Chunxi's despair startled Li Tiao. What was the point of her transmigrating? Was it just to experience these thrilling events?

After all, if it were just eyeliner, Chunxi wouldn't have to despair.

Li Tiao involuntarily became nervous. She reached out and touched the kang table next to her, pressed herself on it for support, and slowly sat down.

"Go on, I'm listening," Li Tiao said, trying to keep her voice calm and even.

Chunxi kept crying. She sniffled and spoke in a muffled voice, "My lady, the reason I used the excuse of twins was because I knew the true relationship between you and Miss Yunhui. I even knew... why you entered the palace?"

Does this mean Chunxi knows she's being married in place of another woman?

Li Tiao wasn't too surprised, after all, she was a maidservant given to her by the Li family as part of her dowry.

But Li Tiao didn't speak, waiting for Chunxi to continue.

"I also have an older brother who took the imperial examination but failed. He's what people call a poor scholar. But somehow, this poor scholar... caught the eye of a wealthy and powerful family's daughter..."

"Master, don't you think this resembles The Romance of the Western Chamber?"

Then Chunxi shook her head, "That's not right either, it doesn't seem like it. She's clearly an educated person, she knows what she can and cannot do, but she just can't seem to break up with the young lady from a wealthy family, and the two of them just left like that..."

Li Tiao was terrified. She pressed down on the kang table and suddenly stood up, staring at Chunxi for a long time!

She then hurriedly went to the door, opened it, peeked out, and made sure no one was there, not even a single insect had flown by, before closing the door again.

I leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

Although Chunxi's words were vague, Li Tiao understood them.

Earlier, Granny Liu said that Chunxi seemed to know how to read, which seemed strange. But now that I think about it, it seems normal. Her older brother is a scholar, so it's not that strange that Chunxi would learn some characters.

Chunxi's older brother and the real eldest daughter of the Li family fell in love and eloped for love!

However, the true eldest daughter of the Li family was to participate in the imperial concubine selection, which was recorded by the Imperial Household Department. This elopement would be a serious matter if the palace found out, resulting in the execution of the entire family.

So the Li family carefully selected Li Tiao and Yun Hui, and in the end, Li Tiao was betrothed to the Fourth Prince instead of the Li family's true eldest daughter.

After processing what Chunxi had said, Li Tiao leaned against the door and took another deep breath. Then she patted her heart, sat back down, and slowly spoke to Chunxi.

But who knew that as soon as Li Tiao opened her mouth, her teeth chattered involuntarily: "Because of your brother's matter, so you..."

Never before had Li Tiao been so afraid of being forced into marriage in place of another.

She was so flustered that she stopped talking, thinking she would continue after she calmed down.

However, Chunxi seemed to have calmed down, and without Li Tiao asking, she continued:

"My brother abandoned my parents and ran away. It didn't really have much of an impact on my family, because life was already hard enough. How much harder could it get?"

However, this had a significant impact on the young lady's family. Fearing that the matter would be exposed, they found a maid and sent her to work at their house, fearing that she might talk nonsense.

Although it involves serving others, earning a monthly salary isn't necessarily a bad thing for a servant.

Later, when you entered the palace, I was instructed to accompany you and keep a close watch on you, lest you make a mistake.

So when Master asked me about you and Miss Yunhui, I used the excuse of twins, which was actually what the Li family had instructed me to use.”

From Chunxi's words, Li Tiao knew that she was different from Granny Liu; Chunxi and she were in the same boat.

If the two of them keep it under wraps, it's not too bad.

Li Tiao's emotions gradually calmed down, and she asked, "So, the reason the Fourth Prince didn't believe the twins' excuse was that he later contacted you?"

Li Tiao stopped trembling, but Chunxi started trembling again. However, she couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, don't think that everything will be alright just because you left the palace."

Li Tiao wasn't stupid either. She could tell from Chunxi's hesitant attitude that things weren't so simple.

"Chunxi, now that you know my identity, we are now in the same boat, sharing both glory and ruin. Tell me everything you know so that I can be careful when something happens. Otherwise, if we are exposed, we will both die."

To put it bluntly, I was an orphan, all alone, so my death is just that—death.

But what about you? Even if you don't miss your brother, you still have your parents, right?

So if you die, your entire family will be executed, down to the ninth generation.

Chunxi knew all this, which is why she helped the Fourth Prince pass on messages when he said Li Tiao wanted to run away.

However, some things were just Chunxi's guesses, and she wasn't sure, so she hesitated a lot.

Li Tiao could see Chunxi's inner conflict. Now that things had come to this point, Li Tiao didn't believe that Chunxi was deliberately keeping it from her.

It wasn't intentional, but she didn't want to say it. Li Tiao probably guessed something, and she tentatively asked Chunxi, "So it's related to the Fourth Prince? What's going on with him?"

"I have no evidence, but I have a gut feeling."

Li Tiao asked nervously, "What intuition?"

"It seems that the Fourth Prince knows that Your Highness is not the true eldest daughter of the Li family."

Chunxi's words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere, even more shocking than when Li Tiao learned of Chunxi's identity. She choked on her saliva and coughed repeatedly!

It took Li Tiao a while to calm down, but because of her cough, her voice still sounded like she had a persistent cough.

"Fourth Prince knows? How did you figure that out?" Li Tiao asked, then, remembering Chunxi's words, she repeated helplessly, "Oh, you said it was your intuition."

"The Fourth Prince has never told me anything about the Li family, he just told me to pay more attention to you, Master, because some of your behavior is rather strange," Chunxi said. "Although I am able to serve you, Master, it is to keep an eye on you."

But I know you are innocent, so I don't really want to help the Fourth Prince.

But the Fourth Prince said to this servant…

"What did he threaten you about?" Li Tiao asked indignantly, knowing all too well how despicable the Fourth Prince's threats were.

"The Fourth Prince asked me if I was afraid you would run away? But I panicked and promised to watch over you, Master. Later, I thought about it and realized that under normal circumstances..."

Before Chunxi could finish speaking, there seemed to be some noise outside. Li Tiao quickly made a "shh" gesture to Chunxi to be quiet, and then went to the door to open it. Before her hand even touched the door, the person outside pushed the door open and came in.

Seeing the Fourth Prince strolling inside with such ease, Li Tiao felt as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff. Had the Fourth Prince heard her just now? If he had, how much had he heard?