Chapter 385: Chapter 381: She Should Be Zhong Chuchu

“In the third year of Taixing, Ji Zhi took his family to Tongzhou for his appointment, and his daughter Ji Miaorong went missing on the way—”

Tang Xiaobai asked Yao He to investigate the past and present of the Ji Family.

“Because Ji Zhi had to rush for his appointment, he could only leave his wife, Han, to search for their lost daughter. Han looked for her for half a year, fell ill, and passed away;”

Tang Xiaobai’s face was tense with anger, though he didn’t know where to direct it.

There are very harsh penalties for officials who don’t report for duty on time.

From this perspective, it seems reasonable for Ji Zhi to leave Han in place to search for their daughter.

But…

“One year after Han’s death, Ji Zhi remarried his current wife, Cao, while on his post in Tongzhou. Cao comes from a gentry family in Tongzhou with no relatives in the Capital City,” Yao He said with a mischievous smile, “It was assumed that with such a background, and being a second wife, Cao would be cautious after arriving in the Capital City. But surprisingly, it turns out Gao is arrogant in personality, and her word is law in the Ji Family. Ji Zhi is also quite fond of her.”

“I remember Gao has three sons?” Tang Xiaobai asked.

Yao He shook his head with a smile.

“A mother might rise in status because of her sons, but she doesn’t necessarily gain her husband’s love by having children.” The Crown Prince suddenly interjected while appearing to be reviewing documents.

Originally, Tang Xiaobai had thought of taking Yao He to a side hall to talk, but since the Crown Prince spoke, Yao He replied in the main hall, letting him listen in.

So now, the scene was the Crown Prince reviewing documents on one side, and Tang Xiaobai sitting next to him, listening to Yao He’s report.

She thought to herself!

How could this not disturb the little overlord’s work?

The Eastern Palace has plenty of space; why can’t they work separately? Must they interfere with each other?

Tang Xiaobai glanced at him.

She noticed that even though he seemed to be listening in, his work hadn’t stopped, and even when he spoke, he was still writing.

The pen flowed smoothly, never glancing upwards.

Tch!

Multitasking.

Showing off to whom?

Tang Xiaobai thought sourly, unable to resist retorting: “You just knew that?”

This time, the Crown Prince looked up.

His public demeanor had always been well-managed, serene and aloof, but his tone softened noticeably: “You don’t need to have children to be assertive.”

Tang Xiaobai: …

How annoying… he pulled that off!

Yao He nearly choked on his saliva, coughing several times.

Normally, coughing like this in front of the Crown Prince would be considered rude, but they both completely ignored him.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Yao He coughed loudly twice more, finally regaining Tang Xiaobai’s attention.

“Indeed, as the Crown Prince said,” Yao He continued, “a man loves the mother before favoring the children. If he values his children exceptionally, at most, he respects and treats their birth mother kindly, but Ji Zhi with Cao is more than that.”

Tang Xiaobai nodded slowly.

It’s true; using children at most solidifies one’s family status, thinking of securing the man’s heart is foolish.

Indeed, men understand men better.

She’d heard some things about the Ji family’s situation before.

It seems Ji Zhi and his second wife Cao have a good relationship and three sons, likely having long forgotten his once-lost eldest daughter.

If Ji Miaorong returned grown and saw the harmonious and happy new family her father had after her mother’s death, wouldn’t she feel like an outsider?

And since Han was illegitimate, she had no siblings to share the experience with, so returning to her maternal family would offer little sense of belonging to Ji Miaorong.

Thus, even if she returned, she might not recognize her identity.

Tang Xiaobai couldn’t help but sigh gently and asked: “Last time you mentioned someone who led you, was that masked person male or female?”

Last time she had asked, but Little Uncle Gu’s visit interrupted.

Yao He shook his head: “This person was elusive, I never got a clear look at their whole form, even their voice was deliberately disguised, it’s indistinguishable whether they are male or female—” although saying this, he showed a meaningful smile.

Tang Xiaobai understood: “It’s a woman!”

Since it was disguised, assuming the opposite is likely; it’s probably a woman.

Yao He nodded: “No matter how one disguises, there are always differences between men and women, moreover, I noticed that person’s movement technique seemed to originate from the same place as Tonghua Valley—” he stopped speaking, a glimmer flickered in his eyes as he looked at Tang Xiaobai, “Does the Crown Princess Consort think that person is Ji Miaorong?”

Tang Xiaobai nodded her head, then shook it, saying: “I think she should be Zhong Chuchu!”

The relationship here is complex, but as an experienced online novel reader, it’s easy enough to deduce.

Back then, when Ji Miaorong went missing, she ended up at Tonghua Valley, perhaps escaped at a cost, was accidentally injured by Tao Fen, then made her way back to the Capital City only to find that there was no trace of her or her mother left in her original home, so she simply stayed with Tao Fen, who was like a brother.

Now, having saved Gu Ling to repay a long-held debt of gratitude and led the soldiers to destroy Tonghua Valley’s bandit nest, she disappeared afterward, likely unwilling to reappear.

“There’s no need to specifically tell my uncle about this matter,” Tang Xiaobai instructed.

Whether Ji Miaorong wants to appear is her own choice, there’s no reason to help Uncle find a bride-to-be.

After Yao He left, Tang Xiaobai glanced at the Crown Prince beside her, who seemed to be engrossed in documents, ready to quietly leave without disturbing him.

Yet as she moved, she found her skirt was pinned down.

She glanced at Li Mu again.

The Crown Prince remained motionless, seemingly so focused that he didn’t notice anything unusual.

Tang Xiaobai smirked coldly, yanked her skirt a bit harder, and only then did he look up, with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

“Keep pretending,” Tang Xiaobai huffed lightly, “did you get addicted to tripping me?”

Li Mu’s lips curved slightly, though he didn’t respond verbally, his expression suggested: You’ve caught me again.

Tang Xiaobai was both amused and exasperated, giving him a glare: “Focus on your documents, I’m stepping out for a while.”

Just as she got up, her skirt was caught again.

Turning back, she saw the youth looking up at her, his face obedient and soft: “There’s too much, will Ah Jiao help me?”

Tang Xiaobai emotionlessly tugged her skirt free: “Do your own tasks—” yet she caught a glimpse of his lingering, seemingly aggrieved eyes, and couldn’t help adding, “I’m just going to Chongren Hall, I’ll be quick!”

Only then did he relent, nodding, so adorably obedient that Tang Xiaobai almost reached out to pat his head.

Leaving Lizheng Hall, she descended the steps of the hall and walked eastward a few steps, when suddenly, a slightly stiff voice sounded in her ear: “Did Zhong Chuchu really come from Tonghua Valley?”

Tang Xiaobai stopped and turned around, seeing no one, she glanced around, still no one in sight.

She could only nod to the air: “Pretty close!” She believed in her heart, after all, it didn’t matter much if she guessed wrong.

But why did Mo Ji suddenly ask this?

“How did she break the Tonghua Valley’s evil skill restrictions?”

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback by the question.

Yao He said the masked person’s martial arts were just like those from Tonghua Valley;

If Zhong Chuchu was that masked person, why hadn’t she stopped developing due to practicing the evil skill?

Could it be that she—

“So, the method Zhong Chuchu mentioned for breaking the evil skill is real?”

Tang Xiaobai was startled: “What are you planning? Don’t act recklessly!”

(If Shanghai residents don’t update, they’re probably busy grabbing groceries, please be patient, as long as they don’t starve, they’ll update.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep