bookcurios Chapter 126: The Mystery of Life (Part )
Chapter 126: The Mystery of Life (Part )
Upon hearing this, Ye Chuxue raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at Chang with a half-smile. "It's not impossible to give you the antidote, but the prerequisite is that you must tell me my life story honestly and word for word. Otherwise, hehe, you can slowly enjoy the inhuman torture brought by this poison."
Chang's eyes widened, her face filled with rage as she roared, "You ungrateful little bitch! If I hadn't taken you in out of kindness, you would have died long ago! Even if I didn't give birth to you, I'm still your mother! If I were to die today, you would be mercilessly spurned and cursed by the world, and become the target of public criticism!"
Hearing this, Ye Chuxue's lips curled up slightly, revealing a disdainful sneer. She nonchalantly responded, "Let them curse all they want! It's just some harmless gossip. I don't care! Besides, you're imprisoned now. Even if you die here, who would know the truth? Is that Ye Xinrou foolish enough to spread this story everywhere?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Chuxue narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at Ye Xinrou with a cold, knife-like gaze. That threatening and warning look chilled Ye Xinrou's spine, and a warning bell rang in her heart: No, I must not let my mother die like this! If she didn't reveal what she knew in time, she would probably die too. Ye Chuxue had already fallen into a state of madness, and there was nothing she wouldn't dare do!
Thinking of this, Ye Xinrou couldn't help but show a look of fear. She looked at Chang anxiously and said in a tone that was almost pleading, "Mother, please tell me everything you know! Otherwise, I'm afraid both mother and daughter will die here today! Is there any secret in the world that is more important than life and death?"
Chang sighed deeply, her face filled with sorrow. Her eyes closed slightly, as if she was trying to calm the turmoil within her. After a long moment, she slowly opened them and said in a tone that was slightly tired yet tinged with determination, "Forget it! Now that things have come to this, I won't hide anything anymore. I will tell you everything I know, but you must keep your promise, let Rou'er and I go, and give me the antidote."
Chang stared at Ye Chuxue closely, and only after seeing the other party nod slightly did he breathe a sigh of relief and then began to tell the story of the long-forgotten past.
"Back when I married into the Ye family, my master was just a small county magistrate stationed at the border. Although he held a lowly rank, he was honest and upright. He always cared about the people and was solely dedicated to their well-being.
Later, this matter somehow reached the ears of the current emperor, who was so pleased that he promoted me to the position of Minister of Personnel and was able to come to Beijing to take up my post. By that time, I was already over eight months pregnant.
We traveled a long way, exhausted and dusty. However, as we reached the border with the Eastern Liao Kingdom, perhaps due to the long journey and the fatigue, I suddenly felt a sharp, unbearable pain in my abdomen. My master, distraught, quickly ordered me to rest in a nearby inn while I waited for the birth. Then, he hurried out to find a midwife to assist.
But who could have predicted that when he returned, he would be holding a baby in his arms and a heavy box. And the box contained nothing but a thick stack of banknotes...”
Ye Chuxue's crescent-shaped eyebrows were tightly furrowed, her face full of suspicion, and she opened her red lips and said, "How many banknotes are there? They even need to be packed in a box?" Her eyes fell straight on Chang, as if she wanted to find out the clues from the other's expression.
Chang was startled by the sharp gaze and involuntarily avoided Ye Chuxue's sight. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly stretched out a hand, spread out her five fingers, and said with a slight stutter, "A whole... a whole five hundred thousand taels!"
When Ye Chuxue heard this number, she felt a buzzing in her head, and the shock in her heart was like a raging wave, instantly drowning her.
No wonder! She secretly exclaimed in her heart, such a huge amount of silver bills must be hidden behind an unknown secret.
Thinking of this, Ye Chuxue showed a look of disdain on her face. She stared at Chang coldly and said sarcastically, "Humph, I guessed that these banknotes were used as bargaining chips to make you treat me well."
Chang nodded slightly, agreeing with Ye Chuxue's guess. Then, she took a deep breath and continued to explain, "The person who handed you over to the master knew that the master was looking for a midwife, so he proposed to make a deal with the master.
He first handed the box filled with banknotes and you in your cradle to the master, and then solemnly instructed us to take good care of you as if you were our own daughter.
Not only that, but we must also declare to the public that you are our biological child, and never let on that you were actually adopted. Finally, the man added that he would come back to look for you one day.
Chang's gaze was like a bottomless pool of water, staring at Ye Xinrou meaningfully, making it difficult to guess what she was really thinking at the moment.
After a moment's silence, she slowly spoke, "It was quite a coincidence. I had a difficult labor, and despite all my efforts, I delivered a stillborn baby. When I learned that the other party could offer such a huge sum of money, I knew he must be either wealthy or noble, someone we ordinary people couldn't afford to offend. So, we made the decision right then and there—to announce that the baby was you."
While speaking, Chang's gaze never left Ye Xinrou, but in the depths of those seemingly calm eyes, there was a hint of imperceptible guilt.
Ye Chuxue, who had been quietly observing their every move, naturally didn't miss this subtle change. In an instant, everything seemed to become clear. It turned out that there was no such thing as a concubine dying from heavy bleeding during childbirth. The truth was that Ye Xinrou before them was their true flesh and blood!
Thinking of this, Ye Chuxue couldn't help but sneer in her heart: "Haha, what a money-grubber! But never mind, after all, I'm not their biological daughter. Although I haven't had a good life in the Prime Minister's Mansion these years, at least they have raised me. Let's just write off all the grudges of the past.
"Back then, he was able to give the Prime Minister so much money and ask him to protect the original owner, so he must have had some unspeakable reasons. The most urgent thing is to find the original owner's biological parents, so as not to leave any regrets for the original owner."