327. The Moon Protects You

Lin Fuman stood in the middle, showing no fear whatsoever. She raised her head, her eyes resolute: "My lord, you are mistaken! Why can't I have my own thoughts? Is it because your own perspectives are too narrow, so you can't imagine things beyond your understanding?"

"Hmph, still so stubborn!"

"I advise you to be sensible and quickly put away those absurd ideas. Don't talk nonsense, or don't blame us for being impolite and making it impossible for you to stand in this world in the future!"

The threats in their tone became increasingly obvious, and Lin Fuman's face paled slightly, but she still gritted her teeth and refused to back down.

"You are not allowed to bully Sister Fufu!"

A clear, sweet voice suddenly broke the surrounding noise.

Everyone turned around and saw the little dumpling run out from the crowd, stand in front of Lin Fuman, spread her little arms like a mother hen protecting her chicks, and shield Lin Fuman behind her.

She looked up at the officials and shouted, "You are all adults, how can you bully a little girl like Sister Fufu? What you said is wrong! Sister Fufu's idea is not wrong at all. Her antidote was not stolen. She wanted to help more people. What right do you have to criticize her?"

Everyone was stunned, including the officials.

No one expected that a three-year-old child would dare to stand up and refute a group of adults.

Moreover... more importantly, she is also Princess Fukang, a title personally bestowed by His Majesty, and has a host of people protecting her.

They stealthily glanced at the group of adults following behind her; they were all glaring at them menacingly.

They didn't dare touch the little dumpling at all.

The officials were stunned for a while before forcing a smile and saying stiffly, "Princess Fukang, this is between us and Lin Fuman. It has nothing to do with you. You'd better not get involved, lest you be led astray by her."

“It’s related!” The little dumpling immediately shook its head.

Her voice grew louder: "Sister Fufu is Yue'er's good friend. If you bully her, you are bullying Yue'er!"

"Moreover, Sister Fufu did not lead Yue'er astray. She told Yue'er that there are still many people suffering and that she should help others. Yue'er also volunteered to help!"

"You're the bad ones! You only know how to bully others and then call them bad!"

The people behind her stood silently beside the little dumpling.

Qu Zijin said seriously, "I agree with their ideas, and His Majesty supports them, so how can they be considered absurd? Do you gentlemen think His Majesty is wrong?"

Xie Wenling didn't speak, he just stood there looking at the officials, and even without saying a word, he exuded a sense of oppression.

When the officials saw that Qu Zijin and Xie Wenling had both stood up to protect Xiao Tuanzi and Lin Fuman, they panicked.

They're people we can't afford to mess with!

The officials quickly clasped their hands in obsequiousness, saying, "No, no! Grand Tutor and Lord Xie have misunderstood. We were just chatting casually with Miss Lin. We had no intention of bullying her, much less questioning His Majesty!"

"Since we're just having a casual chat, let's not say anything more," Qu Zijin said bluntly. "The palace banquet is about to begin. If you gentlemen have nothing else to do, please hurry inside and don't block the palace gates and spoil the festive atmosphere of New Year's Day."

"Yes, yes, yes! We'll go in right away!" The officials nodded quickly, not daring to say another word. They slunk past Lin Fuman and the little dumpling and hurried into the palace gate without even looking back.

After the officials left, the little girl lowered her arms, turned to look at Lin Fuman, and reached out to take her hand: "Sister Fuman, are you alright? Did they bully you?"

Lin Fu was deeply moved: "It's alright, with you protecting me, I'm perfectly fine. Little Moon, thank you."

"You're welcome!" The little dumpling shook her head, proudly puffing out her little chest. "You're Yue'er's good friend, and Yue'er will definitely protect you! If anyone bullies you again, Yue'er will stand up for you!"

Xie Wenling looked at the two little girls with a smile: "Our princess is so brave."

Qu Zijin nodded with a smile: "Yes, braver than many adults. Alright, let's not stand here anymore, let's go inside. The palace banquet is about to begin, and there are many fun things waiting for us."

"Okay!" The little dumpling held Lin Fuman's hand and followed her father, mother and brother into the palace gate happily.

The New Year's Day breeze was warm, and the red lanterns in the palace shone even brighter.

She knew that today would definitely be a lively and happy day!

-

The Imperial Palace.

Red lanterns were hung everywhere on the way to the banquet, casting warm and swaying shadows.

The table was laden with all sorts of snacks and fruits, their aroma filling the entire room.

There were also musicians playing lively tunes nearby, instantly filling the New Year's Day celebration with joy.

The little princess and the little prince arrived early and were surrounded by people, who were chattering excitedly.

"Little Cloud! Little Prince!" the little dumpling shouted excitedly, grabbing Lin Fuman's hand and trying to run over there.

The little princess and the little prince's eyes lit up the moment they heard her voice. They ignored the people around them, quickly pushed through the crowd, and hurried toward her.

The little princess ran incredibly fast and pounced on the little dumpling, hugging her tightly: "Little Moon! You're finally here! I've been waiting for you for so long!"

The little prince also came over and looked at the little dumpling: "You're here. I was just asking Chaoyun why you hadn't arrived yet."

Lin Fuman also greeted them, smiling and saying, "Little Princess, Little Prince, hello."

"This is Sister Fufu!" The little boy proudly introduced Lin Fuman to the little prince, "Sister Fufu is amazing! She knows so many things and she helps other people!"

The young prince looked at Lin Fuman curiously: "I've heard so much about you."

The four children huddled together, chatting away, having a wonderful time.

Seeing that they were having a great time, the adults around them smiled and stepped aside, and no one bothered them anymore.

The little princess whispered mysteriously into the little dumpling's ear, covering her mouth with her hand, "Little Moon, I have a secret to tell you. I've already given Jiayou the medicine you gave me last time! I mixed it in with water, and he didn't even notice!"

"Really?" The little dumpling's eyes lit up, and she asked in a low voice, "Is the little prince feeling unwell?"

"No, no! After he drank it, he played with me and nothing happened to him! When Tao Wanbi arrives later, he definitely won't see or hear her!"

The little dumpling laughed along, whispering, "Great! Now we don't have to worry about the little prince!"

-

The residence of the Marquis of Beiding.

We should get going.

Tao Wanbi sat in the chair in the room, lost in thought, not even paying attention to the system's voice.

What are you spacing out about?

The palace banquet is about to begin; if we don't leave now, we'll miss it!

This is truly the last time! It's like the final; if you win, you still have a chance; if you lose, there's no turning back!

This is a life-or-death moment that will determine whether you can stay here and whether you can change your fate. Do you understand?

Tao Wanbi blinked slowly, her voice dazed, as if she hadn't woken up properly: "This is the last time..."

What else?

[You botched the banquet at the Marquis of Beiding's residence before. If you fail to catch him at this palace banquet as well, you won't see the male lead, and you'll have used up all your points. Just wait for the mission to fail, and we'll all die together!]

The system was waiting for Lin Fuman's response, but Lin Fuman remained silent.

The system sensed something was wrong.

What's wrong with you?

Tao Wanbi lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously picking at her nails. After a long while, she finally spoke: "I just suddenly felt that it was really the end. My heart was in turmoil, and my mind was a mess of images from the past, like a revolving lantern, and I couldn't stop them."

This isn't the right state of mind for you.

The system realized that her mindset was problematic and had to change its approach to encourage her.

Don't be pessimistic. We still have the universal license, and we still have a chance to see the male lead. It's not like we've already lost. Cheer up!

[If you play steadily later and say something nice to the male lead, we can still win, we can still turn the tide.]

Tao Wanbi seemed not to hear her, still lost in her own thoughts, her eyes vacant, not uttering a single word.

[Host? Host!]

The system called out twice, but seeing that she still didn't respond, it had no choice but to soften its tone.

Okay, if you don't want to move, then don't move for now.

Tell me, what are you really thinking?

Speak your mind; don't keep it bottled up inside.