Chapter 1544 - 1391: The Fake Commandery Princess 1
In the Capital City, the Jingtai Tea House was bustling with guests. Some were engaged in grand discussions, others drinking and playing games. The current dynasty was open-minded, never prohibiting public discussions, so some common people dared to gossip about the royal family and noble houses.
"Have you heard that the Little Princess of Prince Nan Mansion is actually a fake princess? It’s said that when she was young, she and General Ye’s daughter were mistakenly swapped."
"That Little Princess is indeed pitiable. Just after discovering she was the swapped child, General Rong’s family was punished by the Emperor and exiled.
The Little Princess had just reunited with her parents and now has to go into exile with General Rong’s family—it’s truly unfortunate."
"That might not be the case. The Little Princess is the apple of Prince Nan and Princess Consort Nan’s eye, cherished since childhood. How could they bear to let their daughter suffer? Surely, they would keep her at Prince Nan Mansion."
"That’s true. Prince Nan Mansion has a large estate and wealth; they wouldn’t mind keeping an additional daughter. How could they bear to let the child they’ve raised from infancy go suffer hardships?"
At Prince Nan Mansion, the mistaken identity of Ye Shuangshuang, the fake Little Princess, which had fueled so many discussions, was already packed. She had two changes of clothes and brought nothing else.
Looking at Ye Shuangshuang, who wore simple clothes without a single accessory, carrying a small thin bag, Qin Peijun and Zhao Wan of Prince Nan showed unpleasant expressions.
Looking at the determined expression of the daughter they had raised for fifteen years, tears welled up in Zhao Wan’s eyes as she stepped forward and held Ye Shuangshuang’s hand: "Shuangshuang, can you not go?
I don’t mind raising two daughters. If you go, you must accompany General Ye’s family into exile. Even if I make arrangements so no one mistreats you, just the journey alone is laborious.
Any mishap on the way could be a matter of life and death. Even in exile, those lands are harsh, filled with barbarians. You’ve lived a life of luxury since childhood; how could you endure such hardship?"
Qin Peijun sighed and approached Ye Shuangshuang, saying: "Shuangshuang, do you really want to go? Although your integrity is admirable, there’s no need to endure hardship.
If you’re worried about your biological parents, I can arrange for the officers escorting them to treat them well.
Your mother is right. The journey to Nanzhao is distant, and if you become ill from exposure, it could be fatal.
The climate in Nanzhao is different from here, and failing to acclimate could be deadly."
Ye Shuangshuang looked at Zhao Wan’s and Qin Peijun’s eyes filled with genuine concern and was slightly moved. Who could have guessed that those who so genuinely loved her now would become dissatisfied once their biological daughter returned, wishing for her demise in the end?
The story starts before Ye Shuangshuang was even born.
Before Zhao Wan gave birth, she visited a temple outside the Capital City to pray for blessings. Coincidentally, Bai Menghan, General Ye Fangchen’s wife, was also at the temple praying.
Both women were pregnant, with their due dates close, and by chance, they stayed in adjacent courtyards, and eventually shared a meal and enjoyed a pleasant conversation.
What misfortune, that night bandits broke into the temple. Although it was a false alarm, both Zhao Wan and Bai Menghan were startled and went into labor that night.
The situation was chaotic; both women suffered from premature labor due to the scare, and with not enough midwives, they were placed in adjacent rooms to facilitate attention from the midwife.
The children were thankfully born safely: Zhao Wan gave birth to a daughter, and Bai Menghan to twins—a result of the chaotic scene, Nanny Feng then mistakenly swapped the children of the two women.
Nanny Feng took Bai Menghan’s twin daughter and gave her to Zhao Wan, while giving the daughter Zhao Wan bore to Bai Menghan.
Due to the chaos at the time, no one noticed the children had been swapped, though later Nanny Feng discovered something amiss.
Zhao Wan’s daughter had a butterfly-shaped birthmark on her right buttock, but the baby girl brought back didn’t have such a mark.
Nanny Feng instantly realized she had mixed up the daughters, but it was already too late.
Ye Fangchen received an imperial order, so he left for the border city with Bai Menghan and their twins, including the two infants.
The infants were taken along because Old General Ye and Madam Shen were in poor health, often medicated, and unable to care for young children, forcing Ye Fangchen and Bai Menghan to take the babies with them.
Although Ye Fangchen’s father, Old General Ye, and mother, Madam Shen, remained in the Capital City, Nanny Feng dared not approach them to clarify the switched children issue.
Nanny Feng feared that revealing the truth would anger the Ye Family, leading to her punishment—it would be too easy for a General Mansion to dispense with a mere servant, and she was afraid.
Beyond fearing reprisal from the Ye Family, Nanny Feng was more worried that if the matter were exposed, Zhao Wan would blame her and lose trust in her, stripping her of her esteemed status in Prince Nan Mansion.
So, after careful consideration, Nanny Feng decided to conceal the matter. During Zhao Wan’s premature birth, exacerbated by the fright she experienced, she couldn’t produce much milk.
Fortunately, in noble families like Prince Nan Mansion, mothers typically didn’t nurse their children personally, hiring wet nurses instead; trusted servants also cared for the children.
To avoid Zhao Wan discovering the absence of a birthmark on Ye Shuangshuang’s right buttock, Nanny Feng took charge of caring for her, diligently ensuring Zhao Wan’s gratitude. With Nanny Feng being Zhao Wan’s trusted confidante, it was natural she would let Nanny Feng care for her daughter.
Nanny Feng’s enthusiasm was primarily to prevent Zhao Wan from discovering Ye Shuangshuang’s right buttock lacked a birthmark. Due to her trust in Nanny Feng, Zhao Wan never noticed anything was amiss.
Later, as Ye Shuangshuang grew up, she was personally bestowed the title of Commandery Princess by the Emperor, surrounded by even more attendants, removing the need for Zhao Wan’s care.
Moreover, as a young lady matures, there are certain private areas even mothers respect, making it even less likely for Zhao Wan to discover the birthmark, allowing Nanny Feng to preserve the secret with trepidation.
It wasn’t until Ye Fangchen offended the Emperor, leading to the entire family’s exile to Nanzhao, that Nanny Feng, perhaps guilty or otherwise, drunkenly revealed the secret to her close friend, Nanny Wan.
Nanny Wan, entrusted with the secret, had no intention of helping Nanny Feng keep it. She immediately informed Zhao Wan, who was shocked and angry, but also doubtful.
However, after inspecting Ye Shuangshuang and finding no birthmark, Zhao Wan believed most of it. Reflecting on the chaos during her daughter’s birth, she acknowledged that a child might have been mistakenly swapped.
Later, Prince Nan Mansion sent other trusted nannies to verify if Ye Fangchen’s daughter had a butterfly-shaped birthmark on her right buttock.