The Prince’s eyes widened in shock, and his Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.
Consort Mei shot to her feet, bracing her hands on the tabletop, her breathing ragged.
“This is wonderful!” Bai Sheng gripped Lu Ye’s hand tightly.
Lu Ye smiled indulgently at her.
Her third uncle was also incredulous, glancing at Bai Sheng with astonishment.
At this moment, he felt that his niece-in-law might indeed possess something extraordinary. So many coincidences had surrounded her, and everyone connected to her had found their lost relatives.
Granny Wu dabbed at the corners of her eyes, then with trembling hands, used a bamboo skewer to prod the蛊 worms in Consort Mei’s blood. Only one of the ten worms had died; the rest were all alive!
Granny Wu and Consort Mei were both stunned.
“It’s true! Qing Yi is my master’s biological daughter!” Bai Sheng, swaying Lu Ye’s arm, was so excited she didn’t know what to do.
Her guess was indeed correct! Her “green tea” junior uncle had actually separated her master from her daughter for over thirty years, forcing her master to live in constant anguish!
Granny Wu gazed fixedly at Consort Mei, tears streaming down her deeply lined face. Consort Mei also looked blankly at Granny Wu, unable to hold back her own tears.
The others watched the two women, their hearts filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Granny Wu’s voice trembled as she murmured to Consort Mei, “Si Yue, your given name is Gu Si Yue. Your father gave you that name.”
“Gu… Si… Yue?” Consort Mei’s nose glistened with crystalline tears as she softly enunciated the name, “My birth father… his surname is Gu?”
Granny Wu nodded tearfully. Suddenly, she opened her arms and embraced Consort Mei, weeping with anguish, “Si Yue, my daughter, forgive me, I… I always thought you were gone from this world. All of this… my eyes were so blind, mistaking a villain for a good sister, causing you and me to be separated for over thirty years. Mother… I’m so sorry!”
Consort Mei’s tears flowed freely. She bit her lower lip tightly, slowly raised her arms, and embraced Granny Wu as well. She tried several times before finally stammering out the difficult word, “Mother.”
Prince Yu’s eyes welled up at the scene. However, amidst his emotion, he harbored many doubts.
Granny Wu’s gu arts were profound, and her demeanor was steady; she didn’t seem like an ordinary person. Yet, she seemed to keep her true identity a closely guarded secret, not discussing it much even with the “little dark-faced one.”
Seeing him standing there like an outsider, Bai Sheng playfully punched his arm, “Aren’t you going to acknowledge your maternal grandmother?”
While the Blood Seed Gu couldn’t be faked, suddenly having a maternal grandmother was still a bit much for Prince Yu to process. He awkwardly walked behind Consort Mei and patted her shoulder.
Granny Wu looked up at Prince Yu, her heart growing even more indignant.
She never imagined that after all her schemes, her own biological daughter would marry her enemy and even bear the enemy’s child. She suspected that her junior sister had known all along that Consort Mei was her daughter and had deliberately orchestrated this.
Yu Zi, how cruel your heart is! To make me believe my daughter was dead and separate us for over thirty years! I missed my daughter’s childhood, her youth, her young adulthood, I missed half of my daughter’s life.
The debt of a stolen child is irreconcilable! Yu Zi, just you wait!
Granny Wu released Consort Mei, wiped her tears, and smiled sadly, “Si Yue, we’ve been apart for over thirty years. I… haven’t fulfilled my responsibilities as a mother at all, I don’t deserve to be called your mother. Even if you can’t accept me, I… understand. So, whether you call yourself Mei Qing or Gu Si Yue from now on, in my heart, you are always my good daughter.”
“Mother—” Consort Mei cried out, hugging Granny Wu tightly again. “Mother, I’m so happy to have found you. The thirty years we were apart weren’t your fault. All these years, the one who truly suffered was you!”
Granny Wu could no longer contain herself, and she wept in Consort Mei’s arms.
Seeing them cry, Bai Sheng’s eyes also welled up. Noticing Prince Yu standing there dumbfounded, she patted his back, “Call her Grandmother, my master is your maternal grandmother!”
Prince Yu wiped his eyes, opened his mouth several times, and finally managed to utter a barely audible “Grand… mother.”
Yet, Granny Wu still heard it. She looked at Prince Yu and responded with a gentle “Yes.”
Her third uncle exclaimed excitedly, “Wonderful! Qing’er, Granny Wu, you mother and daughter have been reunited. We must celebrate properly today.”
Granny Wu and Consort Mei released each other, both wiping their tears.
Granny Wu cleared her throat and said to everyone, “Let’s not announce Si Yue’s reunion with me publicly for now. The women in the harem are all dangerous. I fear they might use this opportunity to target Si Yue. Moreover, if Si Yue ever wishes to leave the palace permanently, it will be easier.”
Bai Sheng nodded repeatedly, “Yes, Master is right. It’s best to keep it a secret for now. Master’s ‘green tea’ junior sister still doesn’t know where she’s hiding. Until she’s dealt with, we can’t be entirely at ease.”
Granny Wu’s gaze turned cold. “Sheng’er is right. I suspect my junior sister has always known that Mei Qing is my daughter. She might have been watching in secret. Currently, we don’t know how much she knows about Mei Qing, whether she knows Mei Qing has healed her face and secretly slipped out of the palace.”
Hearing Granny Wu say this, everyone grew tense.
Consort Mei pondered for a moment and said, “She should only know that I am Mother’s daughter. She doesn’t know I’ve healed my face. No one has been monitoring Yong’an Palace. I have some trusted confidantes in the palace, and I would know if anyone’s eyes were constantly fixed on Yong’an Palace. Furthermore, I’ve always disguised myself extremely well when I go out; there’s no way anyone could have discovered me.”
“If that’s the case, then I am relieved,” Granny Wu nodded.
Consort Mei looked at Granny Wu and said, “Mother, does your junior sister have any distinguishing features? Please tell me so we can find her later.”
Consort Mei’s call of “Mother” warmed Granny Wu’s heart. She smiled affectionately, “My junior sister, Yu Zi, excels at divination and fortune-telling, and she also knows witchcraft. As for her appearance, I can draw her portrait.”
“Master, you can draw too?” Bai Sheng was pleasantly surprised, feeling as though she had found a treasure of a master.
Granny Wu chuckled, “Yes… uh, Si Yue’s father taught me.”
Consort Mei, curious about her birth father, asked, “Is my father… still alive?”
“If Yu Zi could lie to me that you died at birth, then it’s very likely your father is still alive. Perhaps finding Yu Zi will lead us to your father,” Granny Wu’s eyes filled with hope.
Lu Ye suddenly recalled someone. This person was discovered by the rats in the Empress’s Xiangyun Palace. She was a woman, skilled in divination, and her name seemed to be Master Liu Shang.
Since they needed to find Master’s junior sister, Yu Zi, they shouldn’t overlook women like her. Thus, Lu Ye said, “It is rumored that the Empress has a woman under her employ, known as Master Liu Shang, who is skilled in divination and predicting fortunes. It is precisely because of her help that the current Crown Prince ascended to the position of Crown Prince. The Empress trusts her greatly.”
“How old is this Master Liu Shang?” Granny Wu asked.