The False Heiress's True Face

After An Laiyun returned home, he thought about Jiang Nuan's inner voice and remained half-convinced at best. That timid daughter of his did not even dare raise her voice. How could she possibly be so capable?

And then there was Xue'er. Though she was not his biological daughter, she had grown up under his guidance. She was educated, well-mannered, generous, and kind. How could she possibly frame Yan'er?

Still, Jiang Nuan's inner voice had left a considerable impression on him, so he decided to investigate for himself. Seeing was believing; hearsay was not.

An Laiyun first went to the courtyard of the false heiress, An Yuxue, but found no one there. After asking around, he learned that she had gone to see the true heiress, An Yan.

Xue'er is so kind. She must have gone to show An Yan some concern. Clearly, An Yan was the one at fault, yet Xue'er still has to bow her head and humble herself. She has truly been wronged.

Thinking of the bullying An Yuxue usually suffered at An Yan's hands, An Laiyun felt uncomfortable. He quickened his pace, intending to stand up for An Yuxue.

The farther he walked, the more secluded the surroundings became. He only stopped when he reached a dilapidated courtyard.

For his legitimate daughter, a young lady of the distinguished Minister's Residence, to live somewhere like this was going a little too far.

But then An Laiyun remembered how An Yan had tried to steal Xue'er's courtyard and even pushed Xue'er into the lake. That was why he had assigned her this place in a fit of anger.

An Yan had brought all of this upon herself. It had nothing to do with him!

When he entered the courtyard, he found it deserted. He had originally assigned five maids and five male servants to An Yan's quarters. Later, because she had misbehaved, he had reduced that to one maid and one male servant. Still, surely there should have been someone here?

Full of questions, An Laiyun approached An Yan's bedroom door. Just as he was about to push it open, he heard An Yuxue's voice.

Unlike her usual gentle, soft-spoken manner, her voice now dripped with spite and venom.

"An Yan, you were gone for so long. Why couldn't you just stay put in your wretched countryside? Why did you have to come back? Father and Mother's love should have been mine alone. Why did you have to come and fight me for it?"

An Laiyun's eyes widened at those words. Was this really the daughter he knew?

He still remembered when An Yan had first been brought home. Upon seeing the state she was in, Xue'er had shed tears of sympathy, then held his arm and said:

"Father, Sister Yan must have suffered so much. It's all my fault. Why don't I give everything back to her? As long as I can stay by your and Mother's side, I'd be willing even to be a maid."

How had she become like this?

An Yan, however, seemed long accustomed to this face of hers. She said mockingly:

"What, no one's here, so you can't even be bothered to pretend? Do you think I want to compete with you? If I'd known the Minister's Residence was like this, I never would have come. Don't worry. I'll explain everything to Minister An and leave the Minister's Residence."

"Hmph. You'd better do as you say, or I'll make your life in the Minister's Residence worse than death. I keep my word!"

With that, An Yuxue flicked her sleeve and prepared to leave. After spending so long in this country bumpkin's room, she felt as though an unpleasant smell had clung to her.

Hearing An Yuxue coming out, An Laiyun immediately hid to one side.

Once An Yuxue had left, An Yan began packing her belongings. She had been at the Minister's Residence for over half a year, yet everything she had accumulated fit into a single small bundle.

Looking at the shabby furnishings inside and the bundle in her hands, An Laiyun felt a pang of heartache. She was his daughter! How could she be living worse than the servants in her own home?

Even the clothes An Yan wore had several patches. If she went out looking like this and claimed to be the daughter of the Minister's Residence, probably no one would believe her.

When she saw him, An Yan put down her bundle and said coldly, "What, has An Yuxue gone running to you with another complaint? Go on, how do you want to punish me this time? Hurry up. I'm pressed for time. Oh, right, once you're done, sign this Severance Letter. From now on, we'll have nothing to do with each other, and you won't have to worry about this daughter staining your reputation anymore."

An Laiyun opened his mouth to explain, but he had no idea what to say.

"Minister An, please hurry up and sign this Severance Letter. Haven't you all been looking forward to this day for ages? Don't worry. Once I leave, I won't tell anyone about our relationship. I won't tarnish your Minister's Residence."

Watching him stall, An Yan found it rather strange. Though An Laiyun had never explicitly said he wanted to sever their family ties, his actions had already given her the answer. Now that she had brought it up herself, he should have been delighted. Why was he not signing at once?

At first, An Yan really had held out hope for her biological parents. But the higher her hopes, the greater her disappointment. Now, she no longer expected anything from them.

"No. I won't agree to the Severance Letter. You will always be a daughter of the Minister's Residence."

An Laiyun refused, then fled in a panic, as though he were afraid to face An Yan.

Afterward, he instructed the steward to move An Yan into the best-situated courtyard in the Minister's Residence and furnish it entirely with the most expensive things.

Perhaps he meant to make amends. But when An Yan saw the lilies being delivered, she gave a cold laugh. Lilies were An Yuxue's favorite flowers. She, as it happened, was allergic to them.

An Yan did not know what madness had come over An Laiyun, nor did she care to find out. She had finally made up her mind and did not want any more complications. She took out ten Severance Letters she had written in advance, each bearing her signature and fingerprint, left them somewhere conspicuous, and departed from the Minister's Residence.

After she left the Minister's Residence, a cold wind blew past, making An Yan shiver. Though her body felt a little cold, her heart felt lighter than ever.

Unfortunately, she was penniless and could not afford an inn. Then she remembered a cave she had stumbled upon while living in the countryside. She planned to make do there for a few days, then find odd jobs and gradually support herself.

Meanwhile, Guagua, who was enjoying the drama, saw this turn of events and hurriedly nudged Jiang Nuan, who was still taking her afternoon nap.

[Host, host, wake up! We've got work to do! If you don't get up, your money tree is going to run away!]

Jiang Nuan woke groggily and asked Guagua:

[Guagua, what did you say? What money tree?]

[That woman who'll become Great Xia's richest female merchant! For some reason, her father has already discovered the false heiress's true face, but she has no intention of forgiving him. She's already signed the Severance Letter and left the Minister's Residence!

Now she seems to be planning to make do in a cave, but she caught a chill there and was left with a lingering illness afterward. Host, host, wake up! Let's hurry and go pick her up!]

Guagua frantically urged Jiang Nuan to go pick her up.