CHAPTER 357: CHAPTER 357: BIRTHMARK

The coup in the palace ended with King Jie’s defeat.

It was a complete sweep, not just capturing King Jie, but also uprooting the forces behind him.

Aside from that, they thoroughly uncovered the "root" of King Jie.

The Grand Prince was the most unexpected gain in this palace coup.

Compared to him, the Seventh Prince’s false transmission of the imperial edict seemed insignificant.

But that’s only in comparison. In reality, the Seventh Prince also committed treason, likewise becoming a pariah in this coup.

Consort Zhang was given crane top red poison, and the Seventh Prince was placed under lifelong house arrest.

As for the Grand Prince and King Jie, they are awaiting execution after the autumn.

Consort Xian was sentenced to hanging.

The Emperor became the biggest winner of this palace coup, yet he was not very happy and fell seriously ill again.

To set the trap, he indeed took medicine, and as they say, any medicine has a third of poison. The Emperor himself was not lightly harmed, and with the truths revealed by King Jie, the Emperor fell into complete despair.

Biyue was gone, his daughter...

He couldn’t find out his daughter’s whereabouts. Before King Jie was arrested, no matter how the Emperor asked or coerced, he only said she was suffering, but didn’t specify where.

Now that he was caught, King Jie was even less likely to say, only threatening that the Emperor would never know where his daughter was suffering, that he would never be able to save his daughter, that he could remain comfortably as the Emperor, but his daughter would suffer in some corner.

How can someone be at ease being Emperor like this?

One must admit, King Jie’s move was too ruthless.

Killing silently, destroying one’s will.

In King Jie’s heart, he himself was not feeling well either. He too had just found out that he had been played into his "incurable disease"; he could have lived much longer, but alas, now he was caught, his wife and children were caught, hope was gone.

The only thing sustaining King Jie now was the matter of the Emperor’s daughter. He would never tell the Emperor where the real princess was, making sure the Emperor could not rest easy as the ruler!

And the false Princess Zhuyu, Princess Zhuyu was released from the palace, given her freedom.

If this scheme had not had her cooperation, they would not have achieved such a great victory.

Only the likes of King Jie would burn bridges, the current Emperor would not.

However, Princess Zhuyu, no, now she should be called He Hua, she was alone with nowhere to go, not knowing where to go.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she left the palace, she saw Young Lady Pei standing there waiting for her.

"Come, stay with me first, and then we can make plans later."

Young Master Pei has been busy wrapping things up, Qu Fulan only knew the general situation, so she came here to welcome He Hua. She had promised to help her, and she would certainly see it through.

"So, did King Jie and the others tell you your true identity?" Qu Fulan asked.

He Hua nodded, then shook her head, unsure of how to express it.

Qu Fulan understood her, a young girl caught up in a palace coup would naturally have her mindset changed a bit.

"It’s okay. If you don’t want to say it now, just wait until you’re ready. No matter the truth, what I have promised will stand."

He Hua slowly came to her senses, then leaned on Qu Fulan’s shoulder and began to cry, "They said, they said my whole family was sentenced by the Emperor to be executed, now I’m the only one left."

"Did they tell you who your family is? Do they have evidence?" Qu Fulan asked while gently patting her back.

"They said I’m the daughter of the Governor of Yunzhou..."

"...What did you say?" Qu Fulan was stunned.

He Hua didn’t notice her odd expression, repeated it again, and then said, "They were executed due to the floods which falsely incriminated the Li Family."

He Hua, although never having lived with that family, felt sadness knowing the truth.

For the family she had never met.

"You’re the daughter of the Li Family?" Qu Fulan repeated in a murmur.

"That’s what they said. I don’t know the specifics, nor did they tell me." He Hua softly replied.

"How can you be sure that what they said is true?" The emotions inside Qu Fulan were indescribable.

He Hua is the daughter of the Li Family? Then who is she? No, who was the original?

"They showed me a portrait of my mother, I resemble her somewhat, and there’s also the jade pendant my mother left. Half is with me, and the other half is with them."

"Jade pendants can be faked, as can portraits. This cannot count as evidence." Qu Fulan replied calmly.

He Hua was innocent by nature, maybe she had been deceived.

But He Hua shook her head, "It’s true. I’ll show you something, then you’ll understand."

There was a secret told by someone in the past that convinced her fully.

With that, He Hua opened her clothes, revealing her white shoulder.

"Look at the birthmark on my left back, and compare it with the joint of the broken jade, then you’ll understand."

Once Qu Fulan looked, she indeed understood.

The birthmark on He Hua’s left shoulder matched the pattern of the jade pendant exactly.

There was a rumor that those with birthmarks were inauspicious, and most families, especially those in poverty, would abandon such children for the misfortune they could bring.

The families who truly loved their children would spend a lot of money on a fine jade piece, seeking a master at a temple to carve it with the same pattern as the birthmark, thus resolving the misfortune.

This was something only families who loved their children would do.

Something only those with means could afford, as even a fine jade pendant alone would be out of reach for poor families.

Thus, the jade pendant on He Hua must have been left by her parents, and wouldn’t have been crafted deliberately by bad people, for they wouldn’t show such sincerity.

By this point, Qu Fulan almost believed He Hua; she was indeed Miss Li.

But then, whose child was the original her?

The original novel never mentioned this topic, so she had never considered the issue of the original’s lineage.

The original’s family could not be confirmed now, but whether He Hua was the child of the Li Family, beyond the pendant and birthmark, there was another way to verify.

Mrs. Li.

She was Mrs. Li’s sister, surely she knew something.

Qu Fulan recalled when she brought He Hua to the embroidery workshop, and the expression on Mrs. Li’s face when she saw He Hua, and later when she went back, Mrs. Li’s habit of looking behind her when she went, at the time she paid it no mind, but thinking back now, did Mrs. Li find He Hua familiar?

Because she resembled her sister?

Perhaps because of that, when she later took He Hua to Mrs. Li’s house as a guest, Mrs. Li’s warm attitude was due to a sense of inexplicable familiarity?

Or perhaps Mrs. Li actually knew something but couldn’t be sure, so she always paid attention to He Hua?

Whether it was yes or no, taking her there for verification would suffice, and if true, she could acknowledge her roots.

The King Jie case had yet to be thoroughly examined, and once interrogations began, many things could be uncovered.

Maybe by then, the original’s identity could also be known.

"Wait in the carriage first, and I’ll let you know once I’ve clarified things. Only then should you come out."

Once they arrived at Mrs. Li’s residence, Qu Fulan told He Hua.

Whether Mrs. Li knew or not, a prior notice was appropriate, rather than directly approaching. If it turned out to be not the case, it would have been presumptuous.