Chapter 120 Recognizing the Daughter
"Yu Xuan? Who hit you?"
This is her precious child, how dare they?!
The eldest princess stared at Minister Xiao and his wife, whose faces were filled with shock and anger at her arrival, and like a mother wolf protecting her cubs, she shielded the little girl in front of her.
Xiao Yuxuan felt a little relieved, but seeing the Princess's extremely anxious expression, she clenched her fists.
Just now, she deliberately provoked Xiao Su so that he would lose his composure when the Princess arrived, thus adding fuel to the fire for the upcoming drama.
Xiao Su lived up to expectations, showing no patience whatsoever and even hitting her.
Xiao Yuxuan thought she would be happy after achieving her goal, but when she actually saw the Princess being angry and sad because of the slap, she felt bad.
The princess treated her sincerely, but she acted this way. Was that really the right thing to do?
"Your Highness is quite the big shot these days, barging into my home without prior notice. I wonder what your status is in questioning my family affairs?"
Since the eldest princess so disregarded him, a mere second-rank official, Xiao Su's expression was naturally far from pleasant.
After all, he was the Minister of Personnel, who held real power, and even Prime Minister Zheng in the court had to give him some face.
What is the eldest princess anyway?
She was just a woman, and even if she had some sibling-like affection for the emperor, it was insignificant in the face of national affairs. She was not worthy of his servility and being treated as an honored guest.
Not to mention that the eldest princess herself had lost her husband and son and was considered an unlucky person, yet she was completely shameless and even became the head of Yuxiu Academy, showing her face in public without any scruples. As a man, he despised this kind of woman the most.
In his view, women should be dutifully devoted to their husbands and children, taking care of the household and their husbands and children, rather than excitedly believing that they can achieve success on their own like men.
"What is your identity?"
The eldest princess sneered, turned her head slightly, and said to those behind her, "Bring it up!"
Lanxin immediately stepped forward with a gorgeous and exquisite long box in her hands, her little face flushed with anger.
With the princess's permission, she held her head high and slowly opened the long box, revealing a long sword inside.
The sword was over three feet long, with an ancient and ornate scabbard. A carved black gold dragon pattern coiled on it, reflecting a captivating light in the lamplight. The hilt was wrapped with a heavy red silk ribbon, making it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary object.
"As the eldest princess, this Shangfang sword was bestowed upon me by His Majesty. Seeing this sword is like seeing His Majesty. I have the authority to execute first and report later. Minister Xiao, what status do you think I have to interfere in your family affairs?"
Everyone present was shocked.
Xiao Yuxuan looked at the long sword, a look of astonishment flashing in her eyes.
If she remembered correctly, a few years later, when the fourth prince ascended the throne, he looked for the Imperial Sword. Later, she learned that the sword had been lost more than ten years ago, and the late emperor had been hiding this for some reason.
So this sword has always been with the eldest princess? Or...?
Xiao Su's face twitched for a moment. He gritted his teeth, stared at the sword, and finally lowered his head, kneeling down on both knees, shouting:
"Your subject pays respects to the Eldest Princess—"
Although I have never heard of the Imperial Sword being bestowed upon the Princess, her confidence suggests that it must have been secretly granted by the Emperor without being publicized.
Lin Hui also knelt down with the help of Li's mother.
However, her face was pale and her expression was dazed. It wasn't that she was startled by the sword, but rather that she was still bothered by the Princess's protection of Xiao Yuxuan and by the earlier statement, "Her parents don't want her, but I do."
Could it be that she was mistaken, that the eldest princess didn't treat her daughter as a mere pastime, but genuinely loved her daughter and wanted to take her away?
But that won't do.
This is her own flesh and blood, which she carried for ten months. She hasn't even spent much time with her yet. How can she be willing to just hand it over to someone else like that?
Lin Hui looked at the eldest princess protecting Xiao Yuxuan with complicated emotions. The princess's protective manner deeply stung her eyes.
When did the presence of the Eldest Princess become so pervasive in Lanting Pavilion, with maids, jewelry, and all sorts of household items sent from her residence...?
The eldest princess had only known Yu Xuan for such a short time, yet she had already taken such good care of her.
It's laughable that she's still furious about Yu Xuan's attempt to curry favor with the Princess, thinking it's just Yu Xuan's wishful thinking and eager pursuit, not realizing that it's actually the Princess who prefers Yu Xuan...
That shouldn't be the case. She is clearly Yu Xuan's mother, and she is Yu Xuan's closest blood relative, isn't she?
"Cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—Minister Xiao, you can't even manage the first two. How can we expect you to govern the country and bring peace to the world?"
The princess's voice was unusually cold, and her gaze toward Xiao Su was full of disgust.
"Your Highness is unaware of the truth. My daughter is simply unruly, and I have only been disciplining her a little. If Your Highness wishes to make trouble, you need not use this as an excuse."
Although Xiao Su lowered his head, his words did not show any compromise.
He didn't believe that the princess had come all this way with the imperial sword to cause trouble just to stand up for a little girl.
It must be that he had a conflict of interest with someone under the Princess's command—those who have long held high positions have always been like this; if they want to make trouble for someone, it certainly won't be for such superficial reasons.
Xiao Su thought he understood people's hearts, and at this moment his mind was frantically trying to recall if he had offended anyone some time ago.
Was it the censor he rated as second-class? Or the military general who wanted to pay homage but was refused?
Having offended too many people, now anyone could be on the princess's side.
"I never engage in your evasive tactics. I say what I mean. Your evasive and irrelevant answers suggest you have done something wrong. In that case, I must report this to His Majesty."
“Your Highness, my loyalty and devotion are as clear as day. There is no need for you to go to such lengths to test me.”
The princess was too lazy to waste words with him. She was preoccupied with the injuries on Xiao Yuxuan's face and just wanted to take her away as soon as possible.
"Hmph, I thought you, Xiao Su, were just so-so as an official, but at least not a bad person. Now it seems you're just as rotten!"
"I'll make this clear today: Xiao Yuxuan is someone I'm protecting. If you want to touch her, you'll have to ask for my opinion first."
Xiao Su also gave a cold laugh:
"What a joke! She is the daughter of the Xiao family. It's not Your Highness's place to stand up for her in front of her own parents."
"Could we, as parents, really harm her?"
"Is that so? What if I said that I wanted to take her as my goddaughter?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuxuan suddenly raised her head.
She opened her bright eyes and looked at the princess in front of her with a somewhat bewildered and helpless expression.
Was she hallucinating?
The eldest princess said she wanted to adopt her as her goddaughter.
Lin Hui gripped Li's mother's arm tightly, her bloodshot eyes wide open.
She took a difficult half-step forward, her voice hoarse, and questioned the man who wanted to take her daughter away:
"Your Highness, do you know what you're saying?"
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