Willow trees swayed in the clear breeze against red pillars and glazed tiles, complemented by a young couple standing with tender affection, truly a scene of a talented scholar and beautiful lady that stirred the heart!

This spring breeze, however, could not smooth away the shocked wrinkles on old Song Ao’s face.

How life-shortening! Were the guards all dead? When the Crown Prince was confined in his youth, his quarters were beside the Empress’s palace for her convenience in educating him. This was a side hall of Fengming Palace, the Empress’s residence. How could anyone from Consort Shang’s household be allowed entry?

And that youth… could he be the real Feng Qiyuan who had been hidden away?

How… how did he run out on his own?

Just then, the youth glanced up and noticed her and the Empress. He straightened his posture, lifted his robes, and like an agile deer, gracefully leaped over the railing, jumping directly down the steps toward them.

No, those legs were uninjured—how could it be Feng Qiyuan!

The youth first steadily examined the green-jade phoenix crown atop the Empress’s head, then looked at the respectful Song Ao beside her. The smile never left his lips as he clasped his hands in greeting, tentatively addressing: “Mo… Mother Empress, why have you come?”

His graceful demeanor was entirely that of a refined young gentleman, without a trace of feminine air.

This elegant, spirited “youth” before them was the little girl who had been unconscious in bed!

Empress Tang secretly praised: Song Ao truly had such skill! In just a few days, she had cultivated a small girl into having the graceful bearing of a young man, even more spirited than that useless Crown Prince.

However, Song Ao beside her seemed even more surprised.

The “youth’s” attire had been newly made by the Imperial Tailors and just delivered. This was also Song Ao’s first time seeing the girl dressed in the elegant long robes of a young nobleman.

It was truly unexpected—she… did look like a young lord!

Yu Shu had still been entranced by the allure of being “perused” by His Highness when she suddenly saw the Crown Prince leap over the railing and bow to someone. Only then did she realize the Empress had arrived.

She hurriedly descended the steps as well and bowed to the Empress.

“This servant Yu Shu comes by Consort Shang’s order to visit the Crown Prince and deliver tonics prepared by the Consort to strengthen His Highness’s health.”

This reason was perfectly justified—under the banner of delivering tonics, she had come to investigate the situation.

After Empress Tang dismissed Yu Shu with a few words, she coldly asked: “Who allowed this Yu Shu to enter?”

The guards remained silent. Empress Tang knew that after the Crown Prince fell from favor, Consort Shang’s influence had gradually grown, and she had already extended her reach into the Crown Prince’s palace.

Fortunately, this girl had been smuggled into the palace hidden in a rice box, unknown to the guards.

Once the Empress understood this, she coldly waved her hand, ordering the guards on duty to be dragged out and beaten, to see if any other dogs would dare to be obsequious in public but defiant in private.

She carefully examined the “youth” before her and said, “Follow me inside to talk.”

Once they entered the side hall and dismissed everyone, with Song Ao personally guarding the door, Empress Tang sat down and asked: “What is your name?”

The little girl, not very familiar with protocol, showed no fear despite witnessing the Empress’s fierce display. She casually found a chair and sat down, crossing her legs and smiling: “My father and I have been street performers since I was little. I don’t have a proper name. My father just calls me ‘girl.'”

Although Song Ao had already questioned her thoroughly, Empress Tang narrowed her eyes, still cautiously probing: “Your father… did he ever mention anything about your mother?”

The little girl maintained her composure as she sipped her tea: “I asked when I was young. My father always said my mother had returned to her maiden home to serve my maternal grandfather. When I grew older, I realized my mother was probably dead from illness, and my father said that to spare me grief, so I stopped asking.”

Empress Tang was somewhat disbelieving and raised an eyebrow: “Just that? He… didn’t tell you anything about his dealings with me?”

A blood feud of child-stealing and wife-murder! How could that be easily forgotten? The night of silencing witnesses seventeen years ago was bloody and cruel. Could it be that Luo Guan’er was too frightened to mention it to his daughter?

The girl looked innocently bewildered and frowned: “My father… could he be an old acquaintance of Your Majesty? My father was quite handsome in his youth, even a sow would stop in its tracks at the sight of him… In that case, just like in opera stories, you were captivated by him, and you and my father once shared spring sentiments… Are you my birth mother?”

As she asked this, the little girl’s tone rose, her eyes brightening. It seemed she was about to jump up and rush toward the Empress.

What nonsense was this? Empress Tang had lived a life of honor and had never had her virtue so brazenly questioned to her face.

She angrily slapped the table: “Absurd! What is my status? How could I possibly with an actor… You have no connection to me!”

The little girl, who had been eager and ready, deflated upon hearing this and slumped back in her chair: “If we weren’t born of the same mother, why did that Song Ao say I greatly resemble the Crown Prince, and want me to impersonate him? Isn’t it because the Crown Prince and I share the same mother but different fathers? Mother… just admit it. At worst, I’ll keep your secret and never let the old Emperor know you’ve given him such grand green horns!”

Toward the end, the little girl, still not giving up, looked eagerly at the Empress. She didn’t seem like an enemy seeking revenge but rather someone desperate to climb the social ladder, wanting to be the Empress’s daughter.

If she didn’t urgently need to use her, the Empress would have ordered someone to drag her out and beat her to death.

However, judging by her expression, she didn’t seem to be pretending. The actor Luo Guan’er, exhausted from fleeing, probably didn’t dare to tell this unreliable little girl the life-threatening secret.

Thinking of this, Empress Tang was somewhat relieved and spoke with cold eyes: “Stop trying to associate yourself with me. You merely happen to resemble the Crown Prince. I hear from Song Ao that you negotiated terms with her and asked for a lot of gold and silver. As long as you complete this task, I will release you and your father from the palace. Then, you can take the wealth and live well with him. But if you refuse to obey…”

“If I don’t obey, you’ll kill me and my father…” The girl didn’t wait for the Empress to finish her threat but rushed forward to kneel on the ground, grabbing hold of the Empress’s pearl-embroidered shoes, clinging to her legs, and coaxing her like a baby with a soft voice: “You don’t need to threaten me. I understand everything! I also understand some of Mother’s—no, Your Majesty’s—difficulties… Rest assured, even if you don’t acknowledge me, I will do my utmost to resolve the difficulties for you and my half-brother!”

What a mess! Empress Tang couldn’t shake off this leech clinging to her legs. She was so angry that her phoenix hairpin tilted and her hair ornaments swung into her face.

But now she needed to keep this chess piece stable, so she had to temporarily suppress her anger and force herself to look pleasant. She instructed the little girl to learn proper etiquette from Song Ao, finally shook off the leech, and walked out of the side hall.

What a thing, with a mind full of social climbing!

Empress Tang pressed her lips together: Such a disrespectful commoner! After the frame-up of the Second Prince succeeds, she absolutely cannot be allowed to live! Only by eliminating her and the escaped Yan Shan could future troubles be prevented!

Afterward, Empress Tang heard from Song Ao that this little girl had lived a wandering life since childhood. She had worked in various professions with a martial artist. Besides taking up her father’s mantle in performing martial roles, she had also pretended to be a boy working as a runner and broker in brothels to earn money for medicine when her father was seriously ill.

Having lived among common people for many years from a young age, she had worked in almost all walks of life, which explained why she could so effortlessly play the role of a frivolous young man.

Since this was the case, Song Ao was spared much effort. She only needed to show the little girl portraits of the dignitaries who would attend the palace banquet and teach her some protocols to get through it.

The Crown Prince had been imprisoned for more than four years. A thirteen-year-old child would naturally have some changes in appearance and physique as he became a young man.

And the girl had trained in martial arts with her father. When she suppressed her voice, it was difficult to distinguish her gender. As long as she didn’t engage in lengthy discussions about past events, in such a bustling occasion, she could certainly pass undetected.

Soon, the day of the birthday banquet arrived.

According to Dafeng Dynasty customs, palace banquets usually began at noon. The Dafeng Emperor Chunde, in the prime of his life, wore a bright robe and a tall crown, sitting regally on the dragon throne to receive the homage of his ministers and princes.

His Majesty had healthy offspring. Except for the First Prince, who was chronically ill with a hidden ailment and could not appear in public, all the other princes came to offer birthday wishes.

The court’s direction could change in an instant. In recent years, the Eastern Palace had been cold, but spring breezes surrounded the Second Prince. Many ministers and princes exchanged pleasantries with the increasingly prominent Second Prince Feng Qiting.

Seeing this situation, his mother Consort Shang wore a face full of joy, calmly accepting the flattery of the other consorts.

However, the Second Prince seemed preoccupied. He found time to return to his mother’s side and sit down. Under the pretext of taking a lychee, he turned his head and whispered: “Mother, when I hadn’t entered the hall earlier, I caught a glimpse of the Crown Prince at the corner of the palace. Just as Yu Shu said, his legs appear quite healthy, with no sign of disability. With those old ministers supporting him, the Eastern Palace’s flag might rise again.”

He had sent people to investigate—wasn’t the Crown Prince’s leg ailment supposed to be severe? It was precisely because of this that he had been proceeding cautiously, waiting for the Crown Prince to appear in public with a limp, eliminating himself from the path to being heir.

How was it that today, from a distance, there was no sign of illness?

Consort Shang’s expression remained unchanged as she elegantly accepted the lychee her son had peeled and smiled faintly: “You still see things too superficially. If there truly were no problems, why would the Empress use the excuse of palace servants’ negligence to dispose of those people in the Cold Palace? I heard Song Ao left the palace to seek several famous doctors. Perhaps they used some acupuncture technique to temporarily allow the Crown Prince to walk normally… But no matter how great their skill, in such a short time, the injury cannot be completely healed—old wounds remain. Today is festive; adding a competitive stage for entertainment is fine. Later, arrange for someone good to take care of the Crown Prince. We can’t let his old injury recur and cause him embarrassment in public!”

Towards the end, Consort Shang cast a meaningful glance at her son.

Second Prince Feng Qiting immediately understood—indeed, during martial displays, accidents with hands and feet were common.

His Imperial Father had imperial physicians attending him. If the Crown Prince were injured, the physicians would certainly examine him. If there truly was a leg ailment, they could make a big issue of it. Let’s see if Old Fourth could still cling to the position of Crown Prince!

However, this task needed to be carried out by someone else, not implicating himself. The best candidate would naturally be the Third Prince, Feng Qiwu, who was on bad terms with the Crown Prince and known for his reckless actions!

Thinking of this, the Second Prince smiled as he looked at the Third Prince Feng Qiwu sitting opposite and rose to approach him…

At this moment, the palace banquet was lively, but the Emperor’s expression was not bright. He suddenly spoke: “Empress, when the princes paid their respects earlier, I didn’t see the Crown Prince. Where is he?”

The palace ladies and princes did not enter the hall at the same time. The Empress had arrived first, and the Crown Prince should have entered later with the other princes.

She, too, had noticed that “Feng Qiyuan,” who should have been paying his respects, was nowhere to be seen. Just now, she had asked Song Ao, who had hurriedly come. Song Ao, with cold sweat on her brow and a panicked expression, said that when the youth was about to reach the Golden Hall, he suddenly complained of a stomachache, saying he could barely hold it in.

With no alternative, Song Ao and two palace maids had accompanied her to a side chamber. There had been no movement from inside. When Song Ao grew suspicious and entered, she discovered the room empty—the youth had vanished.

When the Empress heard this, her heart contracted. She regretted being too hasty, rushing to frame the Second Prince and taking this risky step!

That girl dared to escape privately—such audacity!

Just then, the Emperor inquired about the Crown Prince’s whereabouts. Even Empress Tang did not know how to respond and could only force a smile: “That child was greedy for cool food last night and upset his stomach. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness…”

Emperor Chunde slightly furrowed his brow. Hadn’t everyone been a prince once?

For such palace ceremonial occasions, the princes would start fasting and eating only rice porridge the day before, not daring to eat incorrectly or get bloated, delaying court etiquette.

That good-for-nothing wouldn’t shortchange himself, missing the ceremony—truly beyond help!

The consorts and princes nearby exchanged glances, lowering their heads to hide their smiles. Some elder ministers who were exasperated sighed, wishing they could personally help the heir pull through his stomach troubles.

Just then, the palace attendant at the great hall’s entrance suddenly announced loudly that the Crown Prince had come to offer birthday wishes.

The conversations in the palace hall came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned their gaze toward the entrance.

And the Crown Prince, who had not appeared in public for four years, dressed in ceremonial robes with a golden crown and jade belt, strode in with great strides and a graceful bearing. That height… seemed to have increased considerably.

The once frail, effeminate youth had somehow grown into someone tall and neat, causing everyone’s eyes to light up.