The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Yun Jin looked around and found that seven or eight people had negative favorability ratings.

She was utterly speechless. How could Chu Wanqing, the mistress of the house, not notice so many problems with the people around her? No wonder she was completely fooled in her past life.

She noted down the physical characteristics and names of these people, then looked away and nodded slightly to Chu Wanqing.

Chu Wanqing understood, her hand holding the teacup tightened slightly, but her expression remained unchanged. She simply said to everyone, "Alright, everyone disperse. From now on, Miss Biao will be staying in the manor. Please take good care of her."

The crowd responded and filed out.

Once the courtyard gate was closed, Chu Wanqing eagerly looked at Yun Jin and asked in a low voice, "How was it?"

Yun Jin's gaze fell on the last figure in blue to leave the crowd, and she whispered, "What's the name of the one in blue next to Mother?"

Chu Wanqing followed her gaze, her expression changing slightly: "That's Zijuan, my head maid, who manages the storeroom and finances for me. She's been with me for over ten years. You mean... there's something wrong with her?"

Yun Jin nodded softly, but with unwavering certainty: "Yes."

Chu Wanqing's hand clenched the teacup tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Zijuan was one of the dowry maids she brought from the General's Mansion. At the time, she thought Zijuan was clever, capable, and loyal. She had been quite devoted over the years. How could this happen?

"Would she be the one to replace you?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Yun Jin pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "It's hard to say. At her age, she was only fifteen or sixteen when my mother gave birth to me. She had just arrived at the Yun family then, and she might not have had that kind of cunning and courage. Yun Heting might not dare to use her either. Moreover, she probably couldn't handle such a big matter by herself."

Chu Wanqing seemed to be deep in thought.

Yun Jin continued, "Mother, think carefully. Who were the people around you when you gave birth? The old women, the maids, the midwife... Are they still in the manor? If not, where did they go?"

Chu Wanqing recalled for a moment, and her expression gradually changed.

After a long pause, she said, "Back then, your grandmother arranged for an old woman to take care of me, and she also found the midwife. Not long after you were born, that old woman said she wanted to go home to live out her days in peace, so she redeemed her indenture and returned to her hometown. I never saw the midwife again."

Yun Jin sighed, "Mother, please have someone investigate. If we can find that old woman and the midwife, perhaps we can find out something."

Chu Wanqing nodded: "I'll try to find someone to investigate." She glanced outside, "Anything else?"

Yun Jin then named the characteristics of several other people: two old women in Yunlang Courtyard, one surnamed Qian and the other surnamed Sun; a daughter-in-law in the sewing room; a maidservant at the tea station; an old woman in charge of sweeping and cleaning in the backyard; and two maidservants in charge of washing.

Chu Wanqing's face grew paler and paler as she listened, and by the end, her hands were trembling.

"Eight." She gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "There are eight informants around me."

Yun Jin held her hand and said softly, "Mother, don't be angry. Now that we know who it is, things will be easier from now on."

Chu Wanqing took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She looked at Yun Jin, her eyes filled with complex emotions—shock, lingering fear, and a hint of relief.

"Jin'er, Mother is so foolish," she murmured, her gaze drifting towards the courtyard gate, where no one was now standing. "Zijuan, she's been with me for over ten years, and I didn't even realize it. Why? I've treated her so well!"

Yun Jin asked softly, "Mother, is Zijuan married?"

Chu Wanqing shook her head: "I've arranged several marriages for her, but she always says she doesn't want to leave me and wants to serve me for the rest of her life. When I said that too much, she started to act out, so I stopped pressuring her."

Yun Jin looked at her, a hint of sympathy flashing in her eyes: "Mother, you should take stock of your private coffers. I'm afraid much of your dowry has already been misappropriated."

It went undetected for over a decade, so they had to use a deception to pass it off as real; Zijuan became that giant rat.

Chu Wanqing exclaimed in surprise, "She dares to embezzle my dowry? What would a mere maid need so much money for?"

Yun Jin sighed helplessly: "Mother, she's a woman, with no family, no children. What do she need so many material things for? The only thing that can move her heart is a man."

"A man?" Chu Wanqing pondered the word, then suddenly stood up. "You mean... she likes Yun Heting?"

"Mother, it's probably more than just liking her," Yun Jin suggested. "If it weren't for Yun Heting's promise, would she have needed to take such a risk? A maid stealing the mistress's dowry would be a death sentence if discovered. The fact that she dared to do this means someone must be backing her up and promising her a better future."

Chu Wanqing's expression changed completely.

She recalled seeing Zijuan's shy and timid expression towards Yunhe Pavilion more than once...

She initially thought it was just Yun Heting's masculine charm, but she never expected...

That's it!

"How...how dare they?" Chu Wanqing slumped into a chair, muttering to herself.

The blows of the past few days came like a tidal wave: her daughter was switched, her son was poisoned, her husband betrayed her, and even her personal maid became someone else's spy. Each and every one of these events weighed heavily on her, making it hard to breathe.

She felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and her body went limp as she fell backward.

"Mother!" Yun Jin quickly supported her, checked her pulse, and knew that she had been overcome by anger and anxiety. She took out silver needles from her sleeve and gently pricked several acupoints on Chu Wanqing's philtrum, Hegu, and other points.

A moment later, Chu Wanqing slowly woke up, and tears streamed down her face.

"They lied to me...they've all lied to me..." She clutched Yun Jin's hand, crying like a child, "For over a decade, I treated her like family, but she...she..."

Yun Jin pulled her into her arms and gently patted her back, as if comforting a wounded child.

"Mother, don't be sad." Her voice was soft but steady. "It's not you who's wrong, it's that heartless bastard, those treacherous people. Don't be afraid, I'll help you from now on. Whether you want a divorce or to be widowed, I'll help you!"

Chu Wanqing was crying when Yun Jin's words made her choke and hiccup, immediately stopping her crying.

She looked up at Yun Jin with teary eyes, paused for a moment, and then suddenly burst into laughter and tears.

"You child..." She wiped away her tears, gritting her teeth, "I want to be widowed! I want to ruin Yun Heting's reputation, and make the Liu family's scheming end in vain!"

Yun Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What she feared most was that Chu Wanqing would be bound by feudal ethics and choose to swallow her anger.

If that's the case, she really will just pack up and leave. Yun Jin isn't exactly a saint; she still holds a grudge against her for pushing her this morning.

Fortunately, Chu Wanqing is sensible.

Chu Wanqing composed herself and gradually calmed down. She wiped away her tears and asked, "What should we do with these people? Do you have any ideas?"