Chapter 103: The False Heiress's Identity Revealed

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Han coldly watched Shen Zhifeng’s pretentious display, her stomach churning. The magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture struck the gavel again: “No talking out of turn in the court! Shen Zhifeng, Han Rou has accused you, and you have seen the indictment. Do you admit to the charges or not?”

Shen Zhifeng bowed respectfully to the magistrate: “Your Honor, I plead not guilty. I have never committed these acts.”

He wore a fine blue robe, standing upright with a hint of helpless melancholy in his eyes, exuding an air of refinement and dignity, as if deeply wronged. For a moment, many were taken in.

Especially some women who secretly thought, “The Duke is handsome and remains devoted to one woman. Such a good husband, yet Han Rou rejected him and dragged things out to this extent—how shameful.”

The magistrate then asked Han Rou, “Do you have anything to say?”

Han Rou remained composed in the face of such circumstances, clearly stating, “Words alone are not enough. I have already submitted the accounts for your investigation. Furthermore, I have a witness, who is waiting outside.”

The magistrate nodded and ordered the bailiffs, “Bring the witness in.”

A chill ran down Shen Zhifeng’s spine as a bad premonition arose.

The person slowly stepped onto the courtroom floor—it was Yue Niang.

Although Shen Zhifeng wished he could stab her through immediately, he could not stop her from speaking.

The magistrate asked, “Who are you, and what is your accusation?”

Yue Niang looked deeply at Shen Zhifeng before kneeling and saying, “Your Honor, I am Yue Niang, the Duke’s concubine. He kept me on Pipa Street, where I bore him a son and a daughter. Fourteen years ago, when both his wife and I were pregnant, Shen Zhifeng used a wet nurse to switch my child with the Duke’s legitimate daughter…”

Before she could continue, the courtyard outside erupted in chaos.

No one could believe that this elegant and affectionate Duke was a deceitful man who broke his vows, even swapping his concubine’s child with his true daughter—a disgraceful act!

What was a concubine anyway, not even a proper wife? Even a beast wouldn’t harm its own offspring. Both were daughters—how could he be so biased?

“Silence! Silence!” the magistrate struck the gavel.

Shen Zhifeng was furious. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“You wretch! A despicable wretch!”

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Yue Niang sneered and retorted sharply, “Nonsense? The house you bought for me, the maids and servants, even the shop clerks and the shop’s accounts all prove my words. Over the years, you have been using the wife’s dowry to support me. You are a heartless villain! A thankless wolf! Your Honor, he even once hired assassins to silence me. It was the wife who saved me, which is why I dared to testify here!”

Before coming, Yue Niang had been thoroughly coached by Shen Qingyun, so her testimony was clear and composed.

Her hatred was genuine—her life wasted, her sincere love betrayed, abandoned by all.

The magistrate glanced sideways at Shen Zhifeng, noticing his composure had vanished. “Shen Zhifeng, with both evidence and witness presented, do you have any defense?”

Shen Zhifeng snapped his sleeve sharply. “This is slander! I have a witness too!”

“Bring them forward.”

A woman in her twenties walked in unsteadily, seeming to have trouble with her legs. She knelt and kowtowed deeply.

Han Rou gasped and stepped forward, eyes wide in disbelief. “Who are you?”

The woman looked strikingly similar to the wet nurse from years ago.

“Your Honor, my name is Wang Xiaohong. My mother was the wet nurse hired by the Duke’s wife. She only agreed to help Yue Niang because she wanted to cure my illness. The child swap was entirely Yue Niang’s doing; the Duke had no knowledge.”

“You shameless bitch, how could I have switched the Duke’s legitimate daughter alone?” Yue Niang shouted.

Xiaohong was unfazed. “My mother knew Yue Niang was cruel and would likely kill us to silence us. She fled with me but couldn’t escape your pursuit. Before she died, she left me a blood-written letter detailing your crimes. You didn’t expect I was still alive, did you?”

She pulled a cloth bundle from her bosom, trembling as she unfolded it. A piece of old cloth stained with blood, now blackened with age, bore a shaky confession written by Yue Niang ordering the child swap.

The magistrate sent for an expert to verify the blood letter, confirming it was indeed from over a decade ago.

Yue Niang hadn’t anticipated that Shen Zhifeng had secretly kept the wet nurse’s daughter all these years, likely as a safeguard to pin all blame on her if exposed. She alternated between tears and laughter.

All the sweet love and vows were lies.

Her eyes burned with bitter hatred as she suddenly lunged at Shen Zhifeng, grabbing his throat.

Startled, Shen Zhifeng shouted, “You wretch!”

The bailiffs immediately pulled Yue Niang away, though her sharp nails left two bloody scratches on Shen Zhifeng’s neck.

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The magistrate frowned. “To commit violence in court, disrupt order, and show contempt for the court—drag her out and give twenty lashes!”

Yue Niang was dragged off, her painful cries echoing as she cursed, “Shen Zhifeng, you will die a miserable death!” before being silenced.

Outside, Shen Qingyun watched coldly, surprised that Shen Zhifeng had kept such a card hidden all these years.

The matter was too old to dispute now. With witnesses and evidence, the blame for swapping the children and killing the wet nurse was placed squarely on Yue Niang. She was sentenced to execution at noon three days hence.

But regardless, it was undeniable that Shen Sisi was the concubine’s daughter. The identity of the false heiress spread rapidly.

Thus, Han Rou’s refusal to provide a dowry for Shen Sisi was understandable; no one argued.

The concubine’s daughter had taken the place of the legitimate daughter, living as the Duke’s eldest legitimate child for over a decade. Han Rou’s restraint in not exposing this scandal sooner was already magnanimous.

According to Han Rou’s accounts, the Duke had in fact misappropriated her dowry, owing her a substantial sum.

The law clearly stated that a dowry was a woman’s private property, and Shen Zhifeng could no longer refute this.

The onlookers sighed, understanding why Han Rou wanted a divorce.

“If my daughter had been switched, I would kill that wretched woman and her daughter!”

“Exactly. I thought the Duke truly loved only one woman. Turns out he not only kept a concubine but was a leech on women’s dowries.”

“Well, you can’t say that. Which man of status doesn’t have multiple wives? A concubine is just a plaything. I think it’s understandable.”

“Then marry openly as a concubine! It’s just greed for dowries. Men are all liars!”

...

The news spread back to the Duke’s mansion. Shen Sisi collapsed onto her bed, face pale as death.

It’s over. Everything is over.