Chapter 385: Chapter 230 I Seem to be from the Pei Family
Kunde Hall, in the study.
Liang Zhaoyi was very surprised to hear Zhao Yao say this. She hurriedly put down the paintbrush in her hand and asked in shock, "What did you say, Ding Yuan is a member of the Pei Family, what’s going on?"
Zhao Yao thought about it and realized that it was no wonder he felt a sense of familiarity when he first saw the flower petal birthmark on Ding Yuan’s lower back, as if he had seen it somewhere before. This was because he had previously read Noble Consort Pei’s manuscripts with Liang Zhaoyi. In the manuscript, it was recorded that the direct descendants of the Pei Family would be born with a birthmark resembling a peach blossom on their lower backs.
Noble Consort Pei had a delicate peach blossom birthmark on her lower back, and because of this, the emperor from the previous dynasty had given her the nickname "Tao Tao." The emperor of the previous dynasty even planted a peach grove for her in the palace. At the time, this peach grove was a magnificent sight in the imperial city and indeed the whole capital. However, later, when the Pei Family rebelled and Noble Consort Pei was banished to the Cold Palace, the peach grove was destroyed.
At that time, a great fire consumed the peach grove, leaving not a single peach tree behind. Today, traces of the fire that destroyed the peach grove still remain.
However, very few people knew about the fact that the direct descendants of the Pei Family had peach blossom birthmarks. Only the Pei Family knew at that time. Liang Zhaoyi and Zhao Yao came to know about this because Noble Consort Pei left behind a manuscript she had written by hand. In this manuscript, she wrote many things about the Pei Family.
When Liang Zhaoyi and Zhao Yao first discovered this manuscript, they found it incredible and had not expected Noble Consort Pei to write down such things about the Pei Family.
Perhaps after Noble Consort Pei was banished to the Cold Palace, and upon learning that her entire family had been killed, she intentionally wrote this manuscript to record everything about the Pei Family. Perhaps she feared that after her death, no one would know about the Pei Family. Or, perhaps she hoped that one day someone could clear the Pei Family’s name, but unfortunately, even by the time the previous dynasty fell, no one had vindicated the Pei Family.
Zhao Yao told Liang Zhaoyi about the peach blossom birthmark on Ding Yuan’s lower back, "At that time, I felt it was familiar, like I’ve seen it somewhere, and it turns out I saw it in Noble Consort Pei’s manuscript."
"Are you sure the birthmark you saw on Ding Yuan is a peach blossom birthmark?"
Zhao Yao nodded affirmatively, "I didn’t see it wrong; I remember it very clearly." As he spoke, he pinched his chin, revealing a look of sudden understanding on his face, "No wonder Ding Yuan has such a noble aura, not looking like a beggar. At that time, I felt Ding Yuan must have come from a very good background and was likely kidnapped. I didn’t expect he was actually a member of the Pei Family."
Liang Zhaoyi had heard from Zhao Yao about Ding Yuan. At that time, she also felt this child was pitiful, being kidnapped at a young age, then reduced to a beggar, bullied, and nearly beaten to death, fortunately meeting Zhao Yao and his companions.
"So Ding Yuan is a member of the Pei Family, and a direct descendant at that."
Zhao Yao calculated the family relationship in his head and speculated, "Could he be Noble Consort Pei’s grandnephew?"
"Maybe, or perhaps he’s a great-grandson."
"The Pei Family indeed secretly hid a descendant, preventing Emperor Xia Ling from completely exterminating them, thus continuing the Pei lineage," Zhao Yao remarked, "It turns out what the storybooks say is true." The storybooks also often featured tales where an entire family would be executed, but one person would survive and avenge the family. At that time, he mentioned that there might still be someone from the Pei Family alive, and unexpectedly, he had actually guessed correctly.
"I didn’t expect to be so lucky, just casually picking up a beggar off the street, and he turns out to be a descendant of the Pei Family, and a direct descendant no less." According to the storybooks he had read, he was Ding Yuan’s master, knowing Ding Yuan’s identity, and then using Ding Yuan’s desire for revenge to train him into a cold-blooded killer. Ding Yuan would then be used to do many things, only to later discover he had been deceived, and then he would kill his master.
Of course, this was content from the storybooks. Although he was Ding Yuan’s master, he was not the one who had exterminated Ding Yuan’s entire family, nor could he use Ding Yuan to help him kill his enemies.
"I remember you said Ding Yuan doesn’t remember who he is, and can’t recall anything before arriving in the capital?"
Zhao Yao was reminded of this by Liang Zhaoyi’s words. He raised his hand to his forehead and sighed helplessly, "Yes, Ding Yuan said he once seemed to have fallen seriously ill, and might have had a fever, and after recovering, he completely forgot everything, not remembering who he was at all."