Commander Geng froze for a moment.
This time, he finally understood.
So, Mr. Yun is the future Prince Consort!?
He didn’t know if the Fake Princess was disgusted or not, but in any case, everyone else was thrown into chaos by Aotian’s wild antics, their hearts in turmoil.
If there was any uncertainty before, at this moment, Jing Tan’er’s wolfish ambition was clear for all to see, doubled and reflected in everyone’s eyes!
“No way!”
This time, it was Xiao Xinran and Qin Xing’s turn to panic, screaming at the same time.
It was getting more and more outrageous—how did things fast-forward straight to the bridal chamber?
As a chaste Zhen Shi steadfastly defending her ex-husband’s first night rights, Xiao Xinran spoke seriously, “Ahem, let’s talk about the bridal chamber in the next life. For all we know, the impostor Princess might be a Demonic Sect Fiend. Being alone with her is too dangerous for Young Master!”
Trying to overtake on a curve?
No way!
“I—I also think it’s inappropriate. How could Her Highness the Princess Royal be so careless? Even as a joke, it’s unacceptable.”
Senior Sister Qin nodded, turning her head with guilt.
No matter how generous she was, there was no way she could let Yun’s first time go to someone else.
“What right do you have, you sl*t, to butt in about matters between me and him?”
“Exactly! Who has the mood to joke with you all!”
The two Jing Tan’ers, strangely united in their stance, made Xiao Xinran so angry she nearly exploded.
“Sl-slut!?”
After speaking, the two exchanged glances, their eyes strange.
They both let out a “hmph,” the tension thick enough to cut.
“East Shi imitates the West—I wonder how long you can keep up the act!”
“Same to you!”
Aotian flapped her wings, her sharp beak opening and closing.
She loved watching the chaos in the oily brat’s backyard.
She was still laughing when, suddenly, a hand clamped around her neck.
Ji Shiyu looked at Jing Tan’er, then at Jing Tan’er again, her heart thumping.
Suddenly, the pastry in her mouth lost its flavor.
“Ugh, Shiyu, that hurts!”
“Huh?”
Ji Shiyu snapped back to reality, realizing she was strangling a struggling little yellow chick.
Confused, she let go.
What’s this crazy girl doing!?
Aotian fled to the sky in terror, not daring to utter another word.
In that instant, she actually sensed killing intent from the silly daughter she’d raised with such hardship.
Who knew how strange Shiyu’s expression had just been?
The first night in the Royal Capital was full of twists and turns, the farce ending with the main actors parting in discord.
Geng Zhi, after much consideration, could only carefully tend to both Princesses, not daring to neglect either.
He personally guarded the Court of Blossoms.
The two Jing Tan’ers were placed in separate rooms, far apart.
Nini and Lu’er could only run back and forth, comforting the aggrieved Princesses.
Her Highness the Princess Royal returned from her studies—except now there were two of her, both appearing publicly in succession.
Even the Imperial Guard couldn’t tell the real from the fake.
Such a major event couldn’t be hidden from the citizens.
Within a single night, rumors spread wildly through the city.
Some said an illegitimate daughter abandoned by the Nation Master had come to seek justice.
Others claimed the late Consort Princess had given birth to twin daughters, so stories grew more sensational with each retelling.
What’s more, The King’s holy body had been ailing, his condition worsening, and lately he had rarely appeared in public.
Everyone had a bad feeling, and though no one dared discuss the succession openly, it was clear to all that only the young Princess could inherit.
At dawn, the Imperial Guard brought word, summoning the Princess for an audience—the final decision left to The King.
Only the East Extreme Pavilion Master was permitted to accompany her.
Qin Xing and Xiao Xinran stood at the entrance of the Court of Blossoms, looking anxious, fearing the fake Princess would harm the Dynasty.
Yun Liu gave them a reassuring look, set aside all his possessions and weapons, with only Youyou hiding in his shadow.
“General Geng.”
“Mr. Yun.”
The two cupped their hands in greeting.
Geng Zhi forced a smile, winking.
“Mr. Yun, you hide your strength well. My apologies, my apologies.”
“Huh?”
Geng Zhi said nothing more, and Yun Liu could only smile bitterly.
He had simply regarded Jing Tan’er as a trustworthy business partner, wanting to cultivate a trump card as strong as the main cast.
Yet the Little Princess was intent on making him her captive husband.
But regardless of the substitute’s intentions, she’d never succeed under his nose…
Both wore their favorite pink palace dresses, hair pinned up.
The two identical Jing Tan’ers, flanked by maids, lifted their skirts and each took one of the would-be Prince Consort’s arms, trying to gain the upper hand, their usually sharp tempers now charmingly subdued.
“You let go!”
“No, you back away from this Princess!”
Pressed between two soft bodies, Yun Liu had no chance to escape.
All he could think about was Aotian’s nonsense, and his heart thumped wildly.
Could the Skin-Changing Art really make even the inside identical?
Damn it, even a clay figurine has a temper.
The Demonic Sect had gone too far!
If he lost control, he’d just throw both the demoness and the Princess out—at worst, he’d kneel on the washboard before Sister Qin when he got home.
The Imperial Guard escorted the three to the side hall of the Golden Crow Hall, standing guard, not daring to relax.
The inner chamber was dim, with only a few glowing pearls casting enough light to reveal a tall, thin figure on the throne—The Zhusheng Monarch.
He feared cold and light, his body weak, the man’s symptoms matching the task line perfectly.
Geng Zhi sighed, ordering the three to halt.
He stood guard inside the hall.
Since the Consort Princess had died years ago, The King had never recovered, seemingly losing all interest in the world.
“Too late.”
Yun Liu inwardly regretted.
The situation was even worse than he’d imagined—the plot had advanced ahead of schedule.
Jing Rui’s poisonous plot against her royal brother had been ongoing for years, the secret medicines crafted by Demonic Sect Apothecaries insidiously damaging the Qi Sea and Jade Palace of physical cultivators.
“Father.”
Jing Tan’er called softly, her gaze filled with pain.
After so long, Jing Yan looked even more haggard.
Both wanted to step forward and greet him, but with the other present, neither dared move rashly.
Who knew if the impostor’s goal was to assassinate the Nation Master?
Yun Liu, however, wasn’t too worried.
He actually hoped the fiend would dispel the Blood Technique and reveal herself.
According to Youyou, anyone capable of performing the Skin-Changing Art was already a remarkable figure in the Demonic Sect, their true name infamous across the nine provinces—far beyond the reach of someone like Jing Rui, a mere Hall of Ecstasy master.
How could a tiny, remote Dust World Dynasty in East Pole, whose strongest was barely at the peak of Golden Core, with only a few fourth-grade spiritual materials in the treasury, be worth such trouble?
A single Nascent Soul cultivator from Star Isle could wipe out the nation—why bother?
So the Pavilion Master and Little Steward were even more baffled by the fake Princess’s motives.
Was it just to call someone “Father” and gain another husband in the bridal chamber?
“Tan’er, you’ve returned. Don’t stay so far away, come closer.”
A weak, hoarse voice came from the throne.
Both Jing Tan’ers hesitated, then stepped forward.
“Closer.”
“The King?”
Geng Zhi called out in concern for His Majesty’s safety.
The man on the throne smiled, his tone gentle.
“I know what you want to say. But I have only one precious daughter, and now another has appeared out of thin air—isn’t that double the happiness?”
“Is…is that so?”
Geng Zhi’s face was full of question marks.
He couldn’t process it at all.
It sounded reasonable, yet made no sense.
But the King’s command could not be disobeyed.
“Ah?”
Yun Liu was dumbfounded.
He’d never seen such a laid-back monarch.
This wasn’t the Monkey King causing havoc in Heaven at all.
The man had never even intended to distinguish between real and fake!