Bai Qingyan turned to look at Wei Zhong.
Seeing Bai Qingyan’s interest, Wei Zhong continued: “This old servant heard that… when Old Master Sima was young, he was somewhat foolish and became obsessed with brothels. Later, he fell seriously ill, and the imperial physicians diagnosed that he could no longer have children, so he adopted one from the clan… a child whose father had died early and whose mother was preparing to return to her natal family to remarry.”
Sima Ruodan wiped her tears with her sleeve, keeping her head lowered in great embarrassment.
“Who would have known that six years later, Old Madam Sima became pregnant… and gave birth to Imperial Censor Sima, so Imperial Censor Sima should be ranked as the second son in the family.” Wei Zhong glanced at Sima Ruodan with a smile.
Bai Qingyan looked toward Bai Qingqi, seeing him with lowered eyes, thinking that Bai Qingqi must have already investigated everything.
“Chun Zhi, help Miss Sima up…” Bai Qingyan smiled at Sima Ruodan. “Sit down and we’ll talk slowly.”
Sima Ruodan was flattered beyond measure and kowtowed to Bai Qingyan, but declined Chun Zhi’s attempt to help her up. She said chokingly, “This common woman has committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign. Your Majesty, please let this common woman finish speaking while kneeling! Ever since Second Uncle was born, my father’s position in the Sima family became very awkward. Originally, Great-grandfather wanted Grandfather and Grandmother to send Father back to his original family, but Father’s birth father was already gone, and his birth mother had already remarried, so Grandfather sent him to live on a manor when Father was ten years old… From then on, the Sima family paid no attention to Father, acting as if he didn’t exist.”
When she was seven years old, her father fell ill… She secretly ran away from the manor wanting to beg her grandparents for help, but was beaten out by the Sima family servants, who said the Sima family never had any such eldest master.
When her father saw Sima Ruodan covered in bruises, he wept bitterly, only saying that Sima Ruodan should never go to the Sima mansion again.
At that time, Sima Ruodan’s heart was filled with hatred toward the Sima mansion, but her father always said she couldn’t forget the Sima family’s kindness – no matter what, her grandparents had raised him without want for food or clothing, and hadn’t let the people on the manor mistreat him…
So gradually, Sima Ruodan developed some gratitude toward these grandparents she had never met, thinking it must have been those servants who looked down on people, and that Grandfather and Grandmother didn’t even know she had come to seek an audience.
After Father fell ill, her mother worked even harder to pay for Father’s medicine, but even so, Father couldn’t survive past the next summer and just… passed away…
Bai Jinzhao’s mouth was slightly agape, holding back from interrupting Sima Ruodan’s words, but how could people be like this? Because they couldn’t have children, they adopted a child, and now that they had their child, they sent away the previously adopted child, acting as if this person didn’t exist!
No wonder all these years, they had never heard that Sima Ping’s father had an older brother.
“I used to often hear Father mention this Uncle Xue. Father said that although Uncle Xue was a merchant, he was very loyal and righteous! Not long after Father passed away, Uncle Xue arrived. Uncle Xue had originally received Father’s letter, knowing that Father was gravely ill, so he brought money to save Father, but who knew he still didn’t make it in time! Uncle Xue took out Father’s handwritten letter, saying that before Father died, he had written to entrust me to him, wanting to entrust my life to his son. If Uncle Xue could become my father-in-law, Father would be at peace…” Sima Ruodan’s voice became so choked with emotion when mentioning her father that she could barely speak.
“Uncle Xue said that although he was a merchant, his son was very well-educated, named Xue Renyi, and said… If my mother were willing, he wanted to marry me into the family after his son took the imperial examinations. Mother thought this was Father’s dying wish and agreed!”
Sima Ruodan hadn’t forgotten that when Uncle Xue left, he left all the money with him for her and her mother to make their lives easier. She was grateful to Uncle Xue from the bottom of her heart.
Xue Renyi – Bai Qingyan hadn’t expected that Sima Ruodan’s fiancé would be an acquaintance.
Bai Jinse naturally also remembered this person, turning to look at her eldest sister. She remembered… after her eldest sister ascended the throne, it was this Xue Renyi who led the trouble at the Imperial Academy, though he was eventually persuaded by her eldest sister.
“Later, when the imperial examination fraud case broke out, Xue Renyi was implicated. The case caused a huge stir… My mother immediately went to the Sima mansion to seek an audience with Imperial Censor Sima Yan, begging Sima Yan to save Xue Renyi’s life! She also told the Sima family about my engagement to Xue Renyi, but who knew… Grandmother had people throw my mother out, saying that Father had already been removed from the family register years ago and was no longer the Sima family’s eldest master!”
It was only then that Sima Ruodan learned that her mother had once been a proper young lady from an official family, but her entire family had been destroyed by the maternal family of the demon consort of that time. It was Father who begged the Sima family… on the condition that his name be removed from his grandparents’ register and he would never step foot in the Sima mansion again, to have the Sima family save her mother.
“Later, when the re-examination was held, Xue Renyi couldn’t participate in the imperial examinations because Uncle Xue suddenly fell seriously ill and he had to return home to care for him. But… Xue Renyi had already shown his talent before the examination, and everyone who had read Xue Renyi’s essays said he should have been among the top three. Although he couldn’t participate in the imperial examinations, he entered the Imperial Academy, and Your Majesty was going to hold examinations this year to select talent for the Great Zhou! So the Sima family developed thoughts about the marriage contract…”
Sima Ruodan’s tears fell pitter-patter: “The Sima family knew I had an engagement with Xue Renyi, so they had people bring me back to the Sima mansion, telling my mother… that Grandmother had been angry back then because Father left home for Mother’s sake, which is why she didn’t like Mother, but I was Father’s daughter after all… In the future, Xue Renyi would be successful on the examination list, and if I married out from the Sima mansion, it would be like adding flowers to brocade for Xue Renyi, since Xue Renyi’s ancestors were all merchants!”
“Mother also thought that if I returned to the Sima family and married out from the Sima family… it would make up for Father leaving home for Mother’s sake back then!” Her throat rolled as she choked up. “I originally didn’t want to. I had never met Xue Renyi, and I didn’t care whether I could marry Xue Renyi in the end, but I couldn’t bear to make things difficult for Mother, and I was grateful to Uncle Xue, so I went to the Sima mansion with that nanny. Who knew they would have a concubine-born daughter of the Sima family take my place to meet Xue Renyi, and even scheme to have my maid steal my intimate clothing to give to an old widower, framing me with the crime of lewdness, wanting to send me to Yongzhou to marry that old widower!”
When Sima Ruodan spoke to this point, her eyes revealed a fierce look, as if she harbored towering rage gathered in her heart, wishing she could kill someone.
“I escaped, and when I returned home, I learned that… the day after I left, they forced my mother to death! They said my mother was a daughter of a criminal minister from back then who had escaped the net, and in the future, Xue Renyi might become the top scholar – how could the top scholar’s mother-in-law be a criminal minister’s daughter who should have been sent to an official brothel…”