I'm already a concubine, who wants to fight with you?

Chapter 159 Birthmark
Among the concubines, only the noble concubine Xie Fei and a few more favored concubines had their own courtyards.

Although Xiang Xiaoniang was once favored, she had long been forgotten by Pei Yuan over the years, so she lived in the same courtyard with Fang Qinrou and other concubines.

Although the courtyard was spacious, it looked cluttered and crowded with so many people living there. It became even more cramped when the servants moved around.

When Xie Fei arrived at Xiang Xiaoniang's room, Xiang Xiaoniang was very surprised.

"Xie sister, I really wasn't feeling well, so I didn't come to see you. If I had known you were coming, I would have taken the initiative to come and see you no matter how hard it was."

As she spoke, Xiang Xiaoniang personally served tea to Xie Fei.

Xie Fei smiled and said, "I have been serving the master for a few days, but I don't even have anyone to talk to. It's really boring. Look, in such a big Pei family, I can only talk to you, sister."

She took the tea, and her fingers touched Xiang Xiaoniang's fingertips for a moment.

Xiang Xiaoniang suddenly retracted her hand as if she had been electrocuted, and the cup almost fell to the ground.

She put her hands behind her back and kept wiping them on her clothes, with a look of embarrassment on her face.

Xie Fei pretended not to see it, drank his tea, and remained sitting on the chair, showing no intention of leaving.

"Don't blame me for coming here uninvited, sister. I'm not popular and I'm at odds with the eldest lady. Apart from you, no one else is willing to talk to me to relieve my boredom."

Xiang Xiaoniang moved to the side and sat farther away from Xie Fei.

She said enthusiastically, "My sister and I get along very well. Whenever we meet, we always have a lot to talk about. Since you feel bored, I will definitely accompany you."

From beginning to end, she never asked about Pei Yuan's condition, and Xie Fei didn't mention it either.

The two of them chatted about this and that, now talking about flowers, now talking about grass, from spring, summer, autumn and winter to mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, talking about everything.

Mother Liu served beside Xie Fei, remaining silent the entire time, like a calm and silent stone statue.

As we were chatting, we somehow got to the topic of birthmarks.

Xie Fei gestured with his hands and said, "Is there really such a big birthmark? It's as thick as a bowl, blue in color, and it's ugly on the back of the waist. Fu Yu cried to me many times, asking why hers was so ugly?"

Xiang Xiaoniang was surprised and said, "Is it really that big? Oh, it really doesn't look good on a girl. No wonder she cried."

Xie Fei sighed: "But what can I do? I can only wait until she is older, maybe it will fade away."

Xiang Xiaoniang quickly said yes.

Xie Fei chuckled again, his eyebrows curved, as if he was a little shy and couldn't speak.

She leaned her upper body towards Xiang Xiaoniang, covered her lips and said, "To be honest, I have been serving the master these few days, and I saw that the master also has a birthmark on his waist."

Xiang Xiaoniang was slightly surprised, and then burst out laughing.

Xie Fei blushed and said coquettishly: "Sister, please don't laugh at me. I have never served the master before. Naturally, naturally..."

Her face was bright red, more brilliant than summer flowers, making her originally ordinary face seem to have a gorgeous complexion.

Xiang Xiaoniang laughed for a long time before she said, "Sister, you are talking about the wolf-like blue birthmark on the side of the master's waist, right? I remember when the master was a child, everyone said that people with this kind of birthmark will definitely be great figures who are good at fighting in the future."

Xiang Xiaoniang recalled the past when she was just a little maid.

At that time, she was not yet Pei Yuan's personal maid, and she had only heard the elders in the mansion talk about the birthmark.

Pei Yuan has a birthmark on his side that looks like a blue wolf totem. The mark is very faint, but if the muscles are tense or the body temperature rises, the birthmark will easily appear.

As he grew older, the birthmark did not fade, but became more obvious. Whenever he practiced swordplay and horse stance, it was as if there was a really wild wolf glaring at the enemy wildly.

A fortune teller said that this was a natural soldier's fate. As long as he was well trained, he would definitely be a genius who would defend his country and territory in the future. At that time, even the old marquis was very happy and raised Pei Yuan under his knees, vowing to train his grandson into a talent.

Xiang Xiaoniang recalled the past and sighed: "It's a pity that the master is still..."

I have failed the Marquis's teachings and have not lived up to General Pei's expectations, and have become what I am today.

Xie Fei was also saddened when he heard this, and said sadly: "If the master had not indulged in alcohol and sex, and had someone to encourage him to make progress, how could he have fallen to this point today?"

Xiang Xiaoniang was also very sad.

After chatting for a long time, Xie Fei got the information he wanted and returned to Chaohui Pavilion.

Although Pei Yuan was no longer in danger, he was still unconscious and was sleeping soundly.

Xie Fei stood by the bed and gently lifted his clothes.

There was indeed a blue wolf birthmark on the side of her waist.

Xie Fei took out some white wine and rubbed the skin on Pei Yuan's waist again and again, then he pressed on it and rubbed it carefully, and soon came to a conclusion.

This birthmark is fake.

This era also has "tattoos", which are also called "tattoos".

Initially, it was based on the tribal totems tattooed on the bodies of ethnic minorities. It was tattooed on the faces of criminals or used on slaves to leave marks to indicate their ownership.

In today's Dajing, tattoos have become a very common thing, with a variety of styles and colors, and more standardized names, such as "diaoqing" and "huaqing".

The tattoos on "Pei Yuan" are more delicate and precise, with almost no flaws. His techniques are so advanced that even modern tattoo technology has to admit defeat.

Who on earth would be willing to get large areas of tattoos on his body just to impersonate "Pei Yuan"?
Xie Fei was daydreaming when Pei Yuan suddenly moved and reflexively raised his hand, brushing against the skin on the back of her hand.

"Tsk." Xie Fei made a low sound and wiped the back of his hand with white wine in disgust.

It’s not that I’m afraid of infection, but the thought of it makes me feel dirty.

Just rubbing was not enough to make her feel uncomfortable, so she poured a basin of wine and soaked her hands in it.

She was certain that the "Pei Yuan" on the bed was indeed not the real master of the fourth branch of the Pei family.

Where is the real master now?

He needs someone to impersonate him. Could it be that he is already dead?

This fake person was someone close to Pei Yuan. After seeing Pei Yuan's death, he deliberately impersonated him?
Or was it a more powerful person behind the scenes who just found something, disguised it, and sent it to the Pei family?

And what about the old lady?

Is it because she knows that this is not her son and therefore doesn't bother to care, or is it that even if he is her own flesh and blood, she wouldn't care?

Xie Fei felt that the former was probably the majority.

Even she, who had only been in the mansion for a few months and had little contact with Pei Yuan, felt that something was strange, not to mention that the old lady was Pei Yuan's biological mother?
Even though she had never raised this son in her lap, she should not be completely ignorant of the bond between mother and son.

Xie Fei's mind was in a mess, with too many thoughts to sort out.

The four branches of the Pei family seem to have constant disputes only in the backyard, but if you really look into it, they are probably like prey entangled in a spider's web, already deep in the center of the vortex.

(End of this chapter)