Today, Aya changed her usual simple and elegant attire. She wore a bright red brocade robe embroidered with peony and auspicious cloud patterns in gold thread, and a set of gold filigree hairpins inlaid with gemstones and pearls. These outfits made her still somewhat youthful face look elegant and worthy of a princess.
This outfit was specially arranged for Aya by Su Ruojin.
People rely on clothes, and Buddhas rely on gold plating.
Su Ruojin told Aya that for her first appearance, she must project the aura of a princess so that she wouldn't be looked down upon.
In fact, Su Ruojin's decision to have Aya make such an appearance was meant to tell everyone present that Princess Xiyue had Su Ruojin, the Regent's Consort of the Great Chu, backing her up.
After Aya returns to the Howling Moon Palace, no one will dare to treat her lightly.
Aya bowed to the emperor and empress dowager with perfect court etiquette, leaving no room for criticism.
Some ministers even felt that there was no need for any verification; the person in front of them must be Princess Xiyue from back then.
After Aya got up, Empress Dowager Wu looked at her face, which resembled Consort Yun's by six or seven points, and felt disgusted, but she could not show it.
"Princess Xiyue was lost when she was a child. How can you prove that you are Princess Xiyue?" Empress Dowager Wu asked.
Aya showed off the red jade bead in her hand, "This bead was tied to my wrist by my mother back then. She told me that this bead was related to the royal bloodline. At that time, I didn't know it was called the red jade bead. I only knew that it was something left to me by my mother. I have never been separated from it over the years."
"Furthermore, I have a crescent-shaped birthmark on my waist, which is recorded in the palace. The Empress Dowager can have the nanny examine it."
When Prince Xiaoyue was born, the palace maids would check the baby for any special birthmarks and record them in the file, which would be easy to find out.
"Why go through all that trouble? We can just have Aya get a blood test and we'll know for sure," Su Ruojin said. She didn't want the palace maids to examine Aya's body so casually.
The Princess Consort of Great Chu was right. No one reacted correctly. Gao Hongyuan tested Ruijin and Aya's blood again, and unsurprisingly, their blood matched.
At this point, no one doubted Aya's identity anymore.
Su Ruojin and the others had discussed it before. Not wanting to involve Fu Linglong, they had Aya say that the bead was tied to Yun Pin's wrist. Anyway, no one could verify it, as long as the bead was real.
The princess is real, so the remaining question is whether the red pearl is real.
Lu Hong stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, Your Majesty, is this a red jade bead?"
The Red Jade Bead is a royal treasure and could not possibly appear on an ordinary person. Since Aya is Princess Xiyue and the bead was given to her by Consort Yun, it is most likely the Red Jade Bead, but Empress Dowager Wu still needs to confirm it personally.
Others may not know what the red pearl looks like, but how could Empress Wu, as the late emperor's empress, not know?
No one's certification is as effective as Empress Wu's personal certification.
Empress Dowager Wu gritted her teeth in anger. She knew better than anyone that the Red Jade Pearl was a royal treasure, and how could a mere Consort Yun have the right to access it?
There's only one explanation for Consort Yun having the red jade bead: it was given to her by the late Emperor.
No wonder she hadn't found this bead after searching for so many years!
But why did the late emperor give this pearl, which could verify the royal bloodline, to Consort Yun?
After thinking it over, Empress Wu felt a chill run down her spine.
Based on her understanding of the late emperor, she would never do anything without a reason.
Did the late Emperor really know that Consort Yun was carrying a prince?!
If that's really the case...
Empress Dowager Wu was lost in her own thoughts and did not come back to her senses for a long time. Everyone was waiting for her opinion, so Gao Hongyuan had to call out softly, "Empress Dowager."
Empress Wu finally came to her senses and said, "Bring it up so I can see it."
The eunuch took the red bead from Aya's hand and placed it behind the curtain.
After a while, Empress Wu's voice came, "This is indeed a red pearl."
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