His Peasant Wife : Yao Ling

When they listened to Tao Gu Gu’s story, the quartet could only listen in silence. From what they had heard, it seemed like everything was successful because of luck.

Yao Ling decided to ask, "Tao Gu Gu, what if the prince wasn’t called to the palace? Were you still going to do the same plan? Or did you actually have a backup plan?"

Tao Gu Gu laughed. "Smart girl! If the prince was still there, I would still do the same thing. We could make an excuse that it was taboo for the father to see the birthing process and if he sent someone to inquire, I would certainly make him feel the sleeping potion too."

"But Tao Gu Gu... everything that happened... it seemed like it was only based on pure luck!" Lin Jian exclaimed. He could imagine how dangerous it was at that time! There was also a possibility that the prince’s other women would try to interfere. Lin Jian didn’t seem to hesitate to say all of that to Tao Gu Gu.

Tao Gu Gu nodded in understanding. "Well... it was certainly not easy back then. If the midwives weren’t Shu people, there would be no guarantee that the other women would try to interfere. However, the main midwife already told me that some of the other women had tried to bribe them to kill the baby. They refused by saying that they didn’t dare to offend the prince, because they had the prince’s command to save both of them."

The quartet couldn’t help but shake their head. What Tao Gu Gu said was true, that was the only chance they had to exchange the baby and they risked their lives for it...

Tao Gu Gu added, "Don’t you know? In the art of war, even luck is also counted as a part of the strategy."

The quartet was speechless, but it was indeed true. They sometimes forgot that Tao Gu Gu was the daughter of an official and it seemed like she was a clever one too. Whether she revealed it or not, they had a hunch that Tao Gu Gu actually had a backup plan.

"If you know that by doing this already guaranteed the real baby’s safety, then why didn’t you leave?" Lin Jian asked. "Tao Gu Gu, I heard that you were demoted and abused, because the prince blamed you for my mother’s disappearance..."

Tao Gu Gu shook her head. "I need to make sure that they believed that Han Xiang is the real baby, on the other hand, I have to ensure the safety of the real daughter. Besides, I am doing just fine now right?" Tao Gu Gu smiled when she said the last part.

The quartet felt various types of feelings since the beginning, and now, the felt touched by her sacrifice. How could they didn’t know that the abuse also cost Tao Gu Gu’s her own eyes? She couldn’t see clearly and look older than her real age. However, they didn’t want to point out the obvious. They wanted to let the old woman keep her dignity.

They sighed... Sometimes, there was a time when they needed to be cruel to achieve their goals --- not only to others but also to themselves. They also weren’t saints, so why did they judge Tao Gu Gu for her choice of exchanging the babies? If they indeed judged her harshly, it meant that they were hypocrites!

"Tao Gu Gu, you need to ensure her safety... does it mean that she’s still in the Han Kingdom and she’s not too far away from you?" Xiao Fang asked while her heart was beating faster. "Maybe... I know her?"

Tao Gu Gu nodded. "It was also actually by chance. I wanted to give the baby to a commoner, so later, it was easier for the Ce Fei or me to take her away when she was older. However, it seemed like fate really wanted to play a joke. Because of this, I wasn’t able to leave too."

"What... what happened?" Xiao Fang asked.

"When my sister-in-law carried the baby out, she wore her man disguise. She was going to take the baby to her house first and find the right time to give the baby to an old couple who lived quite far from their village. However, she accidentally stumbled and the baby fell out of her embrace. It almost touched the ground, when a man saved the baby," Tao Gu Gu explained.

When the quartet heard the baby almost touched the ground, they held their breath in... They almost wanted to scold the woman... why couldn’t she hold the baby tighter?!

"After that?" Yao Ying asked.

"The man looked up, trying to find out where the baby came from. After all, around that time, it was very dark. My sister-in-law almost wanted to yell and catch the baby back, when she heard what the man said at that time..." Tao Gu Gu trailed off.

She could still remember the way her sister-in-law told her what had happened back then... The man tried to look around but he couldn’t find where the baby came from. It proved that the man didn’t have martial arts skills ability. If he was one, he should be able to feel her sister-in-law’s presence. The man said with gratefulness and looked at the baby with affection, "Little baby ah~ it seems like we have a fate..."

The man smiled when he saw the baby actually didn’t cry at him, on the contrary, she was sleeping soundly and when the baby heard his voice, her mouth curled up for a little bit. He checked the baby gender and found out that it was a girl. The man was actually only coming out of his house and wanting to drink his sorrow away, however, he actually got a surprise --- he got a bundle of joy.

Her sister-in-law paid close attention to the man, after seeing his good-quality clothing and his soft gaze toward the baby, she changed her mind. She wanted to see what the man was going to do with the baby, instead, she found the man crying hard while hugging the baby...

Her sister-in-law was quite speechless, but his next words indeed made the decision for the baby’s life. "Baby ah~ uncle’s daughter was dead right after she was born and uncle’s wife was heartbroken... How about this? From now on, you can become my daughter... yes, my daughter... Heaven has sent you straight to my embrace. Don’t worry! I will treat you as one of my own..."

While walking away, Tao Gu Gu’s sister-in-law followed him slowly and tried not to let the man sense her presence. However, she was actually thinking too much, because the man was too excited to pay attention to his surroundings. He talked to the baby all the way to his own home and when she was safely inside the house, Tao Gu Gu’s sister-in-law sighed in relief.

At least, the baby had found her safe haven.

"The real one actually lives near me then?" Xiao Fang asked in surprised. "If she’s not a commoner, then she must be living as a noble lady. Who is this woman? Maybe I already keep in touch with her?"

The Han Kingdom wasn’t that big, so the inner circle was also not as many nobles as the Shu Kingdom. Xiao Fang was pretty sure that she must have known the real princess, maybe she could help the trio to keep in touch with the real daughter.

"I suppose so," Tao Gu Gu answered. "You can become friend with Princess Han Xiang, you must also be a noble lady."

"Do you know the man’s identity?" Xiao Fang asked excitedly.

"Yes, I know... that’s why I didn’t leave back then. I wanted to make sure that everything went well on the real daughter’s part..." Tao Gu Gu explained.

"Who... who is he?" Xiao Fang really wanted to know the answer as soon as possible.