It had been a long time since Shumer Yun had heard the name "Xiaoba". She looked down at the wooden rabbit in Su Yuanyuan's palm, and a hint of nostalgia was visible in her eyes.
"I was just wondering how you, a young girl, could be so good at medicine. It turns out it's because of this."
"However, I'm curious. Why was the jade pendant broken? And how did you get it? I remember that before I fell off the cliff, this jade pendant was snatched by my rebellious disciple named Li Cuihua."
Facing Shumer Yun's inquisitive eyes, Su Yuanyuan said honestly, "Auntie, I'll tell you the truth. I'm a person who was reborn after death. In my previous life, I was the second legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion, named Su Yuanyuan. The 'yuan' in my name is from the phrase 'Li Lan Yuan Zhi'. I had an elder sister. When she was born, a rebel army attacked, and she accidentally got separated from our parents. Many years later, the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion found a girl in Jinzhou. She was about the same age and had a birthmark on the sole of her foot. After a blood - relation test, they took her back to the family."
"After she was brought back to the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion, she said her name was 'Wangyue' and told them about her experience of begging while wandering outside. Later, the Marquis's Mansion changed her name to 'Su Qingyu'. From then on, she became the eldest legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion and was doted on by our parents and elder brother."
Shumer Yun didn't expect that this young girl in front of her was actually a reborn person. As she listened further, her expression darkened slightly.
"Is the birthmark you mentioned about this size and in the shape of a crescent?" Shumer Yun gestured.
Su Yuanyuan nodded. She said, "I also saw such a birthmark on Sister Wangyue. It's obvious that the person in Shengjing City who claimed to be 'Wangyue' was actually an impostor. That person must be the Li Cuihua you mentioned."
Shumer Yun pondered for a moment and said, "Both Li Cuihua, that rebellious disciple of mine, and I knew about the birthmark on Wangyue's sole. As for the blood - relation test, it's not accurate. People with the same blood type may not necessarily be relatives. But didn't the Marquis's Mansion ever suspect her origin?"
Su Yuanyuan shook her head.
She told Shumer Yun that after Su Qingyu was recognized by the Marquis's Mansion, the whole family was overjoyed and tried their best to make up for the daughter they had lost for many years. However, "Su Qingyu" not only had no sisterly affection for her but also designed many schemes against her, leading her step by step to lose her reputation, the trust of her parents and elder brother, her innocence, and finally her life.
"Later, Brother Yunjian appeared in the mass grave in time. He drove away those terrifying wild dogs for me and buried my body properly. My soul drifted in the world for a long time. When I woke up again, I had become the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Qingjun's Mansion and was no longer Su Yuanyuan of the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion."
Perhaps because she now had relatives who loved, protected, and unconditionally believed in her, Su Yuanyuan's emotions were no longer as intense as when she had just been reborn when talking about her previous life.
Shumer Yun sighed softly and reached out to touch Su Yuanyuan's cheek. "You're a poor child. What happened next?"
Feeling the warmth from Shumer Yun's hand, Su Yuanyuan's nose twitched, and she continued, "When I woke up, I found myself in Qingyi Garden. For some reason, Su Qingyu pushed me into the lake, and I almost drowned. When I got back to the shore, I found that I was holding the jade pendant she always wore."
"At first, I didn't know there was a secret hidden in the jade pendant. To take revenge on her, I broke the jade pendant she cherished so much because she often told others that it was a gift from her master and was the only one in the world."
"After the jade pendant was broken, Xiaoba... it had already entered my body and formed a contract with me. I promised to find its master for it, and it taught me medicine and helped me deal with all the dangers."
"A gift from her master? The only one in the world?" Shumer Yun raised her eyebrows slightly and sneered. "She really has the nerve to say so."
Su Yuanyuan asked carefully, "Auntie, Xiaoba has great abilities and can help people avoid dangers. Since you had such a jade pendant, why did things end up like this? And why... did you leave Brother Yunjian?"
Looking at the clear eyes of the young girl and remembering her son saying that this girl was the one he loved, Shumer Yun's eyes softened.
"Actually, I'm not from this world. I traveled here from the future."
"Xiaoba is an item I created. It contains the greatest achievements in traditional Chinese medicine over thousands of years and also has the most advanced medical knowledge and technology. With it, one can become a world - renowned doctor, be respected by thousands of people, and get everything one wants. It was supposed to be used in the medical field in the future world, but due to an accident, it came to this place with me."
"I was originally the legitimate daughter of the declining Shu family in Shuzhou. Because of my medical skills, the Shu family was able to revive, and my father was promoted to an official in the capital. After coming to Shengjing, my father was appreciated by the late former crown prince because of his talent, and I married the Prince of Shou. I thought life would pass peacefully like this. But then there was a palace coup, and the crown prince died in the palace. The noble families strongly supported the Prince of Shou to become the new crown prince, and I became the crown princess. The Shu family was the leader of the poor - family aristocrats and had its own political stance. Since the Prince of Shou became the crown prince, I, as the crown princess, was naturally targeted."
Su Yuanyuan was shocked and even stood up from her chair.
The Prince of Shou? Wasn't this the title of the current emperor before he ascended the throne? In her previous life in the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion, she had heard the Marquis mention it once.
If so, if there hadn't been an accident back then, the current empress should have been Shumer Yun, and Cang Xuan should have been the legitimate son of the emperor!
The legitimate eldest son in the proper sense!
Shumer Yun could tell from Su Yuanyuan's expression that she still didn't know Cang Xuan's identity. It was obvious that she trusted and helped him whole - heartedly, not because he was the blood of the current emperor.
With a relieved smile, Shumer Yun continued,
"Later, when I was saving someone, I accidentally revealed that I had a precious treasure. This attracted the coveting of the Wang family. To dispel their suspicion, I forcibly separated Xiaoba from my body and transferred it into the jade pendant you mentioned. I didn't expect that this was also their scheme. Without Xiaoba's reminder, I accidentally fell into their trap at the New Year's Eve banquet and was locked in the cold palace of the East Palace."
"Not only did they scheme against me like this, but they also planned to burn me to death. At that time, I had already found out that I was pregnant, so I faked my death and escaped from the capital. I originally planned to find a quiet place to give birth to the child, but I didn't expect that they still coveted Xiaoba in my hand and chased after me relentlessly. Hiding in the folk like this, after giving birth to the child, I sent him to Zitan Mountain."
"I originally planned to solve the pursuers behind me and then go back to reunite with Yunjian. But I secretly found out that the Wang family had deep contacts with countries like Qiangyou, Beiman, and Nanjiang. So I, under the name of the 'Divine Doctor of the Apricot Grove', went north to investigate and collect evidence all the way until I reached Jinzhou. That's where I met a white - eyed wolf."
The white - eyed wolf Shumer Yun mentioned was exactly the "Su Qingyu" that Su Yuanyuan was familiar with, or rather, Li Cuihua.