Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Her Background

Lai Ran sighed, as if he could see the question in Leng Yu Yan’s eyes, and explained in a hoarse voice, “Sixteen years ago, on one night, I was drugged by someone. What happened that night was against my will, and your mother’s as well.”

“We were both framed by someone’s scheme!”

Lai Ran painfully recollected that he didn’t remember very clearly what happened that night, only afterward did he hear the woman calling him “Zong Fa,” and then he realized he had slept with the wrong person.

And she likely never knew until her death that the man who was intimate with her that night was him.

Upon hearing this, the Old Prince and the Old Princess Consort were shocked beyond belief.

They had never heard their son speak of this matter.

Lai Ran looked at her with eyes full of pain and tenderness and added, “Yan’er, you are now fifteen years and five months old, am I right?”

Calculating the time, from her mother’s pregnancy to her birth, to the present, she should be this age.

Leng Yu Yan nodded woodenly, as her beautiful eyes slowly filled with mist, “Are you truly my father?”

The Old Princess Consort wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, “They say a daughter takes after her father, you two are clearly father and daughter at one glance.”

The Old Prince, with a wave of his large hand and a powerful voice, commanded, “Ye’er, quickly fetch the house doctor to do a blood test for paternity.”

Once the blood test confirmed they were father and daughter, the girl before him would have no excuse to leave, and they wouldn’t allow their legitimate granddaughter to be cast aside.

They had already lost one granddaughter, and now faced with another as beautiful as a blooming flower, they were determined to keep her at any cost.

Li Yuyue thus made another trip.

In no time at all, the house doctor came and pricked the fingertips of Leng Yu Yan and Lai Ran.

Two drops of blood fell into the water and quickly blended together.

The house doctor joyfully announced, “Congratulations, Prince, on finding your daughter!”

Lai Ran waved his hand, signaling the staff to take their reward and leave.

Then, turning to Leng Yu Yan, he said gently, “Yan’er, won’t you call me ‘Father King’? Or ‘daddy’ or ‘father,’ if you prefer.”

Leng Yu Yan struggled to utter the words and simply murmured in return, “You said you and my mother were both harmed by someone, by whom?”

Li Yuyue’s four brothers also spoke out in anger, “Father King, who plotted this scheme?”

The four were full brothers, sharing the same mother. Father King was deeply in love with their mother; how could he have wronged her?

Upon learning that Father King and Yu Yan’s mother were both victims of a scheme, the four Leng brothers were filled with righteous indignation.

They were eager to know their enemy at once so they could exact vengeance.

Father King and Yu Yan’s mother were innocent, their mother even more so, and little sister Yu Yan the most innocent of all.

Upon further thought, this villain’s plot, through a bizarre twist of fate, had given them a sister, which must be heaven’s blessing!

Lai Ran shook his head, “Who the schemer is, I truly don’t know. After so many years, it’s probably impossible to trace. At that time, my father had just passed the title to me, and I suspect it was someone wanting to ruin my reputation.”

The Old Prince contemplated for a moment before speaking, “Being framed is one thing, having a daughter from that incident is another. Although they are connected, we must not let the despicable person who devised such a plot get away with it!”

To dare affront the Prince Zhenbei Mansion, they were clearly tired of living!

“Father’s teaching is correct!” Lai Ran nodded, “I will look into it thoroughly and clear Yu Yan’s mother’s name!”

As she heard him pledge to vindicate her mother, the mist in Leng Yu Yan’s eyes thickened.

She was not the product of her mother’s infidelity but of her mother and father being both victims of treachery.

Under such circumstances, they should both be blameless!

Thinking of her mother passing away five years ago and still being subjected to such slander, Leng Yu Yan clenched her fists. She was determined to uncover the truth.

After saying that, she blinked furiously, then lifted her gaze to the sky and took a deep breath to keep her tears from falling.

Suddenly, from outside the front hall, a gentle feminine voice rang out, “Mian’er, my dear daughter, you’ve returned; why didn’t you come to see your mother first?”

Leng Yu Yan heard the voice and her tears fell profusely.

Though her back was to the newcomer, she knew well it must be Princess Zhenbei speaking.

And she was aware that Princess Zhenbei was Li Fei’s mother and had no relation to her.

Yet, that term of endearment, “my good daughter,” made it impossible for her tears to hold back.

Yun Family gently pushed the maid’s hand away, gesturing around, “Father, mother, husband, Ye’er, Jing’er, Xing’er, Sheng’er, why did no one inform me that Mian’er has returned!”

Li Yuyue admonished, “Mother, sister is currently dressed as a man; we feared you might find it uncomfortable to see her, so we were discussing letting her change clothes first.”

Yun Family shot him a look, “The child I gave birth to looks good in whatever clothes she wears!”

As she spoke, she stepped toward Leng Yu Yan.

The Leng Family’s father and son watched anxiously, fearful that some slip might occur.

After all, they had only just recognized their kinship and had not had the time to explain Yun Family’s current situation to Leng Yu Yan.

Moreover, since Leng Yu Yan was dressed as a boy, should Yun Family recognize immediately the difference between her and Mian’er, they dared not think how her illness might progress.

Lai Ran’s sharp gaze shifted to the maid.

The maid immediately knelt down, “Prince, Princess insisted on coming to see after hearing from the servants.”

Yun Family approached slowly, softly said, “Mian’er, turn around and look at your mother. Three years have passed, and your mother has missed you day and night. How could you go to the capital and enter the Imperial College without visiting your mother?”

Leng Yu Yan could no longer control her emotions, which she had been trying to keep steady.

She turned around, and her tears fell unstoppably as she knelt to the ground, “Daughter has been unfilial, making mother worry for three years!”

Yun Family pulled her up and embraced her tightly as tears flowed silently from her eyes, “It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back!”

Leng Yu Yan leaned into her embrace, nodding incessantly, her tears streaming down.

At this moment, in the arms of Princess Zhenbei, she released the longing for her birth mother without restraint.

So warm was the embrace of a mother!

As a person of two lifetimes, this was her first time feeling such warmth.

Li Fei, I’m sorry, I beg to rest in your mother’s embrace for a while!

Mother, I have been unfilial and have yet to avenge you!

Yun Family tenderly wiped the tears from Leng Yu Yan’s face, “You’ve grown up, my child has grown up!”

“From now on, never leave your mother without saying goodbye, do you understand?”

Leng Yu Yan nodded understandingly, “Daughter understands!”

The Old Princess Consort, standing aside, quietly wiped her tears; this granddaughter was a good one!

This mother and daughter, one having lost her mother and the other her daughter, found comfort in each other’s presence.

Lai Ran, relieved, watched the scene unfold and spoke hoarsely, “Alright, let the girl go change her clothes first. She has not rested well on the journey to Beilan City.”

Only then did Yun Family release Leng Yu Yan, “Yes, I was negligent. The journey from the capital to Beilan City is long, and now is the time for Mian’er to rest properly.”

Yun Family hurriedly ordered the servants to take Leng Yu Yan to rest, while she herself personally prepared the menu for the reunion dinner.

Seeing her so clear-headed and spirited, all the members of the Leng Family breathed a sigh of relief.

Following Yun Family’s instructions, the Leng Yu Yan was taken by the servants to the courtyard where Li Fei had once lived.

Worried that she might not be accustomed to it, Lai Ran quickly followed and said, “Yan’er, if you wish to change courtyards, just let your father know.”

He paused, then added, “Mian’er is older than you by one month; by all accounts, she would be your elder sister.”

Leng Yu Yan pursed her lips, “It’s very good that I’m staying in the courtyard where my elder sister once lived. Besides, with the Princess behaving this way, I ought even more to stay in my sister’s courtyard.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com