"..." Ye Haoyang was speechless as well; those who favor daughters over sons are simply unreasonable.
Yang Chuxia, afraid he might argue further, gestured for him to come over.
Once everyone was seated, Commandery Princess Dongyang sighed.
"I wonât hide this from you. Iâm afraid Huarongâs nature has always been impure and malicious. I used to think it was Yu Bingâs influence, but now Iâm not so sure."
Then she continued, "When she was seven, she skinned two dogs alive and left them on my dressing table, as well as in Chengchengâs pharmacy. Back then, I assumed it was just because she was young and hadnât formed her character yet, hoping sheâd grow out of it. Moreover, since I hadnât witnessed it myself, I couldnât bring myself to believe the servantsâ reports over my own daughter."
Even Yang Chuxia and Ye Haoyang, who had seen plenty of killings, felt a chill.
Such a young little girl...
"I didnât handle it then. Who knew that later, skinned cats and dogs frequently appeared in the house, some not even having been gutted, with their intestines exposed. Huaâen was so scared that she fell ill for a while. Later, I saw with my own eyes her skinning with a knife... but since it was only cats and dogs that died, I thought that proper guidance would surely change her."
At this, Commandery Princess Dongyang held her forehead with one hand and paused.
"Who would have thought that with one careless moment, she actually intended to skin a person alive, and with Yu Bing no less. If someone from her courtyard hadnât come to find me, I wouldnât have believed she could... Then, there was the incident where Yu Bing injured Chengcheng. I thought the two girls couldnât be together, so I had Yu Bing sent to the estate, where she was confined for a few months. When she first came out, she behaved quite obediently, but gradually her old habits resurfaced, leading to more dead cats, dogs, and infants... After all, she is my own flesh and blood; I couldnât bear to punish her harshly, and in the end, it cost Huaâen."
Yang Chuxiaâs eyes widened at Eldest, thinking, is this a normal girl? This is simply psychopathic; dead cats, dead dogs, dead infants...
At this moment, Ye Haoyang was extremely relieved. Luckily, he recognized her; otherwise, wouldnât he fear losing his head one day while asleep?
"Actually... even if Yangyang hadnât mentioned it, I knew she was still alive..." In fact, she wanted to say it might have been better if she were dead; living might never bring peace, but as a mother, she couldnât utter those words.
"Yangyang has been away from the Capital City for many years and hasnât interacted with Huaâen, yet he managed to recognize her; itâs not easy." Commandery Princess Dongyang spoke of this matter again. As a mother, how could she not notice changes in her two daughters, but without concrete evidence, she could only harbor suspicions.
"The two sisters look alike; itâs difficult for most people to distinguish them, but in fact, there are many subtle differences." Commandery Princess Dongyang turned her head, gently touching Huaâenâs brow and eyes, "Huaâenâs left eye corner tilts up, and thereâs a small red mole near where her face meets her neck. Because Huaâen frequently handles herbs, the insides of her fingers are somewhat yellowed. Even their eating styles differ: Huaâen holds her chopsticks with her ring finger, while Huarong uses her little finger."
"But no matter how a person changes, their nature wonât undergo major alterations. However, Iâve noticed Huarong mimics even those minute differences."
Mu Huaen exchanged a look with Ye Haoyang; even she hadnât noticed these differences.
Mu Shaoling, guessing what she was thinking, shook his head, "You just didnât know. Huarong must have observed long ago and kept imitating you, even down to your handwriting."
He, too, had shared the same suspicions as Dongyang, and even paid attention, but found not only the handwriting but also the tiny life habits were identical.