Su Xiaoqi said this, but her thoughts wandered uncontrollably.
This person looked so much like her, with only differences in age and clothing. Looking at her was like looking into a mirror.
And she had been brought here by Du Yiyi.
She recalled how people from the Duke of Yu's mansion had previously said she resembled someone.
That's right, she resembled the third young lady of the Duke of Yu's mansion, Yu Jing.
Could the person in front of her be her?
Su Xiaoqi guessed, only to see the beautiful woman grasp her shoulders firmly.
She looked at her, her face filled with excitement.
"Xuan'er, believe me, you are my Xuan'er."
Su Xiaoqi blinked her eyes and looked at Du Yiyi as if seeking rescue.
She thought to herself, who she was wasn't important; what was important was who this woman was.
At least introduce yourself.
Du Yiyi stood there, slightly stunned.
She hadn't expected her third aunt to be so enthusiastic, rushing forward without a word upon seeing Su Xiaoqi.
It had startled her.
She hadn't even reacted yet.
Only after seeing Su Xiaoqi's gaze did she step forward and help her third aunt, Yu Jing, to sit down.
"Third Aunt, please sit. Xiaoqi is right here, she's not going anywhere. Please don't scare her," Du Yiyi whispered, trying to soothe Yu Jing.
Yu Jing sat down, but her eyes were fixed on Su Xiaoqi.
Her gaze was filled with the brilliance of a mother.
She choked up and told Su Xiaoqi that she was her mother!
Su Xiaoqi looked and felt the emotions flowing from Yu Jing's expressive peach blossom eyes.
She was gradually affected and finally understood. Pointing to herself, she said, "I am indeed the lady's daughter, but do you know where I came from?"
Yu Jing's emotions were still very intense, but to avoid frightening Su Xiaoqi, she chose to remain seated.
However, her voice could not hide her excitement: "I know, of course I know. Mianzhou City in BaShu, that's where I gave birth to my child seventeen years ago..."
Yu Jing recounted the scene of giving birth seventeen years ago.
At that time, her husband was the crown prince of Northern Chu and was also a hostage in the Daliang Dynasty.
He had worked tirelessly in the capital and finally obtained the former emperor's permission to return to Northern Chu.
However, his half-brothers in Northern Chu did not want him to return to inherit the throne.
Therefore, they sent people to assassinate them.
The former emperor was pleased to see the Northern Chu royal family embroiled in fratricidal strife.
Thus, he did not provide protection or assistance; instead, he allowed it.
Forced to flee without options, they left the capital and headed south to BaShu to take refuge.
"My Xuan'er was born there."
Su Xiaoqi understood, but she was still confused:
"If he was a crown prince, couldn't he even protect a newborn child?"
Yu Jing's eyes immediately turned red.
"It was all our fault. Not long after you were born, pursuers arrived. Your father, to save us, revealed himself to lure the pursuers away.
But I was too weak after just giving birth and fainted..."
When she woke up, the child was gone.
She had lost consciousness, so the events of that time remained an unsolved mystery.
Su Xiaoqi blinked. The story wasn't complicated; the plot was simple, so it didn't convince her.
Yu Jing beckoned, and a wet nurse appeared before her.
She told Su Xiaoqi that this wet nurse, Yu Momo, was her personal maid at the time and also the one who delivered her.
She had seen the birthmark on her.
"Birthmark..." Su Xiaoqi frowned.
She wanted to say she didn't have any birthmarks.
However, in this era, there were no clear mercury mirrors, and some parts of a person's body might not be fully visible.
Therefore, she couldn't be 100% sure that she had no marks at all.
She glanced at the wet nurse, hesitated, and finally, unable to resist her curiosity, asked her to describe the birthmark on her.
So she could verify it.
"Behind the ear," Yu Momo quickly replied, also describing it.
The birthmark resembled a miniature plum blossom.
Behind the ear?
Su Xiaoqi really had nothing to say about this.
Because she truly couldn't see the area behind her ears.
She looked at Du Yiyi.
She didn't trust these two people, the mistress and servant, who had suddenly appeared.
Du Yiyi didn't step forward but told her, "Sister Xiaoqi, you really do have a plum blossom mark behind your left ear. I saw it before."
Seeing Su Xiaoqi still unconvinced, she stood up and pointed behind her left earlobe.
"Here, it's a very small one, hidden too deeply to be seen without a careful look. The first time I saw it, I thought I was seeing things.
Later, I heard Third Aunt mention it and thought about it again. It really is there."
With Du Yiyi's confirmation, Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but believe.
Believing in the birthmark was one thing, but she still didn't believe she was Yu Jing's daughter.
"If you lost your daughter in Mianzhou City, and you were the future ruler and Empress of Northern Chu, why didn't you look back for her?"
Even if, as the Old Madam had told her, Yu Jing couldn't return easily due to fear of the former emperor.
But she could still send people to look.
Mianzhou City wasn't large, and finding someone with a birthmark wouldn't be too difficult if one put their mind to it.
"We looked. For so many years, Yu Ge and I have been searching."
But no matter how many people they sent to search, there were never any clues.
Later, they heard that the child might no longer be in Mianzhou City.
So they withdrew their people and spread their search across the entire BaShu region.
Afterward, the footprints of the people they sent out covered every corner of the Daliang Dynasty.
During this time, they didn't find their child, but they did find several gold and silver mines for the Daliang Dynasty...
And using this as a condition, they made the then Emperor Xingzhao agree to many terms from Northern Chu. It was also because of this.
Chu Yu gained the assistance of Emperor Xingzhao, which greatly aided him in the struggle for the throne.
He easily defeated his brothers.
And it also allowed Northern Chu a relatively peaceful period to develop the country and let the people recuperate.
But any achievement was of no use to Yu Jing.
Because her child was gone.
She hadn't conceived any more children for the next ten years.
Her body was fine, but she just couldn't get pregnant.
Su Xiaoqi thought of Chu Yunlang, whom she had met not long ago.
He had stayed at the Duke of Yu's mansion for a period due to his injuries, and she had treated him.
After he recovered, he returned to the official guesthouse.
So, wasn't Chu Yunlang their child?
Su Xiaoqi didn't voice her doubts, but the expression on her face betrayed her.
She didn't believe Yu Jing's words.
"Chu Yunlang is not my child," Yu Jing said.
She told Su Xiaoqi that from beginning to end, she had only one child.
Du Yiyi said, "Then, why does everyone outside say that Chu Yunlang is the child of the King of Northern Chu?"
"Oh, I know. It must be Third Uncle's child with another concubine."
Yu Jing shook her head. "No, your Third Uncle swore that he would never marry a second person after marrying me."
Du Yiyi's eyes lit up, and she believed Yu Jing's words.
Although she hadn't seen her third aunt since birth, she had always lived through her mother and eldest aunt's conversations.
She had heard about how heroic a woman she was.
Since she said so, it must be true.
"The royal family needs a child who can inherit the throne.
Chu Yunlang is an adopted child of ours," Yu Jing explained.
She looked at Su Xiaoqi, her eyes like water, as if soaked, with tears hidden within them.
"So Xuan'er, you have always been the only child of Yu Ge and me."
Yu Jing had finally spoken words hidden for over ten years. Her heart, heavy as if chained, suddenly felt relieved.