“Isn’t that His Highness the Crown Prince and Second Sister?” A clear voice suddenly came from behind.

Jiang Yingwan turned her head and saw a boy of twelve or thirteen, sturdy and lively.

Upon seeing the boy’s face, Jiang Yingwan subconsciously hid behind Li Mu, clutching his clothes tightly, only daring to cautiously reveal half her face.

Seeing this, Li Mu’s brows furrowed slightly. He looked down at her, catching the fear in her eyes.  So, he silently shielded her more thoroughly.

“Why is Qian’er here too?”

This boy was the Second Prince, Li Qian. He tilted his head, a smile splitting his lips: “Can only the Crown Prince and Second Sister come, while I’m not allowed?”

Li Mu simply smiled faintly at his provocation: “Where did you hear that? Isn’t Qian’er studying at the Imperial Academy? Why did you finish school so early today?”

A flash of annoyance crossed Li Qian’s eyes. He hated the Crown Prince lecturing him with the air of an elder brother. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince had already entered the court and was developing his own power, while he was stuck in the Imperial Academy, studying those pedantic principles.

At this moment, Eunuch Guo stepped forward and bowed: “His Majesty requests the presence of the three His Highnesses.”

Brother and Sister

Late Late, what are you afraid of?

Jiang Yingwan felt that she was truly unlucky. Why did she always run into others whenever she came to see His Majesty? In the palace, Wang Zhaoyi was, after all, her biological mother, and she couldn’t tell the Crown Prince and Second Prince that she wanted to move out of Yongning Palace and live alone.

As soon as she entered, Jiang Yingwan felt His Majesty’s gaze fall upon her.

“Late Late, come here.” The Emperor beckoned her.

Jiang Yingwan only then released the Crown Prince’s clothes, walked out from behind him, and sat down beside His Majesty, behaving拘谨地.

The Emperor asked her in a low voice: “I heard you knocked over a bowl of soup outside. Did you hurt yourself?”

His greatest concern was this second daughter. She was too weak, like a completely harmless little rabbit, ready to be slaughtered, without any means of protecting herself.

He clearly remembered her tear-filled eyes as she cried to him about her fears. She was seeking protection from her father, showing her dependence on him. No child would cry like that in front of him.

He was the Emperor, but also a father. Providing protection and comfort to his timid child was only natural.

Jiang Yingwan blinked, surprised to hear a hint of tenderness and affection in the Emperor’s tone, as if the one questioning her was no longer the high and mighty Emperor, but an ordinary father.

“Father Emperor, I’m fine.”

Remembering the spilled hot soup, she lowered her eyes in dejection: “It’s just that I spent a long time making that bowl of soup. I had intended to offer it to Father Emperor, but now it’s all spilled.”

Li Mu also bowed and apologized: “It’s all my fault. I accidentally bumped into Second Sister.”

Jiang Yingwan couldn’t let him take all the blame, quickly saying: “It wasn’t Crown Prince Brother’s fault. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. If Crown Prince Brother hadn’t held me up, I would have fallen too.”

The Emperor hadn’t expected that the soup was made by her personally. He had thought it was Wang Zhaoyi who had her deliver it to the imperial palace, as this daughter was always timid and passive in his mind.

He pursed his lips, suddenly feeling a sense of regret.

But it wasn’t the Crown Prince’s fault either. Seeing Jiang Yingwan and the Crown Prince both vying to take the blame, he found it somewhat amusing.

He patted Jiang Yingwan on the shoulder: “It’s good you weren’t hurt. Next time, Father Emperor will try the soup you made.”

“Mmm.” Jiang Yingwan could only temporarily abandon her plan to ask him about moving palaces. His Majesty’s impression of her had finally improved, and she needed to find the right time to speak again.

Li Mu smiled: “I wonder if I’ll have the good fortune to taste the soup made by my sister?”

Jiang Yingwan nodded at him: “Of course you can. I haven’t thanked Crown Prince Brother yet.”

The brother and sister got along harmoniously, their laughter and chatter continuous, while the Emperor beside them fell into thought.

He seemed to have just realized that Late Late could rely on not only her father, but also Wang Zhaoyi, and even the Crown Prince.

His second daughter seemed to be easily liked. Among his children, besides Late Late, the Crown Prince had never been close to his other younger siblings.

The Crown Prince was raised by his own hands, and their preferences should be the same.

His second daughter was delicate and harmless, posing no threat, needing careful care and attention.

She was a rabbit curled up in his palm, a little white flower twined around his finger.

He had never seen such a weak and harmless creature, and neither had his eldest son.

On second thought, he felt he could rest assured.

His Late Late had the best father, the best brother, and in the future, the best husband. All this was enough to make up for the hardships she had suffered.

After comforting his second daughter, the Emperor turned to his other son, his expression becoming more serious.

“Qian’er, why did you finish school so early today?”

The Crown Prince had already begun to participate in court affairs, and he was satisfied with the Crown Prince’s performance. After all, this child was raised by his side.

He had experienced the struggle for the throne himself, knowing the bloodshed and cruelty involved. He didn’t want his children to go through it again, so he had chosen the Crown Prince early on and didn’t treat his other sons as well as he treated the Crown Prince.

He didn’t want to further the ambitions of other princes.  One Crown Prince to inherit the throne was enough. Therefore, in recent years, he rarely entered the palace, and after Jia Rou’s birth, no concubine had ever conceived again.

Li Qian dared to be defiant and provocative in front of the Crown Prince, but in front of his father, he could only keep his tail between his legs and reply respectfully: “Returning to Father Emperor, I completed my studies early today, and my teacher allowed me to leave early.”

After speaking, he looked expectantly at his father, hoping for a word of praise.

The Emperor, however, seemed not to see his shining eyes, only nodding lightly: “Not bad.”

Jiang Yingwan saw the light in the Second Prince’s eyes immediately dim.

His Majesty seemed to have two completely different methods of raising his sons and daughters.  The princesses were all pampered, which is why the Fourth Princess was so spoiled. Among the princes, besides the Crown Prince who received his attention, he didn’t care much about the other two princes.

Jiang Yingwan suddenly felt fortunate. Thankfully, she was a fake princess, not a fake prince, otherwise she would have had no way to survive.

His Majesty lowered his head and saw her ears pricked up, her eyes sparkling. He suddenly wanted to know what she was thinking.

“Did Late Late read books when you were in the Jiang family?”

He had missed too many years of this daughter’s life, unable to witness her growth from a snow-white infant to the graceful girl she was now. He felt quite regretful.

Jiang Yingwan crisply replied: “Of course, I did.”

Although the current dynasty stipulated that merchants could not enter the officialdom, her parents valued reading. When she and Yinghan were five years old, her parents hired a local scholar to teach them.

The Emperor had also sent people to investigate Jiang’s couple in Yuezhou. From the local residents, the couple were indeed rare good people.  It was a fortunate thing that his Late Late could grow up in the Jiang family.

Suddenly, he remembered another matter he had heard, and asked: “I heard that the Jiang family has another girl.”

Jiang Yingwan immediately became nervous, her whole body tense as she looked at him.

Had His Majesty already begun to suspect that she was not his biological daughter? If His Majesty asked about Yinghan, should she immediately kneel down and confess, telling him that the real princess Yinghan was now in the Jing’an Hou Mansion?

The Emperor saw her sudden inexplicable nervousness and was about to ask when Li Qian spoke.

“Second Sister, what books have you read?”

Li Qian couldn’t help but interrupt. Although he was also present, the Emperor only spoke to the Crown Prince and Second Sister, completely ignoring his presence, as if they were the real family.

It was fine if the Emperor paid attention to the Crown Prince, as he had been used to it since childhood. However, a princess raised in the commoner world had surpassed him in the Emperor’s heart, and he was unconvinced.

Jiang Yingwan saw that His Majesty’s expression seemed to become unhappy, but she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If His Majesty continued to question her, she wouldn’t be able to hide it. She felt guilty about taking Yinghan’s place. If she wasn’t afraid of repeating the mistakes of her past life, she would have told His Majesty the truth long ago.

It wasn’t the right time yet. Let her be selfish for a while longer. After three months, she would return Yinghan’s identity.

Yinghan would regain her position as a princess and marry the Jing’an Hou’s son as she wished. She would return to her hometown, take over the Jiang family’s business, and live out her life in peace.

She and Yinghan would be worlds apart, no longer owing each other anything.

“The Four Books and Five Classics, I’ve read them all.” She replied.

Li Qian clapped his hands in admiration: “Second Sister is amazing!”

Jiang Yingwan met his bright eyes and suddenly felt a chill.

In her past life, the two people who bullied her the most in the palace were the Fourth Princess and the Second Prince.

The Fourth Princess’s dislike and exclusion of her were overt, while the Second Prince was outwardly warm towards her, only showing his hidden malice when they were alone.

…

“Second Sister, you’re so beautiful.” The boy smiled and crouched in front of her, letting her struggle helplessly in the water, his eyes gleaming strangely.

She desperately reached out to him, more water gurgling into her mouth, and she struggled to make a sound: “Save me…”

The boy looked at her outstretched hand, white and delicate like carved jade, and a look of amazement appeared in his eyes.