13
The Mystery of Identity
Bai Jingchu had been prepared. Without hesitation, she snatched the ancestral tablet from the altar and struck Bai Jingshu squarely on the forehead.
Thwack!
Bai Jingshu instantly saw stars and released her grip.
“That,” Bai Jingchu declared, “is the Bai family ancestors teaching you a lesson for your unfilial behavior.”
The wet nurse and Qingmo both gasped in shock.
Bai Jingshu flew into a rage. “How dare you fight back? Qingmo, are you just going to stand there?”
Qingmo rushed to protect her mistress and moved to intervene.
But Bai Jingchu displayed astonishing strength, easily shaking Qingmo off.
Thwack! Thwack!
Two more blows landed.
“And that’s for bullying me.”
Bai Jingshu staggered, collapsing to the ground with a thud, her face instantly turning livid with fury. Qingmo hurried over to help her up, shouting loudly for assistance.
Bai Jingchu reverently placed the ancestral tablet back on the altar, muttering under her breath, “Our ancestors are impartial and don’t play favorites. I, Bai Jingchu, will definitely offer you more delicacies from Zhenxiu Zhai another day.”
Two red, swollen bumps quickly rose on Bai Jingshu’s head—one on each side, one large and one small, as if a pair of horns had sprouted out of nowhere.
Bai Jingchu nearly burst out laughing. Feigning concern, she asked warmly, “Sister, why have you grown horns?”
Bai Jingshu felt as if a swarm of bees had invaded her mind, buzzing incessantly. It took her a long moment to regain her senses.
“You dare hit me?” she seethed. “Bai Jingchu, I’ll make sure you regret this!”
Bai Jingchu shook her head. “Is Sister offering me something delicious? I don’t want it—it stinks!”
With a dismissive wave, she swaggered out of the ancestral hall.
On the roof, Chu Jiu pulled out paper and a brush from his robe and meticulously recorded another offense for Bai Jingshu in his little booklet, adding vivid details.
Truly, hearing about something is not as reliable as seeing it with your own eyes.
Over the past three years, Madame Bai Chen had been parading her newly recognized daughter, Bai Jingshu, around everywhere.
She repeatedly claimed that her daughter had been a vegetarian and Buddhist since childhood, the kindest of souls, respectful, filial, and virtuous.
Everyone in the Marquis’ household had believed it. Little did they know—it’s easy to draw a tiger’s skin but hard to draw its bones; you may know a person’s face, but not their heart.
Only our young master had the sharp eye to see through it.
Marrying the wrong woman ruins three generations—such a woman must never be wed!
As for this Miss Jingchu… how pitiful. Simple-minded is one thing, but she’s also deranged and violent. If this continues, she’ll likely be sent to the madhouse by the Bai family, doomed to a life of darkness.
He wasn’t the only one who thought so. Wet Nurse Li Ma was also pacing anxiously in the Xinyi Courtyard.
This time, her young mistress had really crossed a line and was sure to suffer for it.
The maid, Xuecha, sat on the steps, chin in hand. “Clearly, the eldest young lady went too far and bullied our young lady first. Why is Madame so biased?”
“What do you know?” Wet Nurse Li snapped, her patience worn thin. “Madame has known from the very beginning that our young lady is an imposter and has never shown her any kindness.
Now she’s blaming all the hardships Miss Jingshu endured in the nunnery on our young lady. Isn’t she just a thorn in Madame’s side?
I’m afraid that today, by injuring the eldest young lady without restraint, if Madame flies into a rage and sends her to the madhouse, she’ll never set foot outside again.”
“I heard it was all just an accident—it’s not our young lady’s fault. Since Madame knew about the mix-up, why didn’t she swap them back immediately?”
Li Ma heaved a long sigh. “It’s a long story. Back then, the first wife had just given birth to Miss Jingshu three days prior, and the entire household was overjoyed.”
I was carrying Lady Jingshu with Mama Bai to visit the gravely ill elderly madam when, as we passed through the garden, a golden eagle suddenly swooped down from the sky and snatched Lady Jingshu from Mama Bai’s arms.
Everyone was utterly shocked. Once they recovered, the eldest master immediately sent men on horseback in hot pursuit. After much effort, they finally rescued a barely breathing infant girl from the eagle’s sharp talons—this was Lady Jingchu.
At that time, Lady Jingchu had already stopped breathing, her face turning purple from suffocation.
Our family’s elderly master, using the legendary Thirteen Needles of the Underworld, miraculously revived Lady Jingchu and brought her back to the estate.
The madam immediately insisted that her daughter had been switched. Mama Bai and I observed that this infant girl seemed different—as if she had just been born, with her umbilical cord still not fully dried.
However, there was the baby swaddle embroidered by the madam herself as evidence. Moreover, the infant had just survived a great ordeal, her body covered in bruises, and she had been rescued from the eagle’s grasp. Everyone thought the madam was being overly suspicious and paid it no mind.
Most importantly, the elderly madam was critically ill and couldn’t withstand any shocks, so the elderly master immediately acknowledged Lady Jingchu as his own and forbade anyone from questioning or gossiping further.
The madam held onto her doubts, and over the years, she couldn’t help but secretly inquire and visit temples to pray. Although she wasn’t close to Lady Jingchu, she at least maintained a pleasant demeanor.
Who would have thought that sixteen years later, another Lady Jingshu would suddenly appear to claim her identity? Otherwise, our young lady would now… Ah!”
Xuetea looked puzzled. “How did this Lady Jingshu learn of her origins? And what proof does she have? I don’t think she looks anything like our master or madam.”
The wet nurse shook her head. “Who knows? In any case, the madam acknowledged her on the spot and dotes on her like a precious gem. It must be true, I suppose.”
Bai Jingchu, bored, was helping ants relocate while eavesdropping on the conversation between the wet nurse and Xuetea.
Sixteen years—carefree, clothed in silks and fed on delicacies.
Her grandfather had even imparted all his medical knowledge to her.
The debt of saving her life and the years of nurturing were enough to outweigh the biological parents’ contribution of giving her life.
Yet, she still yearned to know the truth about her origins.
Three years ago, she had asked Bai Jingshu more than once, but Bai Jingshu always evaded the question, refusing to tell her the truth.
Later, Bai Jingshu even resorted to various schemes against her, causing Bai Chenshi and Bai Jing’an to grow increasingly disappointed and even disgusted with her, eager to drive her out of the Bai residence.
So, what Xuetea suspected was exactly what she desperately wanted to know.
She was even more curious—why did Bai Jingshu despise her so much when she never fought for anything and endured humiliation without complaint?
Even though she had already fallen to such a wretched state, Bai Jingshu still refused to let her be.
As she pondered, the courtyard gate was pushed open rudely.
It was Mama Rong from Bai Chenshi’s household.
“Lady Jingchu, my mistress requests your presence.”
The wet nurse was immediately terrified and tried to probe discreetly. “It’s almost time for the evening meal. Does the madam need something from our Lady Jingchu?”
Mama Rong rolled her eyes. “Evening meal? Lady Jingshu has fainted. How could the madam have any appetite? Stop dawdling and hurry up.”
Fainted?
Just a moment ago, when she was scolding me, she was full of energy.
Another act of feigned suffering—and Bai Chenshi fell for it every time.
Chonglou Courtyard.
Bai Jingshu lay half-reclined on the fragrant couch, clutching her stomach, her face pale and her breathing shallow.
Madam Bai Chen sat sideways on the couch, dabbing the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Upon seeing Bai Jingchu, she immediately suppressed her gentle demeanor, her brows furrowing in anger:
“You wretched thing! Tell me, what exactly did you do to Jingshu?”
Bai Jingchu lowered her head, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, evading the main issue: “It was Sister Jingshu who grabbed my neck first.”
Madam Bai Chen’s voice was filled with fury: “Even if she was at fault, did you have to go so far as to try to kill her? And with such a despicable method as poisoning?”
Bai Jingchu was taken aback: “Poisoning?”
She had assumed Madam Bai Chen was going to reprimand her for desecrating the ancestors by using an ancestral tablet to hit someone.
Madam Bai Chen gritted her teeth in anger: “What poison did you give Jingshu? Where is the antidote?”
Jingchu grew even more bewildered: “I didn’t poison her. I know nothing about this.”
Madam Bai Chen trembled with rage: “Still pretending? Jingshu’s face has turned pale, and she’s suffering from unbearable stomach pain—clearly signs of poisoning. How can you be so petty and vicious?”