Daughter’s Identity (X)

Evening arrived upon the Kingdom of Xin Li and stores in the capital city were setting up lanterns outside their stores.

The palace walls were now also lighting up fire torches around the entire palace walls and lanterns inside the palace.

In Kunning Palace like other palaces was also bringing out their lanterns and fire torches around their walls. The palace was half burnt and the owner of the palace did not seem to show any signs of rebuilding it.

Moreover, as the fire torches were lit outside the palace that has lost most of its colour and prominence. Furthermore, the entire palace looked more like a burning fire than a house of prestige.

Nevertheless, inside, a small room of one side of Kunning Palace that was spared from the great fire a few days ago. The room was peaceful and the lanterns were lit lightly, not too bright or too dim, it was just the perfect amount of light.

In the middle of the room, laid a peaceful lady sleeping soundly on top of the soft quilt. Her usually pale face showed some colours to her cheeks as her face was flushing healthily unlike other times.

Her skin was growing with more liveliness than before and her hair was even more ink black than usual.

Hui Lan's long hair was lying messily on her pillow and bed as she was sleeping soundly and her arms were both in different directions from each other. It was as if this person was not the Mother of a kingdom, but rather a carefree young lady who was enjoying her beauty sleep.

Meanwhile, beside her, a court lady dressed in light purple robes leaned beside one of the pillars in the room as she began to start a fire in the stove in front of her so the entire room would stay warm. Su Rong sat while holding onto her knees boredly with one arm and the other was fanning the stove gently.

It had been almost the entire afternoon that Hui Lan had fallen into a deep slumber and now it was already evening.

As Su Rong was in a daze, a few rustle noises were made from the once still person.

Hui Lan twisted from one side of the bed to the other sleepily. However, her eyelashes began to flutter as her consciousness began to wake.

Soon her lashes revealed two deep black eyes that were still slightly sleepy from the long rest.

"Hmm…" a soft murmur came from the bed which immediately caught Su Rong's attention.

"Niang Niang? Are you up?" Su Rong asked patiently.

"Hmm, I think I'm up." Hui Lan responded from underneath her blankets.

To that, Su Rong could not help but relieve a long sigh as her heart could finally breathe after her friend was better.

Hui Lan dug herself deeper underneath the blanket as if wanting more sleep, but her brain was saying otherwise. So, very faintly from underneath the blanket, she murmured, "Su Rong, can you help me get up? I should get up, but I don't feel like it."

Su Rong tilted her head with Hui Lan's words and could not help but speak straightforwardly, "If you want to sleep more then why not sleep?"

To that the person underneath the blankets became quiet for a long minute, it was for some time that Su Rong almost thought that Hui Lan had gone back to sleep again until Hui Lan spoke again, "I can't sleep or else I'd be way behind."

Not waiting for Su Rong to respond, Hui Lan had already flipped the blanket away from her and got up right after.

Su Rong's lips could not help but slightly part as she watched Hui Lan get up like a spring.

"I'm up." was what Hui Lan said, but laying right back down on the bed again.

She kicked once and twice in the air before she seemed to have made up her mind and sat up again. Her face showed nothing but moodiness all over her face as her back bet forward and her face was rested into her two hands.

Finally being up and finally being able to recall what she had remembered and found, she could not help but heave a long sigh.

...Since there were no longer any more reasons for her to feign being someone else' daughter, she would just reveal the truth. Though some part was for her to feel relieved, most of the parts were for the mother and daughter pair.

...She wasn't a thief or more like she knew what should be taken and what should not...if that even made any sense.

...In full actually, being in this body she was already robbing someone's body that was not meant for her and she was already robbing the title of being an empress, even more, the title of being someone else' wife. But then again, these were not really much she could do.

...However, if there was a chance for her to do something like telling the truth to this owner's mother, she would not need to be taking away someone else' mother...or family.

While Hui Lan was lost in her thoughts and thinking about how to tell Feng Furen the truth, Su Rong was rendered speechless by her friend. She truly did not know what to say.

On the other hand, Xiao Mao was slowly waking up.

He gave a big yawn as he had a good day sleep.

"Good morning miss!" Xiao Mao tweeted immediately as he saw Hui Lan the first person after he had woken up.

"Morning." Hui Lan spoke aloud to Xiao Mao which in turn the little snowy owl bowed politely.

"Or shall I say, princess?" Xiao Mao teased.

Hui Lan straightened her back as she asked, "Princess?"

"Eyy, everyone here treats you like a big and powerful person. Although your room is rather small, I can understand that this is the only room left since your entire house was burned down. Even if I'm still learning to understand human language, my guess is if you're not the princess then what could you be in this palace, the Empress?" To that, he could not help but giggle on the thought that his miss was an Empress.

Hui Lan's eyes became squinted as she looked at Xiao Mao laugh. Her eyebrows were raised up ever so dangerously as he did not stop laughing.

"Xiao Mao." Hui Lan's slightly stern voice called the little fella's name.

Xiao Mao's laughter stopped and he pushed the next few laughter down his throat, "Ahem, yes?"

"Listen to this word and tell me what you think it means." Hui Lan asked out of the blue.

"Alright!"

"Niang Niang."

"Princess! Did I get it right."

"Hm, close. Now, try another one, Huang Hou."

"Err, this one is very familiar. Many people do call you that...does this one also mean princess?"

"Let's see...that's your homework. Go learn the human language and come back to me with the meaning. By then, you'll realize what kind of person you are with, tch!" Hui Lan turned her face away swiftly.

"What do I get from this homework though?" Xiao Mao did not quite like the word homework at all.

Slowly, Hui Lan turned back and spoke, "Your expenses for living here with me! You haven't paid me anything and you are living with me for free. So, if you don't want to pay me, then do your homework."

Xiao Mao's head became slightly sunk into his neck as he spoke softly, "Such a stingy person."

Hui Lan's eyes grew wider.

In response, Xiao Mao could only smile dryly before speaking, "I'm starting to get hungry, I think I should go and find my own food."

"Hm, good. There's no such thing as free food in this world!" Hui Lan proclaimed.

"I'll work hard!" Then off he went into the dark sky without turning back.

After watching Xiao Mao take off into the night sky, she could not help but feel slightly worried for him as well. He was just a small owl, but there seemed to be no fear in that young heart of his.

....However, the earth was vast and the sky was even bigger, what was to become of him was left for him to get through it all...

Just like her, she was just one person in this big world, she'll have to fend for herself...

Hui Lan then turned around to look at Su Rong who had been watching her from the beginning, "Can you bring me everything you can find about all the ministers and princes here? Also, give me the situation of the market place and what businesses are doing well and give me a map of the palace. I want to digest them all by today."

Su Rong was slightly taken aback again with Hui Lan's abnormal question. The question itself was not abnormal but the person asking it was. All these kinds of things were never in Hui Lan's line of interests…

Seeing Su Rong become quiet, Hui Lan asked, "Su Rong?"

"Huh? Oh, Hui Lan, is this all due to the change that you said earlier?" Su Rong could not help but ask.

Hui Lan began recalling what she had said to the young lady in front of her and she finally understood Su Rong's reactions to her requests. Determination appeared on Hui Lan's face as she was about to speak her next few words, "Yes, this is all about the change. I'll wait for you here."

"Sigh, isn't it going to be too much for you?" Su Rong was still quite worried about her friend's health.

"I'll be fine." Hui Lan reassured.

Su Rong could only nod silently as no matter how she tried to persuade her friend otherwise, she would probably not listen.

Su Rong was about to leave when a thought came to her mind, "Hui Lan, something weird happened this afternoon as well. You know...when you fainted on the floor, your hand that had all those rashes, I saw them disappear like never before. Also, the Royal Physician seemed like he wanted the red bottle as well, but I didn't let him. Whatever that is be careful…"

"Physician Jin?" Hui Lan asked again to make sure if she heard it right.

"En." Su Rong nodded.

"Whoa, who would have known that the Royal Physician could be pickpocket ah. You did very well not giving it to him. Where is it now?"

"In the drawer beside you." Su Rong nodded her face towards where the red bottle was.

Hui Lan opened the drawer and indeed there was a red bottle neatly in place. She revealed a soft smile as she looked at the red bottle fondly. Although this owner would probably not know anything about this red bottle and merely took it as a normal medicine for her allergies, this little bottle was not just that…

Slowly, Hui Lan took the bottle out from the drawer and raised it up in the air. Her eyes showed many different emotions as she recalled the memories of this owner and her mother.

...Dragon's blood

...This bottle must be the reason why she now feels much better, it was as if all the weariness had gone away.

While still looking at the bottle, Hui spoke, "Tomorrow, I'll go meet mother outside the palace."

"Eh? How are you going to go outside the palace when everyone thinks you're sick? They'll need an official announcement and the Emperor must agree for you to go out!?"

To that, Hui Lan put the bottle down and turned to look at Su Rong with an evil smile.

...Why go out for everyone to know when you can go out without anyone knowing