Chapter 170: Nonsense

“I…”

Yun Ting intervened immediately, “Wasn’t this scripture given to the young princess by Huguo Temple? She mentioned just now that it was from you.”

“How could that be? Although scriptures are not valuable, they are managed carefully and belong to the royal family. They cannot be casually given away. Each one is recorded in advance to avoid discrepancies during future checks. They cannot be given away just like that.”

Yun Ting acted as if she understood suddenly. “If you didn’t give it, then saying it’s lost means… the young princess stole it? This doesn’t make sense. The young princess is a guest of the old abbot, after all.”

“Our old abbot said he made a mistake in identifying the person and already asked the senior brother to escort the young benefactor out. It was all a misunderstanding.”

Yun Ting was overjoyed. “I see.”

Everyone looked at Di Hongluan. She was clearly flustered and lost the previous arrogance.

“I didn’t steal it! I found it! I picked it up in the back courtyard.”

“Oh, young princess, you can’t just lie because you’re young. Someone asked if it was given to you, and you readily agreed, but now it’s suddenly found? Why are you so quick to change your story?”

“At such a young age, already stealing and pretending to be a princess. Not at all worthy of such a noble identity.”

“Tsk, I actually thought it was a gift. The Princess Han confidently invited us to the Prince Han’s residence to copy scriptures, acting as if it was charity. I didn’t expect her daughter to be a thief!”

“All this talk about great fortune—it’s all nonsense!”

“…”

“You!” The Princess Han was furious. For the first time, she felt humiliated in front of so many people. Although she held a high position, she was nothing in front of Huguo Temple.

Di Hongluan threw the scripture down and ran away crying.

The Princess Han was worried and glared at the crowd before chasing after her.

“Clearly, it was her own fault, and she’s the one crying, making it seem like we’re bullying her with our numbers. How scheming can this young princess be?” Yun Ting found it amusing.

“Yes, yes. People really can’t be judged by appearances.”

“Ting’er, your actions today are really satisfying!” On the way back, Yun Ci gave Yun Ting a thumbs-up.

“I had begged the Princess Han and Di Hongluan to treat Yun Hui when they brought Di Hongluan to see him. They refused, and when they finally went, they nearly killed Yun Hui. Afterward, they wanted to leave without taking responsibility. I was holding onto that resentment.”

It wasn’t just for herself and Yun Hui.

It was mainly for Ah Bao.

“I heard that the Princess Han and the Concubine De don’t get along privately. The young princess had a dispute with the little princess over a public donation. I see that Di Hongluan is not a good person either. Even at such a young age, she’s shrewd and power-hungry. I’m afraid she might bully the little princess by taking advantage of her age.”

“These are not matters for us to handle,” Yun Ci sighed.

Yun Ting pouted. “I just dislike injustice and like to step in when I see something unfair. Today, it was clearly Di Hongluan’s fault.”

“Ting’er, I’m not saying you did anything wrong. Just that whatever we do, we must prioritize protecting the little princess.”

Yun Ting nodded in agreement. “Mm, I know, sis. The little princess is our benefactor!”

—

Di Hongluan cried all the way back and felt a bit better once she was in the carriage.

The Princess Han was still upset. Seeing Di Hongluan take out another scripture, she was stunned. “Luan’er, what’s this?”

“I took two.”

Unexpectedly, she had one visible, which was meant to show off to those people but was discovered. The other one was hidden secretly; it was a Kṣitigarbha Sutra used for guiding spirits.

Kṣitigarbha Sutras were common, but the version from Huguo Temple was unique—a rare copy.

“Why did you keep this one?” The Princess Han was puzzled.

“Mother, the New Year is approaching. If I’m not mistaken, every year, the palace holds ancestor worship ceremonies.”

Offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors.

Officials and royal bloodlines all attend.

“Especially this year, it’s said that the ceremonies for heaven and ancestors will be grand.”

The Tiansheng Dynasty held grand ceremonies every ten years, more elaborate and rigorous than usual.

“What does this have to do with you taking the scriptures?”

Di Hongluan smiled slightly. “Of course, it’s related. Mother, just watch. I plan to shine brightly during the ancestor worship ceremony and let everyone know that our Tiansheng Dynasty has a little lucky star.”

That little lucky star was her, Di Hongluan!

—

Time flew by, and it was the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, right before the New Year.

Yihe Palace was bustling with activity. The Concubine De was personally cooking and preparing festive treats for Ah Bao.

She made thumb-sized fried dough twists, milk dumplings, and Ah Bao’s favorite sweet and sour chicken legs…

“Aunt Zhilan…”

[Happy New Year, Happy New Year, New Year is truly wonderful!]

Ah Bao, with her big eyes, watched her mother busily working in the courtyard. She was so excited she wanted to jump up and down, clapping her hands with a pool of saliva.

She couldn’t wait for the New Year to arrive.

Zhilan chuckled softly. The little princess’s excitement was likely due to the food.

This was Ah Bao’s first New Year since her rebirth.

The rich aroma of meat filled the air, making Ah Bao extremely tempted.

[So lively! It was so cold and quiet in the underworld before.]

Ah Bao loved the lively atmosphere and had a childlike nature.

The Concubine De brought over the sweet and sour ribs, and Ah Bao’s eyes widened in delight. “Liang Qin…”

Little Black, who was at her feet, also wanted to enjoy some festive meat.

Ah Bao patted her little belly and lifted her little head. “Liang Qin, my tummy doesn’t hurt anymore.”

[Mother, look at me, I’m so hungry my belly’s empty, can’t you see?]

Ah Bao had been having an upset stomach recently. Besides milk, the Concubine De hadn’t let her eat much, which made the little one very eager. She twisted her little hands, anxious to grab all the meat from the pot.

“You can only have one, not more,” the Concubine De said sternly.

Ah Bao’s eyes turned red with excitement as she nodded vigorously. “Mm-mm, Liang Qin, hug…”

[I knew being cute would work. See, Mother has softened! Hahaha.]

The Concubine De:…

This little girl is so cunning.

Ah Bao nibbled on the chicken drumstick, not wasting a drop of the sweet sauce, licking her little fingers clean.

“Mmm-mmm…” Little Black whined at her feet, wishing it could have a bone too.