Chapter 168: Beating to Satisfaction

The Duke’s explanations were truly unexpected.

Leng Qing Yu never imagined that it was because of her own actions that the mother and daughter were separated for over ten years.

She felt unsteady and almost collapsed.

Lu Chang Qing reached out to support his mother, but was quickly pushed aside by Lu Ting En.

“I’ll take your mother back to rest, you stay here and entertain the guests.”

As he said this, Lu Ting En was about to help Leng Qing Yu leave.

Just as he turned around, Ye Xin Ran called out, “Please wait a moment.”

“Ye Xin Ran, what are you trying to do now? Can’t you see that Mother is unwell?”

Lu Zhi Yi, no longer concerned with maintaining her image as a proper lady in front of others, lifted her head and glared at Ye Xin Ran with venom in her eyes, wishing she could burn a hole through her.

Lu Chang Qing immediately stepped in front of her, returning the same intense glare.

Ye Xin Ran paid them no mind, walking past the two of them to stand in front of Lu Ting En and Leng Qing Yu.

“Lady Lu, can you handle this?” she asked.

Leng Qing Yu, her mind in turmoil, seemed to regain some strength upon seeing Ye Xin Ran, standing tall again. “I can still manage. Xin Ran, please, go ahead.”

Ye Xin Ran pointed to the bowl that had been used for the blood test earlier and gently reminded, “The bloodline test isn’t over yet. Is it too early to leave now?”

“The test isn’t over?” Leng Qing Yu was confused.

“Hasn’t it already been proven that I am your biological daughter?” She grabbed Ye Xin Ran’s hand. “Child, I know you’ve been wronged. You don’t want to acknowledge me, do you?”

At this moment, her only thought was to ensure that Ye Xin Ran would be acknowledged as her daughter.

Ye Xin Ran gave her a reassuring look and turned to the Duke. “It was indeed proven that I am your biological daughter.”

“But aren’t you forgetting that, in that bowl, besides my blood, there was also Lu Zhi Yi’s blood, which was mixed with the Duke’s blood?”

Everyone gasped.

That’s right!

It was Lu Zhi Yi’s blood and the Duke’s blood that mixed together first.

After Ye Xin Ran noticed the issue, she added her own blood into the mix.

They had been so focused on confirming Ye Xin Ran’s identity, they had completely overlooked this detail.

After hearing Lu Ting En’s explanation, they had accepted Lu Zhi Yi as Ye Da Cheng’s daughter and forgot the facts right in front of them.

Leng Qing Xin slapped her forehead. “Ah, how could I have missed that? But Xin Ran is my sister’s biological daughter, and Zhi Yi is from the Ye family. How could Zhi Yi’s blood mix with theirs?”

Leng Qing Yu’s mind started to clear.

Indeed!

She had just felt that something was wrong.

At the beginning, the blood of Zhi Yi had mingled with that of Lord Hou. Could it be that Zhi Yi was also Lord Hou’s daughter?

She looked at Lord Hou in confusion.

At this moment, Lord Hou’s expression became incredibly ugly.

Today’s events had been completely disrupted by Ye Xin Ran.

Faced with her aggressive questioning, he had already made concessions and admitted Ye Xin Ran’s identity.

He never expected that she would cling to this and publicly expose the matter he had tried to cover up!

What exactly did she want?

Did she need to stir up the family’s unrest before she would stop?

Lord Hou glanced at the several servants behind him.

If they hadn’t been useless, how could Ye Xin Ran have discovered the issue with his hand today?

The servants felt the pressure of Lord Hou’s gaze and broke out in a cold sweat.

Lord Hou then turned his attention to the man behind Ye Xin Ran.

Although this man rarely spoke and never sought the lime light, Lord Hou could already tell that this man was no ordinary person.

“I’ve heard that Lord Hou and Lady Hou are the most envied couple in the capital. Since marriage, the family hasn’t had any concubines or mistresses. Then, what about Zhi Yi?” Ye Xin Ran leisurely looked at Lord Hou, feigning surprise as she said, “Could she be the Lord’s illegitimate child?”

In this era, even an adopted daughter held a much higher status than an illegitimate child.

Illegitimacy was akin to theft.

A child born from an affair was worth less than weeds.

Before Lord Hou could think of how to respond, Zhi Yi could no longer bear such an insult and shouted, “Ye Xin Ran, what nonsense are you talking about! My mother is clearly…”

“Shut up!” Lord Hou bellowed, stopping Zhi Yi’s words.

Zhi Yi immediately realized she had misspoken and quickly fell silent.

Lord Hou didn’t want to continue this conversation with Ye Xin Ran, so he said to Lady Hou, “Madam, I’ve already explained the situation clearly. Zhi Yi is indeed from the Ye family. As for why the blood is compatible, I cannot explain it. Perhaps we need to go back to the capital and consult with the old doctor, there must be some reason behind it.”

Lady Hou no longer believed the words coming from Lord Hou.

So much had happened in recent days.

First, the Ye family was destroyed, and Xin Ran was falsely implicated and had to under go questioning at the court house, thankfully coming out unscathed.

Then, Lady Hou herself was found to be poisoned, and the reason for the poisoning still had not been investigated.

Now, there was the matter of Lord Hou swapping daughters, but also having Zhi Yi’s blood matching his.

Lady Hou had lived most of her life, and the events of the past few days had surpassed everything she had experienced before.

And all these events pointed to one person.

Someone who had been by her side for more than a decade, a person she trusted and loved.

Thinking back on it now, Leng Qing Yu felt as though it were all just a dream.

“I need to think carefully.”

She pointed at Lu Ting En and said, “I’ll stay here and think through what has happened recently. You take Zhi Yi back to the capital. Once I have my answer, I’ll come find you.”

She had given the order to send them away.

Lu Ting En, seeing that she was angry, wanted to comfort her, but to his surprise, Leng Qing Yu did not hesitate to slap him across the face.

“After all these years of marriage, I respected you, loved you, and always put you first. But you swapped my daughter, and yet you show no remorse. This slap is for my daughter!”

Lu Ting En covered his stinging face. He didn’t get angry, instead, he presented the other side of his face, saying, “If Madam wants to vent, go ahead and hit me. I only ask that you don’t hurt yourself in the process.”

Today, Ye Xin Ran finally witnessed Lu Ting En’s capabilities.

To have done this much, it was no wonder Leng Qing Yu still held hope for him.

She turned to look at Xiao Huai’an, wanting to share her feelings about the situation.

However, Xiao Huai’an misunderstood.

“What’s this? Does Xin Ran think that Lady Hou can’t hit hard enough and wants me to help?”

Xiao Huai’an’s expression darkened.

He clenched the stone in his hand and threw it straight at Lord Hou’s left cheek.

In front of everyone, they saw the once affectionate Lord Hou suddenly scream in pain, clutching his face.

When he lowered his hand, the left side of his face was swollen like a steamed bun, bruised and purple.

The worst part was that Lord Hou spat out a mouthful of blood, and within the blood was a tooth that had been knocked out.

“Who did this?!”

“An assassin!”

Since they had been pushed out of sight earlier, the guards didn’t have time to intervene.

They were nearby, but they couldn’t tell who had struck.

Among everyone present, the only one with the ability to do so was Xiao Huai’an.

“Seize him!”

The head of the guards ordered his men to take action.

When Leng Qing Yu saw them about to make a move on her son-in-law, her expression immediately changed.

“Didn’t you hear what Lord Hou said just now?”

She snapped, “Lord Hou said to let me strike until I was satisfied. Now that his face is swollen and my anger has been vented, let’s see who dares to make another move!”