Princess Zhuyu couldn’t quite explain why she felt like this. In the past, she never liked sticking to soone so much. At ho, her parents, brothers, and sisters all treated her well, but she wasn’t particularly attached to any of them.
After coming into contact with Young Madam Pei a few tis, she just wanted to see her all the ti.
Maybe because she ca from a familiar environnt to a strange place, and the one who helped her the most was Young Madam Pei, which led her to develop this dependency.
"The princess should chat more with the Emperor to cultivate the father-daughter relationship," Qu Fulan advised sincerely.
"I’m a bit afraid of the Emperor, and don’t dare to get too close to him." If not for the need to go out this ti, she wouldn’t have forced herself to et him.
"Why are you afraid of the Emperor? Is he very strict with you?" Qu Fulan asked curiously.
"Not really, it’s just that there’s this sense of distance, and I can’t quite explain why." Princess Zhuyu was also troubled by it.
"That’s because you’ve interacted too little. The princess should chat more with the Emperor. After all, you’ve been separated as father and daughter for many years, and familial affection needs to be cultivated."
Princess Zhuyu shook her head, "I don’t dare, nor do I want to. I just want to talk and chat with you."
Qu Fulan didn’t know what to say. To be honest, she couldn’t even understand Princess Zhuyu’s dependency on her. They just interacted during lessons on etiquette. She felt the princess was like a younger sister, a bit timid and simple-minded, so she gave as many pointers as she could, nothing more.
But since the princess relied on her, she couldn’t just send her away, so she kept her company and chatted with her.
Pei Ji’an sent soone several tis to inquire about her, and Princess Zhuyu hadn’t left yet, which made him displeased.
"Where’s the person who brought her? Get soone to send her away," Pei Ji’an said irritably.
The Guard Commander responsible for escorting the princess ca and bowed to the Heir Pei, "The Emperor said to let the princess enjoy herself as much as possible. Now that the princess hasn’t said she wants to leave, I dare not rush her..."
Pei Ji’an felt completely frustrated.
These days, won don’t like sticking to n; instead, they prefer sticking to won. What kind of sense does that make?
If it was soone else, Heir Pei might not understand, but since it was his wife, he could kind of get it.
He blad it on his wife being too wonderful. Everyone liked her.
Finally, after Qu Fulan yawned and rubbed her temples, Princess Zhuyu realized she was disturbing her rest and got up to say goodbye. Before leaving, she said, "I’ll co see you again tomorrow."
Qu Fulan replied, "No, I’ve accumulated a lot of things recently. If you co tomorrow, I’m afraid I won’t be ho. How about I send you an invitation when I’m free?"
There was no concept of invitations in Princess Zhuyu’s previous life, but she hadn’t learned the etiquette for nothing. She knew how particular the aristocratic circles in the capital were, so she said, "Alright, I’ll wait for your invitation then."
After the princess left, the Heir Pei hugged his wife and said, "The next ti she cos, just find any excuse to refuse and not see her."
Qu Fulan laughed. She once thought she would feel threatened by this princess, but it ended up making him feel threatened instead. It showed how unpredictable the world always is.
Indeed, things are unpredictable. After Princess Zhuyu left Pei Mansion, she was supposed to return to the palace. Although people were following her, she had no interest in shopping unless Young Madam Pei was willing to accompany her, then she would be in the mood.
But she passed by a tofu skin bun shop, was attracted by the aroma inside, and asked people to stop the carriage to buy so.
And that’s how she t Prince Xiao.
Princess Zhuyu naturally recognized Prince Xiao. Like Heir Pei, he had saved her before, so there was no reason she wouldn’t recognize him.
But whether it was Heir Pei or Prince Xiao, Princess Zhuyu felt a strong urge to avoid them.
There’s nothing more to it; she had seen them kill people. In such situations, if they hadn’t killed others, she would have died, so they had to. Even so, it left her with shadows. The knife in their hands was terrifying, chopping heads as if they were tofu; it made her neck feel chilly.
Xiao Shiqing was patrolling that area. Upon seeing Princess Zhuyu, he naturally stepped forward to greet her, "Your Highness."
Princess Zhuyu was actually peeking out from the carriage. When she saw Prince Xiao, she pulled her head back, hoping he would pretend not to see her. But he had to co up and greet her, as if afraid no one knew her identity.
Princess Zhuyu had no choice but to show her face and respond with a "Prince Xiao."
She thought that would be it, but then Xiao Shiqing asked the Guard Commander a few questions before saying, "This area is a bit disorderly. Just in case, I will escort the princess back to the palace."
This was also his duty. If anything happened to Princess Zhuyu in the area he was responsible for, the Emperor would definitely hold him accountable.
The Guard Commander naturally couldn’t have been more pleased. If sothing happened, he would be the first one accountable. With Prince Xiao escorting, there would be no mishaps.
Even though Princess Zhuyu was unwilling, she couldn’t say anything. She took the tofu skin buns and started eating them in the carriage before returning to the palace since no one was watching.
But the buns were freshly stead and a bit hot, causing Princess Zhuyu to yelp, "Oh, it’s so hot!"
Xiao Shiqing, riding ahead, subconsciously turned back to look when he heard this.
To speak of it, the reason he saved Princess Zhuyu initially was not only because she was a princess but also because when she was about to be hacked, she just crouched there silly with closed eyes, covering them with her hands, a scene that felt very familiar to him.
When he reacted, he had already risked life and limb to block the knife.
Xiao Shiqing took the princess to the palace gates and then left without staying.
He found in the real Li Jirou, he could barely find traces of the past, yet, in a stranger, he saw so familiar shadows.
It was truly ironic.
These days, he frequently dreamt the sa dream, the one where he let her suffer grievance. Even though he knew the dream wasn’t real, every ti he woke up, his heart ached, almost suffocating.
And then he couldn’t help but have soone inquire about her situation, feeling relieved when he knew she was well, though his heart felt equally uneasy and indescribable.
The princess returned to the palace and t several princes, who were her brothers.
Up until now, Princess Zhuyu was most impressed by the eldest prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Prince.
The eldest prince was gentle and seed friendly to everyone, and all the palace maids and eunuchs spoke highly of him.
The Fifth Prince had a sense of distance but cared for people, never scolding servants without reason.
The Seventh Prince was courteous and very composed, different from his concubine mother.
These brothers treated her well, but Princess Zhuyu found it difficult to get close to them. Maybe it was because they were no longer children, and due to propriety between n and won.
Even with siblings, appearances needed to be observed.
Princess Zhuyu returned to her palace, dismissed the maids, and lay down alone in her room.
She was still used to being alone, not liking many people waiting on her.
Suddenly, a paper crane flew in from the window sill.
Curious, Princess Zhuyu went to pick it up and saw there were words inside.
She opened it and read it word by word from beginning to end.
Princess Zhuyu’s eyes widened.
No wonder, there was only one sentence on the note.
——Princess Zhuyu, do you want to know your true identity?
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