Ye Jiu later surmised that the pregnant Mrs. He must have long been targeted by the Princess Consort, which led to the switching of the dragon for the phoenix, transforming herself into Mrs. He's daughter.
And the child Mrs. He had originally given birth to must have been a son, just quietly replaced by her so-called biological mother.
The hardships of her previous life, coupled with the cruelty of her birth mother in this life, left Ye Jiu listless for a long time.
However, it was only after seeing Mrs. He's affection for her that Ye Jiu realized that such an exchange might not be a better life for herself after all.
It's just that, being thousands of miles away from the Capital City, she had no idea how the son Mrs. He gave birth to was faring!
But then she thought, as long as that poisonous woman didn't bear a son, he should be safe; otherwise, he might just be a stumbling block on someone else's road to success.
Speaking of Mrs. He, she could be deemed a success model for rural women. Mrs. He gave birth to four sons and had two grandsons by the time she had a late-in-life daughter, who was treasured as if she might break in their hands, cherished as if she might melt in their mouths.
Ye Jiu was in poor health because of the poison, but Mrs. He didn't know that poisoning was the reason, so she named her Ye Jiu.
The old lady was illiterate but just wanted her to live a long and lasting life, choosing an auspicious name.
In the days that followed, Ye Jiu truly understood what real maternal love was!
Even though the severe poison rendered Ye Jiu mute and her movements sluggish, still appearing helpless at over ten years old, Mrs. He's affection for her never wavered for a decade.
Whenever the household had delicious food, she was always the first to eat, a privilege not even the Ye Family's eldest grandson received.
Speaking of her recent injury, it was because of an Opium Cake that her elder brother bought for her, which led to her being hit in the head by her half-sister Ye Erya from a different mother, nearly causing her hanging-by-a-thread life to come to an abrupt end.
Her foster father, Old Man Ye, was just ordinary farmfolk, with the only difference being that, while other poor families were monogamous, he had taken two wives.
In the eyes of Mrs. He, Mrs. Lee was the mistress who rose to the top, but to Mrs. He, it was Mrs. Lee and Old Man Ye who had wronged her first.
Of course, Ye Jiu only incidentally heard this when Mrs. He was scolding Mrs. Lee and also when Mrs. Lee grumbled in front of her while Mrs. He was away.
Initially, Old Man Ye was betrothed to Mrs. He, but Mrs. Lee, who was Old Man Ye's cousin, colluded with his mother to sneak into Old Man Ye's bed while he was drunk. Helpless under his mother's pressure, Old Man Ye had no choice but to break off the engagement with Mrs. He and marry Mrs. Lee.
This led to Mrs. He's subsequent tragedy.
No matter the reason, in that era, a woman who had been jilted lost her qualification to marry into a good family.
Thus, through delays and postponements, Mrs. He was left to grow old as a spinster.
Perhaps as retribution, Mrs. Lee employed schemes to marry Old Man Ye successfully, but then failed to conceive for three years after giving birth to her eldest daughter.
In that era, having no sons meant the end of a family line, and even though Old Man Ye's mother was fond of her niece, she wouldn't allow her own son to face familial extinction.
Left with no choice, as the Ye Family's circumstances weren't great and it was not easy to find a bride for the eldest daughter, they once again set their sights on Mrs. He, who had remained unmarried after the broken engagement.
Mrs. He had only one condition: she did not want a dowry, she only wanted to be the lawful wife. This was undoubtedly the best outcome for the Ye Family, but for Mrs. Lee, it was a disaster.