Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Ye Piaoling suddenly reached out and gave the other’s chest a quick poke.

Her expression shifted instantly. “Your chest is fake! You really are a man!”

Hua Wuhuang: “…”

Hua Wuhuang paused for a moment before retorting, “What, a woman can’t pad herself a bit?”

“You can pad it,” Ye Piaoling said with certainty, “but not to the point where I can feel pectoral muscles through the cotton stuffing.”

“…”

A flash of frustration crossed Hua Wuhuang’s face.

After a moment, however, he let out a relieved laugh.

That smile was enough to topple kingdoms. He spoke.

“That’s right. I am indeed a man.”

Ye Piaoling asked, “Then why are you…”

Hua Wuhuang sighed. “When I was born, my father’s life was hanging by a thread. My mother resorted to this plan just to make him happy… I never expected that I would soon be conferred the title of Princess. Plus, my father has a heart condition and can’t handle any shocks, so I’ve had to cross-dress as a woman until now.”

Ye Piaoling nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.

Even the late Emperor had believed he was a woman and granted him a title. Once the truth was exposed, it would be considered deceiving the monarch-a crime of no small magnitude.

Furthermore, General Hua had high blood pressure and heart disease. If he suddenly learned his precious daughter was actually a male imposter, he would likely drop dead on the spot…

Hua Wuhuang gazed at her, his eyes suddenly narrowing as he gave a cold laugh. “What should I do? My secret has been discovered by you.”

Ye Piaoling immediately raised her hand to swear an oath. “I promise to keep your secret! Uh, I really can’t hold it anymore, I’m going to the restroom first!”

With that, she vanished into the women’s latrine in a flash…

Hua Wuhuang watched her retreating back, the corners of his lips curving upward.

When Ye Piaoling emerged from the latrine, she felt much lighter and her mind was significantly clearer.

Hua Wuhuang was still waiting for her outside the bamboo grove.

Upon seeing him, Ye Piaoling gave an awkward laugh and said, “Sorry, I didn’t know about you before… otherwise, I wouldn’t have dragged you to the women’s restroom.”

Hua Wuhuang didn’t seem to mind much. He simply grabbed her wrist and smiled. “Xiao Yezi, I’ve thought it over. We must continue to be best friends.”

“Why?” Ye Piaoling asked curiously.

Hua Wuhuang sighed. “You were the one who took the initiative to find me at the start, and everyone saw it… If you ignore me after one trip to the latrine, they’ll inevitably get suspicious and start doubting my gender.”

Ye Piaoling thought about it and said, “Makes sense! Then from now on, in front of outsiders, we’re still good sisters!”

The two of them returned to the sect entrance arm-in-arm.

The crowd watched them, whispering amongst themselves.

Hua Wuhuang’s red robes fluttered, looking exceptionally beautiful; most young ladies would pale in comparison standing next to him.

However, Ye Piao had very delicate features and was wearing a set of ethereal, light white gauze robes. Standing with Hua Wuhuang, she complemented him perfectly, each showcasing their own unique charm.

Some daughters of high-ranking officials couldn’t help but mock them.

“Isn’t that the loser from the Prime Minister’s Mansion? How did she end up hanging out with Hua Wuhuang?”

“Hmph, neither of them has anyone to talk to, so they’re just huddling together for warmth!”

“Hua Wuhuang is the Number One Beauty of Dali. Heh, Miss Ye probably thinks she can get some reflected glory by getting close to her…”

“What ‘Number One Beauty of Dali’? Look at how tall she is, she doesn’t have a lick of femininity! If she actually gets married, what man could stand her!”

Ye Piaoling heard this and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The Number One Beauty of Dali was a man. If word got out, other countries would probably laugh their heads off…

As the hour approached, the disciples enrolling had mostly arrived. The cultivators of the Tianwen Sect began to maintain order, telling everyone to line up and prepare to enter the school gates in sequence.

At that moment, a carriage suddenly came galloping toward them, charging recklessly before stopping right in front of the main gate.

The carriage was decorated with over-the-top luxury, followed by over a dozen servants running behind it. It was an incredibly arrogant display.

“It’s the carriage from Duke Anguo’s Mansion!” someone exclaimed.

Duke Anguo was the current Emperor’s eldest uncle and was extremely powerful.

Another person said enviously, “The Heir of Duke Anguo and the Princess are also enrolling this time. As expected of the Emperor’s cousins, what an impressive display!”
The young ladies were filled with anticipation, gazing toward the carriage with curiosity.

“I heard the Heir of Duke Anguo, Xiao Chengxu, is a man of exceptional grace and talent, and his cultivation is quite high. Although he lacks a Spirit Vein, his martial arts are said to be on par with Hua Wuhuang’s!”

“As for that Princess, they say she was lost as a child and only recently found. I wonder what she looks like…”

Amidst the chatter, the carriage came to a steady halt. A guard immediately bent over, kneeling outside the carriage to serve as a human footstool.

Ye Piaoling couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. They certainly knew how to put on airs…

The door opened, and first to step down was the Heir of Duke Anguo, Xiao Chengxu. He was tall and straight, the very image of a refined gentleman.

After alighting, Xiao Chengxu turned with great poise and extended his hand to assist his sister.

A moment later, a young woman dressed in a magnificent gown held his arm and carefully stepped onto the guard’s back to descend. She was draped in silks and satins, adorned with jewels, yet her complexion was somewhat haggard, giving her the appearance of someone who had not yet fully recovered from a serious illness.

The moment Ye Piaoling saw her, her eyes widened in surprise.

This newly returned legitimate daughter of Duke Anguo’s Mansion, this high-born Princess of Dali-

Was none other than the former maid from the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Qiao Shu!

Back then, Qiao Shu had impersonated Ye Piaoling to claim a handkerchief at Chonghua Palace. After being beaten and thrown back to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, Ye Liaozhai had kicked her out.

With nowhere to go, she soon ended up in a brothel, where she happened to be spotted by Xiao Chengxu during one of his outings for pleasure.

When Xiao Chengxu saw the birthmark shaped like a pickled chicken claw on her chest, he remembered that he had a sister who had been accidentally lost shortly after birth, and she had the exact same birthmark in the same place. He immediately brought her back to Duke Anguo’s Mansion…

After a blood kinship test, it was discovered that Qiao Shu was indeed the legitimate daughter the family had lost years ago!

Now, Qiao Shu had ascended to the heavens in a single bound. Standing before the carriage, she looked down upon the other young ladies with an arrogant gaze.

At first glance, she spotted Ye Xiangxiang nearby.

Qiao Shu narrowed her eyes and walked toward her.

After becoming a Princess, her initial days of ecstasy had given way to a heart full of resentment and bitterness. She was clearly of noble blood, yet she had been cast adrift among the commoners, serving as a servant for so many years…

She harbored an even stronger hatred for the Ye household. Everyone in the Ye family had seen her in her most subservient state; whenever she thought of those days as a maid, she felt an uncontrollable rage!

Ye Xiangxiang also recognized Qiao Shu, her face filled with utter shock.

Qiao Shu… was actually the legitimate daughter of Duke Anguo’s Mansion?

Qiao Shu walked up to Ye Xiangxiang and raised an eyebrow. “Ye Xiangxiang, long time no see.”

Snapping back to her senses, Ye Xiangxiang hurriedly curtsied and performed a formal greeting. “G-Greetings, Princess Anguo…”

Qiao Shu let out a cold laugh, enunciating every word. “The Second Miss truly lacks manners. Do you not know that when a commoner woman meets a Princess, she is to kneel and kowtow?”

Ye Xiangxiang was startled, staring at the mean, mocking smile on Qiao Shu’s face and the menacing guards standing behind her.

Trembling with fear, she quickly dropped to her knees and kowtowed. “This lowly commoner greets Her Highness the Princess.”

Qiao Shu glanced at her, a look of smug satisfaction appearing at the corners of her mouth.

The other daughters of high officials watched this, none of them daring to make a sound.

They understood that since this was the Princess’s first public appearance, she naturally had to assert her dominance.

Ye Xiangxiang’s kowtow gave Qiao Shu a thrill of revenge, but the person she wanted to retaliate against most was not Ye Xiangxiang.

“Where is that sister of yours? I heard she is also joining the Tianwen Sect.”

“She…”

Ye Xiangxiang looked up in panic, glancing in a certain direction.

The crowd parted automatically, revealing Ye Piaoling standing in the distance.

Ye Piaoling was standing next to Hua Wuhuang, leaning back with her arms crossed in a relaxed posture, as if she were merely watching a play.

Qiao Shu’s gaze fell upon Ye Piaoling, and an uncontrollable hatred welled up in the depths of her eyes.

The last time they met, she had been the one kneeling before Ye Piaoling, begging to return to the Falling Petals Courtyard, only to be rejected for being too ugly…

Today, she would make sure to return all that humiliation a hundredfold!