"That woman told me that Master Qi... has a red birthmark on his shoulder that looks like a flame, and a jade pendant engraved with the word 'Sheng'. He's worn it since he was a child, symbolizing brightness and prosperity."

Qi Sheng was shocked. How did Yun Qiao know about such a secret thing as the birthmark?

The county magistrate stood up upon hearing this and asked, "May I have the jade pendant?"

"Of course." Qi Sheng took out the jade pendant and passed it to the county magistrate through the yamen runner. When the county magistrate saw the appearance of the jade pendant, his hands trembled.

He asked excitedly, "Can you let me see the red birthmark?"

Qi Sheng had a premonition in his heart, and he pursed his lips into a straight line. He unbuttoned his outer robe and gently pulled it to reveal his broad and thin shoulders. A touch of red was particularly conspicuous on his white skin.

The county magistrate strode over to check, and took out a piece of silk from his sleeve to check. There was a pattern embroidered on the silk. Because the matter was of great importance, every local official would be given one when he took office, and the county magistrate was no exception.

"Yes, yes, it's true..."

"What is it, please tell me, sir."

"I'm not worthy of your calling me sir." The county magistrate tucked the silk into his sleeve, bent down and helped Qi Sheng up: "Let's talk inside."

The two impostors were pale. They didn't expect that the county magistrate actually knew Qi Sheng's parents. They were also glad that they had confessed on their own initiative. That woman really killed them. When they returned, they would definitely not let her have an easy time.

The county magistrate dismissed everyone except Qi Sheng and Yun Yuan. "This matter is of great importance. I will spread the news secretly. Your... parents are in high positions of power. It would be bad for you to know too early."

"Do you know my parents?"

"Let's consider them acquaintances," the county magistrate said with respect in his eyes. "The situation is complicated right now. Your family is in a state of internal strife. Wait for my news and see how they plan to deal with it."

Qi Sheng was not very happy. The serious internal strife meant danger. It was okay when he was alone before, but he had a wife now and would have a child soon.

He didn't want his wife and children to become victims of family infighting.

"Your Excellency has misunderstood. I do not wish to acknowledge my relatives."

The county magistrate was surprised, thinking Qi Sheng had misunderstood his parents, and explained, "Your parents didn't abandon you. They've been looking for you all these years. Don't you want to reunite with them?"

Qi Sheng lowered his eyes slightly: "For me, I only have one relative, and that is my wife."

"Don't you want to know where you come from?"

"No, I just want to live in the present. I'm very satisfied with my current life. I left my parents when I was born, which means I have no fate with them. Let's not talk about recognizing my relatives anymore."

The county magistrate sighed and said, "What if I told you that what you want to obtain through studying for the imperial examination can be easily obtained after you recognize your relatives? Not only that, it will be even better.

Qi Sheng was surprised for a moment, but thinking of the chaotic struggle, he said firmly, "The common people will fight for what they want."

The county magistrate shook his head, saying that he was still too young.

Sometimes, the gap between people's backgrounds is an unbridgeable chasm that cannot be easily made up through hard work, especially when he is...

"Perhaps you should ask your wife's opinion."

Yun Yuan didn't say anything the whole time. There was no description of Qi Sheng's life experience in the plot. To be honest, she was quite curious, but curiosity aside, she didn't want her peaceful life to be disrupted.

She said, "My husband's thoughts are my thoughts."

The secret of his life was revealed. Based on the confessions of the two imposters, the county magistrate arrested Yun Qiao in the backyard of a brothel.

The old man was a pimp in a brothel when he was young. Even when he was old, he still did odd jobs in the brothel. The old woman was a servant. Yun Qiao found the two of them for no reason. The two of them tricked her into the backyard and locked her up.

"Why?" Yun Qiao was hysterical. "Why are you so lucky? After losing Qi Han, I still have Qi Sheng. And I just want to live a better life. What's wrong with that?"

Qi Sheng carefully protected Yun Yuan: "How did you know I had a birthmark on my shoulder?"

"I..." Yun Qiao was speechless. She had accidentally seen the birthmark in her previous life when Master Qi San was cleaning Qi Sheng after his death. Naturally, she couldn't tell anyone about it. She didn't want to be burned to death as a monster.

"Yes, how would I know?" Yun Qiao suddenly laughed: "Of course I don't know, I'm not his wife, how would I know he has a birthmark? Sir, I am innocent, they are wronging me!"

The county magistrate was furious. "You're still trying to argue after all this. Come, bring the torture instruments."

The rusty, black and smelly torture instruments were brought up, and Yun Qiao was scared.

"I confess, I confess." Yun Qiao struggled backwards, his hair disheveled, like a madman. "He was learning to swim with Qi Yun in the village pond when he was a child. I saw him passing by. He's not lying."

Qi Sheng felt as if he had eaten a fly and felt nauseous. Learning Xiao Shui was something he did before he was eight years old. He didn't expect Yun Qiao to remember it until now. Did he have some plans for it a long time ago?

Yun Qiao was taken away and beaten with a stick. After a few beatings, her reputation was completely ruined. Perhaps it was the hatred in her heart that made her hold on and not faint.

"Qi Sheng, do you think you've earned her true love? Why would someone who abandons her parents and sisters be so kind to you? She has a purpose."

"True to true love." Qi Sheng mocked, "You only care about yourselves. You've never been nice to my wife. How can you compare with me?"

Having said that, Qi Sheng felt a little uneasy. All the changes in the family were brought about by his wife. He was afraid that his wife would leave him, and he was eager to pass the imperial examination.

Yun Yuan silently took his hand and met Qi Sheng's eyes. She smiled softly and placed her hand on her belly.

“No one is more important than you.”

Qi Sheng's mood turned from gloomy to cheerful. He hummed softly, put one arm around Yun Yuan's shoulders, and carefully placed the other hand on her belly, using his body to shield her from the wind.

Yun Yuan snuggled in Qi Sheng's arms and looked at Yun Qiao: "Your own life is a mess, but you can't bear to see me live better than you. People like you who are greedy, stupid and vicious will never be blessed by God no matter how many times you try again."

Yun Qiao's already pale face turned even paler. She trembled and said, "You're back too, aren't you?"

Yun Yuan did not answer, as the unknown answer often makes people more panicked.

Because it was incitement to a crime and no serious consequences were caused, Yun Qiao was only beaten with a stick and was not imprisoned. However, because she had just had a miscarriage and was weak, and she had not recovered, she finally fainted in the cold wind and was notified by the county government to be taken back by Qi Han.

In order to show that he is different from Yun Qiao and to draw a clear line between himself and Yun Qiao, Qi Han finally took the step of divorcing his wife, and Yun Qiao was sent back to the Yun family the next day.

A day later, Qi Han was adopted by a deceased member of the Qi family with the consent of the Qi clan leader. His two brothers and sisters-in-law did not want their years of hard work to go to waste, so they quarreled at home. They only stopped after Qi Han promised to give his two nephews an education.