Cui Mi was so angry she went crazy.

She sat blankly in the room, her peripheral vision glancing at the floor, where a human skin mask came into view.

Cui Mi's gaze lingered on the mask for a moment, then she suddenly stood up.

Judging from where it fell, it should belong to Zhao Zhi.

Cui Mi clutched the human skin mask tightly and excitedly went to find Cui Shenghe.

"Li'er, you've been tricked—"

Cui Mi's voice stopped abruptly, and the human skin mask slowly floated down from her hand.

"How could this be? How could this be?" Cui Mi murmured to herself, her voice trembling.

She walked forward step by step, wanting to get closer to the face that looked exactly like her sister's.

Cui Shenghe stepped forward and blocked her way.

Their eyes met, and Cui Shenghe stared at her, his eyes filled with pain and anger.

"Aren't you going to give up yet?" He looked away and said in a deep voice, "Don't make me hate you, Aunt."

"No...that's not how it is...Li'er...I..." Cui Mi stammered incoherently.

"Brother, let her go! Let her go!"

Seeing Cui Mi step forward, Zhao Zhi, whose emotions had just calmed down, shouted excitedly.

"You should leave," Cui Shenghe said with a sigh.

"Who exactly is she?!" Cui Mi's voice trembled.

Cui Shenghe looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He choked back tears as he said, "Is there any need to ask such an obvious question? Or are you just afraid to admit how cruel you were to your own sister's daughter?"

Cui Mi's body trembled violently; she was so shocked that she could barely stand.

She shook her head repeatedly, her voice trembling as she said, "I don't know. I don't know. If I had known she was my sister's child, how could I have treated her like this?"

She looked up at Zhao Zhi, whose face was exactly the same as her sister's, and felt a strange sense of fear and guilt.

She pounded her chest in anguish, her voice trembling with despair, "Zhao Zhi, I'm your aunt! What I did to you just now... I didn't mean to. Can... can you forgive your aunt?"

Zhao Zhi stared at Cui Mi in fear, and she saw the face that looked exactly like Cui Jiao's.

She curled up in the corner of the bed, hugging her legs helplessly, her body trembling slightly. "I don't have an aunt like you. Even if you didn't know who I was before, you already guessed I was pregnant. You... you're a woman yourself, why are you treating me like this?"

Zhao Zhi shouted this last sentence almost in a state of collapse.

"Child, your aunt was wrong! Your aunt was wrong!" Cui Mi pounded her chest in anguish.

"You should leave first. Zhizhi is very emotional right now. If you continue to upset her, she might really lose the baby."

Cui Shenghe stared coldly at Cui Mi. If she weren't his aunt, he didn't know what methods he would have used to make her wish she were dead.

Cui Mi staggered out of the room.

Seeing Cui Mi leave, Zhao Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. Relaxing, she thought that Zhao Yi must be looking for her, so she begged Cui Shenghe to send a letter to the palace to tell her brother that she was safe and sound.

“Going to the palace is fine. Let Cui Jiu go to Prince Rui’s residence. I will write a letter and have him deliver it to my elder brother.”

“Royal brother?” Cui Shenghe sensed something unusual in her words.

“Brother, I am Princess Zhao Chunhua.” Zhao Zhi confessed after a moment of silence. “Zhao Yi and I are half-siblings, and you and I are half-siblings.”

She held her head, feeling a bit dizzy.

"During these two months, I spent one month keeping vigil for the Empress Dowager, and the other month my elder brother taught me how to handle government affairs."

Cui Shenghe raised a finger, signaling her to stop talking.

Zhao Zhi then remembered that Cui Mi was still living in Zhan Garden, and her group of men in black must be nearby.

"Brother, please send me back to the Zhao residence tonight." Zhao Zhi felt that this was the safest method.

“I have a feeling that Cui Mi’s people have been targeted by the imperial court and Shen Hanshan. I don’t have any feelings for this aunt. But I’m worried that this matter will cause trouble for my brother.”

Cui Shenghe had also thought of this.

Cui Mi was a concubine of the Yun Dynasty. Zhao Zhi is now the eldest princess of the Da Xuan Dynasty.

The fact that the favored concubine of the Yun Dynasty kidnapped the eldest princess of the Da Xuan Dynasty, who had just been found from the common people, seems like an act of bullying.

If this matter were to be publicized, war between the two countries would be imminent.

His relationship with Zhao Zhi will likely be exposed soon.

The secret about that box will also be revealed.

This matter needs to be resolved properly.

However, considering that Zhao Zhi's abdominal wound had not yet healed and it was not advisable to move her at this time, he shook his head and comforted her, "Zhizhi, don't be afraid. I will handle this matter myself. Just stay here and recover. I'll take care of everything."

Zhao Zhi quickly wrote a letter, saying that she had been rescued and was currently living in Zhan Garden, and that Shen Hanshan should not worry.

Cui Jiu went to deliver the message, but returned with an extra person.

Cui Shenghe glanced at Shen Hanshan, who was looking furious, and stepped aside to let him go and see Zhao Zhi.

Zhao Zhi was already asleep.

She must have had a nightmare; there were still tear stains in the corners of her eyes.

Shen Hanshan reached out his hand tenderly, wanting to wipe it away for her. But he pulled his hand back halfway, afraid of waking Zhao Zhi.

Shen Hanshan gave Cui Shenghe a wink, signaling him to come out with him.

As soon as the two left the room, Cui Shenghe was punched squarely in the face by Shen Hanshan.

He quickly turned his head away.

Shen Hanshan's force was too great; the human skin mask on his face was probably knocked off course.

Cui Shenghe could only pretend to cover his face. Cui Jiu watched anxiously from the side.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!