Granny Wu frowned and sighed, "That's precisely what I want to figure out. Forty years ago, my husband and I divined that during Emperor Yuan Che's reign, Qinghuang Kingdom would face a great catastrophe. However, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed, and we couldn't pinpoint the exact year or day it would occur.
So, that day arrived too suddenly, and we were completely unprepared.
All royal family members were poisoned, and the thirty thousand allied forces of Bei Qiang and Da Xia entered Fengcheng unimpeded.
At that time, Sheng'er and I were in the alchemy room, so we luckily escaped being poisoned.
Because the Grand Tutor's alchemy room was a forbidden area in the palace, the dark guards were not allowed to enter. At that time, there were only a few small guards at the gate.
The enemy forces quickly found us, and the guards at the gate were killed.
In a moment of desperation, Sheng'er and I hid in an underground cellar.
Sheng'er's beauty was unparalleled, and she bore a striking resemblance to her mother. To prevent Sheng'er from being recognized by the enemy, and fearing that she might be captured and violated, I immediately administered the Zhenqing Mantuo Gu to her, disfiguring her.
As long as Sheng'er is alive, and she meets a man who truly loves her and they consummate their marriage, the蛊 (gu) poison will be lifted.
The palace was in chaos. After the enemy soldiers who were searching the alchemy room left, I emerged from the cellar, intending to rescue Sheng'er's parents and uncles. Therefore, I temporarily left Sheng'er alone in the cellar, instructing her to stay put and wait for me, under no circumstances to leave the cellar.
Although Sheng'er had impaired cognitive abilities, she was very obedient. If nothing unexpected happened, she would definitely be waiting for me in the cellar.
However, when I returned to find her, she had vanished. The cellar was intact, with no signs of being disturbed by enemy soldiers.
I was terrified. The divination prophecy stated that Sheng'er was the chosen one to save the fate of Qinghuang Kingdom. If Sheng'er met with misfortune, Qinghuang Kingdom would completely disappear from the map.
After the enemy occupied Fengcheng, I disguised myself as an ordinary old woman and searched for Sheng'er among the piles of corpses. Fortunately, I did not find her body.
I secretly inquired if anyone had seen a five-year-old girl with large dark patches on her cheeks. Some said they had seen her among the young child slaves captured in Da Xia.
Therefore, I came to Da Xia with Qingfeng, searching for ten years along the way."
Zuo Ye suspected, "All the royal family members were poisoned, and my wife was taken from the cellar. All of this points to internal betrayal."
Granny Wu nodded gravely, "Indeed. Bei Qiang and Da Xia spent over ten years infiltrating Qinghuang with numerous spies. It's estimated that many people in the palace were their informants."
Prince Yu looked at Bai Sheng, "Little Black Face, you were already five years old then. Do you have no memory at all? Who exactly took you from the cellar?"
Bai Sheng shook her head blankly, "I really don't remember." She guessed that when the original owner died, most of her memories had also been taken, leaving only fragmented memories in her mind.
Zuo Ye glared at Prince Yu, "Cousin, if my wife says she doesn't remember, then she doesn't remember. Don't force her."
"I'm not forcing Little Black Face, how could I possibly force Little Black Face? I just want to find the person who harmed her as soon as possible," Prince Yu spread his hands helplessly.
Granny Wu said, "Sheng'er truly doesn't remember. Although she was five years old then, her cognitive abilities were impaired."
"What? Little Black Face... has impaired cognitive abilities?" Prince Yu exclaimed.
Zuo Ye was also a bit surprised. However, recalling when his darling arrived at their home, she did seem to have some cognitive deficiencies. After she had passed out that one time and woken up, she seemed like a completely different person.
Granny Wu nodded, "When Sheng'er was born, auspicious signs descended from heaven. She became famous throughout the Five Continents within a month of her birth. In her childhood, her beauty was already outstanding, and she was exceptionally intelligent.
According to Qinghuang law, any princess born with auspicious signs from heaven must be crowned Empress.
Coupled with the prophetic omen that she was the chosen one to revive Qinghuang, she was trained to be Empress from a young age, doted upon by all, and highly favored.
However, in the spring of her fifth year, Sheng'er accidentally fell from a lookout tower in the palace. From then on, it was as if she had lost a part of her soul, and her cognitive abilities became impaired."
"How could she have fallen from the lookout tower?" Zuo Ye asked with concern, his eyes filled with heartache. "Was it... just an accident?"
Granny Wu narrowed her eyes, recalling, "Several young children were playing hide-and-seek in the palace at that time. No one knows how Sheng'er fell."
Consort Mei's eyes shot out a sharp glint, "How come I'm sensing a hint of conspiracy? Perhaps it's because I've spent too long in the harem, I've become too sensitive to these matters."
"Perhaps Qing'er's intuition is correct. After all, the identity of a chosen one is too envy-inducing," Third Uncle said, looking at Mei Qing with admiration.
"Yes, no matter who is behind harming her, I believe they will not have a good end," Granny Wu smiled. "In this world, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Sheng'er is a person of great fortune. The soul she lost has returned. I believe her memories will surely resurface slowly."
Bai Sheng glanced guiltily at her master. It wasn't that the original owner's soul had returned; it was that she had transmigrated.
After Bai Sheng and Zuo Ye went inside to rest.
Du Min walked up to Granny Wu, sighing with concern, "What should we do, Grand Tutor? Sheng'er seems to have no recollection of past events, nor does she seem inclined to revive Qinghuang."
Granny Wu frowned and looked into the distance, "I think perhaps the time is not yet right. Sheng'er's words and actions sometimes seem out of sync with this era. Could it be... her soul has not yet been fully restored?"
The next day, before dawn, Bai Sheng and Lu Ye left the spatial realm and continued their journey on horseback.
In the afternoon, as Bai Sheng rode her horse, she suddenly felt a piercing pain on her face.
She immediately reined in her horse and stopped.
"Darling, what's wrong?" Zuo Ye also reined in his horse and stopped, asking worriedly.
"Husband, my face... it hurts so much, it really hurts," Bai Sheng dismounted and covered her face with her hand, her expression contorted.
Upon hearing this, Zuo Ye leaped off his horse and rushed to her side to examine her face.
"Come, let me see," Zuo Ye said softly, gently moving Bai Sheng's hand away. His face immediately changed drastically.
Bai Sheng's face was slowly turning black, rotting, forming large and small warty growths. The growths then hardened into small, pitted holes, looking utterly horrifying.
Lu Ye's heart felt as if it was being torn to shreds. He immediately pulled Bai Sheng into his arms, constantly comforting her in a gentle voice, "Baby, don't be afraid, it's okay. I'm here, I'm here."
"Husband, my face hurts, it hurts so much..." Bai Sheng trembled all over, trying to raise her hand to scratch her face, but Zuo Ye stopped her.
Lu Ye held her tightly with one hand, while the other hand continuously stroked her arm, hoping to provide her with the greatest sense of security.
"Husband, my face... what's happening? It hurts so much..." Bai Sheng uncontrollably began to convulse.
"It must be that the Eldest Princess and the others did not keep their promise, resulting in the backlash of the gu technique!" Seeing his darling in such pain, Lu Ye's eyes turned crimson, and he wished he could tear the Eldest Princess and Meng Liangyuan into pieces.
The rotting area began from her cheek and slowly spread to her entire face.
Bai Sheng was in so much pain that her senses were becoming blurred, and cold sweat soaked her clothes.