicate charm, fragile and endearing. But this time, she cried hoarsely, filled with immense sorrow.
Marquis Weiyuan was so anxious that he was becoming gray-haired: "What’s wrong? Who’s bullying you? Tell me, and I’ll stand up for you!" Marquis Weiyuan truly liked Maternal Aunt Liu, not just for her beauty as the rumors said. If it was purely for looks, Maternal Aunt Liu, now forty, would not appeal anymore, no matter how well-maintained. Yet, for all these years, Marquis Weiyuan treated her as he had over twenty years ago.
Maternal Aunt Liu couldn’t speak, she couldn’t express her inner torment. The person she cared for over twenty years turned out to be the enemy’s child; the one she had always wanted to eliminate was her own son, how could she articulate this?
An Ning, however, was not so concerned, saying: "Father, my third brother’s daughter looks a lot like Mother. Father, my third brother is actually Mother’s son." If Kexin wasn’t Mother’s biological granddaughter, how could she look so much like Mother? With this, no other evidence was necessary; it was enough to show that the third brother was Auntie’s child, her real brother.
Marquis Weiyuan scolded: "Xiner, these are just rumors, don’t believe the gossip outside."
With a mournful face, An Ning said: "Father, it’s not a rumor, it’s true. I went to see for myself today, that child really looks like Mother."
Marquis Weiyuan suddenly realized why Maternal Aunt Liu cried so desperately. He gritted his teeth, exclaiming: "Lady Fang..." All of this must be Lady Fang’s doing.