Although Gu Jiangli didn't understand the lotus flower's meaning, she still took off her outer garment.

Once the back of her shoulder was exposed, Lotus quickly called for a stop, "That's enough, Miss."

Gu Jiangli paused.

"What do you want to see?" she asked.

I thought I would hear an explanation from the lotus flower.

But Lotus retorted in alarm, "How could there be none? Where's the pattern? Why isn't it there?"

Gu Jiangli put on her clothes and turned around.

What should I have?

The sight of lotus flowers was unbelievable.

She moved behind Gu Jiangli again, wanting to find out what was going on, but Gu Jiangli grabbed her hand and asked her again.

“Lotus, there’s nothing on my back. Back in the palace, Princess Jinghe’s maidservant already saw it.”

What do you think should be on my back?

Lotus stared in disbelief, "A tattoo! A tattoo the size of a palm! How could it disappear? You should have had it!"

The word "tattoo" sent a shiver down Gu Jiangli's spine.

It felt as if I had been hit by a heavy hammer.

"People from Northern Qi never tattoo their backs, so of course I won't have any."

Lotus fell silent upon hearing this.

Immediately afterwards, her eyes turned serious.

She took two steps back and knelt down before Gu Jiangli again.

This time, she placed her hands on her forehead before bowing her head.

This is a way of bowing that is completely different from the grand ceremonies of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

Gu Jiangli's heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously took half a step back.

Lotus shouted:

"Lotus Flower, a member of the thirteen banners of the Southern Xuanyu Army, pays her respects to Miss."

Gu Jiangli's eyes widened, somewhat unable to believe her ears.

"You said you are...who?"

Lotus repeated, "Under the thirteen banners of the Xuan Yu Army of the Southern Lin Kingdom, Lotus greets Miss."

Lotus Flower's expression was solemn, and every word she spoke was forceful and clear; she was not joking.

"Are you from the Southern Lin Kingdom?" Gu Jiangli asked with some suspicion.

Lotus spoke solemnly: "Not only me, but you are too."

At this point, Lotus seemed particularly puzzled, "What method did my mother use to make the tattoo on your back disappear completely, without leaving a trace?"

Gu Jiangli's mind was a complete mess, and she was showing signs of not being able to process what was happening.

This information was even more explosive than when the original owner was absorbing their memories.

"Your mother?"

"You mean the wet nurse who was with you? Have you forgotten?"

Oh, it's that wet nurse who accompanied her but also betrayed her.

She answered Lotus's question almost instinctively.

"She... gouged out a piece of skin from my shoulder with a knife..."

"What?!" Lotus exclaimed, almost bursting into tears. "Miss, you've suffered so much... I don't know why my mother..."

Gu Jiangli interrupted her:

“I never knew there was a tattoo there before.”

According to the original owner's memories, she was from Northern Qi.

The original owner never doubted her own origins.

Today, Lotus Flower actually said that she might be from the Southern Kingdom, which really shocked her.

The tattoo was removed by the wet nurse and then cured by the system's medicine; it has long since healed into perfectly healthy skin.

Lotus nodded: "Yes, every place in the south has them..."

Lotus wanted to say something, but Gu Jiangli stopped her by raising his hand.

She needs to calm down and think things through first.

What did she miss?

The explanation for the tattoo is plausible.

She was separated from her family when she was four years old. In those war-torn days, no one cared whether a beggar had any patterns on his back.

In other words, the tattoo appeared when she was very, very young.

No one ever told her, and since it was located on her shoulder, she couldn't see it herself...

But there is one person who should know.

Her wet nurse.

Lotus is the daughter of a wet nurse.

So, the wet nurse was also from the Southern Kingdom.

Gu Jiangli's eyes narrowed. "Lotus, my wet nurse has been by my side for twelve years. She has never revealed her identity, nor has she ever told me who I am."

"I only remember that I had a lot of family members. Although most of them were indifferent and didn't interact much, we were indeed a wealthy family."

The lotus flower lowered its head and said:

“Miss, even though the Gu family members live in the same house, they don’t like to interact with each other because they each have their own missions.”

"They pretended to be a family, but in reality they were just fulfilling their respective missions."

"The Gu family, the whole family, are all from the Southern Lin Kingdom."

Gu Jiangli gave a weak laugh. "Impossible. The Gu family has been in business for a century. How could they all be from the Southern Lin Kingdom?"

Lotus looked somewhat sad. "When the Northern Qi Dynasty was founded, the Gu family had already been infiltrated by spies from the Southern Lin."

"Over the years, new women from the Southern Kingdom have been marrying into the Gu family, and the Gu family is now entirely of Southern Kingdom blood."

"The Gu family has always remained hidden in Northern Qi, rarely showing themselves, only gathering information from the shadows."

"However, it seems that the Gu family has indeed lost its ability to act as spies."

"Because the current head of the family, your grandfather, is no longer willing to risk his life for Nanlin."

"The Gu family moved to the capital not to escape the war, but to defect to Nanlin."

"The Gu family is the largest secret department of the Southern Lin Kingdom in the Northern Qi, specializing in training spies. However, due to the defection of the family head, the Southern Lin Kingdom lost an arm."

"It was inevitable that Nanlin would be defeated and become a vassal state of Northern Qi."

Gu Jiangli frowned, her mind filled with countless questions.

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