As these words fell, a heavy weight seemed to lift from everyone's hearts.
If the Princess were truly as innocent as Granny Sun claimed, then the Yan Family’s debt would indeed be difficult to demand from her!
Granny Sun spoke slowly, "Back then, I was always by the madam’s side, attending to her. Just a few days before the Third Young Master was due to be born, I returned home only to find my son, Sun Cai, missing. Someone had left me a note, instructing me to go to a villa in the outskirts of the capital. It was there that I first met the Princess..."
As if lost in memory, her face twisted in pain. "To this day, I remember—she was wearing a pink embroidered jacket, her belly swollen, clearly close to giving birth herself. She had her maid, Miss Yuhui, help me up and smiled, saying she’d heard I was the most renowned midwife in the capital and insisted I deliver her child as well."
"At the time, the madam was already nearing her due date, so I didn’t dare agree. But the Princess assured me not to worry. She said both women would give birth around the same time and instructed me to secretly bring the Third Young Master to her, then take her child back to the madam..."
The room gasped in shock.
She was planning to swap the children at birth!
Meng Yang couldn’t help but interject, "But didn’t the madam deliver early?"
"Yes, and I’ve always thanked the heavens for that mercy. The very next day after I returned, the madam gave birth at the Sleeping Buddha Temple. Though it was a difficult labor, both mother and child were safe. I thought the Princess would abandon her scheme then, so I begged her to release Sun Cai. But instead, she ordered me to keep the madam at the temple to recover, saying she would come there herself to give birth—and then the exchange would happen!"
Meng Yang wanted to ask why. What could she possibly gain from swapping her own child with her rival’s?
But Yan Zheng stopped him. "Continue."
"Sure enough, within two days, the Princess arrived, claiming she’d come to visit the madam and the newborn. The madam was overjoyed, but I feared she meant harm to the Third Young Master, so I made an excuse—saying the child had caught a chill—and didn’t let her see him. Then, in the dead of night, she summoned me. She said the Imperial Astrologers and the Water Bureau had warned that continuous heavy rains in Cuiping Mountain might soon trigger a landslide. If disaster struck, I was to take advantage of the chaos and bring the Third Young Master to her!"
"I thought she was joking, but the very next day, a flood did occur. While everyone else rushed to save the madam, I—thinking of Sun Cai—had no choice but to take the Third Young Master to her. Yet, in the midst of fleeing, the Princess herself went into labor! I had to deliver her child—another son!"
"I thought giving birth might awaken her maternal instincts, that she’d no longer want to send her own child away. But she didn’t even glance at her newborn. Instead, she demanded I hand her the Third Young Master—and then... she stabbed him to death!!"
Horror swept through the room.
Yan Zheng’s face drained of color, and Chu Ruoyan clutched his hand tightly.
"I was petrified. But the Princess told me coldly that now I had no choice—the Yan Family’s Third Young Master could only be her son. I... I had to save Sun Cai. So I did as she said, returning the child to the madam and deliberately delaying long enough that the madam wouldn’t recognize the difference..."
"The rest is as I said earlier. You all know the rest."
A stunned silence filled the chamber.
Even Old Xu, no stranger to storms, muttered under his breath, "That madwoman!"
Finally, Meng Yang voiced the question burning in everyone’s minds. "Why? What did she stand to gain from this?"
Granny Sun let out a bitter laugh. "Why? To punish the madam and the Grand General, of course! After the deed, she pretended to have miscarried while 'saving' the Third Young Master, ensuring the madam would drown in guilt. And she made me leave a note for the Grand General, letting him know the child he thought was his... wasn’t."
"Was she insane? Didn’t the Grand General expose her?"
"How could he? The madam had barely survived the difficult birth. If she’d learned her true son was dead—murdered by her closest friend—she might have died from the shock right then. And the Grand General... he seemed to believe he’d wronged the Princess in a drunken stupor. Perhaps out of shame, he buried the truth. But from then on, he kept his distance from you, Lord Anning, always cold..."
Yan Zheng closed his eyes.
So this was the root of it all.
He’d always wondered why his father—a wise and gentle man—could be so superstitious as to shun him over a mere prophecy of misfortune.
Now he knew.
Chu Ruoyan, however, frowned.
Granny Sun had spoken at length about the Third Young Master, yet avoided the most crucial point.
She pressed, "According to you, then... Yan Zheng is the Princess’s son?"
The room held its breath.
All waited for the final verdict.
But Granny Sun suddenly fell silent.
She lifted her head, staring straight at Chu Ruoyan. "Whether he is or isn’t, I won’t say—not until I see my Sun Cai. Only then will I reveal the truth!"
Meng Yang gaped. "But if the real Third Young Master was killed, then our lord must be the Princess’s child!"
Granny Sun let out a crazed laugh. "Is that so? Ha! I’m sure the Princess believes it too. But let me tell you this—the full truth is known to me alone in this world. Bring me Sun Cai, and I’ll speak. Otherwise, I’ll take this secret to my grave, leaving you to guess forever!"
"You—!"
Enraged, Meng Yang raised his hand to strike her.
Old Xu stopped him, glancing at Yan Zheng for instruction.
With a slight nod from Yan Zheng, Old Xu ordered, "Shadow, she’s your responsibility now."
The young man who’d earlier thought he’d failed stepped forward eagerly, nodding vigorously.
Old Xu warned, "She’s our most critical witness. Not a single misstep is allowed. Understood?"
Shadow made a gesture—swearing to stake his life on it.
By the time they returned to the Yan Family estate, it was deep into the night.
Exhaustion lined every face after the day’s ordeal.
Yan Zheng dismissed the others. "All of you, rest. Meng Yang, escort Miss Chu home."
But Chu Ruoyan shook her head. "I’m not leaving. Meng Yang, Old Xu, both of you go ahead. We’ll discuss rescuing Sun Cai tomorrow."
After exchanging glances, the two bowed and withdrew.
Yan Zheng studied her. "If you don’t return, what if the Duke asks?"
"Don’t worry. I was at the Princess’s residence today. Even if he looks for me, he’ll go there first." Just mentioning the Princess now sent chills down her spine—she’d never encountered such depravity. "Besides, there’s been trouble at the border recently. My father might still be tied up at the palace and won’t have time to check on me."
After a pause, she finally voiced the question weighing on her. "About the Princess... what do you think?"
What did he think?
Seeing the worry in her eyes, he knew Old Xu and the others must share the same concern.
Yan Zheng looked down, his voice calm but firm. "I am a Yan."
To bear the Yan name was to belong to the Yan Family—nothing tied him to the Princess.
Chu Ruoyan exhaled in relief.
As long as he could reconcile this truth, nothing else mattered.
"That's good. I was worried you might waver, but judging by Granny Sun's final words—'I suppose the Princess thinks the same way'—there must be more to this. Don't let it trouble you too much!"
Yan Zheng nodded. Under the candlelight, the woman's face was as soft and flawless as jade. His lips parted slightly. "With you here, I have nothing to worry about."
Chu Ruoyan met his unwavering gaze, her ears warming instantly. She quickly averted her eyes. "Then—have you made any progress on rescuing Sun Cai? Even Granny Sun admitted she doesn’t know where the Princess is hiding him."
Yan Zheng knew she was changing the subject, but he didn’t press further. A cold glint flickered in his eyes. "I’ll go see her."
