Transmigrated as A Farm Girl Making Her Family Rich

Ye Fengqi felt a wave of sympathy for the two newly purchased maids upon hearing her mother's words. They were once ladies leading comfortable lives, but some people had changed their fates, leaving them to lead such miserable existences!

While she felt sympathetic, once they became maids, she couldn't just let them be; there were duties that had to be performed.

At this time, Ye Fengqi still hadn't realized that her grandfather's intention in buying two maids was for them to become concubines.

Right then, Ye Fengqi missed her elder sister and younger sister tremendously. Just one day had passed, and she felt an overwhelming emptiness and longing by her side.

Unable to resist missing her sisters, she began to write letters, hoping to remain in her sisters' memories through correspondence.

In her heart, she constantly wondered what her elder sister and younger sister were doing in the Capital City at that very moment.

Without her elder sisters at home, the silence felt so profound.

Although Maid Ye Daidi clung to her like a shadow, Ye Fengqi played her instrument while immersed in thoughts of her sisters, the music filled with sorrow.

Ye Daidi couldn't understand her music at all—it was like playing the lute to a cow!

"Don't meddle with these instruments, they belong to my elder sister and younger sister!"

When Ye Fengqi saw this Concubine Aunt messing with things, it was bad enough that she followed her around, but now she was tampering with their belongings.

"Hmph, your elder sister and younger sister are not coming back anyway. What's wrong with letting your Aunt play with it for a bit?"

Aunt Lai had nothing better to do, so she went to provoke the sisterly maids. They ignored her taunts and refused to rise to her bait, much to her frustration.

It was actually quite maddening!

So, she added more surveillance on Ye Fengqi, as if showing extra affection for her daughter, while being critical at that moment.

"Aunt Lai, whether my sisters use these instruments or not is not for you, a concubine, to comment on. Moreover, these items were gifts from others and have nothing to do with you or the Concubine Aunt. You're meddling too much, aren't you?"

Arguing with these sisters, Aunt Lai probably quarreled most with Ye Fengqi, who had a sharp tongue and always had to have the last word, making her grit her teeth every time she spoke.

"Lady, let's go!"

Aunt Lai could not call her own daughter by name, even though she was an illegitimate child, she was still a lady.

"I won't go, I don't want you to interfere, just go away!"

Ye Daidi didn't feel close to her Aunt, perhaps because her Aunt had beaten and scolded her too much, making her believe Mrs. Li to be a gentle mother instead.

"You... I'm doing this for your own good, you're really foolish!"

Unable to drag Ye Daidi with her, Aunt Lai stomped her feet in anger, cursing at her.

"Wah wah wah, I don't want you, just go away!"

Ye Daidi's crying and tantrum attracted the attention of the workers and Mrs. Li's gaze.

It even disturbed Hongji's father, who was enjoying his leisure, making him impatient and causing him to come over to scold Aunt Lai!

"She was playing just fine, why did you bother her? What are you trying to do to her?"

"Old Master... my own daughter is being unreasonable, I need to discipline her!"

The words of Aunt Lai annoyed Hongji's father.

Ye Daidi broke free from Aunt Lai's grasp and, crying, went looking for Mrs. Li. When she found her, she clung to her legs.

Mrs. Li... I'm not so idle to entertain this, how could this possibly draw more hatred toward me!

This little girl really knew how to draw attention; after all, that was still her mother, and her closeness to Mrs. Li only made Aunt Lai hate her more!

Aunt Lai looked at Mrs. Li with venom in her gaze.

Daughter, treating Mrs. Li better than herself, she did feel a twinge of sorrow and resentment.

Hongji's father, seeing his daughter relying on Mrs. Li and paying no mind to Aunt Lai's gaze, thought Mrs. Li, as a daughter-in-law, wasn't too bad, a better character than the concubine, and with her guiding his daughter, he'd worry a little less.

Aunt Lai had no inkling of her husband's thoughts, just then noticing her husband's gaze lingering at the entrance to Mrs. Lai's room, that fixated, foolishly affectionate look.

She was jealous, and even more infuriated at herself for running her mouth, which led to Mrs. Li hiring a maid. The result wasn't service for herself, but a boon for Mrs. Lai, who had seduced her own husband.

Aunt Lai was angry but helpless, the two maids had been bought by the son-in-law, and he paid their wages. Even if she had the spare cash, she wouldn't have bought maids to add to her troubles.

It didn't work to make a fuss, and sending people to get rid of the maids was out of the question too. Near them, glances of infatuation—it seemed they would soon be taken into the household.

Aunt Lai knew these two maids were formidable, acknowledged that she was no match for them, younger and more beautiful. As for bearing children that the Old Master wanted for continuing the family line, this wasn't coming so easily at the moment.

She was even unable to prevent the Old Master from taking concubines.

Of course, the two maids knew full well where the Old Master's gaze lay. Seeing that the young Master was better than the Old Master, they understood that their fate, having been bought, was already sealed.

Daring not to actively seduce the young Master, with only the Old Master idling about, the house brimming with lustful eyes!

Feeling quite helpless, having already spent a day here, they knew that the household was rather simple. The young Master's daughters had gone to the Capital City, and family affairs here were not too complicated.

...

Housekeeper Ye had investigated in the county and learned of the switch with the concubine's child!

Thus, he must probe into Bushen Village to determine if the couple that switched the child were indeed the young Master's parents.

They had to start by questioning the villagers, beginning with covert inquiries with some of the village elders. As strangers, if they simply showed up and began asking questions, it would appear odd.

There were also some workers from the village at the estate, so they started by asking these workers.

The responses were similar to those received from Li Zhijun, and some old folk spoke of having seen Mrs. Lai pregnant, later giving birth to a child without summoning a midwife, leading them to believe she had delivered at home.

Housekeeper Ye felt it was suspicious, giving birth at home without a midwife.

He also learned that when Mrs. Li, the young madam, was giving birth to her daughters, Mrs. Lai, as the head of the household, surprisingly would not pay for a midwife.

For her son Hongji, she was decent, but she was never as good to him as she was to some of the daughters, and everyone in the village thought she was unkind to her daughter-in-law.

All signs were indicating that Hongji, the Eldest Young Master, might have been switched at birth, and now, with the investigation underway, it surfaced that Hongji's father had taken in concubines and recently purchased another two maids, presumably as future concubines.

Housekeeper Ye believed that Hongji's father sure wanted to sire his own biological son.

Although it was merely speculative, they were quite certain that the Eldest Young Master must be the child of the master and the concubine.

Housekeeper Ye planned to personally visit Hongji's father and Mrs. Lai, determined to uncover the truth.

In a couple of days, having prepared gifts and accompanied by some guards, he set out to visit the village under the pretext of a social call, but his real motive was to confront Hongji's father and Mrs. Lai to ascertain if they were the pair who had switched the child.

Though now armed with a portrait, he was also eager to face the midwife and question her in person.

While Housekeeper Ye was investigating, waves of people reached the new county, following the trails he had left and continuing inquiries.

These people included various factions, and there were even superiors from the official ranks.

As the County Magistrate Si Maheyu of the new county, he had also received a letter from his clan, instructing him to delve into Hongji's past.

He was a bit surprised to receive this letter; he had met the man, and his daughter was familiar with the man's daughters.

He had assumed the man was simply a peasant who had risen to wealth. Had he not expected this much attention—could this man be, as some suspected, the illegitimate son of a General?

The only son of General Ye?