Chapter Twenty-Nine: I've Found My People!

The sweltering summer sun blazed high in the sky. Within his study, Long Xiaoyan was busy reviewing the memorials the Emperor had recently entrusted to him. His sword-like brows were knit together, and his chiseled, exceptionally handsome face remained cold and composed. A purple crown, symbolizing his noble status, sat upon his high-coiled hair, while a few stray strands of ink-black hair across his forehead added a touch of wildness to his current steady demeanor. At times, his brows would furrow slightly, and at others, a hint of sorrow would emerge. No matter the expression, he was mesmerizingly attractive—truly an enchanting demon of a man!

"Reporting to the Prince, the Steward is here to see you," a guard announced loudly from outside the door.

Long Xiaoyan frowned slightly, set down the memorial, and said coldly, "Send him in."

"This old slave pays respects to the Prince. Please, Your Highness, forgive me." Steward Wang knelt on the floor, his body trembling. If it were not absolutely necessary, he would never dare disturb the Prince; the aura emanating from His Highness was simply too terrifying.

"What is it?" The voice was cold, the gaze was cold, and the presence was cold—everything was bitingly frigid.

"The Princess has injured Lian Ya, the head maid in the Prince's chambers, and scared Mother Wang into a faint. And then..." Steward Wang hesitated, his eyes darting about, clearly afraid to continue.

"And then what?" Long Xiaoyan arched a brow and asked coldly.

"The Princess also set fire to Mother Wang's courtyard. The flames were too intense and ended up burning down two neighboring small courtyards as well. The fire has since been extinguished," Steward Wang said, summoning the courage to finish the report.

"Hmm? I see. You may leave." Instead of the expected rage, a flicker of surprise crossed Long Xiaoyan’s eyes. His thin lips parted as he said coldly, "Give orders that since Mother Wang’s residence was in disrepair, I am now rewarding her with the Wan Pavilion."

"Yes!" Steward Wang responded blankly, his mind filled with shock and bewilderment.

The turmoil of Yan Ziyu’s first day of etiquette lessons, which ended with Mother Wang fainting and several courtyards burning down, sent shockwaves through the Prince Xiao’s estate. Yet, when the news reached Long Xiaoyan, he only paused slightly and said, "Lian Ya attempted to plot against the Princess—have her beaten to death! Tell the estate physician to prescribe some tonics for Mother Wang."

With that, the infighting in the back courtyards of the estate intensified. Conversely, the culprit’s residence, He Garden, remained peaceful and warm. Little Rui’er had learned by example and made several frightening masks, playing with the maids and servants in the yard, his clear, childish laughter echoing constantly.

*My son, I will protect your smile. I will not let anyone hurt you!*

Watching Rui’er’s happy and adorable smile, Yan Ziyu swore to herself, a look of steely determination flashing in her eyes.

The next day, after Mother Wang woke up and learned that the courtyard she had lived in for years had been burned to the ground, she fainted again from rage. However, since the Prince had ordered her to continue teaching the Princess etiquette, she dragged her ailing body to teach the second lesson: music.

Who would have thought—

"Creak... screech... snap!" A beautiful, melodic *Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix* was turned into a piercing, demonic cacophony that assaulted everyone's eardrums. Then, with a loud 'snap', the zither string broke.

Mother Wang looked at the top-tier zither, a gift from the Empress, with tears streaming down her face. She glared viciously at the person standing there with an innocent expression, wishing she could devour her alive!

The third day...

***

It was high noon, a time that should have been for a midday nap, yet the unfortunate woman was ordered to sit in the courtyard and embroider. The excuse: needlework is a necessary virtue for a woman, and how could a noble Princess not know it?

Thus, Yan Ziyu sat under the shade of a tree for an hour. When she triumphantly handed her result to Mother Wang...

"Pfft—what on earth is this!" Mother Wang spat a mouthful of tea onto the maid massaging her legs and roared at Yan Ziyu, her expression as if she had seen a ghost.

In contrast, Yan Ziyu looked high-spirited. She pointed smilingly at her embroidery and explained, "This is poop, commonly known as 'feces', or in folk terms, 'fertilizer'. As the saying goes, the most beautiful flowers need the most nutritious manure to grow, otherwise, how could they bloom so vibrantly..." She spoke with such conviction that she didn't notice Mother Wang’s complexion turning worse with every word. Finally, Mother Wang collapsed onto the ground and fainted once more!

After the physician diagnosed her, he stated that Mother Wang was suffering from a surge of blood to the heart and an excess of liver fire, requiring a long period of quiet rest!

Consequently, our heroine shouted, "Long live freedom!"

"Ah—ah—ah—" She lay on the daybed, screaming like a madwoman, scaring the maids outside so much that they all rushed in, staring at her with tense faces.

"Princess, what happened? Did you have a nightmare?" Green Willow looked at her with concern, her expression somewhat strange, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Yan Ziyu scratched her head without any regard for her image and shrieked hysterically, "Ah—it's boring, boring... I'm bored to death! Embroidery, what embroidery? Where is my precious Rui’er? Go find him, his mother is dying to see him." If she had to stay obediently, she would surely go mad.

In front of outsiders, she was a quiet and elegant Princess, but in front of Zi Yi and a few others she trusted, she remained the willful and proud Yan Ziyu.

About an hour later, three figures snuck out of the back gate of the estate and slipped through a small alleyway onto the street.

At high noon, the bright sun cast golden light upon the earth. The busy, bustling streets were filled with a constant stream of people. Peddlers shouted their wares, and children ran back and forth, their happy laughter ringing out from time to time.

A crowd of innocent children gathered in front of a sugar-figure stall, gasping in wonder as the old man crafted lifelike figures with his hands.

"Wow, a little tiger! Rui’er wants a little tiger..." Rui’er pointed at a small tiger figure and shouted happily.

For this outing, Yan Ziyu had dressed Rui’er like an ordinary child in coarse hemp clothing, wanting to avoid revealing his identity and keep a low profile. Even so, Rui’er’s cuteness drew constant attention, making people turn their heads to look at the adorable child.

Beside him walked a young gentleman in a lotus-green robe. With delicate and handsome features, he could not hide his inherent nobility even in coarse clothes. His clear eyes darted around, as if searching for something. If one looked closely at his gaze, one would find an expression like a cat wanting to steal a fish, staring unblinkingly at the waistlines of passing pedestrians.

His hands were itching, his heart was itching; he really wanted to satisfy his old habit...

***

"Little young master, here is your little tiger. You must eat it quickly, or it will melt, and then there will be nothing left," the old man said, amused by Rui’er’s cuteness.

"Thank you, Grandpa!" Rui’er thanked him politely, took two copper coins from the small pouch at his waist, and handed them over. He then licked the sugar tiger with his pink little tongue, smiling brilliantly.

Autumn Lotus hurried to roll up his sleeves and wiped the sugar from his face with a handkerchief. Seeing him so happy, she smiled too, but... she turned to look at Yan Ziyu beside her and couldn't help but sigh and shake her head!

She never expected the Princess to be so adept at cross-dressing. Along the way, she had even been greeting young girls on the street. It was fortunate she was a woman; if she were a man, she would surely break the hearts of countless maidens!

*Rare Goods House*—the name fit perfectly. Everything sold in the shop was a rare treasure, from precious gems and jades to exotic herbs and strange beasts! No one knew who the owner was, but the ten managers under them were all exceptionally capable. In just five years, the name *Rare Goods House* had become famous across the three kingdoms, becoming the favorite destination for nobles everywhere.

"Rare Goods House—that's an interesting name! Let’s go in and take a look," the youth in the lotus-green robe said, entering the crowded shop. Behind him followed the steady and delicate Autumn Lotus, and Rui’er, who was still nibbling on his sugar tiger.

"Wow, this place is so pretty! Mom... mmph..." Looking at the novel sights all around, Rui’er started to call out habitually, but before the word could leave his mouth, Autumn Lotus covered it.

"Clerk, do you have anything better? These... are all too ordinary!" The youth in the deep purple brocade, which was Yan Ziyu in her male disguise, had a knack for appraising treasures from her 21st-century background. She could tell at a glance that the items on the first floor were mere trifles that failed to pique her interest.

"This young master, please, follow me to the second floor!" A middle-aged man who appeared to be the manager walked over and respectfully invited them upstairs.

As soon as she reached the second floor, Yan Ziyu froze!

This... this is...

Her mind went blank. No words could describe her feelings; she almost forgot how to think.

The familiar European-style decor, the snowy white walls, the Picasso-esque abstract paintings—the white piano, though merely a display model, was shocking enough. In the glass cases were elegant cheongsams of various styles, and in the very center of the cabinet hung a Western-style suit and a white wedding dress. To others, this was incredibly bizarre, but to her, it felt incomparably intimate!

These were things she knew. This was the only hope she had seen in this world; perhaps... perhaps there was a chance to go back!

At this thought, her excitement grew. She grabbed the manager who had led them up, shaking his clothes vigorously, and asked, "Who is your boss? Who painted these things? Who? Who on earth is it—"

Excitement, immense excitement! She was almost certain that the designer of this place was a fellow traveler. Time travel, oh time travel! She had finally found traces of her own kind!

"Uh... this young master, you..." *My head, it's spinning! I feel like throwing up...*

"Bad person, you're bullying a child! You'll be chased by dogs!" A childish voice full of anger rang out. For a child, being chased by a dog was surely a most miserable fate.