Old Madam Li had always been adept at using public opinion to her advantage. Coupled with the genuine hardships she had endured in recent years, within mere moments, the old woman was crying her eyes out, tears and snot streaming down her face.
In truth, even if Old Madam Li hadn’t deliberately played up their misery, anyone could see how wretched the Feng family was. Among the beggars in the capital, nine out of ten were probably dressed better and looked healthier than this group. Some women in the crowd couldn’t help but feel their eyes grow moist.
Right then, a loud voice rang out from the crowd.
“You’re from Taohua Village, you know Taoniang, and your surname is Feng… Could you possibly be that Feng family? The blood relatives of the Sheng family’s Sixth Young Miss?”
Just as Old Madam Li and Young Madam Li were about to answer, Old Man Feng bellowed, “Shut your mouths!” The two women immediately swallowed their words, not daring to utter a single syllable.
Before coming to the capital, Old Man Feng had already laid down the law for his family: the former ‘Liuya’ had returned to the Sheng residence, been entered into the Sheng family register, and was now the Sheng family’s Seventh Young Miss. Sheng Mingzhu was also part of the Sheng family. If they were imprudent enough to try and claim a connection, they risked a repeat of the events from five years ago…
Therefore, their goal for this trip to the capital was not to actively seek ties with the Sheng family. It was best not to even acknowledge anything related to those two individuals. They had to keep their objective firmly in mind: they were here solely to find their daughter-in-law, Taoniang.
However… if others independently guessed their connection to Sheng Mingzhu… or if Sheng Mingzhu, upon hearing of their wretched state, took pity and gave them some money… well, that wouldn’t be their fault, would it?
This was, of course, just Old Man Feng’s attempt at self-consolation. Deep down, he knew that once people realized Taoniang was his daughter-in-law, they’d inevitably connect the dots to Sheng Mingzhu. Perhaps, having suffered through bitter poverty, Old Man Feng was willing to gamble.
“Our surname is indeed Feng, and we are from Taohua Village,” Old Man Feng said. “We’ve come to the capital because life became utterly unbearable, and we’re seeking refuge with our daughter-in-law.”
“Is your daughter-in-law that Taoniang?” someone asked.
Old Man Feng nodded.
So it really was that Feng family! The crowd buzzed with discussion.
The incident of the switched daughters in the Sheng family years ago had caused quite a stir, and the common folks still remembered it vividly. Taoniang was the culprit who had swapped the babies. Such a crime should have been severely punished, but she was protected by the Prince of Qi. After that, news of Taoniang faded away.
As for the disgraceful deeds of this Feng family, storytellers at Fulou Teahouse had relayed many tales five years ago, all heard from the villagers of Taohua. The public had felt immense sympathy and pity for the Sheng family’s Seventh Young Miss, while their feelings towards the Feng family were pure anger and disdain.
Consequently, the looks in some spectators’ eyes towards the Fengs had already shifted, now tinged with deep disgust. No one found them pitiable anymore! Some even felt a sense of grim satisfaction seeing the Fengs in such a state. The women who had earlier been moved to tears by the Fengs’ apparent plight now secretly spat in their direction.
In the past, the Fengs might have cared about others’ opinions. But after years of hardship, things like scornful looks or insults didn’t bother them anymore, as long as they caused no real harm. To put it bluntly, if someone were to provide them with chicken, duck, fish, and meat every day now, they’d gladly lick that person’s boots.
Suddenly, another loud voice came from the crowd. “In that case, you are the blood relatives of the Sixth Young Miss, Sheng Mingzhu. How… how did your lives end up like this? Surely, even the crumbs from Sixth Young Miss’s table would be enough for you to live as landowners in the village?”
The tone was one of genuine shock. And the words echoed the Feng family’s own silent resentment. Their own granddaughter lived as an official’s daughter, feasting on delicacies every day, while her own grandparents, father, and uncle’s family lived like beggars. The Fengs all thought Sheng Mingzhu was heartless! But they dared not voice their anger.
By now, even more people had gathered, eagerly sharing the news they’d heard. Someone who missed the beginning asked, confused, “Who is the person you grabbed? Could it be Taoniang? But she doesn’t look like a woman who’s borne children…”
Finally, someone questioned Xiazhi’s identity.
“She is also our granddaughter, Feng Sanya,” Old Madam Li spoke up.
“Impossible!” a man loudly refuted. “I saw her just now, she walked out of the Sheng residence. Her clothes clearly mark her as a respectable maid from the Sheng household. If she were your granddaughter, why would she be a maid there?”
Others chimed in agreement. “Yes, this young lady kept saying she didn’t know you. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
The fact that Sheng Mingzhu’s first-class maid was her own elder sister was not common knowledge among the capital’s populace. Five years ago, Huang Yaning had requested the Princess’s help to have storytellers at Fulou spread certain tales… Those stories did not include the part about Taoniang sending her eldest daughter to serve her younger daughter as a maid. Huang Yaning believed it was more interesting to let such information trickle out gradually.
Of course, well-informed noble families were aware of Xiazhi’s true identity. That’s precisely why Sheng Mingzhu never took Xiazhi along when she went out to buy jewelry or attend banquets—she feared becoming a laughingstock.
“She is our granddaughter, Feng Sanya! Taoniang sold her into the Sheng residence years ago!” Old Madam Li shouted anxiously, tugging at Xiazhi forcefully. “Sanya, say something!”
“She’s bleeding!” a woman gasped in alarm.
Only then did the crowd notice that Xiazhi’s left hand seemed injured. A trail of blood was slowly oozing out, dripping down her fingers… Old Man Feng had long since let go of Xiazhi. Now, only Old Madam Li was holding her. Seeing the blood, Old Madam Li finally released her, panicking, “I didn’t use much force!”
Xiazhi had felt like she was dying from the pain moments before. Strangely, her mind now felt sharper and more decisive than ever. Listening to the exchanges, she had thought of a way to get back at Sheng Mingzhu.
Sheng Mingzhu thought so highly of herself. How furious and disgusted would she be to be publicly associated with these unsightly, parasitic Fengs? Moreover, the truth about Xiazhi being Sheng Mingzhu’s own sister was now exposed before so many people. It couldn’t be hidden anymore.
If the commoners saw she was injured, and later learned she served Sheng Mingzhu intimately… wouldn’t they start making connections? Sheng Mingzhu would surely be hopping mad then.
More importantly, such exposure might actually make Xiazhi safer in the future than she was now.
Her body ached, but her heart felt a strange, fierce delight. She suddenly felt the Fengs’ arrival was perfectly timed. It seemed even heaven was helping her.
Xiazhi was going to expose Sheng Mingzhu’s vicious nature—how she mistreated her own sister and abandoned her blood relatives to their fate!
Her mind raced. Hearing someone had noticed the blood, she seized the opportunity. Feigning extreme weakness, she let her eyes flutter shut and her body go limp, collapsing softly to the ground.
Old Madam Li jumped back in fright, as if afraid of being held responsible. Feng Lao’er, after all Xiazhi’s father, felt some concern for his daughter. He wanted to pick her up but couldn’t due to his lame leg. Instead, he knelt by her, cradling her head.
“Sanya, wake up! It’s your father!”
“Eldest daughter-in-law, check Sanya’s hand!” Old Man Feng hurriedly instructed.
Young Madam Li crouched down curiously and pushed up Xiazhi’s sleeve. The sight made her gasp. The surrounding spectators were equally shocked. On Xiazhi’s fair forearm was a raw, mangled wound about the size of an egg, from which fresh blood steadily seeped—a horrifying sight.
“Father, was Sanya bitten by an animal?” Feng Lao’er asked, his face pale.
A woman from the crowd stepped forward for a closer look, frowning. “This… doesn’t look like an animal bite… More like a human bite mark.”
“Tsss—” someone hissed in disbelief. Others voiced skepticism, dismissing the woman’s opinion. How could a human bite cause such damage? It must have been an animal.
The woman, offended, began arguing with the skeptics, adding to the commotion.
Huang Yaning, who had been watching the entire spectacle from the entrance of the Sheng residence, finally decided it was time to make her entrance.
