The carriage of the Xingyuan Marquis's Mansion slowly stopped in front of the Dong Mansion. When the curtain was lifted, one could see a row of imposing royal guards outside the gate. Each of them had a resolute face and a strong aura, and exuded an intimidating majesty.
Before getting off the car, Hong Yingrong turned to look at Xiangqin, who had changed into a simple dress and dressed as a maid, with deep concern in her eyes.
"Whether the dead person is Chunhong or not depends on you to identify her, but you must be mentally prepared. Identifying the body is no trivial matter, so don't be afraid." She said in a soft and comforting voice.
Xiangqin nodded gently. Her face was not made up, but she naturally revealed a pure and elegant beauty. There was a strong light in her eyes, as if telling Hong Yingrong that she was ready.
"Don't worry, old lady. When I was a child in the village, people starved to death every day. The village chief would use ox carts to transport them to the mountains and bury them. I was no longer afraid at that time."
After hearing this, Hong Yingrong's eyes flashed with approval. She thought to herself that once this matter was settled, she would redeem Xiangqin and help her open a small shop so that she could have a place to live in peace.
At this time, a royal guard hurried out of the gate of Dong's mansion. He bowed to Hong Yingrong and said respectfully, "Old Madam, Eunuch Chen has been waiting in the mansion for a long time. Please come in."
Hong Yingrong and Xiangqin looked at each other and gave each other an encouraging look.
Afterwards, Xiangqin supported Hong Yingrong and walked calmly into the gate of Dong's mansion. Her demeanor showed the dignity and propriety of a maid from a wealthy family.
Passing through the front yard of Dong's Mansion, for a moment, it was as if time had gone back, and Hong Yingrong felt as if she was in the scene in her previous life where the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion was surrounded by the iron wall of the Imperial Guards.
Her thoughts were vague at that moment, and her eyes involuntarily fell on the mourning hall hung with white banners and white cloth strips. A trace of doubt arose in her heart. If the body was really Chunhong, why did the Dong family go along with the mistake and recognize her as their own daughter?
With a heart full of doubts, Hong Yingrong walked into the mourning hall.
Dong Zhanqing had his hands tightly bound by the imperial guards and was struggling feebly, while Mrs. Dong seemed to have lost her support and collapsed beside the beam, looking dazed, helpless and desperate.
The entire mourning hall was shrouded in a heavy and depressing atmosphere.
Chen Jin stepped forward and bowed deeply to Hong Yingrong. At this moment, he no longer had the majestic aura he had just had, but instead seemed extremely humble.
Hong Yingrong nodded slightly and said calmly, "Thank you for your courtesy, Eunuch Chen."
Mrs. Dong didn't know why Hong Yingrong came here, but she seemed to have seen a savior. She struggled to stand up from the beam, tightly held Hong Yingrong's hands, and tears rolled down her face like pearls from a broken string.
"Madam, please help us!" she pleaded tearfully. "Our daughter can't even rest in peace after death. What should we do?"
Hong Yingrong gently patted the back of Madam Dong's hand to show her comfort, then let go of her hand and turned to Xiangqin and said, "Eunuch Chen, this is Xiangqin, a maid in my mansion. She and Chunhong have always been good friends. Today, I brought her here to identify the body."
As soon as these words were spoken, Mrs. Dong panicked and her face became ferocious and terrifying.
Dong Zhanqing also roared angrily at the crowd: "What Chunhong? What does this have to do with your Xingyuan Marquis Mansion? Stay out of here!"
However, Hong Yingrong turned a deaf ear to their anger and roars.
She encouraged Xiangqin with a firm look, and the latter nodded in understanding and walked resolutely towards the opened coffin.
Seeing this, Chen Jin immediately waved his hand to signal the Imperial Guards to shut up the Dong couple to ensure that they would no longer make trouble. Then he stared intently at Xiangqin's every move, waiting for the identification results.
Xiangqin stood beside the coffin, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her mood.
She stared at the swollen corpse in the coffin, and an indescribable sadness welled up in her heart.
Although the face was unrecognizable, the familiar figure, the nail polish on the hands, and the inexplicable sense of intimacy all made her certain - this corpse was undoubtedly Chunhong.
However, one's own feelings alone cannot be conclusive evidence. A forgotten past event involuntarily emerged in Xiangqin's mind. That memory seemed to be gently awakened by the ripples of time and gradually became clearer.
She and Chunhong were sold to Tianxianglou within less than half a year of each other. They lived together when they were young. Although they often quarreled, they knew each other well.
When they were fifteen, they were punished by Hua's mother and locked up in the woodshed because they did not sing the song well.
The two had been hungry for a whole day and were already dizzy and almost unable to hold on. Chunhong wanted to jump out the window to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Unexpectedly, there was an axe leaning against the wall under the window. Chunhong didn't see it when she jumped down, and accidentally scraped her calf. After that, Chunhong always complained that the scar made her look bad in her dance dress.
Thinking of this, Xiangqin's heart moved. She gently lifted her skirt and inner garment, revealing the corpse's calf. Sure enough, on the calf of the right leg, she saw a long brown scar. This was the scar left by Chunhong when she jumped out of the window that year!
Xiangqin burst into tears immediately. She held Chunhong's cold hand tightly and called her name in tears.
She knew that Chunhong was dead and could no longer respond to her call, but she still could not accept this cruel fact.
Chen Jin, Hong Yingrong and others understood what Xiangqin did when they saw her actions.
"You used Chunhong as a substitute, mistaking her for your own daughter's body. How cunning! What about the other missing girls in Chang'anfang? Where did you hide them?"
When Hong Yingrong thought of Chunhong's tragic experience, she couldn't help but feel deeply worried about the safety of the other girls.
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