The little beggar was taken aback, his face immediately turning red. He looked at Su Wanyan somewhat embarrassedly: "Sister, please don't blame me. I originally wanted to tell you, but..."
He couldn't find a suitable opportunity, and Su Wanyan seemed quite happy to have tacitly accepted him as her younger sister.
"What?!" Su Wanyan exclaimed in a rage, "So you really are a boy?"
Seeing her strong reaction, the little beggar's eyes flashed with disappointment.
This is one of the reasons why he was reluctant to be honest. He also had his own selfish reasons; he was afraid that Su Wanyan would become distant from him after she found out he was a man.
When Su Wanyan mistook him for a little girl, he wanted to tell her the truth.
But Su Wanyan made him call her "sister," and he was overjoyed.
He had been struggling in the capital since he could remember. He didn't know who his biological parents were, nor did he have any brothers or sisters. He was so hungry every day that he could only fill his stomach by stealing and robbing.
Without an identity, he didn't know who he was or where he came from. He had no household registration or official license, so no matter where he went, he was destined to have no right to live and could only survive in the cracks of the capital.
This is why, when Su Wanyan gave him the silver, he didn't take it and leave, but when she said she would take him away from the capital, he agreed without hesitation.
Because he really had nowhere to go.
"Sister..." The little beggar clenched his little hands, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
Just when he thought Su Wanyan was about to kick him out of the manor, she grabbed his shoulder unexpectedly: "Oh dear, look at me, I mistook you for a little girl, it's my fault, it's my fault, why didn't you say so sooner! It's alright, it's alright, don't worry, I'll have someone get you some boys' clothes!"
The little beggar was stunned for a moment, and tears instantly welled up in his eyes: "Sister, you're not going to send me away?"
"Get rid of you? Why?" Su Wanyan didn't understand. When did she say she wanted to get rid of him?
These words caused the tears that had been welling up in his eyes to burst forth instantly. He raised his sleeve to cover his eyes: "Sister... thank you, sister!"
"Why are you crying?" Su Wanyan was stunned and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears. "I can't call you sister anymore. I have to call you brother, little brother."
"Oh, by the way!" Su Wanyan's eyes curved into crescent moons as she happily said, "The prince gave you a name, Chi En. Chi means pursuit, and En means kindness. I think it suits you very well. What do you think?"
The little beggar's eyes were red from crying, and he nodded vigorously.
"Oh dear, look at you, I don't even know why you're crying. I'm not blaming you, this whole thing is a misunderstanding because I apologized."
He was indeed taken aback when she called him "sister." At the time, he thought she didn't want to call him "sister." Now, upon reflection, he realized she had mistaken his gender.
Just then, Xu Si returned, and Su Wanyan put her hands on her hips and said, "Xu Si, go find some boy's clothes for him to wear."
"Huh?" Xu Si was stunned. He looked at the little beggar and then at Su Wanyan. He couldn't understand why a perfectly good little girl would wear a boy's clothes.
But he didn't say much, just nodded and happily led the little beggar downstairs.
Oh, now it should be called Chi En.
Hmm, his name is Su Chien.
"Sister." Just as Su Wanyan was about to return to her room, she suddenly heard a gentle voice calling from the front yard.
Her voice was delicate and gentle, like water droplets falling into a clear spring. Su Wanyan looked up curiously, her brows furrowing immediately. It was Su Muqing, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yuanning.
She was the person who was originally supposed to marry into Prince Gong's mansion.
She was dressed in a light blue gown, with a brocade skirt of shimmering blue and white, and her hair was adorned with silver hairpins. Her face was gentle and graceful, and every smile and frown was the epitome of a well-bred lady.
Like a lotus emerging from clear water, this is how it is.
She was undoubtedly a classical beauty, but Su Wanyan didn't have much affection for her. According to the original owner's memories, whenever she was mistreated and humiliated by the servants in the mansion, this eldest daughter of the main wife would usually stand by and watch coldly.
The most vivid memory is the first time the original owner went to the kitchen to steal some leftover food. She was about six or seven years old. She was being chased by the kitchen servants and ran to Su Muqing's courtyard gate in a panic.
Just as Su Muqing was about to leave the manor, the original owner of the body grasped at a straw and kept calling out, "Eldest sister, save me!"
However, Su Muqing only frowned and glanced at it before leaving indifferently.
The maidservant who was with Su Muqing not only failed to take care of the original owner, but also handed her over to the kitchen staff. The original owner was beaten half to death because of this incident.
This was the most memorable time. After that, the original owner would almost always avoid Su Muqing. In the days that followed, Su Muqing saw the original owner being bullied many times, but she chose to stand by and watch, as if it were none of her business.
Although they were all daughters of the Marquis of Yuanning, their treatment in the Marquis's mansion was vastly different, and none of the other concubine daughters in the Marquis's mansion had lived as miserably as the original owner.
Su Wanyan didn't reply, but looked at her calmly, lost in the original owner's memories.
It wasn't until Su Muqing arrived with two personal maids that she snapped out of her daze: "What are you doing here?"
This is Prince Gong's Mansion, so why was she allowed to enter?
And no one came to report it.
Oh, she understood. All the people guarding the Prince's Mansion were Emperor Yuanhe's men. Could Su Muqing's visit today be Emperor Yuanhe's doing?
Su Muqing gave a gentle smile, as warm as a spring breeze in March: "Today, the Princess held a banquet at her residence and specially invited you, elder sister. I heard from Father that the Princess also sent an invitation to you, younger sister, so I thought I would come and go with you, so that you would have company."
"Oh, thank you, but I'm not going," Su Wanyan said decisively.
Su Wanyan's reaction seemed to be within Su Muqing's expectations. Her smile remained unchanged as she said, "The Princess and the Emperor are siblings from the same mother. Everyone in the capital knows that the Princess and the Emperor have the deepest affection for each other. If you don't go, it will offend more than just the Princess."
"Okay, I'm not going," Su Wanyan said irritably.
Did they think that by tying the princess to the emperor, she would attend the banquet?
Yu Nanqing said that it was just a banquet, and it didn't warrant being punished.
Su Muqing's brows twitched slightly. She hadn't expected that Su Muqing would remain unmoved even after Su Muqing brought up the Emperor. She wondered if Su Muqing was just too bold or simply being foolish.
She stepped forward, trying to grab Su Wanyan's hand, but Su Wanyan stepped back and dodged her: "What are you doing? Just talk, why are you touching me?"
Su Muqing's hand, which was hovering in mid-air, paused, and she seemed to be unable to maintain her composure.
But in the blink of an eye, her gentle smile returned: "It seems my sister has misunderstood me."
“There’s no misunderstanding, it’s all the facts.” Su Wanyan didn’t want to argue with her, and said, “Anyway, no matter what you say, I’m not going to the Princess’s banquet. Now that you’ve said that, hurry up and leave.”
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