Miss Truth
Chapter 353 - 222: Dissociative Identity Disorder 2

Chapter 353: Chapter 222: Dissociative Identity Disorder 2

"Referring to a person having two or more distinct and separate personalities, you could imagine, her body harbored two or more souls," Ran Yan deduced from Li Wanshu’s living conditions and observations during their meeting that she must be an excessively cautious and slightly timid person. Moreover, she lived under Li Shimin’s surveillance for the first fifteen years, making it unlikely for her to have any personal power. After her marriage, she scarcely left her home, and even some household servants barely saw her. Ran Yan found it hard to believe such an overly cautious person would commit murder or instigate others to do so under Li Shimin’s watchful eyes in the vicinity of the Imperial City, unless she developed dissociative identity disorder amid prolonged loneliness and conjecture.

"Is that possible?" Xiao Song was not one to believe in spirits or ghosts.

Ran Yan nodded, "The chances of such an event are slim, but we cannot dismiss the possibility. Actually, it has nothing to do with spirits or ghosts. It’s like everyone has different facets, a face for public and another in private, these types are just an extreme separation of these facets."

Li Wanshu’s lifestyle could very well have led to her dissociative identity disorder.

In modern times, "dual personalities" became a familiar concept, and almost everyone educated knew the term, with many describing their personalities as dual. However, in reality, the confirmed cases of dual personalities worldwide do not exceed a thousand, and those of multiple personalities are even less than fifty.

People with dual personalities possess different characters, thoughts, and even memories, such that what one personality knows, the other might not be aware of.

Ran Yan had never been involved in cases of multiple personality crimes before, but from the scant data available, it was exceedingly tricky. She also hoped her suspicions would not prove correct.

"Thinking too much about it naturally increases your stress. Even if the murderer was indeed Princess Wenxi, what can you do? You need only to secretly investigate the case and lay out the truth before the Emperor, letting him decide," Ran Yan knew that certain things sounded easy to say, but were very difficult to implement in reality; however, this was the unwelcome necessity.

Xiao Song’s smile gradually brightened, "You are right."

He often overthought things, ensuring that nothing was left to chance, thus he had always achieved impressive political outcomes. However, some problems remained unsolvable. Ran Yan’s words were a wake-up call for him.

Feeling much better, Xiao Song escorted Ran Yan back home, then immediately continued tirelessly with the investigation.

It was already time for dinner.

After eating and taking a bath, lanterns were lit in the courtyard, and upon inquiring, Ran Yan was surprised to find that Ran Yunsheng had not yet returned and she asked Xing Niang, "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing serious. Just before dinner, Shilang rushed back to the estate, saying he needed to see Niang in her twenties. Hearing that she was not at home, he hurriedly followed her out." Xing Niang explained.

"Not at home?" Ran Yan wondered if Liu Qingsong could have moved so quickly!

Xing Niang nodded, "Yes, the old lady from the Zheng family’s birthday is just four days away; the niang in her twenties must be busy preparing gifts, she hasn’t been at home these days."

Lu Shi often sought out Xing Niang for idle talks, implying through hints that she wanted Ran Yun to be entrusted to her for tutelage, hence she spoke much about Ran Yun.

"That’s good then," Ran Yan reassured herself, then shifted the conversation to Princess Wenxi’s background.

Since Xing Niang came from the Zheng family, she was very familiar with the entire clan. Upon hearing Ran Yan’s query, she spoke softly, "My lady, I shouldn’t speak of this, but since you asked, I will tell you—just don’t take it to heart, as if it were of no importance."

Seeing Ran Yan nod in agreement, Xing Niang continued, "The mother of Princess Wenxi came from the Zheng family in Xingyang, actually quite closely related to you. The princess is your cousin, ranked third in the family. Before the third lady was married, people said, although they were not biological sisters, they looked even more alike than real sisters, thus they occasionally had interactions, but after the third lady married the Hidden Crown Prince, they lost contact."

The princess was a legitimate daughter from the Zheng family of Xingyang, while Ran Yan’s mother was born out of wedlock and not of the same father, so the only similarity was in appearance. If talking about relations, Zheng Rentai was closer to her than the princess.

But Zheng Rentai had sided with the Qin prince from the start, standing in opposition to the Hidden Crown Prince, so they never interacted with each other.

"My lady, now that you know, just forget about it; that princess is not one for us to meddle with!" Xing Niang advised uneasily.

Ran Yan responded, "I’m just curious, given the current situation, even if she were my own sister, I might not acknowledge the relation."

Ran Meiyu is your own sister? This shows that blood relations do not necessarily mean emotional ties.

Seeing her serious demeanor, Xing Niang felt relieved.

"My lady, the Third Lady has come to see you," Wan Lu said from outside the tent.

"Please ask the lady to come to the hall," Ran Yan stood up as Xing Niang and Ge Lan quickly helped her dress and escorted her to the hall.

Lu Shi, dressed in a dark red silk skirt with a royal blue peony embroidered satin cape, was standing inside the room, looking at a screen painting, seemingly lost in thought.

"Aunt," Ran Yan called respectfully with a bow.

Lu Shi came back to her senses, turned around to help Ran Yan up, smiling brightly as she surveyed her face, saying, "Ah Yan, you look so beautiful, much like your elder sister."

Ran Yan wasn’t sure why she suddenly brought this up, so she didn’t respond rashly, just returned the smile.

Lu Shi, holding Ran Yan’s hand, seated themselves at the main seat, asking a few questions about Ran Yan’s daily life, such as whether she was accustomed to living in Chang’an, if she lacked anything, and how her injuries were doing.

Ran Yan answered each question patiently.

After a while, Lu Shi finally shifted the topic, "Today I went to the Daoist priest from Izumo and took the liberty of calculating your fortune for you."

Ran Yan slightly raised her eyebrows, knowing that she had arrived at the main point; she knew whether she asked or not, Lu Shi would continue, so she simply said, "Thank you, Aunt."(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to visit Qidian(qidian.com) to cast a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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