She knew it! That rejection at the Princess Manor the other day must have been a misunderstanding!
The bond between the Princess and Meng Xizhou couldn’t possibly be fake—look, hadn’t she come in person now?
Meng Nanyi had originally thought she could abandon all the other connections Meng Xizhou left behind, but the relationship with the Princess must be carefully maintained.
The Princess was the Emperor’s only sister and shared a close bond with the Crown Prince. Aligning with her would bring countless benefits and no harm!
A few days ago, upon hearing the Princess had returned to her manor, she rushed to pay a visit in a fluster. Yet the guards at the gate claimed the Princess needed quiet recuperation and was not receiving guests. Furious, she stamped her feet—she was the “Meng Xizhou” who had freely come and gone from the Princess Manor since childhood! How dare that blockhead stop her? Was he blind?!
But no matter how much she pleaded, she couldn’t even get through the door!
Now, this immense delight swept away all the gloom.
Meng Nanyi dashed to the bronze mirror, meticulously adjusting her collar to ensure she looked exactly like the perfect “Meng Xizhou.” Only then did she suppress her racing heart and stride out to greet the guest.
The Princess stepped into the courtyard of Lan Zhi Courtyard, her face still pale from prolonged illness, her steps somewhat unsteady.
If not for the Crown Prince’s secret letter mentioning that Meng Xizhou’s situation “might require borrowed influence,” she would still be recuperating at the Princess Manor.
Her son, Song Xubai, had told her that Meng Xizhou had inexplicably appeared in the remote Xiaohe Village… The matter was already peculiar.
Knowing the girl’s cleverness, decisiveness, and resourcefulness, how could there be troubles she couldn’t handle after returning to Hou Manor, ones that required the Princess’s “support”?
Meng Qinrui led the way with obsequious anxiety, his fawning yet somewhat bewildered demeanor only deepening the Princess’s suspicions.
Everything in the manor seemed calm and undisturbed—so where was the need for “support”?
As doubts swirled in her mind, the familiar, slender figure gracefully knelt before her: “I pay respects to Your Highness the Princess. May Your Highness live a thousand years.”
The voice was unmistakably soft and syrupy, laced with a subtle hint of ingratiation.
The Princess’s sharp gaze fell upon the face identical to Meng Xizhou’s. However, when those eyes lifted—
It wasn’t her!
The Princess’s heart sank violently, a chill instantly coursing through her limbs.
Those eyes held none of Meng Xizhou’s usual clarity, wit, or calm composure. Instead, they glittered with the ecstatic calculation of someone who had found a powerful patron to cling to—blatant opportunism!
This was not Meng Xizhou at all! It was that ambitious twin sister—Meng Nanyi!
Shockwaves crashed through the Princess’s heart!
She had only been away from the capital for a few months, leading troops abroad. How could such an appalling substitution have taken place in the respected Hou Manor’s inner quarters?
Assuming another’s identity? And between sisters? It was unheard of! Even more absurd was that Meng Qinrui, their father, seemed completely oblivious, like a blind man?
The Princess abruptly turned, her icy stare sweeping over Meng Qinrui beside her, searching for any trace of guilt or flaw on his face.
Meng Qinrui shuddered under the sudden gaze, cold sweat breaking out instantly.
A flood of absurd thoughts raced through his mind: The Princess had been widowed for years, and she was looking at him like this… Could it be that she fancied him?
Th-this… With her power and influence, how could he possibly resist? Overwhelming panic and a sense of violated humiliation nearly suffocated him. Under the Princess’s invisible pressure, his head gradually lowered until it almost buried itself in his chest.
Seeing his pathetic and foolish demeanor, the Princess’s fury burned even hotter! She couldn’t even spare a sidelong glance for the impostor on the ground: “Is your second daughter Meng Nanyi currently in the manor? Lead the way!”
“Yes, yes! Your Highness, please follow me!” Meng Qinrui hurriedly guided her.
Meng Nanyi stood frozen in place, the smile on her face completely solidifying before shattering!
The Princess had utterly ignored her! That icy gaze… how was it any different from when she was denied entry at the Princess Manor last time?
Why?! Despite having the exact same face as Meng Xizhou, the Princess treated her this way!
What made her blood run cold was—the Princess was going to find “Meng Nanyi”?!
Terror, coiling like a venomous serpent, instantly constricted her heart!
If the Princess were to meet the real Meng Xizhou… No! She must never allow them to meet!
“Your Highness! Your Highness, please wait!” Meng Nanyi completely abandoned decorum, gathered her skirts, and desperately chased after them.
The three arrived simultaneously before the Ancestral Hall, just as the guiding servant stepped forward to push the door open.
Suddenly, a chaotic clattering sound erupted from inside.
Meng Qinrui’s face turned as pale as paper!
Inside were the ancestral tablets—the very foundation of the Hou Manor!
His soul nearly fled his body as he violently shoved aside the blocking servant and flung open the Ancestral Hall doors!
Through the swirling dust, his eyes met a scene of devastation. At the center of the chaos, his newly returned daughter’s voice rang out, filled with shock and fury:
“Mother! Have you lost your mind? Why would you order your maid to destroy the ancestral tablets? This is blasphemy! Heaven will punish such sacrilege!”