Tantai Yu quickly went over her three younger brothers in her mind. Her second younger brother was her full brother, the son of the same mother, so she ruled him out immediately. After all, this younger brother did not exist in the original novel. Her mother had been nothing more than Noble Consort Cui’s servant from beginning to end, and could never have given birth to the emperor’s son. It was only because of Tantai Yu’s appearance that this variable—the second prince—had come into existence. He certainly could not be the future emperor from the original story.
The third and fourth princes were both only three years old. They could barely speak clearly, had yet to begin their studies, and it was impossible to tell whether they were intelligent.
The fifth princess was a princess and therefore did not need to be considered.
How was she supposed to make a judgment?
Would she not have to wait until the third and fourth princes grew up before she could determine which of them would become the future emperor?
Tantai Yu frowned deeply. “They’re still so young. I have no way of judging which of my third and fourth younger brothers will become the future ruler of Great Zhou!”
【Why is the host only considering the princes? The system reminds you that a princess is also Emperor Hong’s child, and she has a chance of becoming the future emperor of Great Zhou.】
Tantai Yu let out a derisive laugh. “Impossible! This is ancient times! How could the emperor possibly allow a princess to inherit the throne? There has never been a precedent in history for a princess to succeed to the throne!”
“A princess will always be a princess. She can never compare with a prince! Even in modern times, money and property are still mostly passed down to men! In Great Zhou, women cannot take the imperial examinations, and even opening a household in their own name is extremely difficult. If they want to survive, they must rely on men! Men have stripped women of every possible path in life. They will never regard women as equals, no matter how outstanding a princess may be! How could they possibly allow a princess to ascend the throne? Women are born physically weaker than men, and this is ancient times, after all.”
【Very well. The host’s analysis does seem reasonable. What does the host intend to do next?】
Tantai Yu asked suspiciously, “You really don’t know who the future emperor of Great Zhou will be? Tell me now, and then I’ll have a direction. I can assist the future emperor and help you obtain energy.”
【The system’s energy is low, and it has no authority to examine the identity of Great Zhou’s future emperor. The energy that could originally be used to inspect characters was all spent on establishing mental communication between the host and her birth mother, as well as changing Chen Yunxiang’s appearance.】
Tantai Yu gritted her teeth. At the time, she had had no other choice. How could she have let such a perfect opportunity slip by? Now that she could not inspect the identity of Great Zhou’s future emperor, she could only make guesses based on the system’s hints.
Fortunately, the future emperor of Great Zhou possessed remarkably distinctive characteristics—traits that only a genius would have. It should not be difficult to find him.
As another thought occurred to her, Tantai Yu continued, “My mother has been exposed! She has already been demoted to a commoner, and Cui Huaiyin has returned to the imperial palace! Father has discovered that my mother’s face wasn’t her real face. What should I do now? Will Father trace this back to me? What if Father finds out that I’m not actually his daughter? I’ll be finished!”
【The host must remain calm. Even if Emperor Hong has suspicions, he has no evidence proving that we were responsible. Only the host can see the system. Great Zhou has no technology capable of detecting such things, and no one can confirm that the host is not Emperor Hong’s daughter. As long as the host does not reveal any flaws, no one should discover the truth.】
Tantai Yu said, “But I still can’t feel at ease! Can you use energy to change my appearance so that, when I grow up, I’ll resemble Father? That’s the only way to ensure that no one suspects me.”
【The system has no energy…】
Tantai Yu drew a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She could not panic. As long as she waited a few more years, until the third and fourth princes grew older and revealed their abilities, she would know which future emperor she was meant to assist.
As long as she helped the future emperor ascend the throne, helped him usher in an age of prosperity, and maintained that prosperity for three years, the system would not erase her. She would live to be a hundred, enjoying a life of wealth and comfort!
Fortunately, while she was still in Chen Yunxiang’s womb, she had already anticipated that this day might come. She had therefore made the system fabricate the signs of pregnancy, causing the imperial physicians to believe that her mother had conceived her only after Emperor Hong brought her back to the capital.
She was still the eldest princess of Great Zhou and the child most favored by her father. With her memories and learning, she would only become more valued by Emperor Hong in the future.
Aside from Chen Yunxiang, no one in this world knew her true origins. Even if Cui Huaiyin returned to the palace, she would not be able to interfere with Tantai Yu.
“Princess! Princess, this is terrible!”
The shouting outside irritated her. A moment later, there came a loud, pounding knock on the door. Tantai Yu said coldly, “Come in!”
The palace maid Dongxue hurriedly pushed the door open, allowing the sunlight outside to stream in and illuminate the entire room.
“Princess, this is terrible! Yesterday, Consort Cui brought back a child about the same age as the princess. Just now, His Majesty issued an imperial decree naming that child Princess Fuxi!”
Tantai Yu’s brows drew together, and she took a deep breath. She had not expected it to happen so quickly. It was just like in the book: Cui Huaiyin had given birth to Emperor Hong’s eldest daughter, who had been granted the title Princess Fuxi.
In the book, Princess Fuxi had been born in the prince’s estate and had grown up surrounded by affection. Her fate had been extraordinarily fortunate, so Tantai Yu had borrowed her identity as the eldest princess. She had thought that, in this life, Princess Fuxi would remain among the common people—or perhaps die young. She had never expected that, after all those twists and turns, Princess Fuxi would return to the imperial palace, still bearing the same name and the same title.
All her efforts had been in vain!
In the book, Emperor Hong had cherished Princess Fuxi beyond measure, favoring her even more than many of his sons. Now that Princess Fuxi had returned, would she also take away her father’s affection?
Tantai Yu clenched her hands, her expression turning unbearably cold.
“What else have you found out?”
Dongxue hesitated for a moment before saying, “This servant also heard that Princess Fuxi is His Majesty’s child who was lost outside the palace—His Majesty’s own daughter—and that His Majesty dotes on her greatly. This servant also heard…”
She stopped, her face troubled.
Tantai Yu snapped, “Speak! Go on!”
Dongxue said, “This servant… this servant heard that Princess Fuxi is the same age as the princess, and was born several days earlier. Princess Fuxi is the true eldest princess of Great Zhou. But please don’t be upset, Princess. You will certainly remain His Majesty’s most favored Princess Shengping. Even with another princess in the palace, she could never compare with you!”
Tantai Yu lowered her head. “Leave!”
Dongxue did not go. After hesitating for a while, she said, “C—Commoner Chen sent someone to pass on a message just now. She wants the princess to go see her. She says there is something she wishes to tell the princess.”
Tantai Yu rose to her feet, her eyes filled with irritation. “Go to Qiuling Palace to see my mother.”
“Yes!”
Tantai Yu walked along the palace path she usually took, feeling that all the servants around her were looking at her strangely.
These people were all the same. The moment someone fell from favor, they showed those disgusting faces that fawned on the powerful and trampled on the weak. If she had not had something urgent to deal with, she would have taught them a lesson and made them understand that, even if her mother had fallen from grace, she was still a princess!
It took Tantai Yu half an hour to reach Qiuling Palace.
Qiuling Palace was not technically the Cold Palace, but it stood right beside it and was hardly any different. It was bleak, dilapidated, and neglected.
The plaster had fallen from the walls and lay scattered across the ground. The walls were mottled and weatherworn, and grass grew from the roof. The courtyard was even more chaotic, covered in fallen leaves and weeds. From inside came the sound of muffled sobbing.
