Yu Zhizhi smiled and nodded, then took out a neatly folded letter from her sleeve and handed it to the old man.
“This is a letter written by Yun Yuqing. It can prove my identity,” she explained.
Although he could verify it at the Prime Minister’s residence, Yu Zhizhi had prepared the letter in advance to save trouble.
After confirming the handwriting, Uncle He respectfully said, “The master, madam, and young master went to a nearby city. They will return to the capital tomorrow. Miss, please come in with this old servant.”
“Alright.”
No one knew who leaked the news, but the matter had already spread.
In just half a day, the entire capital was in an uproar. Even common people in the streets and alleys were talking about The Real and Fake Legitimate Daughter incident.
It was truly unexpected.
After all, Yu Zhizhi already had a bad reputation. Now that everyone learned she was actually a fake, many began gossiping behind her back.
“Serves her right! Yu Zhizhi finally got what she deserved!”
“Exactly. She always acted so high and mighty. Did she really think she was something special?”
“She used to rely on the Prime Minister’s residence to back her up—arrogant and domineering. I heard her real parents are just merchants. With that kind of fall, she’s probably hiding somewhere crying now.”
“She offended plenty of people before. Now that she’s lost her noble status, she’ll definitely become a laughingstock among the elites.”
…
Sixth Prince’s Residence
At this moment, Qi Yize, the eldest young master of the Duke Protector’s residence, was hurrying toward the study, looking anxious.
As he passed by a rock garden in the courtyard, someone suddenly called out, “Young Master Qi, please wait!”
Qi Yize turned around and saw Zhao Yi, the Sixth Prince’s personal guard.
“Young Master Qi, did you go to the Prime Minister’s residence to trouble Yu Zhizhi?”
Originally, Qi Yize had planned to go there to vent his friend’s anger. But when he arrived, he didn’t see Yu Zhizhi.
Instead, he learned a shocking secret from the servants—the fact that Yu Zhizhi was not the Prime Minister’s biological daughter.
So he immediately arranged for people to secretly spread the news.
Now, the entire capital already knew.
Even though he hadn’t met Yu Zhizhi, it still counted as getting revenge for his friend.
Qi Yize patted Zhao Yi on the shoulder and laughed. “Come on, let’s go to the study and see your master. You’ll find out soon enough!”
Seeing the sly smile on Qi Yize’s face, Zhao Yi grew even more curious.
After entering the study, Qi Yize casually sat down, took a sip of tea, and said exaggeratedly:
“Yun Jin, I’ve got shocking news! Yu Zhizhi is a fake legitimate daughter—she’s not the Prime Minister’s biological child!”
Zhao Yunjin, who had been handling official business, paused his brush and looked up, waiting for him to continue.
Qi Yize went on animatedly, “Sixteen years ago, the Prime Minister’s wife and Yu Zhizhi’s birth mother happened to go to a temple on the same day to pray for blessings. They even gave birth on the same day.
“The Prime Minister’s enemies learned of this and bribed the midwife to swap the newborn girls.”
“Only a couple of days ago did the Prime Minister discover that the daughter he had doted on all these years wasn’t his biological child.”
Zhao Yi clapped his hands and laughed gleefully. “Then Yu Zhizhi must be crying miserably!”
Qi Yize curled his lips into a sly smile. “I didn’t see her myself, but I heard she returned to her biological parents’ home two hours ago and switched places with the real daughter. Even if she didn’t cry enough before, she’s probably crying her heart out now and too ashamed to show her face.”
Zhao Yunjin narrowed his eyes slightly, his deep voice calm and magnetic. “Did you spread this news?”
Qi Yize widened his eyes in surprise, then grinned. “As expected, I can’t hide anything from you. Who told her to go too far—not only throwing herself at you but also insulting you? Even if she was drunk, that’s unacceptable!”
Zhao Yi quickly nodded. “Young Master Qi is right. How dare she offend the master? But… has Yu Zhizhi gone mad? She actually gave up the Prime Minister’s residence!”
Qi Yize scratched his head, puzzled. “Yeah, that surprised me too!”
This was completely unlike her usual behavior. How could she possibly give up such wealth and status?
“And she even wrote a pledge, swearing to cut ties with the Prime Minister’s residence. She left empty-handed. Either she’s gone crazy, or that real daughter is extremely capable.”
Zhao Wu, who had been quietly listening, asked the key question, “Young Master Qi, do you know what her biological parents do?”
Qi Yize nodded. “They’re merchants—just a small household in the capital.”
At this moment, none of them noticed that Zhao Yunjin, who rarely smiled, had a faint curve at the corner of his lips.
Interesting.
This was completely unlike her usual self. Though he had only met her a few times, he had heard plenty about her foolish behavior.
But this time, on a deeper level, she had made a rare wise decision.
Only a smart person would decisively leave after learning she was a fake. If she had stayed, at best she would lose favor—at worst, she might lose her life.
After all, two tigers cannot share one mountain.
Meanwhile, the subject of everyone’s heated discussion was lying on a bed, sleeping soundly.
“Miss!”
“Miss, are you awake?”
Yu Zhizhi was woken by Uncle He’s voice. She rubbed her eyes and slowly opened them, her mind still groggy. After a moment, she finally remembered where she was.
“Uncle He, is something the matter?” she asked.
“Boss, it’s me!”
The voice sounded familiar. After thinking for a moment, Yu Zhizhi realized who it was.
It was He Yang—the original owner’s follower.
He Yang was the grandson of the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau. He had grown up with the original owner, and they were very close.
The two of them were troublemakers who got along perfectly. The original owner often dragged him along to stroll around, eat, drink, and have fun—even to cockfights and cricket fights.
Yu Zhizhi walked to the door and opened it. The moment she did, she was stunned.
Standing there was He Yang, round and plump like a giant ball of meat.
Seeing her expression, He Yang pouted pitifully. “Boss, you’re judging my figure again!”
Yu Zhizhi quickly waved her hands. “No, no! I think you look quite cute like this.”
He must weigh around 200 pounds. His cheeks were so chubby—it made her want to pinch them.
They probably felt really nice.
Hearing the compliment, He Yang immediately broke into a bright smile.
He looked just like her favorite cartoon character—Lazy Goat.