"Ah!" The Third Prince covered his dark circles and backed away. "Fu Ning, why did you hit me!"

Everyone knows that Fu Ning is naturally strong. Although she is still a child, she is very careful in controlling her strength, and there has never been a violent incident like today. The Crown Prince rushed forward and carried her away in his arms.

"How could Fu Ning hit his third brother!" He lightly patted Fu Ning's little fist, sternly trying to scare him.

Fu Ning pouted, feeling wronged, but tears welled up in her eyes and didn't fall.

She glanced back at Qiuqiu, then turned away, refusing to speak to her brother, the Crown Prince. Qiuqiu was definitely right!

Feeling apologetic, the Empress gave the Third Prince an awkward smile and comforted him, saying, "Third Prince, don't hold it against Fu Ning. Children play around without thinking. Cui Xi, take the princess and Qiu Qiu away, and have someone bring over the jade beads that were just sent by the Imperial Household Department."

Qiuqiu shook off the Second Prince's hand and rushed towards Fu Ning, blocking her way. "No!"

Don't bully Fu Ning!

Chiu Chiu's eyes were sharp, and she pouted, glaring unhappily at the Third Prince. This delicate flower is poisonous!

The Third Prince looked aggrieved, not losing his temper despite being targeted by the two children, but simply slumping helplessly on the spot. His left eye was bruised and slightly narrowed, showing that Fu Ning had indeed used ruthless methods.

If he were to act unreasonably, he might earn a reputation for being petty and calculative towards his sister. Instead, by remaining silent, he amplifies his grievances. At least the Empress and the Crown Prince are somewhat annoyed by Qiuqiu's behavior.

The Empress angrily rebuked Cuixi, who was waiting nearby, "Hurry up and carry the princess and Miss Su away!"

Chiu Chiu reached out to grab the Crown Prince's clothes; she couldn't leave, she had to stay and protect the Empress!

Seeing that her mistress was angry, Cui Xi didn't dare to delay. She held Fu Ning in one arm and scooped up Qiu Qiu with the other, saying, "Princess, Miss Qiu Qiu, let's go to the back to play with the beads. Be good, come with me first."

Chirp huffed and puffed: "Let me go! I'll definitely come back!"

Qiuqiu and Funing were taken to a side hall. The two little girls huddled together, both looking angry and aggrieved. Cuixi felt a little helpless. She piled their stuffed animals around them and patiently comforted them, "Although the princess is of noble birth, she cannot hit people casually, especially princes. If the officials of the previous dynasty find out, they will write to criticize the Empress and the Crown Prince."

Feeling guilty, Fu Ning quietly turned her head away, but Cui Xi moved closer to her, saying, "This servant knows you're shrewd!"

Don't play dumb!

Fu Ning's eyes were unfocused, and she didn't respond to anything Cui Xi said. Qiu Qiu crawled over from the side and pinched Cui Xi's mouth shut, just like the way her family usually manually muted her microphone.

Cui Xi: "..."

Fu Ning: "Ha!"

[Finally, it's quiet!]

Cui Xi really couldn't handle these two little devils. "The Third Prince is kind-hearted and won't hold it against you. I'll carry you two out after he calms down. Would you like some milk?"

"drink!"

Fu Ning readily made the decision for Qiu Qiu: she might be angry, but she still had to drink the milk!

Qiuqiu and Fu Ning leaned against each other, with two beautiful young palace maids quietly serving them.

Fu Ning: "Huh?" Why is my third brother a bad guy?

I threw the punch too fast and forgot to ask why.

Having such a loyal older sister makes Chiu Chiu very happy. This lovable older sister is only mentioned briefly in the original work, and doesn't even have a name!

Chuchu affectionately patted the "poor little thing's" head, "Sigh!"

The head maid pressed down on Qiuqiu's head, and the palace maid exclaimed, "Princess, you can't hit Miss Qiuqiu!"

Chiu Chiu, whose face was covered in drool, raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, agreeing wholeheartedly: "Mmm!"

However, they were quickly overpowered by the leader's strength.

The two little ones who were just bitter and hateful were now rolling around in a ball again, but the one being held down looked very sad.

This seemingly ordinary third prince, who only exists in other people's conversations, why is he the final winner in the palace intrigue?

Chirp scratches her face and sighs helplessly.

So what exactly is so amazing about him?

Is it that the Crown Prince lacks both talent and virtue, or that the Second Prince lacks kindness and integrity? And what about the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince… oh, those two are still just little kids!

Qiuqiu felt that the script she received was not very complete. At least, there was only a little bit about the palace. The rest was all about how the male lead rose from humble beginnings to become a high-ranking official, and how he and the female lead had a heart-wrenching and tragic ending before finally having a happy reunion.

[After the emperor's uncle was seriously injured and fell ill, the crown prince assumed regency, but for some reason, he suddenly became a traitor... It doesn't make sense! Wouldn't it be better to be emperor himself?! What idiot author wrote about a crown prince betraying the country?!]

Chiu Chiu let Fu Ning lie on top of her, silently pondering whether the utterly distorted plot was gradually trying to return to normalcy under the correction of fate. What she didn't notice was that Fu Ning, who had been thrashing about aimlessly just moments before, had stopped moving, its little ears perked up.

"What happened to the princess and Miss Chuchu?"

Shh! They're reflecting on their mistakes!

Chiu Chiu is reflecting on why she hasn't eliminated this terrible plot yet!

[Which little cookie is the Third Prince?] She rubbed her head, completely unable to recall how the Third Prince became emperor in the original story. [My damned three-second memory!]

The Third Prince is currently shrouded in mystery, obscuring Qiuqiu's memories. A voice in her heart tells her that as long as the secrets surrounding the Third Prince are unraveled, everything will be resolved!

Investigate the Third Prince!

Fu Ning wholeheartedly agreed: "Investigate!"

Chiu Chiu: "?"

What kind of tea?

My best friend also thinks the Third Prince is pretentious and manipulative!

The punch the Third Prince received from Fu Ning was treated by the imperial physician and resulted in only a superficial injury. He then pleaded with the Empress and won several rare items before reluctantly leaving.

Little did they know that the two little bundles hiding behind them were already so angry that their molars... oh, they didn't have molars yet!

I was just really angry.

Fu Ning: Chiu Chiu's birthday gift!

Chiu Chiu: [A wicked older brother who bewitches people!]

Third Prince: "Ah!"

The weather's getting cooler; it's time to put on my fox fur coat. He smirked, wondering when the first snow of the year would fall.

The capital is covered in snow; I wonder what it will look like.

He strode ahead, with Qiuqiu and Funing following at a distance, carried by a young eunuch. After navigating two corridors, the Third Prince could no longer sit still.

He turned around and looked at the two round faces with a puzzled expression: "Why are you following me? Weren't you done beating me up earlier? Do you want to chase after me and beat me up again?"

"These two are the helpers you brought?"

The young eunuch cried out in alarm, "Third Prince, this servant dares not!"

They wouldn't dare beat up a prince even if they had ten heads!

"I doubt you'd dare." He didn't believe any servants had the audacity to do that. There were no outsiders here, and the Third Prince's true nature was revealed in front of the two speechless children. His innocent-looking eyes narrowed, and he gave them a playful smirk. "You want something from me?"

Chirp: "Follow!"

Fu Ning: "Traces!"

Follow? Track? Stalk?

The Third Prince was dumbfounded: "You two were following me?!"