Chapter Twenty-One: Is This Princess Really a Royal Undercover Agent?

Yunbai’s taut shoulders instantly relaxed. As expected, this child was ready to tear apart the pretender. Su Jingluo calmly pushed Shen Zhong aside. Shen Zhong had long since grown weary of standing in front of Lin Feifei, but couldn’t just step away. With Su Jingluo’s gentle push, he stepped aside with relief.

Now exposed, Lin Feifei looked around in panic, unsure what to do.

“Kneel!”

With a thud, Lin Feifei dropped obediently to her knees.

“Kneel right there. Stay down until you come to your senses. If I catch you wailing and raising a fuss again, I’ll smash your face.”

Su Jingluo had no intention of relying on Xiao Jingxuan’s favor to secure her place in the family. She didn’t believe for a moment that he truly liked her; today’s actions must have been nothing short of madness. Relying on a madman for protection was pointless—better to be ruthless herself. Without sparing a glance for the heartbroken, sobbing Lin Feifei, Su Jingluo took Yunbai by the hand and left.

Back at the small courtyard, Su Jingluo felt more exhausted than ever. After settling Yunbai into bed, she fought through her fatigue to peel some bananas, cut them into pieces, and hide them in a jar buried in the snow. She did the same with some grapes. As for the tangerines, they could be stored for a long time in a cool place. Tomorrow, she could surprise Yunbai.

By the time she finished everything, Su Jingluo was thoroughly drained; perhaps it was the toll of the past few days. Still, tired as she was, she couldn’t miss the pure joy of counting her savings before bed. Yet just as she was about to admire the bright gold and lustrous pearls before her, there came a series of cautious knocks at the window—like a secret signal.

She hurriedly hid her money, not needing to guess; it had to be that show-off Xiao Jingxuan. But when she opened the window, she was utterly astonished: the most flamboyant person of all turned out to be the Emperor himself.

“Your Majesty?” Su Jingluo could hardly believe her eyes. Did the Emperor really have the habit of visiting others’ homes in the dead of night?

“Junior Sister!” The Emperor, overcome with emotion, seized Su Jingluo’s shoulders with both hands in a dramatic fashion worthy of a romance novel. The next step would surely be an impassioned embrace.

Su Jingluo nimbly stepped back, bent down, slipped off her shoe, and smacked the Emperor hard across the face with the sole.

“Brazen scoundrel, daring to impersonate the Son of Heaven and sneak into the prince’s residence at night with ill intent! I’ll beat you to death right here.” So what if he was the Emperor? Trying to take advantage of her was intolerable. Su Jingluo set the Emperor on a high moral pedestal, and showed no mercy.

The Emperor was utterly stunned, clutching his face and staring blankly at Su Jingluo.

“What are you looking at, you shameless rascal? If you don’t leave this instant, I’ll call for help.” Su Jingluo was certain the Emperor wouldn’t dare breathe a word about tonight. She neither knew nor cared why he had come to find her. Imperial affairs were nothing but trouble—or the swift path to death. If he were a decent person on a legitimate errand, why not come through the front door? Why sneak in through a window?

“Junior Sister, it really is me!” The Emperor, seeing Su Jingluo brandishing her shoe and glaring at him, edged closer to the window in alarm. “Junior Sister, have you truly lost your memory? Or did you falter while watching over Xiao Jingxuan? Have you… fallen in love with him?” The Emperor gazed at Su Jingluo with a look of deep concern, feigning soulful affection.

What on earth? Was she an undercover agent? An imperial spy? Su Jingluo’s head throbbed anew. In that instant, she finally understood why, whenever Xiao Jingxuan looked at her, it was as though he were staring at his parents’ murderer.

“Or do you blame me for not checking in on you these past five years? I had my reasons…” The Emperor stared dazedly at Su Jingluo, convinced that his emotional, pitiable performance had moved her. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, he looked every bit the wronged victim. The Xiao family truly were masters of performance.