Not long after the officials left, Consort Fang finally arrived at Xianyang Palace, having received word.
Although Jiang Yingcheng was not her own flesh and blood, she had raised the girl by her side for so many years. There was bound to be some affection.
Besides, this was the baby girl her elder sister had carried for ten months before giving birth to her. The blood of the Fang family still flowed in her veins.
For as long as Jiang Yingcheng had been missing after sneaking out, Consort Fang had been searching the surrounding area with her attendants.
Consort Fang's eyes were red. The moment she entered, she forgot all about etiquette and rushed forward to embrace Jiang Yingcheng, bringing her palm down on the girl's back with a little force. Her restrained voice still carried the remnants of a sob. "Why didn't you say anything before going out?"
Jiang Yingcheng was bundled up so thickly that day that the slap hardly hurt, but it still left her frozen in place.
Only after a long moment did she tell 007, her tone brimming with pride, [She cares about me.]
[Heeheehee.]
This time, 007, whom she had pestered into shutting down, replied quite gently, [Yes.]
Jiang Yingcheng chuckled and awkwardly reached her hands around Consort Fang's neck to pat her lightly on the back. "I'm sorry, Imperial Consort. Don't cry."
[Imperial Father is still here. You have to look pretty, Imperial Consort!]
Consort Fang visibly stiffened.
The little princess's clumsy yet heartwarming gesture nearly melted Changshun's heart.
If this little dumpling had not been His Majesty's princess, he would have wanted to steal her away and secretly raise her himself.
Although Emperor Mingze showed no displeasure at Consort Fang's behavior, Changshun still decided to do her this favor.
Changshun gave a light cough, successfully drawing Consort Fang's attention. Then he discreetly shifted his gaze toward Emperor Mingze before lowering his eyes and standing meekly in place, as motionless as a statue, just like the other eunuchs in the hall.
Only then did Consort Fang remember how improper her behavior had been. She hurriedly rose and straightened herself before kneeling before Emperor Mingze, her voice trembling slightly. "Greetings, Your Majesty. I lost my composure just now. Please forgive me."
Consort Fang did not dare lift her head, so naturally, she failed to notice Jiang Yanchuan studying her thoughtfully.
After a long moment, an exceptionally pleasant voice finally sounded above her head. "It is of no consequence."
"Rise," Jiang Yanchuan added, his voice betraying little emotion.
Once Consort Fang stood, she saw something that nearly frightened her soul out of her body.
Jiang Yingcheng laboriously clambered onto Emperor Mingze's couch. Once she had steadied herself, she headed straight for the sole remaining plate of pastries on the table and copied Jiang Xingran's earlier actions, wrapping them in a sheet of writing paper.
[Pack them up!]
[Take them all!]
Her practiced manner made her look exactly like a little bandit.
Consort Fang was just about to stop her when she discovered, to her astonishment, that Emperor Mingze showed no reaction whatsoever to Jiang Yingcheng's actions, as though he had tacitly permitted them.
She could scarcely imagine what had happened during the time Jiang Yingcheng had been missing.
Before finishing her bundle, the little girl paused. She unfolded the layers of paper again, took out two pastries, and placed them back on the jade plate that had originally held them.
[I'll leave two pieces for my beautiful Imperial Father!]
Her sweet little voice was full of delight, utterly unaware that her beautiful Imperial Father had heard every one of her thoughts.
Jiang Yanchuan stared at the two pastries for a long moment before finally failing to hold back a low laugh.
After Consort Fang left with Jiang Yingcheng, Jiang Yanchuan had Jiang Xingran escorted back as well.
The vast hall fell quiet in an instant.
Jiang Yanchuan casually pulled out a sheet of writing paper and picked up his brush to write a few words.
System Bro, male lead, Huaian, Xingran.
Prepared soil, embezzlement, poisoning.
In the rightmost column of the paper were two large characters that stood out more prominently than anything else-
Liking.
Because Jiang Yingcheng liked them, they could hear her thoughts.
Before he put down his brush, Jiang Xingran's bewildered gaze suddenly surfaced in Jiang Yanchuan's mind again, as though the boy did not understand why a faint smile could make Jiang Yingcheng so happy.
His gaze slowly came to rest on those two large characters.
Jiang Yingcheng undoubtedly liked Jiang Xingran very much too, yet Jiang Xingran clearly could not hear her thoughts.
After pondering for a long while, he slowly added a few more strokes after the word "liking."
Mutual.
Both Tan Songsong and Changshun had looked at Jiang Yingcheng with obvious affection, like elders looking at their own adorable granddaughter. Whatever had sparked those feelings, both of them did like Jiang Yingcheng to some extent.
That would explain everything.
Just as Jiang Yanchuan finally set down his brush, Changshun returned from outside.
A fine sheen of sweat covered his forehead from hurrying about, but delight shone in every corner of his face.
"Your Majesty," Changshun said with a respectful bow, "the eunuch who tripped the little princess has received his beating."
The little girl was fiercely loyal. Having said she liked Eunuch Changshun, she had truly taken his troubles to heart. Before leaving, she had insisted on pulling free of Consort Fang's hand and trotting over to that eunuch. With an exceedingly deliberate movement, she pretended to trip and fell to the ground with a plop, then began wailing nonstop, demanding that her Imperial Father uphold justice for her.
Yet despite all that loud wailing, not a single tear appeared.
No one had ever dared make such a racket in Xianyang Palace before, and Consort Fang broke out in a light sweat from anxiety.
Jiang Yanchuan's head ached from the noise, leaving him no choice but to agree to her demands.
The wailing stopped instantly, and Jiang Yanchuan nearly laughed in exasperation.
Jiang Yanchuan put away the paper covered in writing, then suddenly asked Changshun in a mild voice, "How do you think that man should be dealt with?"
Changshun rubbed his hands together excitedly. "This servant believes that someone so reckless is ill-suited to serving before Your Majesty. Why not expel him from the palace and leave him to fend for himself?"
That had been the little princess's original idea too, so he was helping fulfill her wish.
Changshun thought this with great delight.
It was the first time in all these years that he had experienced the joy of someone standing up for him.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Jiang Yanchuan turned his head and looked at him with the ghost of a smile. "This man poisoned you until you died bleeding from all seven orifices, yet all you want is to drive him out of the palace."
"Don't you want to know who is hiding behind him?"
Changshun: "!!!"
What was going on? Was he not the only one who could hear the little princess's thoughts, absurd as that was?!
Jiang Yingcheng sat in the exquisite cushioned sedan chair her beautiful Imperial Father had arranged for them, happily humming an unknown little tune.
The melody was light and lively. Although its style was rather odd, anyone could easily tell that the little girl was in an exceptionally happy mood.
And she truly was exceptionally happy.
[System Bro, System Bro, isn't my Imperial Consort so very pretty too?!]
After showing off the entire journey, the little girl's eyes and brows brimmed with smug delight. Having listened all the way, 007 decided to indulge her one last time. [Pretty, pretty.]
Jiang Yingcheng chuckled. [Heeheehee, I'll be just as pretty when I grow up!]
007 said hesitantly, [Didn't I tell you that Consort Fang isn't your birth mother?]
Jiang Yingcheng paled in shock. [What?! I'm not the Imperial Consort's birth daughter?!]
She had thought that even if she was a fake princess, she was still the Imperial Consort's child with some other man!
Consort Fang, who had been listening in the entire way, instantly lost all color in her face too. What?! How did she know about this?!
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