Astonishment

Before long, Steward Liu, Matron Ruan, and two maids entered. They knelt and kowtowed toward the head of the room.

Seeing no one behind them and seeing them perform such a formal salute, the old marchioness's face darkened. "Where is she? Where is the person you went to fetch?"

"Old Madam, Miss Xi said we had no proof that she was a child of the marquis's residence, so she refused to come back with us," Matron Ruan said.

Everyone was stunned.

Zhao Ruyu, who had returned to her seat behind the second madam, was so astonished that her mouth fell open, her composure forgotten.

Why is this different from my previous life? In her previous life, Xu Xi had been utterly small-minded as soon as she was brought back. She had been timid in everything she did, and neither her words nor her actions had been fit for proper company. The old madam and the marchioness had taken a dislike to her at their first meeting, and had repeatedly mocked and blamed the second madam over her, just as they had a moment ago.

The second madam had seemingly disliked Xu Xi to begin with, and the old madam and the marchioness's repeated scoldings over the matter had only made her hate Xu Xi more. So she had treated Xu Xi just as she treated her adopted daughter, Zhao Ruyu: warm and affectionate in public, but mocking, neglecting, and even tormenting her in private.

As a child raised in a humble household, Xu Xi had felt deeply inferior after entering the marquis's residence. Her own mother, the second madam, had treated her that way too, and the servants in the residence, who fawned on the powerful and trampled on the weak, had shown her no respect at all. It had left her even more depressed and insecure. Later, when she reached marriageable age, the marchioness had taken her out to socialize, but she had made all manner of mistakes and become a laughingstock among the capital's noble young ladies.

The marquis's household had long been in decline and could no longer gain entry to the highest aristocratic circles. Its ladies usually socialized with women from households in the same predicament or the wives of minor officials of the fifth and sixth ranks. Xu Xi's origins had already been a favorite topic of gossip, and her embarrassing display had brought even more ridicule upon the marquis's household.

The old madam had been furious and simply ordered that Xu Xi no longer be taken out.

Thus Xu Xi's years had slipped away until she was eighteen, when the second madam had arranged for her to marry a man from a family of little means and with a thoroughly bad reputation.

Zhao Ruyu remembered clearly that Xu Xi had been brought back on this very day in her previous life, because today was Zhao Ruyu's birthday. Although the second madam paid it little attention, the marchioness would have the kitchen prepare a few of her favorite dishes especially for her and have a new outfit made for her; her sisters in the residence would also give her small gifts.

But because Xu Xi was to be brought back today, no one except her older and younger female cousins had spared a thought for her birthday.

Yet things had turned out differently from her previous life. Not only had Xu Xi refused to obediently return to the marquis's residence with Matron Ruan, she had even said things like, "There's no proof that I'm a child of the marquis's residence, so I won't go back."

Zhao Ruyu didn't know whether she had misheard. Is that something Xu Xi could have said? Could Xu Xi have been reborn too, just like me?

She stared intently at Matron Ruan, hoping she would repeat what she had just said.

But after speaking, Matron Ruan stood there dutifully with her head slightly bowed, saying nothing more.

After her initial surprise, the old marchioness looked at Steward Liu. "Liu Heng, tell us exactly what happened." Her tone had returned to its usual calm.

"Yes."

Steward Liu dared not embellish the story and truthfully reported everything that had happened that day.

Hearing him repeat Xu Xi's words, then hearing that Xu Xi had even tried to hang herself rather than return to the marquis's residence, everyone was stunned. They stole glances at the old madam and saw that her face had long since turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Zhao Ruyu was now certain that the present Xu Xi was definitely not the Xu Xi from her previous life.

"...That is what happened. This old servant was worried that Miss Xi might do something drastic again, and also that people might say the marquis's residence was forcing her against her will. So I did not press her further and came back first to report to the old madam, the marquis, and the marchioness before proceeding," Steward Liu said.

The old marchioness sat at the head of the room without speaking for a long while.

The whispers of discussion that had continued until then all died away. Everyone sat in silence, afraid to make the slightest sound.

After a long while, the old marchioness sighed, rubbed her forehead, and waved a hand. "All right, go and rest for now."

Once Steward Liu, Matron Ruan, and the others had withdrawn, the old marchioness added, "Lady Zhu, Lady Wei, stay. Everyone else may leave."

The madams and young ladies of the marquis's residence withdrew with their servants. Even the marchioness and the second madam sent their maids and older female servants out, leaving only the three mistresses and the old marchioness's trusted attendant, Matron Jin, in the room.

The old marchioness turned her prayer beads in her hand, her eyes half closed. "What do you have to say?"

"Naturally, she must be brought back," the marchioness was the first to answer. "News that the children were switched came from the capital prefect's office, and it has already spread throughout the capital. If we don't bring her back now, won't our household become a laughingstock?"

The prayer beads stopped in the old marchioness's hand. She opened her eyes and glanced at the second madam. "Lady Wei, what about you?"

Lady Wei had kept her head lowered, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.

Only then did she raise her head and nod. "I will do as the old madam and the marchioness say."

The old marchioness watched her through narrowed eyes for a while. Only when the second madam had stiffened all over and lowered her head, twisting her skirt uncomfortably, did she close her eyes again. "Lady Wei, tomorrow you and Yuanliang will take Miss Yu and go there together," she said calmly. "You two are Miss Xi's birth parents. Only if you go to fetch her yourselves will she feel reassured. Miss Yu is the Xu family's daughter; no matter what, she ought to visit their home and meet her family."

"Yes." The second madam hurriedly rose to her feet and agreed.

"I don't care whether you love that child or whether you want to bring her back. She is our blood, and we cannot allow her to remain away from the family. Our household is far worse off than it used to be. If we have a granddaughter left out in the world as well, the people of the capital will surely laugh at us. Who will be willing to marry into our family after that?"

The prayer beads paused in the old marchioness's hand. After a moment's thought, she added, "The hundred taels Steward Liu took today weren't given to them. Tomorrow, have Miss Yu take them and make it clear that they are her gift to her uncle and aunt. Besides that, prepare some fine silk and pastries."

The second madam lowered her head again and assented.

Only then did the old marchioness wave the two women away.

After they had gone, the old marchioness instructed Matron Jin, "Go and summon the marquis and the second master."

There were a dozen or so men and boys in the marquis's residence. Aside from the marquis, who held a sinecure at a government office, the rest had nothing to do. The marquis's post was a sinecure, so naturally he seldom had to go to the office to work. Thus, not one of the men in the household was busy at a government office; they passed their days either at home or in teahouses and restaurants.

Fortunately, because the household's expenses exceeded its income, the old marchioness kept a tight hold on the purse strings. Apart from their monthly allowances, no one was allowed to draw money from the household accounts. If anyone was discovered gambling or visiting brothels, even the Marquis of Suiping himself would be subject to the old marchioness's family discipline.

Thus, although the men of the Marquis of Suiping's Residence were incapable, they did not dare cause trouble outside. At most, they went to teahouses to listen to storytellers and drink tea, and their haunts were always the same.

Less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea after Matron Jin went out, the Marquis of Suiping, Zhao Yuan'an, and his brother, the second master Zhao Yuanliang, entered the main hall one after the other.