Chapter 317 She couldn't possibly be
I had heard that Madam Li was putting in a lot of effort to save face for the Li family at this spring banquet. It seems that besides the games for people to enjoy in the afternoon, she has other tricks up her sleeve.
"Oh?" Xie Yunjia perked up a bit and said, "Alright then, I'll be waiting to read it."
Sheng Sheng was also a little interested and joined in the fun, saying, "Sheng Sheng is waiting to see too!"
"Alright, princesses, just wait and see. I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised."
The three chatted and laughed as they climbed the steps. They were among the last to arrive, as most of the others had already taken their seats.
Many wives and daughters of officials have come today. As soon as the three of them entered, they all stood up and bowed.
"Greetings, Eldest Princess; Greetings, Second Princess."
"Get up."
Xie Yunjia waved her hand casually and left with a single sentence.
"Thank you, Princess."
Sheng Sheng followed Xie Yunjia to her seat as usual, when she suddenly felt a probing gaze upon her.
Sensing something, Sheng Sheng followed that gaze and saw a face that was both strange and familiar.
The seating at the banquet was naturally arranged according to social status, with the pavilion in the middle of the lake at the front, and the closer to the front, the more distinguished the person.
That person's seat was in the second row, which meant they were considered to be of a relatively high status.
However, that person's original seat should have been in the first row—the Duchess of Jingguo's seat.
Because the title of Duke of Jingguo was stripped, although he retained the title of Duke of Jingguo, his status was indeed downgraded.
Lady Jingguo naturally followed suit and surrendered as well.
The last row of seats was at the top of the steps. Sheng Sheng and Xie Yunjia were in the front row, while the Duchess of Jingguo's seat was in the second row on the outermost side. Therefore, Sheng Sheng would inevitably pass by her on her way to her seat.
Lady Jingguo lowered her head, seemingly standing there respectfully, but her eyes kept glancing at Shengsheng.
Looking closely at the woman from his memory, he could see that she had suffered the blows of her son being demoted to a commoner and her husband being stripped of his title. These successive events had left her looking worn and aged, and even her makeup couldn't hide her face.
She scoffed inwardly, "It's true what they say, 'The world changes with the times.' Back when she was still in the Duke of Jing's mansion, the Duchess of Jing was always so arrogant and domineering, but now she has none of that spirited air about her."
Those painful images flashed through Sheng Sheng's mind again, and her palms clenched tightly.
If she could, she really wanted to go up and say a few words to this "long-lost" Lady Jingguo, whether it was to scare her or something, to vent her anger first.
But no, not only others, but even Xie Yunchuan didn't know that she had remembered what happened before.
If she couldn't hold back now, her brother would lose his temper and go to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion to settle scores after learning about the suffering she had endured in the past.
However, without evidence, settling scores would only result in the Duke of Jingguo's mansion suffering a minor loss, and it would also alert them to their precariousness, especially since Empress Zheng was behind it all.
No, my brother must be investigating the truth from five years ago. We can't act rashly before we have absolute evidence.
Although Empress Zheng was confined to her quarters for life, in case she had any backup plans, it was best for Sheng Sheng to pretend that she knew nothing and wait for clues from that year to emerge.
In the instant their eyes met, Sheng Sheng caught the glaring astonishment and terror in her eyes.
Oh, you recognized her face?
Sheng Sheng looked at her with a hint of excitement, as if playing a prank.
Lady Jingguo's pupils dilated in shock; the face was so incredibly similar. Despite having prepared herself mentally, she was still genuinely startled.
They are of similar age and look alike.
Is this really just a simple coincidence that she looks like that blood slave, or... or is the Second Princess actually that little blood slave?!
The Duke of Jingguo and Qin Xiang were unfamiliar with the blood slave, but she was.
That face is at least seven or eight parts similar!
He smiled slightly, finding her reaction somewhat amusing, but he didn't show it on his face. He simply gave her an innocent smile, as if he were just greeting her.
Lady Jingguo paused, then forced a smile.
Sheng Sheng blinked, then sat down with Xie Yunjia as if nothing had happened. Li Manyan sat to her left.
After sitting down, Sheng Sheng started pulling Xie Yunjia and Li Manyan to devour the small fruits on the table meant to fill their stomachs, without ever looking back.
The Duchess of Jingguo was just one row away from her, and she kept a close eye on her every move, trying to find some evidence to prove that she was similar to that little blood slave.
However, apart from her face, her manners, speech, behavior, and even her temperament were vastly different from the second princess's; they were almost two extremes!
How could that timid and cowardly little blood slave kept in the manor possibly be the noble second princess?
Besides, the Empress herself found them the person; how could they possibly make a mistake?
When Weiwei was born, she faced the danger of dying. They heard that there was a master on the grassland who could bring the dead back to life and heal the dead. So they spent a lot of money to ask the master to save Weiwei. The master then proposed a method of exchanging blood for life.
In other words, Qin Weiwei was nourished for forty-eight months with the blood of another girl of similar age, keeping Qin Weiwei alive.
After the forty-eight-month period, a secret method was used to transfer the girl's fate to Qin Weiwei, allowing Qin Weiwei to survive.
Correspondingly, the girl whose fate was swapped will carry the fate that originally belonged to Qin Weiwei, who was destined to die young, and will inevitably die.
Later, when the Empress heard about this, she took the initiative to find the Duke and his wife of Jingguo and said that Master Nong had been treating the Third Prince all those years ago, which allowed the Third Prince to live for several more years. She was very grateful to Master Nong.
To repay Master Nong's kindness, the Empress readily helped them solve the problem when she heard that Master Nong was helping the Duke of Jingguo's mansion find such a girl—she placed an infant girl at the back gate of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion on a rainy night.
The more Lady Jingguo thought about it, the calmer she became. How could Her Majesty the Empress make a mistake?
Moreover, Master Nong said that the girl whose fate was switched was carrying the fate that originally belonged to Weiwei, and she was bound to die.
Moreover, that stormy night...
They clearly ordered her to be abandoned far away to fend for herself!
In that weather, let alone that little slave girl from Hubei who had been drained of blood, even a child with a common cold wouldn't have survived.
There is also a very important reason: if the Second Princess were that lowly servant, the first thing she would do would be to settle accounts with the Duke of Jingguo's mansion. How could she possibly still be smiling at her?
Thinking of this, Lady Jingguo calmed down completely.
Yes, it was just a coincidence; they were just children who looked alike.
It's normal for young children to look somewhat alike.
"The Second Princess is truly adorable. I've heard that His Majesty dotes on her, and there's a reason for that."
"Yes, I just saw the Second Princess smile, and her smile was so sweet!"
"This second princess was lost among the common people for so long, we don't know how she was found. Do any of you know anything about it?"
"I don't know, do you know?"
"have no idea."
The ladies around them, who were discussing in hushed tones, all shook their heads. Someone noticed that the Duchess of Jingguo hadn't spoken and nudged her.
"Lady of the Duke of Jingguo, and what about you?"
The Duchess of Jingguo forced a smile. "How would I know?"
The ladies didn't care, after all, it was a royal secret, and if His Majesty intended to keep it a secret, those who knew it would probably lose their heads.
They decided not to join in the fun.
The ladies quickly changed the subject.
Lady Jingguo glanced at the little dumpling who was happily chatting with the person next to her, and gradually felt relieved.
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