"Chuntao? What Chuntao?"

Old Madam Wei looked at the woman in astonishment, then turned her gaze to Long Yue.

The face was undeniably that of Wei Yunyan; how could she be Chuntao?

"This is utter nonsense, someone..."

Old Madam Wei, angered, was ready to expel her.

"Old Madam, every word I said is true. If I’m lying, may lightning strike me down!"

The woman had a fierce resolve, daring to swear such an oath.

Swearing oaths had a powerful effect on Old Madam Wei, who was devoutly religious and believed in these things. Initially thinking the woman was there to cause trouble, she hesitated upon hearing this.

Second Concubine Yin Zhu noticed the hesitation in the old madam and quickly interjected, "Old Madam, perhaps you should hear her explanation?"

She then addressed the woman, "This is the eldest young lady of our Wei Mansion. If you cannot provide evidence to prove her identity, it would be slanderous, and our Wei Mansion will not let you off easily!"

"Old Madam, noble ones, I dare not speak falsely! She is truly Chuntao from our village. Her parents died when she was young, and the villagers can all testify to this. You can have someone inquire at Baiye Village to find out!"

The woman’s words were firm and unwavering. Even though Old Madam Wei had a slight bias toward Long Yue, she became suspicious and nodded, and someone immediately went to investigate.

Baiye Village is outside the Capital City. It would take a significant time to make the journey. The old madam and Mrs. Gao wouldn’t just wait idly; they moved to the side hall to wait.

After all, these ordinary folks weren’t qualified to stay in the main hall.

In the side hall, Old Madam Wei and Mrs. Gao sat one high, one low, followed by the second concubine and others. The side hall was a bit small, so the second concubine stood to show her respect.

Initially, Long Yue was standing too, but after standing for a long time, she naturally felt tired, so she leisurely found a seat to sit down.

"Miss."

Yu Zhu felt this was inappropriate and lightly nudged her. Dong Mei, sitting nearby, merely sneered.

Only the old madam and Mrs. Gao were seated, and you’re sitting as well. Are you intending to equate yourself with the old madam and the madam?

If you were a legitimate daughter, it wouldn’t be a problem, but you are born of a concubine. Do you think that just because everyone calls you ’eldest young lady,’ you truly are the mistress?

Truly, how insolent!

Old Madam Wei slightly frowned but didn’t say anything. However, an old maid beside the second concubine spoke up.

"Old Madam, Madam, the young lady appears to be tired. Perhaps it would be best for her to go back and rest?"

The words were pleasant, but they pointed out how inappropriate Long Yue’s action of sitting down was.

A glimmer of delight flashed in Mrs. Gao’s eyes; she had come today to deal with this lowly girl! It seemed everyone in this mansion was on her side and looked unfavorably upon this sudden upstart!

Old Madam Wei looked at Long Yue kindly and said, "Yan’er, are you feeling tired?"

Long Yue slowly stood up and curtsied, "Replying to Grandmother, Yan’er perhaps overindulged in food earlier and is feeling a bit unwell. It would be proper to excuse myself, but as the matter hasn’t been investigated yet, leaving now would indeed be inappropriate!"

As she spoke, her small face was furrowed, her voice weak and frail, appearing genuinely uncomfortable.

"Over... overindulged?"

The old madam was taken aback, her gaze shifting to Yu Zhu and Dong Mei behind her.

Yu Zhu looked troubled, "Old Madam, the young lady had a craving and ate a lot of cherries despite my advice!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Yes, she ate them incessantly, nonstop!"

Seeing this as a good chance to vilify Long Yue, Dong Mei quickly chimed in.

A gluttonous young lady, clearly someone lacking in etiquette!

Feeling pleased with her attempt to add fuel to the fire, she planned to enhance the story. However, Long Yue’s cool voice intervened, "You insolent servant, does slandering your own mistress benefit you in any way?"

Then she tearfully addressed Old Madam Wei, "Grandmother, Yan’er, who has been adrift since a young age and has often gone hungry and poorly clothed, understandably succumbed to some indulgence upon returning to the Wei Mansion. Is that wrong?"

Playing the emotional card masterfully, Long Yue caused some unease in Old Madam Wei, who sighed, "These are trivial matters. If you’ve eaten too much, then please go rest. Furthermore, as for this maid Dong Mei, who doesn’t know how to protect her mistress, send her to the laundry room!"

"O... Old Madam?"

Dong Mei was instantly bewildered!

The work in the laundry room is both dirty and tiring, meant for the lowest-ranking maids. How could she, a maid of second rank, end up assigned to wash clothes?

Unwilling to accept this fate, Dong Mei, biting her lip and sobbing, sought help from Mrs. Gao, who merely shook her head gently.

Mrs. Gao’s gesture indicated that she would think of something to help her later.

Thus, Dong Mei left for the laundry room, gnashing her teeth and still sobbing.

"Yan’er, choose another obedient and sensible maid for yourself later."

"Thank you, Grandmother, but Yan’er prefers silence, and having Yu Zhu serve me is quite sufficient."

Long Yue preferred not to surround herself with more people.

Old Madam Wei didn’t insist. Since she chose not to, that was her decision.

Long Yue stood to take her leave, and Yu Zhu followed, filled with amazement. Had the young lady gorged on cherries with a purpose? Did she anticipate this trouble coming?

If this was just luck, that would be one thing, but if it was intentional, this young lady truly is remarkable!

Long Yue paid no heed to the awestruck gaze from Yu Zhu behind her. Did she have a plan this time?

Yes, but not entirely!

She knew that since arriving at the Wei Mansion, Mrs. Gao would certainly target her, so she had remained on high alert even though she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon!

As for eating... she genuinely needed to eat; getting a bit plumper would help.

"Ah!"

When Long Yue returned, she was greeted by you’er’s enthusiastic cheers, jumping up and down.

He had been very worried about her earlier, relieved now that everything was fine.

Long Yue approached, gently stroking you’er’s little head, "Don’t worry, sister will be fine. Those people want to frame me, yet little do they know, I hold significant value to them now! They will always be exceptionally tolerant of something valuable."

"Ah!"

You’er blinked his bright eyes. It seemed as though his eyes could speak. After hearing Long Yue, he quietly rubbed against the back of her hand.

Such a soft and adorable young boy.

"Miss... the woman..."

Yu Zhu had been listening to their conversation for quite a while, but she hadn’t understood a single word. She was worried that her mistress might fail, ruining her own good life at the same time.

"Rest assured, she won’t cause much trouble. Even if all evidence suggests I’m fake, I am still real! You can relax knowing that truth cannot be false, and falsehood cannot be true!"

Long Yue spoke with a smile of indiscernible meaning.

She indeed was fake, wholly fake, but her face was real. She knew Old Madam Wei must have had someone verify her identity beforehand; otherwise, she wouldn’t have accepted her as Wei Yunyan upon first meeting.

Moreover, Wei Yan needed to use her, so the ultimate result would leave Mrs. Gao disappointed.

Sure enough, the news came in the evening.