Su Wan followed the woman through two courtyards to the courtyard in the county government office that was specifically for female relatives.
Once inside the room, the woman dismissed the servants, leaving Su Wan alone.
Su Wan didn't know the woman's identity, only that Ge Fanghai called her the Crown Princess. And since she was dressed in Western Rong clothing, could she be the Western Rong King's...?
She was still guessing when the woman took off her headdress and placed it on the table, then sat down in a chair and looked at Su Wan.
"You're my brother's attendant? What's your name?"
Su Wan remembered that she had always pretended to be mute, so she had no choice but to raise her hands and gesture, pretending to speak in sign language.
The woman sneered and said, "Stop. I can read a mute's sign language; you're just gesturing nonsense."
Su Wan blushed and stopped standing still.
The woman smiled and said, "You really believe me? I'm lying to you. I don't know any sign language for the mute."
Su Wan couldn't help but slap her forehead. The other party had used a little trick, and she had actually fallen for it.
Seeing her regret, the woman smiled and said, "Alright, let's get straight to the point. What's your name?"
Su Wan knew there was no need to pretend anymore, so she could only say, "I don't have a name, Your Highness calls me Little Jar."
"Little jar?" The woman gave a meaningful smile. "Why are you dressed as a man? Are you really my brother's attendant?"
Su Guang was genuinely surprised: "You figured out I'm a woman?"
She used to dress as a man, and many people couldn't recognize her. That's how it's portrayed in TV dramas, isn't it?
The woman seemed somewhat helpless and said, "Do you really think that if you disguise yourself as a man, no one will be able to tell? A woman's Adam's apple is smaller than a man's, and her figure is obviously different from a man's. Only a rough man would not be able to tell the difference between a man and a woman."
Su Wan rolled her eyes, speechless.
Those who don't recognize her, like Luna, are probably what people call "rough guys".
The woman said, "Alright, you don't need to be so puzzled. Your attire is already convincing enough to fool the eye. It's just that I pay more attention to details than others. Let me introduce myself, I am the Crown Princess of Xirong, the third princess of the Southern Chu royal family, Chu Mingyao."
Su Wan said, "So His Highness is your younger brother. Why did he run away?"
Chu Mingyao sighed and said, "I can tell that you don't act like a servant, and you're probably not Xiao Yi's attendant either. Let's call each other sisters... Let's talk about Xiao Yi. He doesn't have any of the dignity a prince should have. He likes to dress up as different people all day long."
Su Wan couldn't help but smile when she recalled the first time she met Chu Yi, when he was dressed as a beggar.
Chu Mingyao continued, "Father Emperor spoils my younger brother. With Father Emperor's protection, he dares to wear any clothes. Before I got married, I was more disciplined by him. Once he wore women's clothes and I scolded him. Another time he shaved his head and dressed up as a monk..."
Su Wan was surprised that Chu Yi had done something like this, and couldn't help but ask, "Did he really dress up as a monk?"
"Not only did he dress up as a monk, but he also went to the temple and mingled with the monks to chant sutras..." Chu Mingyao shook her head. "I dragged him out of the temple and beat him up in the street. How could a prince of Southern Chu shave his head like that?"
Su Wan said, "Impressive."
Who would have thought that this Crown Princess of Xirong would be so ruthless when beating her younger brother? No wonder Chu Yi ran away under the pretense of a stomachache; he probably knew his sister was coming.
Chu Mingyao glanced at her and continued, "These are scandals of our Southern Chu royal family, and I wouldn't normally tell outsiders. But you're different. Once you're with Xiao Yi, you absolutely mustn't indulge this bad habit of his..."
Su Wan was startled and waved her hands wildly, "No, no, he and I aren't in that kind of relationship!"
"Isn't that right?" Chu Mingyao stared into her eyes. "Then why were you with my brother at night?"
“We’re friends. I… wanted to come into the county government office for a visit. I’ve never been here before.” Su Wan made up a lie on the spot. “He said he couldn’t bring women in and that I had to dress up as a man.”
"Oh, so your relationship has progressed to this point?"
Su Wan stamped her foot angrily and said, "I said no."
Chu Mingyao smiled and raised her hand to stop her, saying, "Alright, don't get so excited. There's nothing to be ashamed of about this. Girls will get married sooner or later..."
Su Wan sighed deeply, feeling that she couldn't explain herself no matter how hard she tried.
Afraid that Chu Mingyao would ask again, she quickly changed the subject, saying, "Sister Chu, why did you come to Suiyang County?"
“My husband and I came to Suiyang County on our way here,” Chu Mingyao said. “We were originally going to the General’s Mansion in Youzhou to see the Goddess, but we have something to take care of here.”
Su Wan blinked: "You...have come to see the Goddess?"
She hadn't expected that Chu Mingyao's trip to Youzhou was actually to see her. What a coincidence!
"Hehe, little sister, you don't need to concern yourself with this matter," Chu Mingyao said with a smile. "I'm sure Xiao Yi has already told you about the goddess, right?"
Su Wan wasn't thinking about Chu Yi. She was puzzled. It seemed Chu Mingyao had just arrived. What was she doing rushing to the Suiyang County government office so late? Could it still be related to the contents of the letter?
Knowing that the magistrate of Suiyang County was a spy planted by Southern Chu and was in cahoots with someone in the General's Mansion, she decided not to tell Chu Mingyao that she was Su Wan.
After all, Chu Mingyao was once a princess of Southern Chu, so who knows if she's also on Ge Fanghai's side?
Seeing the thoughtful look in her eyes, Chu Mingyao smiled and said, "Little sister, don't overthink it. Since Xiao Yi is your friend, he will definitely come back to find you. Just wait here. When you see Xiao Yi, remember to leave him with me. I want to see what kind of person he's dressed up as this time."
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