Chapter 1641 - 598: The Fake True Daughter (Part 19)

The Eldest Princess An Le single-handedly established the grand fasting ceremonies of Qingyun Temple; it could be considered her domain.

Every time she visited Qingyun Temple, the Eldest Princess An Le was most relaxed and at ease.

For instance, at this moment, she was watching the ceremony in the field, with most of her guards and maids remaining outside.

Only two or three personal maids were by her side.

The temple master of Qingyun Temple sprayed out a large flame which got a bit out of control, startling the noblewomen seated in the front row.

Everyone exclaimed in surprise and dodged, and those timid ones even ran away.

The guests’ seats descended into chaos, and the maids beside the Eldest Princess were also momentarily caught off guard and did not rush to protect her immediately.

The Eldest Princess is nearly sixty years old this year, which is considered quite elderly in ancient times.

She is accustomed to a life of ease and had never witnessed such a chaotic scene.

Suddenly, the Eldest Princess was hit by a fleeing noblewoman and, with an "aiyo" sound, was about to fall to the ground.

At the critical moment, a young girl, shouting "Your Highness, be careful," hurriedly rushed forward and supported the Eldest Princess.

"..." The Eldest Princess grasped the girl’s arm, finally stabilizing her posture, and released a breath of relief with lingering fear.

Raising her head to say something, she saw a face that was incredibly familiar to her—

"Ah Xiang?!"

The Eldest Princess was momentarily dazed, as if seeing her daughter from over twenty years ago.

Her daughter, Princess Pingkang, whose maiden name was Ah Xiang.

After her coming-of-age ceremony, she married Prince Qi and became Princess Qi, second only to the Empress.

But, soon the Eldest Princess realized this person in front of her couldn’t possibly be her Ah Xiang.

Because just a moment ago, she came to Qingyun Temple with Ah Xiang.

But Yongping, restless to sit through the lengthy blessing ceremony, ran off to play in the back mountains.

Worried, Pingkang followed her there too.

Separated from her daughter for no more than an hour, even as she aged and her memory faded, she wouldn’t confuse them.

Except—

The girl in front of her bore such a resemblance to her daughter, as if they were carved from the same mold.

The Eldest Princess knew that people who look alike exist, but resemblance to such an extent, like twin sisters—

Suddenly, a speculation flashed in the Eldest Princess’s mind—perhaps absurd, but she couldn’t help having such a thought.

She grabbed the girl’s sleeve, intent on questioning her closely.

By now, the two or three maids originally by the Princess’s side had also come to their senses.

They pushed through the chaotic crowd to reach the Eldest Princess.

"Your Highness!"

One maid, seemingly more astute and fierce, noticed the girl before the Eldest Princess.

She was both jealous and secretly resentful, thinking that this person deliberately came to show up in front of her mistress, a scheming girl with ulterior motives.

Seizing the momentum of running forward, she twisted her waist and forcefully bumped the girl aside.

Rip!

The girl was indeed pushed forcefully to one side, but her sleeve was held tightly by the Eldest Princess.

With the interplay of the two forces, the thick padded robe was pulled apart, tearing off a sleeve.

The torn clothing revealed a pale arm.

And on the slender, delicate arm of the girl, there was indeed a flower-shaped birthmark!

The Eldest Princess had been intently watching this girl; her accidentally "tearing" the girl’s clothing took the Eldest Princess by surprise.

Her gaze followed, naturally not missing the birthmark on the exposed arm, identical to her own!

"Heavens!"

"This mark looks so familiar!"

The Eldest Princess was dumbfounded, and even her two maids were petrified.

They served closely beside the Eldest Princess, assisting her in dressing and bathing, and were naturally familiar with her birthmark.

In fact, not only those who served closely, but some noblewomen in the capital had also seen the Eldest Princess’s birthmark.

After all, the Eldest Princess’s flower-shaped birthmark is on her arm, not in a more concealed location.

During the scorching summer, everyone wears lightweight gauze dresses, and through the thin fabric, the mark on the arm is naturally visible.

Moreover, when the Eldest Princess was younger, she enjoyed activities like playing polo and soaking in hot springs. And the noble ladies close to her had glimpsed it vaguely.

The Eldest Princess also viewed her birthmark as quite beautiful, never bothering to hide it, and when in the mood, would even have someone paint the shape of the birthmark with colored pigments.