Chapter 167: The Loop hole

Leng Qing Yu’s eyes were fixed on the Duke’s face.

After being married for so long, it was the first time she felt she could no longer recognize the man in front of her.

Was this really the same Lu Ting En who waited for three months at Ling An Temple just to see her?

Leng Qing Yu clearly remembered that before their marriage, he had promised that from this life onward, his wife would always come first.

But now, in order to prevent her from recognizing her daughter, he had resorted to such despicable means!

Lu Ting En, when did he change?

Facing Leng Qing Yu’s gaze, Lu Ting En pondered for a long moment before finally speaking. “Qing Yu, I really have my reasons.”

“The reason is something I can’t explain in front of the children. Can we go to another room and talk privately?”

If it had been in the past, Leng Qing Yu would have agreed without hesitation.

But now, Leng Qing Yu looked at the people present and hardened her heart, saying, “We are all family. What is there that can’t be said?”

“Mother,” Lu Zhi Yi said softly.

“If Father wants to talk to you alone, there must be something he doesn’t want us to hear. Please don’t be angry, just go into the room and talk with him.”

She said this as she reached out to support Leng Zhi Yi’s wrist, but Lu Chang Qing suddenly stepped forward and pushed her aside.

“Do you think my mother’s hand is something you can touch? Lu Zhi Yi, my sister has been found. Know your place and get out of the Lu family!”

“Chang Qing, you…”

Lu Zhi Yi’s eyes reddened as she turned to look at Leng Qing Yu, her voice pitiful. “Mother, what should I do?”

Seeing her in this state, Leng Qing Yu’s expression softened slightly.

After all, she had raised this child for eighteen years.

No matter how wrong the adults were, the child was innocent.

But even if Lu Zhi Yi was feeling wronged, she had already enjoyed the privileges of the Lu family for eighteen years. The one who truly deserved to be wronged was Xin Ran!

Leng Qing Yu didn’t speak up for Lu Zhi Yi but instead looked again at Lu Ting En.

“You must give me an explanation today!”

“Qing Yu, if you really want to know, I will tell you.”

Lu Ting En spoke as he reached to support Leng Qing Yu’s shoulder.

Leng Qing Yu repelled his hand with disgust and coldly said, “Don’t touch me!”

“Qing Yu!”

The Duke’s face turned dark, “We’ve lived together for over ten years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”

Leng Qing Yu stared at him, “I didn’t expect that after living together for so many years, I still couldn’t see your true face!”

“Fine, you want to know why I wouldn’t acknowledge Xin Ran? I’ll tell you now!”

Lu Ting En looked around at the people present before saying, “Because, the child from that year is the one I swapped!”

“You!”

Leng Qing Yu clutched her chest, speechless.

Her trembling finger pointed at Lu Ting En. “You… why did you do this?”

Lu Ting En showed a sorrowful expression. “Do you think I wanted this? I did all of this for you!”

“For me?” Leng Qing Yu didn’t know how to react.

Lu Ting En then said, “Back then, when you were about to give birth, I went to Ci En Temple to pray for you. The monk at the temple told me something: ‘This woman will harm her mother. Only if the daughter is removed will the mother be safe.'”

“You’re talking nonsense! You never mentioned this at the time, and you never discussed it with me!” Leng Qing Yu didn’t believe it.

Lu Ting En, however, wore a look of deep concern, “How could I tell you something like this? If I told you, would you have agreed? Although I love our daughter too, if we kept her, it would harm you. Our marriage is deep, and I couldn’t let you suffer even the slightest harm. Even if it was our own daughter, I couldn’t allow it.”

Seeing Leng Qing Yu’s incredulous expression, the Duke continued, “I know that you would rather harm yourself than harm our daughter, so I kept this to myself. It just so happened that when you were giving birth, the family we stayed with also gave birth at the same time. When I saw that they also had a daughter, I acted on impulse and secretly swapped the two children, bringing Zhi Yi to your side. By leaving our daughter with the Ye family, I could ensure her safety while allowing you to rest easy. At that time, the situation was urgent, and this was the best solution I could think of.”

Leng Qing Yu trembled, her lips shaking. “So, you knew everything, but you let our daughter suffer outside all these years.”

“How could she have suffered!” Lu Ting En quickly said, “Over the years, with your support, hasn’t Ye Da Cheng been living well? He went from an ordinary farmer to a merchant. The family may not be wealthy, but at least our daughter has had her food and clothing guaranteed. And don’t forget, we had already arranged a marriage for her with Qiao Xian Ling’s son. Although she couldn’t live in the Duke’s manor, she was still living comfortably. According to our original plan, as long as there was an opportunity, Qiao Zheng Shan could be transferred to the capital, and then our two families could reconnect. Although our daughter couldn’t live under our roof, she could at least see you whenever you wanted. What’s wrong with that?”

What the Duke was saying were things that Leng Qing Yu had arranged herself. At the time, she didn’t do it because Ye Xin Ran was her child, but out of gratitude to the Ye family and a slight fondness for the child. She never expected that, by accident, it would turn into what the Duke described as care for the child.

Had she not made those arrangements, would the Duke have done so instead?

For a moment, Leng Qing Yu found herself unable to come up with a rebuttal.

Ye Xin Ran also hadn’t expected the Duke to be so thick-skinned, reacting so quickly. All the events of the past had been tied together by him into one continuous thread, making it seem like his accomplishment, and it sounded flawless.

It seemed that the Duke’s reasoning had been prepared long ago.

But when had he started preparing for this? Was it after the blood recognition incident failed, or had he already planned it before coming to Yun Tong County?

These questions remained unknown.

But this didn’t matter.

Because, despite his meticulous planning, he had overlooked one crucial flaw.