A night passed, and Tangtang finally woke up.
Her eyes bright red, Hongyu didn’t even pause to chat with the little girl. Bursting with joy, she ran outside shouting, “The little master is awake! Chunxia, go report to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess! Chundong, head to the small kitchen and bring over the shredded meat porridge…”
Thank goodness, the little master had finally opened her eyes!
Just as Hongyu turned back into the side hall, Tangtang stumbled out, rubbing her eyes. “Sister, do you know where my father and mother are?”
Before she had drifted off to sleep, she remembered that her mother had opened her eyes.
Though some of that black mist had been dispersed, Mother still needed to drink a bowl of talisman water to ensure she wouldn’t fall into a deep sleep again within the next ten days.
At that thought, Tangtang couldn’t help letting out a heavy sigh.
The spell at Father’s place was terrifyingly sinister. If they couldn’t find a way to break the evil formation within ten days, Mother would fall back into a deep slumber—and this time, she might never wake up again…
Noticing Tangtang’s bare feet, Hongyu hurriedly scooped her up into her arms. “Little Master, why did you run out without your shoes? Let me help you wash up and eat first…”
Before the words could fully leave her mouth, a flurry of quick footsteps echoed from outside.
The second Yun Jingshu stepped across the threshold, Tangtang darted toward her like a burst of wind. “Mother~”
The soft, milky voice sent a wave of warmth through Yun Jingshu’s heart, and she opened her arms to catch her.
Tangtang peeked behind her, but when she didn’t spot Gu Yanzhao, a faint look of disappointment crossed her face.
Noticing this, Yun Jingshu explained in a gentle tone, “Your father went to the imperial palace. How about Mother stays and plays with you?”
Tangtang nodded obediently, burying her small head in Yun Jingshu’s chest and nuzzled her affectionately. “Thank you, Mother. But you haven’t fully recovered yet, so you need to get plenty of rest!”
With that, she slipped out of Yun Jingshu’s arms, took her hand, and tugged her toward the bed. “Lie down quickly, Mother! Tangtang will stay and talk with you!”
Once she coaxed Mother to sleep, she would go brew the talisman water for her!
Yun Jingshu’s delicate brows knit slightly, a hint of helpless affection flickering in her beautiful eyes.
This sweet, considerate little girl was surely a blessing from the ancestors and the heavens above, sending Tangtang right into her and Ah Zhao’s arms.
“Tangbao is so good,” Yun Jingshu pinched her daughter’s cheek lightly. “But Mother has been lying down for so long—she needs to get up and stretch her legs a bit, doesn’t she? Mother isn’t tired at all; I just want to walk around our home with you…”
Tangtang’s eyes lit up. This was actually a perfect opportunity to study the layout of the estate and check for anything unusual.
At that, the little girl folded her hands behind her back, putting on a solemn face. “Alright then, but if Mother gets tired, you must tell Tangtang!”
She was too small to carry Mother on her back, but Mother could lean on her head like a walking stick!
After washing up and finishing breakfast, Tangtang excitedly pulled Yun Jingshu by the hand and headed outside.
Yaya fluttered its wings, landing on Tangtang’s shoulder and squawking away, “Tangbao, I just flew around our place! I heard people saying the flowers and grass here will wither in less than five days, and there aren’t even any birds or bees around…”
Hearing Yaya’s words, Tangtang’s heart skipped a beat.
No wonder it had felt so eerie and quiet when she woke up this morning—there wasn’t a single bird singing or cicada chirping.
Her hand instinctively reached for the pouch at her waist, only to find it missing.
Tangtang’s face turned pale. She spun around to look at Yun Jingshu frantically. “Mother, my pouch is gone!”
Hongyu, who was trailing behind them, hurriedly spoke up, “Don’t panic, Young Mistress! I put that pouch away for safekeeping. I’ll go fetch it for you right now!”
The little master’s pouch had been quite dirty, so she originally planned to clean it before returning it. She hadn’t expected her to be in such a rush.
Hearing Hongyu’s reassurance, Tangtang’s pale face finally softened.
That pouch was a gift from her master—all her hard-earned copper coins and the ancient books he left behind were inside!
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace.
“What?” Emperor Mingde, Gu Ting, blurted out in shock. “The ones who tried to assassinate you were corpse puppets?!”
What audacity! To use such dark, vile creatures to attack the Crown Prince!
Emperor Mingde rose from his throne, striding over to Gu Yanzhao in three quick steps. “Were you hurt?”
Before the words fully left his mouth, Emperor Mingde uncontrollably coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.
“Father!” Gu Yanzhao gasped in horror, stepping forward to support him. “Someone, call the imperial physicians!”
Emperor Mingde waved his hand, pulling out a handkerchief to calmly wipe his mouth. “It’s nothing. Tell me quickly—were you hurt?”
This blood-coughing ailment had plagued him for years; he was long used to it.
He wouldn’t drop dead anytime soon anyway, just feel a bit weak.
The Crown Prince was his absolute lifeblood—nothing could be allowed to happen to him.
Gu Yanzhao helped Emperor Mingde to a seat before continuing, “In response to Father, only one of the secret guards I took out survived. I was also critically injured and fell unconscious, but I was saved by your granddaughter. I am fine now…”
Emperor Mingde nodded. “Fine is good, fine is…”
Wait. What did he just hear?
*Granddaughter?*
*Where did a granddaughter come from?*
Ah Zhao only had three sons under his knee—where could a granddaughter have come from?
Emperor Mingde’s brows locked in a tight frown. *Could she belong to one of my other sons?*
*No, that makes no sense. If another son had fathered a daughter, how could he, the Emperor, not know about it?*
As if realization suddenly struck him, Emperor Mingde’s face turned thunderous. He snatched the inkstone beside him and made to charge outside.
“Father, where are you going?” Gu Yanzhao quickly blocked his way. “Let’s talk this through—don’t act on impulse!”
Emperor Mingde yanked his hand back, his usually pale face flushed red with rage.
“Don’t stop me! I’m going to see which unfilial scoundrel did this!”
As a member of the imperial bloodline, how dare anyone commit such a scandalous act as keeping an unacknowledged mistress on the side!
If word got out, where would the dignity of the royal family lie!
It wasn’t as if he were an old-fashioned, rigid emperor—if a prince fancied a woman, as long as both sides were willing, he could simply bring her into the manor as a concubine.
Emperor Mingde shook with anger. Gasping heavily twice, he gritted his teeth and growled, “Once I find out who it is, I’m going to smash him to death with this inkstone!”
Gu Yanzhao, however, completely misconstrued his father’s words. After a moment of silence, he abruptly dropped to one knee. “Father, Tangtang is my daughter! If you’re going to smash anyone, smash me!”
Tangtang was still so little—one hit from Father’s inkstone and her tiny life would be forfeited.
Emperor Mingde’s eyelids twitched violently. His grip loosened, and the inkstone fell to the floor with a loud *clatter*, shattering into pieces.
Among his sons, he had suspected everyone—even the crippled one and the foolish one. The only person he had never doubted was the Crown Prince!
And yet, it turned out to be him!
Emperor Mingde raised his hand high, but after hesitating for a long moment, he couldn’t bring himself to strike Gu Yanzhao.
“You shameless brat!” Emperor Mingde berated him furiously. “Since that’s the case, bring her into the Eastern Palace and grant her the title of Lady Liang! It’s hardly proper to keep her living outside forever…”
If those censors found out, their scathing memorials accusing the Crown Prince of domestic misconduct would flood the court!
“Lady Liang?” Gu Yanzhao blinked in utter bewilderment. “Tangtang is my daughter and your granddaughter! She’s only three years old! Father, have you lost your mind?”
Father had been tortured by this blood-coughing illness for so many years that not only had his temper grown terrible, but his mind seemed to be slipping as well…