When Chen Miaochun and Yan Mingli returned to the courtyard, Shen Baozhu, Qiuqiu, the Treasure - Hunting Rat, and the Little Phoenix were all standing facing the wall. Chen Ruxia, with her hair disheveled, stood beside them, her face looking a bit pale.
Yan Mingli couldn't help whispering in Chen Miaochun's ear, "Why hasn't Ruxia combed her hair? She looks a bit like a crazy woman. No, no, more like a ghost..."
"Yan Mingli! Go and stand over there. Reflect on your mistakes while facing the wall!" Chen Ruxia shouted sternly.
As he was often scolded by his parents at home, Yan Mingli almost instinctively stood beside Shen Baozhu, joining the group standing in punishment.
Witnessing Yan Mingli's plight, Chen Miaochun felt Chen Ruxia's anger and chose to stand beside Yan Mingli for the punishment.
Chen Ruxia scanned the group with her eyes, told Chen Miaochun to watch Shen Baozhu and Qiuqiu closely and not let them move, then went back into the house to do her makeup.
While Chen Ruxia was inside the house, Yan Mingli stole a glance at Shen Baozhu. He noticed that she had changed her clothes and hairstyle. Then he looked at Qiuqiu and found that the two were wearing the same - style but different - colored clothes and had the same hairstyle. He guessed in his heart, "Baozhu, when you took Qiuqiu home to change clothes, why didn't you tell me? I've been looking for you guys for a long time."
Thinking of Chen Ruxia's punishment, Shen Baozhu didn't dare to answer Yan Mingli and just stood there obediently.
Not getting an answer, Yan Mingli asked Qiuqiu instead, but Qiuqiu ignored him too.
The Dragon King: [The fool is getting so anxious. No one is paying attention to him.]
Lin Yu: [Ruxia is very angry. Baozhu and Qiuqiu should be obedient and accept the punishment obediently.]
It was only when Chen Miaochun asked that Shen Baozhu summoned up the courage to reply, "I took Qiuqiu into the palace to play. Qiuqiu was hungry, so we went home for a meal..."
"Wait. Aunt Qing said you picked up a little beggar. Is it because there were bugs on the little beggar that Ruxia is angry that you brought the bugs back?" Yan Mingli voiced his speculation.
Shen Baozhu thought for a while, shook her head, then nodded.
Yan Mingli got a bit impatient. "Am I right or not!"
Shen Baozhu whispered, "Yes and no. Sister Ruxia is angry because of the bugs, but not because we brought the bugs back."
"I didn't pick up a little beggar and bring him home. The one I brought home is not a beggar, but the Fourth Prince."
"Because there were bugs in the Fourth Prince's hair, Sister Ruxia had someone shave the Fourth Prince's head..."
Yan Mingli was confused. "If he's not a beggar, then who? Could it be a prince from the palace? Shaving the hair is quite convenient."
It was Chen Miaochun, who had been to the yamen today, who caught on. "Is it the punishment of shaving the head? But for poor people, shaving the hair is the simplest way. Moreover, the Princess Mansion is rich and can support him until his hair grows back. Ruxia shouldn't be that angry."
Shen Baozhu didn't dare to answer anymore. Qiuqiu helped to add, "It's really a prince from the palace. We picked up the Fourth Prince. Sister had someone shave his head. After she found out that he was a prince from the palace, she got really angry."
Yan Mingli's face changed, and his tone became shrill. "You, you, you. The one you picked up is the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince from the palace. Ruxia used private punishment on a prince, and it's the punishment of shaving the head? It's over, it's over."
"Is it still too late for me to buy a coffin now? Should I buy a burial plot too?"
The Dragon King: [Is it really that serious?]
Lin Yu: [Suppose Baozhu's hair was shaved off. Everyone would scold her as a bad person.]
The Dragon King: [Whoever dares to do that is looking for death! I'll kill them all! Not a single one will be left!]
Lin Yu: [That's exactly what the punishment of shaving the head means. Ruxia almost used it on the Fourth Prince.]
Lin Yu: [The emperor dotes on the Third Prince because he is the queen's son and the eldest princess's younger brother. According to our speculation, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince were switched. After the truth comes out, the Fourth Prince will become the most favored one.]
The Dragon King: [Explain it a bit. We can't just let the bugs crawl around, right?]
Lin Yu: [If the hair is shaved, the bugs will be gone. How can we prove that there were bugs in the Fourth Prince's hair? It would be okay if Baozhu had shaved his hair, but the servants in the Princess Mansion all heard Ruxia's order.]
The Dragon King: [Hiss. The little cuties should just stand in punishment.]
After learning that Shen Baozhu and Qiuqiu had made such a big mistake, Yan Mingli shut his mouth and stood obediently, fearing that Chen Ruxia would take her anger out on him.
Yan Mingli even quietly moved aside, trying to draw a line from Shen Baozhu.
Seeing this, Shen Baozhu and Qiuqiu put their heads together and whispered a few words, then looked at Chen Miaochun with sad eyes.
Then Yan Mingli was kicked by Chen Miaochun to Shen Baozhu's side.
The Dragon King: [What is the fool doing! It's so funny.]
After standing for a while, the Little Phoenix flapped its wings. "I'm recovered. I can catch bugs now."
Tired from standing, Shen Baozhu and Qiuqiu's eyes lit up as if they saw hope. Qiuqiu shouted towards the house, "Sister! The Little Phoenix is okay. We can go and catch bugs now!"
The door opened. Chen Ruxia had already combed her hair into a bun and put on some rouge. She looked much better.
She walked forward without saying a word. Shen Baozhu and Qiuqiu didn't dare to get close. Yan Mingli was also timid. Finally, they pushed and shoved, and Chen Miaochun was pushed out and stood closest to Chen Ruxia.
Chen Ruxia stopped in front of her own courtyard. Turning around and seeing this scene, she couldn't help but call out Yan Mingli's name. "Baozhu and Qiuqiu made mistakes, so it's normal for them to stay away from me. But what about you?"
As Chen Ruxia questioned, everyone looked at Yan Mingli. In a hurry, Yan Mingli made up a random excuse. "We were engaged before. To make Miaochun feel at ease, we need to avoid suspicion. Yes! I'm avoiding suspicion!"
Chen Ruxia was too lazy to deal with Yan Mingli. She waved her hand and told Shen Baozhu to take the Little Phoenix over and catch all the bugs.
...
Inside the house.
As soon as Shen Baozhu entered, she saw the Fourth Prince on the bed.
The Fourth Prince had been washed ten times, and all the dirt on his body was washed away. His face showed an unhealthy pallor, and his features looked a bit familiar. Shen Baozhu took a closer look and thought he looked a bit like Yin Susu.
The Dragon King: [Yin Susu calls the Third Prince cousin, so she is the queen's niece. The Fourth Prince looks like the queen's niece. He must have been switched!]
Lin Yu: [How can we prove it to the emperor? Can we use the paternity - testing device? What about the paternity - testing strip?]
The Qingyun True Man: [What's your brilliant idea, Dragon King?]
The Dragon King: [I only have the Fruit of the Same Blood, but I can't find someone with the same father and mother to eat it!]
The Qingyun True Man: [The matter of the Crown Prince being switched is of great importance. It's best to conduct the test in public, and Lin Yu's magic treasure is not suitable for public display.]
Lin Yu: [Indeed. It should be quite difficult for people in this era to understand science.]
The Dragon King: [Why do we need to prove it? Just let my clone tell the emperor that the child was switched. He will believe it.]
The Qingyun True Man: [After all, this is just our speculation. It's best to conduct a test first.]
The Dragon King thought for a while and replied, [First use Lin Yu's method to test. After we confirm that the child was switched, I'll go and plant the Blood - related Fruit.]
The Dragon King: [The effect of the Blood - related Fruit is similar to that of the Fruit of the Same Blood, but it has a wider range and can show all the people with a blood relationship. Correspondingly, it's more difficult to cultivate.]
Lin Yu: [Okay. I'll go and buy the paternity - testing strip now.]
Because the Fourth Prince's hair was knotted, it became much more difficult for the Little Phoenix to catch the bugs.
The Little Phoenix got a bit impatient. It patted the Fourth Prince with its claw. "This hair is such a mess. It's better to just shave it!"
Shen Baozhu looked embarrassed, her tone hesitant. "But shaving the hair is a very bad punishment. If others see the Fourth Prince without hair, they will look down on him."