Changsheng: Peak at the Beginning

Chapter 1823 Water Dragon's Chant 26

When Jiang Xinxin returned to the palace, she felt that in just over half a month, the atmosphere in the palace had changed. In particular, she felt that the way the palace maids and eunuchs looked at her was meaningful.

She immediately realized that Zhong Chunji's move had finally been brought to the forefront, and now many people were waiting to see her make a fool of herself. Even court officials would use her "true identity" to attack the emperor.

The emperor was already furious. When he saw Jiang Xinxin, he immediately made his stance clear: "Xinxin, my child. As a father, I would never fail to recognize my own flesh and blood!"

"Since some people want to use your status to stir up trouble, then I will definitely make them see the price they will have to pay for doing so!"

Jiang Xinxin simply feigned a moved expression, while Empress Tang, after a brief moment of embarrassment, preemptively warned the emperor: "Your Majesty, I only have one daughter, Xinxin. She is merely a princess, unable to attend court or participate in politics, nor is she qualified to compete for the throne. Twenty years ago, we carelessly lost her, causing her to suffer so much hardship among the common people. Now that we have finally found her, just because of a mere fiefdom, her brothers and sisters see her as a thorn in their side!"

The emperor knew, of course, that Empress Tang was directly reminding him. While the court officials felt they had finally caught him red-handed, his children were also jealous of their eldest daughter and wished they could kill her.

But could he blame Empress Tang for being so unfair? Empress Tang herself said something very true: she only had one eldest princess under her patronage, so in the past she treated all the concubines, princes and princesses equally and without bias.

Now that her own daughter has been found, she treats her eldest daughter, the princess, with more favoritism and bias. How can those princes and princesses who have grown up in the palace, enjoying fine clothes and food and the love of their parents, have the face to complain about her, the empress?

They shouldn't be jealous of their eldest sister!

Recalling the almost coercive competition among his court officials over the succession, the emperor felt no affection for his princes and princesses whatsoever. He saw them as a bunch of troublemakers the moment he opened his eyes, wishing they were all gone.

Compared to Jiang Xinxin's repeated refusals regarding the ownership of Sword King City, almost every princess, regardless of whether they had brothers or not, directly or indirectly participated in the struggle for the throne, leaving the emperor utterly exhausted.

In particular, Zhong Chunji, who was promoted by the court officials at the behest of the princes, is now being widely rumored in the capital that Princess Langya, Jiang Xinxin, is impersonating her. The court has even reached a consensus to return Zhong Chunji and Jiang Xinxin to their respective places. Only the Tang family, the maternal relatives of the Empress, insists that the Empress could never mistake her own flesh and blood and wants to protect Jiang Xinxin.

Although Jiang Xinxin seems to be plagued by troubles, she is actually living a carefree life in the Princess's Mansion. Because it is inconvenient to go out and have fun recently, Tang Shi, Empress Tang, and even the Emperor have secretly sent a lot of actors to the Princess's Mansion. In fact, in just half a month, she has also acquired a special kitchen from all over the country.

The Princess's mansion was filled with the sounds of music and dancing, making it a lively and bustling place. However, Zhong Chunji's situation gradually became increasingly awkward as the Princess's mansion became more and more lively.

Zhong Chunji knew, of course, that she didn't have a butterfly tattoo on her shoulder, but its sudden appearance and the huge secret it concealed made her uneasy. She had seen Jiang Xinxin dressed up in her finest attire, and what young girl hadn't momentarily imagined herself dressed like a princess? So when she learned that the butterfly tattoo that suddenly appeared on her shoulder was related to the ownership of the Princess of Langya, she couldn't help but be moved.

After all, besides her supreme status, she had been orphaned since childhood and hoped to find her biological parents.

However, the royal family's attitude was very clear: even if she had a butterfly tattoo that could prove her identity as Princess Langya, she seemed to have no chance of having biological parents. So after the initial excitement and anticipation, she gradually gave up and even dared not contact anyone, for fear of hearing someone laugh at her for being presumptuous and daring to covet such a noble status as Princess Langya!

Shao Yanping dared not let any rumors link his apprentice Zhong Chunji to the position of Princess Langya go unchecked. He even wrote to the emperor immediately, claiming that Zhong Chunji was already seven years old when he adopted her, and that the servants in his household had never found any tattoo on Zhong Chunji's back shoulder. Therefore, Zhong Chunji could not possibly be Princess Langya. He hoped that the emperor could investigate the matter as soon as possible and clear Zhong Chunji's name.

To be honest, Shao Yanping's move really saved Zhong Chunji's life, because he directly put Zhong Chunji in the position of a victim.

However, at this moment, Zhong Chunji had not yet fully recovered from the excessive guilt she felt towards her fellow disciples. Then she was tempted by a pie she had always dreamed of but could never have. For a moment, she did not know whether to hate her master Shao Yanping for not giving her any chance, or to be glad that her master had made a decision for her and prevented her from falling into a complete trap.

Even though Zhong Chunji was just a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world), she was very clear about the crime of impersonating a member of the royal family. She also understood that she could not possibly be the Langya Princess who had been lost at the age of three. Therefore, she knew from the beginning that even if she really coveted the power and status of the Langya Princess, she could not compare to Jiang Xinxin.

At this moment, Tang Lizhi came over to help Zhong Chunji out of her hair at Shao Yanping's request.

Upon meeting, Tang Lizhi recounted the story of how she and Jiang Xinxin rescued her from the Peony Pavilion. "Back then at the Peony Pavilion, it was the princess who rescued us from the water. Both the princess and I saw the butterfly tattoo on your shoulder. At that time, the princess foresaw that someone would definitely use you to stir up trouble."

Zhong Chunji felt extremely embarrassed. Even though Tang Licheng, whom she admired, was right in front of her, she just wanted to send him away so she could be alone for a while.

Tang Lizhi then seized the opportunity to continue, "President Shao is very worried about you. He has no children. Miss Zhong, you are both his disciple and his adopted daughter. His affection for you is no less than that for blood relatives."

Zhong Chunji finally lost her temper, smashed things, and kicked Tang Lizhi out of the door.

But when she was alone, what surfaced in her mind was no longer just the scenes of being bullied and cursed during her childhood as a homeless child, but also the earnest teachings and high expectations that her adoptive father and mentor, Shao Yanping, had given her. She was also a girl who had been cherished and loved.

Although Zhong Chunji, who had not yet experienced power and status, was unwilling, she still possessed the clarity and justice that Shao Yanping had taught her. She knew that what was not hers, even if it was temporarily in her hands, would be lost sooner or later. So, in the end, she bravely walked out of the room at Shao Yanping's repeated calls.