Ji Lan looked at Han Yan’s expression: “Young Miss, do you dislike Xuan Qing Prince? But he’s one of the most prestigious in the capital…”

Before she could finish, Han Yan glanced at her and shook her head helplessly: “Never mind whether I like him or not. Now that the Emperor has approved it, I must marry him whether I want to or not.”

There was a sense of loss in her heart. Her marriage had been decided just like that, seemingly rushed, yet without the anticipation and shyness she had felt in her previous life when marrying Wei Ru Feng.

That poisoned cup had indeed taken many things from her.

Shu Hong entered: “Young Miss, everything has been arranged on that side.”

Han Yan stood up, appearing unable to wait a moment longer: “Let’s leave the manor now.”

Finally, the truth about what happened on the day of her birth could come to light.

The only surviving maid was called A Bi, one of the dowry maids of Han Yan’s mother, Lady Wang. Her most outstanding skill was embroidery, and Lady Wang, being kind-hearted, had maintained a harmonious relationship with all her maids. However, this A Bi had been expelled from the manor on the very night of Han Yan’s birth, and despite her loyalty, she hadn’t even been able to see the newborn young miss.

Han Yan rode in the carriage, silent throughout the journey. Though her heart was racing with excitement, she maintained her rationality to stay clear-headed. She couldn’t act impulsively, or she would lose her judgment. Today, she had to view herself as an outsider, carefully weighing every word A Bi would say. Even though she was her mother’s maid, and Han Yan believed there were hidden circumstances, to Han Yan, A Bi was still a stranger. If even close ones couldn’t be relied upon, too much trust in strangers could be fatal.

The northern road was strewn with rocks and extremely bumpy, making the carriage journey quite rough. After about half an hour, they came upon a dilapidated village. Ji Lan helped Han Yan down from the carriage, with Shu Hong leading the way while the driver waited outside. Shu Hong approached the last house by the road and knocked on the door.

From the outside, it was an extremely run-down dwelling, built with cheap mud bricks, its roof sparsely covered with thatch, and the outer fence showing signs of long-term disrepair. Han Yan’s heart stirred – it seemed A Bi was living in dire poverty.

After quite a while, the door slowly opened. An elderly woman, hunched over, squinted her cloudy eyes to examine them carefully.

Ji Lan smiled at the old woman: “Grandmother, we have some business with you.”

The old woman looked at them warily and hesitated for a long time before opening the door to let them in.

The inside was even more decrepit than the outside, with dirt everywhere and broken walls that let in drafts, offering little protection from the cold. The table was missing a leg, and the large pot in the corner was covered with a thin layer of dust, appearing rarely used.

In the depths of winter, there was no fire in the house, and the bed had only a thin blanket – this was a solitary elderly person’s dwelling. Han Yan’s attention was drawn to a basket beside the bed, and when she picked it up, she found exquisitely embroidered handkerchiefs. The embroidery patterns were beautiful, the colors vibrant, and the animals lifelike – truly masterful work.

Han Yan turned around and asked the old woman: “Grandmother, do you know a girl called A Bi?”

Upon hearing Han Yan’s words, the woman’s body trembled, and she slowly raised her head, her face turning pale.

Seeing her reaction, Han Yan smiled and said: “I’m looking for her because of some old matters.”

Ji Lan, seeing the old woman’s lack of response, stepped forward and declared: “I know you are A Bi. This is the Lady’s daughter, the Young Miss.”

The woman was startled and finally raised her head to examine Han Yan carefully. Suddenly, she fell to her knees. As Han Yan reached out to help her up, the woman made incomprehensible “ah ah” sounds, waving her withered hands frantically.

Han Yan froze, quickly looking at her mouth. She saw that inside the open mouth was a confused mess – her tongue had been cut out at the root. She was mute!

Shu Hong and Ji Lan hadn’t expected this either. Han Yan crouched down and helped her up: “A Bi?”

The woman nodded repeatedly.

Han Yan felt heartache. While her mother Lady Wang hadn’t lived well these years, often bullied by Concubine Mei and others, Master Zhuang still maintained appearances and wouldn’t let them make things too difficult for her. Though her standard of living was lower, it was still manageable. Thus, her mother, like other noble ladies, still maintained her looks. But her mother’s former personal maid A Bi, who couldn’t have been much different in age from her mother, had aged so severely that she looked like a woman in her seventies or eighties.

Her life must have been extremely difficult.

Han Yan thought for a moment and said: “Since you cannot speak, you need only gesture. Ji Lan will interpret your meaning – nod if she’s correct, shake your head if she’s wrong.”

The woman nodded.

Han Yan asked: “Who cut out your tongue?”

Both Ji Lan and Shu Hong were startled. They had thought Han Yan’s first question would be about her origins, but instead, she asked about A Bi’s tongue.

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in A Bi’s eyes. She made a gesture with her hands, seemingly indicating someone in an elevated position. Ji Lan asked: “The Master?”

A Bi nodded.

Han Yan asked: “Why did he cut out your tongue?”

A Bi reached out, making a motion as if to take the hairpin from Han Yan’s head. Ji Lan looked at Han Yan and said: “You took the Lady’s hairpin?”

A Bi immediately nodded again.

Han Yan said in a deep voice: “Then, what was the real reason?”

A Bi suddenly looked at Han Yan, her eyes filled with undisguised surprise.

Han Yan continued: “Simply taking a hairpin wouldn’t warrant such severe punishment. The Master must have feared you would spread some information. I guess Mother must have pleaded with him on your behalf, otherwise, you wouldn’t have lost just your tongue – you probably wouldn’t have kept your life.” Her expression remained calm as if seeing through everything: “The Master wanted to silence you completely. What was the real reason? What happened that night when I was born?”

A Bi stood stunned for a while, then suddenly began kowtowing desperately to Han Yan. Her body was so frail that soon there were spots of blood on the ground.

Han Yan ignored this and said coolly: “Your reluctance to tell must be due to some concerns. But back then, Mother considered you as close as a sister and risked offending the Master to plead for your life. Is that saved life not worth doing anything for her?”

Seeing A Bi’s uncertain expression, Han Yan continued: “You may not know that now the concubines in the manor are becoming increasingly ambitious. After giving birth to me, my mother had a son – he’s the apple of her eye. But now the concubines want to harm my young brother. Unfortunately, Father has always been cold towards me, and by extension, shows the same indifference to my brother. I just want to know why Father treats me this way.” She looked at A Bi with piercing eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately: “Is it because I’m not the Master’s biological daughter?”