Chapter 28: That Person Is from the Princess Royal’s Mansion

“Cloak?” Ban Xia was momentarily stunned, not immediately understanding which cloak Tang Mi was referring to.

“The black one I gave you earlier,” Tang Mi reminded her.

“Oh, that one. I put it away in the storage chest,” Ban Xia replied, and quickly retrieved it.

“Here it is.”

Tang Mi took the cloak Ban Xia handed her and compared it to the one in her own hands. The color, size, material, even the embroidery and stitching, everything was identical.

It was him!

Tang Mi’s pupils contracted sharply. The cloak belonged to that man, both of them did!

Ban Xia also noticed that the two cloaks were the same and exclaimed in surprise, “So this cloak was also a gift from the Princess Royal? But it’s too big, and the color is quite dark. It doesn’t really suit you, Miss.”

Tang Mi narrowed her eyes. If the second cloak had been given by the Princess Royal, the first one definitely couldn’t have been. The Princess Royal wouldn’t sneak into the Tang family ancestral hall and secretly put a cloak on her. So the second cloak wasn’t from the Princess Royal either. After all, she didn’t have any special relationship with the Princess Royal, and it was strange that she’d give her a cloak.

There was only one possibility: someone had borrowed the Princess Royal’s name to give her the cloak.

Ban Xia had made a good point the cloaks were both large and dark in color, clearly made for a man. So who could openly use the Princess Royal’s name to gift her a cloak? This person must be someone very close to the Princess Royal and unafraid of her disapproval.

Moreover, the person had appeared right after the Princess Royal left. Perhaps he wasn’t a guest invited by the Princess Royal’s mansion, but someone with a more direct connection.

Suddenly, a name popped into Tang Mi’s mind.

“Miss!” Just as Tang Mi was lost in thought, she heard Fu Ling’s voice from outside.

Tang Mi immediately returned to her senses and handed both cloaks to Ban Xia. “Put them away.”

“Yes.” Ever since learning that Fu Ling had deliberately sabotaged her skirt, Ban Xia had been careful to avoid her.

Fu Ling entered the room with a water bucket and poured the hot water into the bath. “Miss, the hot water is ready. Let me assist you with your bath.”

Tang Mi glanced at her but didn’t refuse.

After the bath, Tang Mi finally felt more relaxed.

“Miss, have a bowl of ginger soup to drive away the cold.” Ban Xia brought in a steaming bowl of ginger soup.

Seeing the ginger soup, Tang Mi immediately thought of Tang Feng. “Is there more?”

“Yes, I made extra in case you needed it,” Ban Xia replied.

Tang Mi nodded and had Ban Xia pack a large bowl to take to Chifeng Courtyard.

Chifeng Courtyard

Tang Feng had just finished his own hot bath and felt much better.

“Young Master, the Eldest Miss is here,” Moxu reported, and right after that, Tang Mi lifted the curtain and entered.

“Elder Sister.” Tang Feng quickly turned red and grabbed his outer robe to put on.

“How are you? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?” Only after he got dressed did Tang Mi speak with concern.

“I’m fine.” Tang Feng sat back at the table. “What about you? Are you hurt?”

Tang Mi smiled at him. “It’s a good thing you jumped in to save me.”

There were so many people on the shore, she wouldn’t have died. But if someone else had jumped in instead, her reputation would’ve been ruined. That’s exactly what Ye Junyu and Tang Ying were aiming for!

She had always been cautious of them. She just hadn’t expected they’d use such a method. Compared to their previous sinister plan of drugging her, pushing her into the water was almost tame. She didn’t understand why those two had suddenly grown a conscience.

“You’re my sister,” Tang Feng said, a little awkwardly. He wasn’t good at saying emotional things.

She was his elder sister. Of course he’d save her. He’d been terrified when he heard she’d fallen into the water.

Yes, she was his elder sister. They were siblings of the same blood.

Tang Mi didn’t say any more words of gratitude and instead brought out a large bowl of ginger soup from the food box.

The moment Tang Feng saw it, he looked miserable. “Sister…”

“Whining won’t help. You fell into the water, you must drink it.” Knowing how much he hated ginger soup, she had brought it herself.

Tang Feng’s handsome face turned red. He wasn’t whining! But ginger soup really did taste awful!

“I’ll drink with you.”

Tang Mi took two bowls and poured one for each of them.

With Tang Mi drinking it too, Tang Feng had no choice but to drink it as well. Holding his nose, he drained the bowl in one gulp, then gasped for air. “I drank it. That’s enough, right?”

Seeing him like that, Tang Mi couldn’t help laughing.

Still just a child.

She sipped her ginger soup slowly and elegantly, one spoonful at a time.

Tang Feng stared at her in a daze, then blushed again for no reason.

When she finished and wiped her mouth, Tang Mi looked at him and said, “We probably can’t go see the lanterns tonight.”

Tang Feng didn’t mind. After what had happened, there was no way they could go out. Worried that Tang Mi might be disappointed, he said, “We can go tomorrow. The Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival lasts three days.”

“Alright.” Tang Mi nodded.

Tomorrow would be fine. She didn’t really care about lanterns, she just wanted to spend time with him. She had neglected him too much in the past.

Tang Feng stared at her, as if wanting to say something, but hesitated.

Tang Mi waved Ban Xia, Fang Yan, and Moxu away. Once the three of them were gone, she said, “If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

Tang Feng’s eyes flickered. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, “Today at the lotus pond, was it really Second Sister who pushed you?”

Even though she’d expected the question, Tang Mi still felt hurt. “You don’t believe me?”

Seeing her expression, Tang Feng panicked. “No, I just… I just thought Second Sister wouldn’t do something like that.”

Tang Mi gave a mocking smile. “Then you think I would fall in the water just from setting off a lantern?”

At that, Tang Feng’s first reaction was, of course not.

His sister had been raised carefully by their grandmother, always so cautious. Especially in a place like the lotus pond, she’d never be so careless.

His sister wouldn’t lie. If she said she was pushed, then someone definitely pushed her. But…

Just as Tang Feng was about to speak, Tang Mi cut him off: “With so many people around, why would I choose to drag her into the water with me? I didn’t even look back.”

Tang Feng froze again, flustered, trying to defend Tang Ying: “Maybe she was just trying to pull you…”

“Pull me?” Tang Mi sneered coldly, locking eyes with Tang Feng. “Do you know what happened at the Princess Royal’s birthday banquet?”

Seeing her expression and hearing her tone, Tang Feng immediately grew anxious.

Before he could ask, Tang Mi enunciated each word: “That day, Tang Rong drugged me with that kind of medicine… and even arranged for a man…”

Tang Feng shot up from his chair, his face full of shock and pain as he looked at her. “You…”

Tang Mi said nothing, just stared at him.

Tang Feng’s eyes instantly reddened. He clenched his fists tightly and ground his teeth. “I’m going to kill them!”

He was about to charge out when Tang Mi grabbed him and hugged him tightly.