Matron Ruan Returns to the Residence
Zhao Yuanliang and Lady Wei went out, while Zhao Ruyu stayed behind.
The old marchioness asked, "How did it go when you met your family today?"
Zhao Ruyu smiled awkwardly. "It was all right. We just said hello. Everyone's attention was on Fifth Sister." As for whether that Fifth Sister was Xu Xi or Xu Xue, that was not for her to say.
But in her previous life, nothing like this had happened. Xu Xi had been brought back yesterday, and everyone had simply taken it for granted that she was the young lady who had been switched at birth. Though Lady Wei disliked her, she had not said Xu Xi was not her daughter.
The old marchioness had kept Zhao Ruyu behind because she was worried she would take the matter to heart. The residence had gone to great lengths to raise Zhao Ruyu to adulthood and had done its utmost to cultivate her, so naturally it expected the appropriate returns from a marriage alliance. If the matter of acknowledging her birth family left Zhao Ruyu disheartened, the loss would outweigh the gain.
She offered Zhao Ruyu a few gentle words of reassurance and kept her for a meal before letting her return to her room.
Zhao Ruyu returned to her courtyard, sat down on a chair, and let out a long breath.
"The old madam won't have you go again tomorrow or the day after, will she?" Fushu asked worriedly.
At the old marchioness's place just now, the old marchioness had not brought it up, and Zhao Ruyu had not felt it was proper to ask.
But the day after tomorrow was the day of the capital's Women's Academy examination.
Zhao Ruyu thought for a moment and said, "Go out tomorrow and hire a carriage to wait at the back gate. Make sure to grease the palms of the gatekeeping matrons, too. No matter what the old madam has planned for the day after tomorrow, I'm taking the Women's Academy examination."
Fushu frowned. "Should you write a letter to your cousin and ask her to take you to the Wei residence for a couple of days?"
Although Lady Wei had never liked Zhao Ruyu, Zhao Ruyu had still been her only daughter in name. Besides, she had a sweet tongue and knew how to please people, so the old madam of the Wei family had treated her quite well. Lady Wei's brother's daughter, Wei Mingzhu, had treated Zhao Ruyu like her own sister. Zhao Ruyu and Wei Mingzhu had also agreed to take the Women's Academy examination together.
Zhao Ruyu lowered her eyes and shook her head. "At a time like this, I really shouldn't go to the Wei residence."
Before, the Wei family had liked her because she was Lady Wei's birth daughter. Now that she was not, she did not know what they thought of her. At this critical juncture, she would rather sneak out of the marquis's residence to take the examination than go to the Wei residence and invite complications.
The Wei residence was Lady Wei's maiden home. If Lady Wei found out and stopped her from taking the examination, going there would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's jaws, leaving her no freedom at all.
At the marquis's residence, on the other hand, the old marchioness and the marchioness were in charge. Lady Wei could only control the little patch of ground that was her own courtyard. If Zhao Ruyu wanted to do something, Lady Wei really could not stop her.
Zhao Ruyu taking the Women's Academy examination could only benefit the Marquis of Suiping's Residence, so she ought not to have kept it from the old madam.
But she had not taken the Women's Academy examination in her previous life, so she had no confidence and was terribly afraid she would fail. If she failed and the whole residence knew about it, with the truth of her birth coming to light at the same time, there was no telling what people in the residence would say about her. Lady Wei in particular was always making cutting remarks; if she learned that Zhao Ruyu had taken the academy examination and failed, she would surely mock her about it all day long.
So she wanted to take the examination quietly first. If she passed, it would naturally be an honor; if she failed, no one would know, and she could simply pretend it had never happened. That was why she had not even told the old madam.
"No matter what's planned for the day after tomorrow, I'm taking that academy examination."
After saying this to Fushu, Zhao Ruyu stood up, went to her desk, sat down, and began to read.
For this examination, success was the only option; failure was not.
As soon as Zhao Ruyu left, the marchioness, Lady Zhu, heard that Zhao Yuanliang and his wife had returned and came over as well.
The old marchioness had her daughter-in-law sit down, then summoned Steward Liu. "Give me a full account of what happened today, down to the smallest detail."
Steward Liu was the chief steward of the residence and was deeply loyal to the old marchioness and the current marquis. He also knew of the old marchioness's dissatisfaction with the second master and his wife.
He was impartial, however, and gave a detailed account of the day's events.
After listening, the old marchioness turned to her daughter-in-law. "What do you make of what happened today?"
Lady Zhu frowned. "It's hard to say. Is Lady Wei's sense of her daughter really that strong?"
She was a mother herself, and she too had heard that mothers and daughters were connected at heart, that a mother would sense it if something happened to her child. But she had never experienced it herself and always found the idea a little mysterious.
Perhaps it was because her children had all been at her side.
"There is indeed something odd about this," the old marchioness said. "If it were someone else, I might believe it. But with Lady Wei, why do I have the feeling there's some trickery afoot?"
"Then what do we do now? Are you still going to bring that girl called Xu Xi back, Mother?"
The old marchioness thought for a moment, then instructed Steward Liu, "Go to the capital prefect's office and ask the prefect to question that wet nurse carefully again. Find out exactly what happened when she switched the children back then, and whether she remembers any distinguishing marks on the child. If her answers are satisfactory, perhaps we can plead on her behalf and have her punishment reduced a little."
"Yes." Steward Liu bowed and left.
The old marchioness then looked at Matron Jin. "Send someone to Little Banyan Village to investigate thoroughly. Find out who the real young lady of our residence is, and why Lady Wei is so adamant that it's the one called Xu Xue."
She paused. "Also, keep a secret watch on Little Banyan Village and see whether Lady Wei makes contact with them behind our backs. If anything happens, don't alert them. Report to me first."
"Yes." Matron Jin curtsied, then turned and went out to carry out her orders.
The old marchioness then instructed a maid, "Go and see why A Ruan still hasn't returned." She was somewhat dissatisfied with Matron Ruan's ability to handle matters.
The maid answered and had only just passed through the courtyard gate when she returned, with Matron Ruan following behind her.
"Old madam." Matron Ruan bowed.
"I sent you along to keep an eye on them and prevent them from causing trouble. Yet there you were, spending half the day in the county town while Lady Wei made herself a laughingstock in Little Banyan Village," the old marchioness said, her face stern.
Matron Ruan did not dare defend herself and simply knelt and admitted her fault.
"All right, get up." The old marchioness knew that Lady Wei was the mistress, while Matron Ruan, however favored, was only a servant. Even if Matron Ruan had been there, she could not have restrained Lady Wei. The old marchioness was merely giving her a warning.
She said, "You know everything Lady Wei did in Little Banyan Village, don't you? What do you think? Which of them, Xu Xue or Xu Xi, is the young lady of the marquis's residence?"
This was precisely what Matron Ruan had come to report to the old marchioness.
She immediately told the old marchioness how closely Madam Xie and Xu Xue resembled each other. "Before I came back, I also made some inquiries in the village. Everyone said Miss Xue is Madam Xie's birth daughter. After all, she is half a year younger than Xu Xi and grew up in the village from childhood. From her birth until now, the villagers have all said she looks exactly like Madam Xie did when she was young. Her appearance hasn't changed greatly, either, so there's absolutely no mistaking her for Miss Xi."
Only after hearing this did the old marchioness breathe a sigh of relief.
If Xu Xue's and Xu Xi's identities could not be established, the residence would be in a difficult position. If the matter dragged on, word was bound to get out, and everyone in the capital would know.
The switched children were enough to make the Marquis of Suiping's Residence a laughingstock. If word also got out that Lady Wei had mistaken someone else for her daughter, they could forget about going out to socialize. Several young masters and young ladies in the residence had yet to have their marriages settled.
For now, word had not spread. If they brought Xu Xi back immediately and made sure no news of today's events got out, the matter would at least remain within their control.