Seeing the blank looks on the faces of the Marquis of Pingyang and others at the name "Li Cuihua", Wang Yue sneered and recounted Li Cuihua's background, how she betrayed Shu Moyun, and how she pushed the master and disciple off the cliff one after another.
However, she omitted the fact that Shu Moyun was captured by the Wang family. She only mentioned that they were both harmed by Li Cuihua but luckily survived, and the master and disciple were reunited many years later.
Upon learning of this inside story, Mrs. Tong was so shocked that she covered her mouth and nose tightly. The Marquis of Pingyang and Su Zeqian, on the other hand, were filled with anger.
By now, if they still didn't know who "Li Cuihua" was, they would truly be hopeless fools.
When Su Qingyu was retrieved from Jinzhou, she once mentioned that she had a master. But instead of saying it was the "Divine Doctor of the Apricot Grove", she only said it was an ordinary doctor who fell off a cliff while gathering herbs on the mountain, leaving her alone.
But now it seemed that Su Qingyu had deliberately killed her benefactor and fellow disciple and stolen Wang Yue's identity, so as to transform from a rural woman into a noble daughter of a marquis's mansion. What a good plan she had!
The truth was now clear, and there was only one crucial piece of evidence left.
"Miss Wang Yue, may I take the liberty to ask if there is a crescent - shaped birthmark on the sole of your foot, specifically on your right foot?" Su Zeqian asked.
Wang Yue had been extremely cold - faced towards them from beginning to end, so her answer was also very flat: "Yes."
But Mrs. Tong became extremely excited. She tried to take two steps forward. "Could I, could I take a look?"
Wang Yue nodded, got up, and walked behind the screen with Mrs. Tong to have the birthmark on her sole checked.
Su Yuanyuan was sitting in the main seat, calmly sipping the tea in her hand.
Su Zeqian's gaze fell on her. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Princess, since we parted in Yandang Mountain, you were kidnapped. Did you encounter any danger on the way? Did those people do anything to you?"
The Marquis of Pingyang also stared intently at Su Yuanyuan, waiting for her answer.
Su Yuanyuan put down her teacup and said with a faint smile, "No. They abducted me to a deep mountain. Soon after, the Prince of Cangjun came in time to rescue me. It was a perilous journey but without any real harm. Thank you, Marquis and Heir, for your concern."
Her response was very appropriate, but there was a sense of distance in her words. The Marquis of Pingyang moved his lips, somehow wanting to say more. At this moment, Mrs. Tong's muffled sobs came from behind the screen: "My child, mother has finally found you!"
Behind the screen, watching Wang Yue take off her shoes and socks with her own eyes, Mrs. Tong saw a clear crescent - shaped birthmark on the sole of Wang Yue's foot.
Tears quickly welled up in her eyes. She trembled as she held Wang Yue's fair foot and stroked the birthmark on the sole.
It was real, a natural birthmark, not painted or tattooed on in any other way.
When Mrs. Tong looked up again, she saw Wang Yue's somewhat familiar face. Unable to control herself any longer, she hugged Wang Yue tightly and burst into tears.
Wang Yue was tightly held by Mrs. Tong. Although the woman was not in good health, she was surprisingly strong at this moment, and Wang Yue couldn't break free. Mrs. Tong's hot tears dripped on Wang Yue's shoulders, and gradually, she stopped struggling.
Although she resented her biological parents for taking back a fake, blood was indeed a magical thing. Being hugged by her biological mother like this, Wang Yue was filled with indescribable emotions. Suddenly, her nose turned sour and her eyes became moist.
Mrs. Tong finally managed to stop crying. She suddenly remembered that the Marquis of Pingyang and Su Zeqian were outside. She let go of Wang Yue, grabbed her hand, and pulled her out: "Come on, I'll introduce you to your father and elder brother!"
Wang Yue stumbled after Mrs. Tong and was pulled into the front hall with her.
Hearing Mrs. Tong's sobs, the Marquis of Pingyang and Su Zeqian knew that everything was correct. There really was a birthmark on Wang Yue's sole. When they saw Wang Yue's face, their emotions also became excited.
Mrs. Tong pulled Wang Yue in front of the Marquis of Pingyang and Su Zeqian and introduced them to her: "Child, this is your father. He is the Marquis of Pingyang personally enfeoffed by the current emperor and now serves as the Supervisor of Water Transport in the court. This is your elder brother, Su Zeqian. He once served as a deputy minister in the Ministry of Punishment but was later dismissed from office by the emperor for making a mistake. However, he passed the imperial palace examination in the special imperial examination not long ago. We don't know what position he will be assigned to yet."
Wang Yue forcefully broke free from Mrs. Tong's hand and stepped back to Su Yuanyuan's side. By now, she had calmed down, and her face returned to its previous cold expression. She said, "Madam, have you mistaken me? I'm not your child, and I don't have such noble - status parents."
Mrs. Tong was anxious. "Silly child, how could mother mistake you? You have no parents, you're about the right age, and there's a birthmark on your sole. Mother saw it very clearly when you were born! Moreover, you look very much like your elder brother and younger sister. No one would doubt your identity!"
Wang Yue remained unmoved. "I really have no parents, and there is a birthmark on my sole. But when I was strolling in the city these days, I heard people say that the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion had already retrieved its lost eldest legitimate daughter, named Su Qingyu. If I'm the eldest legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion, then who is Su Qingyu?"
This question was like a slap in the face for Su Zeqian, the Marquis of Pingyang, and the others.
"We..." Su Zeqian said with great difficulty, "We misidentified the person in Jinzhou back then. That woman also had a birthmark on her sole, and her experience was very similar to yours. So we thought..."
Wang Yue couldn't help but sneer. "Really? Then how can you be sure that you're not misidentifying me this time?"
The hall fell into silence. The Marquis of Pingyang, Mrs. Tong, and Su Zeqian didn't know how to answer this question for a moment.
"Let's do a blood - relation test." The Marquis of Pingyang was silent for a moment and then spoke. He looked serious, and his voice was deep. When he said this, there was a faint sense of coercion.
Wang Yue asked, "When you retrieved Su Qingyu back then, did you also do a blood - relation test?"
There was another moment of silence. And the silence of the crowd told Wang Yue the answer.
Su Zeqian lifted his robe and knelt heavily in front of Wang Yue. He lowered his head and said, "All the mistakes are mine. It was my fault that I misidentified the person in Jinzhou. I don't know what means she used to make the two drops of blood blend during the blood - relation test, which made us deeply believe the result. Miss Wang Yue, please, do another blood - relation test with us!"
After saying that, he kowtowed to Wang Yue.
Mrs. Tong also cried, "Child, I know you resent us in your heart, but the blood bond is an unbreakable bond. Just do a blood - relation test with us. If you're our daughter, the truth will come to light, and we can expose the fake's true face. If not, we won't bother you anymore in the future. Okay?"
Wang Yue hesitated and subconsciously looked at Su Yuanyuan.