While Tian Yu was being taken care of meticulously by everyone, Xiao Tian from the other courtyard had been confined to her quarters. Once the confinement was lifted, she immediately rushed to visit Tian Yu. Tian Yu knew a little about what had happened, but since Xiao Tian wouldn't say anything, she had no choice but to play along and see how long she could keep up the act.
The two exchanged pleasantries, their faces beaming with smiles. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were twins. Tian Yu stared at the face that was exactly like hers, wondering how they could do it so well. They were definitely masters of acting, the same face with different expressions and smiles, each with their own thoughts—it was absolutely brilliant!
"I heard that the prince has been sleeping in his study. How about we let him come to my place tonight? Don't be angry, little sister," Xiaotian said with a smile.
"You're so thoughtful. It was my carelessness that led me to occupy the prince's bed."
Xiao Tian was displeased upon hearing this, but still smiled and said, "My sister is injured, Your Highness won't mind."
"No, I will ask Your Highness to return to your room tonight."
Xiao Tian was even more unhappy upon hearing this, thinking to herself, "Is Tian Yu trying to get together with the prince?" She said coldly, "Don't forget, no matter how much she resembles us, she's just a substitute for someone else!"
Tian Yu hadn't yet understood why she was suddenly unhappy, but after hearing what she said, she thought, "So you're afraid I'll steal your prince!" So she smiled and said, "Even substitutes have different people! The prince is deeply in love with me, and I can't always keep people at arm's length. Sigh! I've thought it through these past few days. The prince treats me very well, and even if I'm not her, being with the prince is still worth it!"
"You!..." Xiaotian was very angry, but didn't know how to refute it.
"What's wrong!? Don't you want to?" Tian Yu asked back.
"I don't want to! What's there to be happy about when it's just a stand-in?"
"Really!? Then why did you come here? And why did you enter the Prince's mansion? And why did you try to harm me that day?" Tian Yu pressed.
"Who hurt you?! You went to the dungeon on your own, don't try to blame me!"
"Did I say it was a dungeon? Why are you so eager to admit it?" Tian Yu said with a sneer.
"You!?...You!?..." Xiaotian trembled with anger, but suddenly her tone changed, and she knelt down with a thud, covering her face and crying loudly, "I just wanted to see my sister, why did you do this? It's all my fault, but you can't hit me!"
Tian Yu was taken aback at first, but seeing her superb acting skills, she immediately understood. She had noticed someone had arrived, and it was most likely Zhao Moyan. Tian Yu wasn't in a hurry. She rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward without hesitation, slapping Xiao Tian twice. Xiao Tian was stunned by the slaps. Seeing this, the old nanny beside her immediately knelt on the ground, crying and shouting, "Miss Tian, even if the Prince is on your side, you can't be so unreasonable. How could you hit someone?!"
"I'll get my hands on you! I'm going to beat you up!" Tian Yu then proceeded to punch and kick the master and servant without any mercy.
"Stop!" Zhao Moyan's voice finally came from behind.
Tian Yu stopped crying, and the two people on the ground cried even more bitterly, repeatedly asking the prince to make a decision, explaining how they were beaten, and saying openly and secretly that Tian Yu was unreasonable and arrogant because of his favor. Tian Yu nonchalantly straightened her clothes and looked at the prince.
It would have been better if she hadn't looked, because once she did, Tian Yu's face turned green. Not only Zhao Moyan had arrived, but also Prince Wu, Li Xingyun, and most importantly, Tang Yuan was there too!
"Is what they're saying true?!" Zhao Moyan asked, looking at Tian Yu.
"Yes! Really!" Tian Yu nodded seriously, thinking that the prince would definitely punish her now, and might even kick her out!
There was a moment of silence. Prince Wu laughed first, then Li Xingyun. Tangyuan immediately ran to Tian Yu's side and asked, "Mommy! Does your hand hurt?!"
"Huh!? I... my hand doesn't hurt!" Tian Yu was stunned for a moment and quickly explained.
"Let me see!" Zhao Moyan took Tian Yu's hand and examined her closely, startling Tian Yu so much that she froze on the spot, too afraid to move! She wondered, what's going on?! Are there problems with these people? Or is there something wrong with her?!
"Alright! Next time you want to hit someone, just tell the servants. You don't need to do it yourself!" Zhao Moyan said, blowing on Tian Yu's palm.
Startled, Tian Yu immediately pulled her hand back, her face flushed, and said, "I...I hit her, you...you're not angry!?"
"angry!"
Tian Yu thought to herself, "Is this normal?" But the next second she wished she could take back what she had said!
“You should have told me sooner, so you wouldn’t have had to do it yourself! Guards, take them away. Those who slandered and framed the Princess should each be given fifteen strokes of the cane,” Zhao Moyan said.
"Your...Your Highness!?" Tian Yu asked in confusion.
The two people kneeling on the ground also looked up at Tian Yu in surprise.
In the study, Zhao Moyan sat calmly at his desk, sipping tea. Only Tian Yu was still in shock. What did this mean?! When did she become a princess?! How come she didn't know?! And now he's left her alone—what does that mean? Is he going to say something? Or is he planning to punish her?
After hesitating for a long time, Zhao Moyan took out a piece of paper and handed it to Tian Yu. Tian Yu looked at Zhao Moyan, puzzled, took the paper from him, and asked, "For me!?"
“This is what she left behind. None of us can understand it. I think you and she are from the same place, so maybe you can understand it.” Zhao Moyan had been conflicted. He didn’t want Tian Yu to get involved, so he had always disagreed. But the situation was critical. After that war, many clues had been lost. Now, war was raging and riots had broken out in many places. They still had no clue who the real culprit was. The Crown Prince had escaped, and Consort Li had gone mad. They couldn’t get anything out of her.
Tian Yu picked it up and examined it carefully. It turned out to be a very detailed mind map, but it was all represented by letters, which explained why they couldn't understand it. After understanding it, she said, "This map is very simple, but I don't quite understand what it's trying to say, so I don't know what these letters are trying to express either. But I think these letters all represent one word."
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