Chapter 87: The Real and the Fake Daughters

Lan Jinjing looked in the direction the teacher had gone, frowning in dissatisfaction.

She had originally planned that if she could just fix that thing, she would surely earn the teacher’s favor.

But this teacher was no ordinary teacher.

He had even taught the current emperor, and even the emperor had to show him respect.

—

In the afternoon, after the lecture, Di Zian was preparing to take Ah Bao for a stroll in the night market before returning to the palace.

Just as they reached the academy gate, Di Zian saw Lan Moxiu talking with a young boy not far off.

That boy—

Di Zian recognized him from the side profile.

“Damn! Isn’t that the little eunuch who beat me up in the palace?”

Di Zian rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t mistaken.

No.

He had searched for that little eunuch all day but hadn’t found a trace of him.

If it weren’t for the bruises on his face from that beating, he might have thought it was a dream.

Ah Bao pulled out a lollipop from her pocket, happily putting it in her mouth, “Heehee… sweet…”

[Brother, that’s not a little eunuch, that’s clearly a young lady]

Di Zian: “…”

“Big Brother.” Lan Yixuan pulled out a small black box, “You’ve been unwell these past few days. Are you feeling better now?”

Lan Moxiu nodded, “Yes, I’m better. Aren’t you confined to your room by Father? How did you end up here?”

Lan Yixuan lowered her head, “I… was just passing by.”

“What’s in your hand?”

Lan Yixuan tightened her grip on the box, “It’s… it’s from a delicious bun shop I passed by. Since you haven’t been eating well these days, I thought you might like it. I can’t eat that many, so I brought some for you.”

Lan Moxiu’s heart stirred. His favorite food was meat buns.

When he was younger, his mother used to make him meat buns whenever he recovered from an illness.

Now that he was older, he wasn’t as greedy as before, but meat buns were still his favorite.

Lan Yixuan handed the small box to Lan Moxiu, “I have to go back quickly, or Father will find out.”

She ran a few steps, then stopped and turned back, “Big Brother, don’t tell Father I sneaked out.”

Lan Moxiu watched her retreating figure, smiling to himself.

After all, Lan Yixuan was his real sister, but usually…

[Bang!]

Lan Yixuan, busy and flustered, bumped into Di Zian while wearing a felt hat.

Lan Yixuan looked up, “Oh!”

This face looks a bit familiar…

But she couldn’t quite place where she had seen it before.

Di Zian: ??

This voice…

Perfect.

It’s confirmed.

The little eunuch from that night was indeed her!

Lan Yixuan widened her eyes and pushed Di Zian aside, “Don’t block the way! I’m in a hurry.”

She darted off like a slippery eel.

Di Zian’s mouth twitched.

It was further confirmed; even her running motion was just like the ‘little eunuch’ from last night.

“Who was that person?” Di Zian asked in a low voice from beside him. Lan Moxiu only then realized that Di Zian had been standing next to him with the little princess.

“My sister.”

Di Zian: “Isn’t your sister Lan Jinjing?”

The person just now wasn’t Lan Jinjing.

“Did you not know I have two sisters?”

Di Zian: “…”

Like a fool.

He really didn’t know.

So—

Lan Moxiu’s little sister had disguised herself as a eunuch and snuck into the palace kitchen to steal buns?

Nobody had mentioned that Lan Moxiu’s sister knew martial arts.

To sneak into the palace, this level of skill… was impressive.

“What’s this?” Di Zian leaned over to look at the box in Lan Moxiu’s hand.

Lan Moxiu opened it proudly, “My sister gave me these meat buns.”

Di Zian’s eyes widened in surprise. The buns looked very familiar.

Aren’t these from the palace kitchen?

“I said, Lan Moxiu, where did you get another sister from? I don’t recall you mentioning her before?”

It seemed like Luo Zifeng had mentioned it today too.

But he hadn’t paid attention then.

Among the Lan family siblings, he only knew Lan Jinjing, who was famous and fortunate.

He didn’t know there was a mischievous one.

He found the little girl from earlier quite interesting.

With her fierce and aggressive demeanor, when she struck, she truly meant it.

It was very different from the innocent look she had when she was standing in front of Lan Moxiu.

He felt that the side of her he had seen that night was her true self.

“A year ago, we just found her.”

Di Zian asked, “You can find your sister?”

“It’s a long story. When she was young, she was swapped with Jinjing. It was only a year ago that we discovered Jinjing wasn’t actually the biological daughter of the Lan family. Their real daughter was in the countryside.

However, my sister’s adoptive parents had passed away, and they sent a letter to the Lan family saying their biological daughter was lost.”

“So, the true and false daughters were swapped. So, Lan Yixuan is the real daughter of the Lan family, but Lan Jinjing, the false daughter, seems to be living a better life than the real one.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think Lan Jinjing was the real daughter and Lan Yixuan was the adopted one.”

Look at Lan Jinjing’s smugness and arrogance today.

Where did she get such courage?

He finally remembered what Ah Bao had said about “occupying the magpie’s nest.”

So, Lan Jinjing had taken over Lan Yixuan’s parents, brothers, and family status?

Lan Moxiu sighed inwardly, “It’s a long story.”

With two daughters, one biological and one adopted, the parents favored Lan Jinjing more.

Firstly, Lan Jinjing grew up in the Lan household and had a deep bond with her parents. They had always treated her as their own daughter. Suddenly, another daughter appeared from outside, and naturally, she didn’t have the same emotional depth as Lan Jinjing.

Secondly, the parents were more familiar with Lan Jinjing’s temperament and were somewhat unfamiliar with the younger sister.

Many of their preferences and actions were inclined towards Lan Jinjing.

“Since Lan Jinjing is a false daughter, doesn’t the other family want to find her?”

Lan Moxiu shook his head, “The other family’s parents have passed away, and other relatives are not involved. After Lan Jinjing went there, she was also alone. So, she was raised by the Lan family and treated as a daughter.

Over the years, she has always been considered a member of the Lan family. Although there’s no longer a blood relation, the affection was real.”

“So, Lan Jinjing got a big advantage.”

Lan Moxiu: “…”

In the conversation, it seemed that the Seventh Prince didn’t like Lan Jinjing much.

Ever since Di Zian learned that the little eunuch from last night was Lan Yixuan, he was feeling a bit unsettled.

Even while walking down the street holding Ah Bao, he seemed distracted.

Sometimes, he even smiled absentmindedly.

[Woof woof! Look, there are two dogs over there!]

Ah Bao pointed at two small dogs nearby, one black and one spotted.

Wait a minute.

That black dog looks so familiar?

Hey!

Isn’t that Little Black?

—