Jiang Mian sat on the cushion. By her side were Mo Zhizhang and the yellow dog. All of them were listening as Master Huaihai slowly recounted what had happened back then.
"Eighteen years ago, there were continuous torrential rains in Cangzhou for almost half a month. The water level on the river rose day by day. The people of Cangzhou retreated from the south to the north, but everywhere was flooded."
Master Huaihai's hoarse and tired voice echoed in the room.
"To save the affected people, Ling'an Temple opened its doors to let the people take shelter. It was a late night with thunder and lightning..."
On that thunder - and - lightning - filled night eighteen years ago, Ye, the wife of the prefect, was escorted by a maid and a nanny to Ling'an Temple to take shelter.
There were many disaster - stricken people in Ling'an Temple at that time. Everywhere was crowded. Even though Ye was the wife of the prefect, she couldn't get any special treatment and had to stay with ordinary people.
She was pregnant at that time, and she was supposed to give birth in a month. But while taking shelter in the temple, for some reason, she had a conflict with several commoners, which startled her fetus, and she went into premature labor.
Coincidentally, there was also a pregnant woman who went into premature labor that night. Master Huaihai arranged for them to give birth in the same main hall.
Yes, that woman who also went into labor was Jiang Zhiqing, and the main hall where they gave birth together was the Hall of King Ksitigarbha.
Madam Ye often made donations to Ling'an Temple. Master Huaihai and the monks in the temple all knew her identity, so Master Huaihai attached great importance to this matter.
Jiang Zhiqing gave birth relatively smoothly. She didn't suffer much and gave birth to her child. Master Huaihai cut off a piece of his cassock to wrap the baby for her and placed it beside her.
But Madam Ye was less lucky. Her baby was premature, and unexpectedly, the labor was quite difficult. Although she went into labor earlier than Jiang Zhiqing, she couldn't give birth to the child for a long time.
Ye Ping'an was leading the relief work at that time. Master Huaihai pitied Madam Ye's situation and led the monks in the temple to chant scriptures for her for a full two hours. Only then did Madam Ye give birth to the child smoothly.
However, the cry of this child sounded very weak, like that of a kitten. On the contrary, the cry of the child born by Jiang Zhiqing was loud and powerful. It was obvious that it was a healthy child.
The contrast between the two children immediately tugged at Madam Ye's heartstrings. She asked Master Huaihai to calculate the eight - character horoscope of the child to find out if the child could grow up safely.
Unexpectedly, Master Huaihai told Madam Ye that this child was premature, with congenital deficiencies, and the time of birth was not auspicious. It was a short - lived fate, and it was likely that the child wouldn't live past the age of three.
Moreover, because this child had a bad fate, it would also have an impact on the father and mother and might even affect Prefect Ye's official career. Madam Ye's expression immediately changed.
Madam Ye had high hopes for this pregnancy. She had gone through so much to give birth to the child. How could she be willing to see the child die prematurely? Just then, she heard the cry of the child born by Jiang Zhiqing.
The cry was extremely loud, so loud that it was a bit ear - piercing.
Madam Ye then asked Master Huaihai to take a look at the fate of Jiang Zhiqing's child as well.
At first, Master Huaihai didn't realize Madam Ye's intention and truthfully told her everything.
The child born by Jiang Zhiqing had a blessed appearance. It was an extremely lucky child with numerous benefactors in its life. Most importantly, her birth would also bring good fortune to her relatives.
Hearing this, Jiang Mian sneered, her face full of mockery.
She didn't expect that her speculation was almost the same as the truth.
Master Huaihai paused for a moment and then continued.
After learning that Jiang Zhiqing's child had an extremely good fate, Madam Ye hated Jiang Zhiqing and this child deeply. She thought that Jiang Zhiqing giving birth at the same time as her had taken away the good luck that should have belonged to her, which was why she gave birth to a short - lived child.
Madam Ye couldn't swallow this humiliation. She was even less willing to watch Jiang Zhiqing leave with her child. So she asked Master Huaihai to help her exchange the fates of the two children.
Master Huaihai was initially reluctant, but Madam Ye promised that after the deed was done, she would donate a large amount of money for incense to Ling'an Temple, gild all the Buddha statues in the temple, and send silver to the temple every year. For a moment, Master Huaihai was bewitched and agreed.
Exchanging fates was not just about swapping the eight - character horoscopes. Master Huaihai first wrote Jiang Mian's eight - character horoscope together with Madam Ye's and then chanted scriptures and prayed for them. In this way, they became mother and daughter.
As for Ye Wanxing, Master Huaihai assigned her another eight - character horoscope and regarded her as an orphan without parents. He also lit a long - burning lamp in front of the Buddha.
This long - burning lamp had to be kept lit in front of the Buddha until she was sixteen years old and must not be extinguished during this period.
During these sixteen years, Ye Wanxing couldn't be raised by Madam Ye. She had to be an orphan without parents. Only after the long - burning lamp in Ling'an Temple went out after sixteen years could she be taken back by Madam Ye. After that, the good fortune that belonged to Jiang Mian's fate would completely transfer to Ye Wanxing.
"So, back then, it wasn't a case of the children being抱錯 at all. It was a deliberate act."
Jiang Mian's fingertips trembled with anger.
"Even Ye Wanxing being taken back to the Ye family was because the time had come."
It wasn't because the Ye family finally realized that the children had been抱錯 and took back the real daughter of the Ye family.
Noticing that Jiang Mian was in a bad mood at the moment, Xiao Jingcheng burrowed into her arms and warmed her with his furry body as a yellow dog.
Mo Zhizhang squinted his eyes slightly and said, "If they wanted to steal someone else's child, why didn't they just get rid of the child's biological mother back then to eliminate future troubles?"
Why did they wait until now to take action? Didn't it seem too late after eighteen years?
Jiang Mian suddenly raised her head and looked at Master Huaihai.
Yes, why didn't they kill Jiang Zhiqing eighteen years ago, but now they wanted to kill her?
What threat could a woman who had lost her sanity pose to the Ye family?
Master Huaihai said, "Exchanging the fates of the two children was already going against the will of heaven. Moreover, she was blood - related to the child. If she lost her life, the child's fate would also be damaged, and Madam Ye's plan to exchange fates would fail."
"The best way, of course, was to exchange the two children and let that woman raise Madam Ye's son."
"But Madam Ye resented that woman for taking away her luck and was unwilling to hand over her own child to that woman. But if that woman woke up and couldn't find her own child, she would definitely..."
Jiang Mian gritted her teeth and continued, "She would definitely suspect the Buddhist temple and would also make a fuss to find her own child."
"So, you all came up with a plan together and drove her crazy. In this way, you could not only steal her child but also continue the plan to exchange fates!"
Jiang Mian's eyes were blood - red. "Tell me, what method did you use to drive my mother crazy?! Why is she terrified at the sight of the statue in the Hall of King Ksitigarbha and says that she is guilty?!"