"Pfft!"
Yan Mingli couldn't hold back his laughter. Seeing everyone looking at him, he quickly hid behind Chen Miaochun. "Sorry, Qiuqiu. I shouldn't have laughed. You go on, go on."
Qiuqiu was not affected at all. She still intended to have a good chat with the Fourth Prince. "Have you ever had pastries with Baozhu?"
The Fourth Prince thought for a while and slowly shook his head.
"Have you ever made mistakes and been punished with Baozhu?"
The Fourth Prince shook his head faster.
"Have you ever stood in detention with Baozhu?"
The Fourth Prince's head - shaking became even quicker.
Qiuqiu summed it up. "So Baozhu and I are old friends who have shared hardships. You, who have done none of these things, get out of the way quickly."
"Chen Wanqiu! Are you getting proud?" Chen Ruxia glanced at Qiuqiu, scaring her into lowering her head obediently.
Shen Baozhu took a quiet step forward, trying to protect Qiuqiu behind her.
Chen Ruxia's gaze fell on Shen Baozhu. "Baozhu."
Shen Baozhu trembled and obediently stepped back.
The Dragon King: [Baozhu and Qiuqiu are so much fun. Hahaha.]
From afar, the Princess Jingning only thought that the Fourth Prince and Lord Yin looked somewhat alike. But now, seeing him up close, she couldn't help but gasp.
Shen Baozhu puffed out her chest. "Mother, how have I been raised?"
"She looks so much like her. Exactly like the late Princess Ning'an," the Princess Jingning stepped forward, holding the Fourth Prince's face, and said in great shock.
The Dragon King: [Who is Princess Ning'an?]
Chen Ruxia had heard of Princess Ning'an. "God - mother, do you mean the Princess Ning'an who was the most beloved by the late emperor?"
The Princess Jingning suppressed her excitement and nodded. "Yes. Princess Ning'an was the only daughter of the Empress Dowager. But she was born in poor health. I saw her at a palace banquet the year I returned to the capital. The Fourth Prince has the same eyes as her."
"It is said that Princess Ning'an looked just like the founding emperor. She was regarded as the reincarnation of the founding emperor, coming back to the world because she couldn't let go of the people of Dayong. And the year she passed away, the weather was just right for a good harvest."
The Dragon King: [So that's the case. Then why is the cute girl's mother so excited?]
Shen Baozhu stood on tiptoe and asked the question that the Dragon King was wondering about.
Only then did the Princess Jingning realize that she had been too excited. She coaxed Shen Baozhu to take Qiuqiu and the Fourth Prince to the side to have pastries. "Be a good girl, Baozhu. Mother has something to discuss with Aunt Hongshen. I'll be back soon."
The Dragon King: [What are they discussing? I want to hear.]
The Dragon King: [Does the cute girl still have the invisibility charm?]
Lin Yu: [Don't encourage Baozhu to eavesdrop.]
The Dragon King: [It's rare to see the cute girl's mother so excited. Can't you be curious about the reason?]
Lin Yu was also curious, but he didn't approve of Shen Baozhu eavesdropping.
The Immortal Qingyun: [Baozhu, follow up and tell the truth.]
Shen Baozhu nodded and quickly caught up with the Princess Jingning. "Mother, the Dragon King asked what you were discussing. He wants to hear."
The Princess Jingning stroked Shen Baozhu's head and simply explained. "The Fourth Prince must have been switched by Concubine Li. Mother is going to inform the Yin family and help the Fourth Prince find his mother as soon as possible."
The Dragon King: [How does the cute girl's mother know that the baby was switched?]
Lin Yu: [Because the Fourth Prince looks like the queen?]
The Dragon King: [I remember that the cute girl's mother didn't believe the Fourth Prince's identity just now. She changed her mind so quickly.]
Shen Baozhu told these questions to the Princess Jingning and got an answer.
The Fourth Prince's eyes, which were exactly the same as Princess Ning'an's, were enough to prove that he was of royal blood. And he also looked a bit like the Yin family. It was easy to guess that the prince had been switched.
The reason why the Princess Jingning was so excited was that the Fourth Prince looked so much like Princess Ning'an. And Princess Ning'an was the only daughter of the Empress Dowager. If the Fourth Prince could be brought before the Empress Dowager, they could gain the favor of the Empress Dowager, which would be a great help in solving the problems of the Shen family.
The Princess Jingning didn't directly say this last purpose but implied it euphemistically.
The Dragon King: [The Fourth Prince is so useful! I'm going to cultivate the kinship fruit now!]
Infected by the Dragon King, Shen Baozhu was also very excited. "Does that mean I've helped mother?"
The Princess Jingning smiled and replied. "Yes, you've been very helpful, Baozhu. You've helped mother a great deal."
Shen Baozhu skipped back. She decided to be nicer to the Fourth Prince.
...
After an incense - stick of time.
Chen Miaochun and Yan Mingli were shocked to see Shen Baozhu teaching the Fourth Prince to read and write, while Qiuqiu was shouting that she wanted to teach the Fourth Prince embroidery.
Chen Ruxia was also a bit helpless. "Baozhu, His Highness the Fourth Prince can't even talk yet. Isn't it too early to teach him to read and write?"
"Not at all. Big brother said that one should start reading early and never waste any time!" Shen Baozhu clenched her small fist. Just thinking of Shen Heqing's words gave her motivation.
Qiuqiu nodded in full support. "I'm not as good at reading as Baozhu, but I can embroider. I'm going to teach the Fourth Prince to embroider beautiful little flowers."
Hearing what the two younger sisters said, Chen Miaochun laughed so hard that she was on the verge of falling over. She leaned on Yan Mingli. "Previously, I thought Baozhu was so cute and nothing like Shen Heqing. But now, I see that they're so alike. It's obvious that Baozhu is Shen Heqing's younger sister."
Yan Mingli argued for his role model. "What's wrong with Shen Heqing? He's a juren, the number one talented scholar in the capital..."
Chen Ruxia pretended to hit Chen Miaochun on the mouth. "Sister, don't talk nonsense. Yan Mingli is whole - heartedly protecting Shen Heqing."
The Fourth Prince watched this scene, like a sponge, trying hard to absorb the information around him.
Previously, the Fourth Prince's mind was a complete mess. No matter how he tried to sort it out, he couldn't make any progress. He could only endure the humiliation and beating from Concubine Li numbly. Not long ago, someone forced something down his throat, and he finally gained a glimmer of consciousness.
Because of this bit of consciousness, he knew that he had to hide.
But no matter where he hid, the eunuchs could always find him and drag him out to vent their anger.
Today, he was hiding behind the house. Hearing voices, he thought the eunuchs had come early. But unexpectedly, he saw two girls like fairies. Especially the fairy who fed him pastries...
The Fourth Prince clenched his fist tightly and listened hard to everyone's conversation. After hesitating for a long time, he said his first sentence in life. "Baozhu, hello."
Qiuqiu nodded, her tone full of praise. "You have good taste. You can see Baozhu's goodness."
Yan Mingli suddenly looked up from his storybook. "Did His Highness the Fourth Prince just say two complete words? He can say words now, and two of them!"
The Dragon King: [His learning ability is quite good. He really does have good taste.]
Reminded by Yan Mingli, Shen Baozhu suddenly realized that the Fourth Prince could say her name. Thinking that she had turned a mute into someone who could talk in just one afternoon, Shen Baozhu was a bit excited. She seemed to understand her big brother's feelings. The feeling of teaching a student was really great!
Shen Baozhu quickly gave her seat to Qiuqiu. "Qiuqiu, quickly teach the Fourth Prince embroidery."
Lin Yu: [Baozhu has tasted the joy of raising a child and now gives the child to Qiuqiu to raise.]
The Dragon King: [Hahahahaha.]
Just as they were having fun, Doctor Liu rushed over in a hurry, carrying his medicine box. He felt the Fourth Prince's pulse and examined his body.
As soon as Doctor Liu put his hand on the Fourth Prince's wrist, he felt something was wrong. "This is wrong. The pulse indicates a dying person, but from his appearance, it doesn't seem so."
Qingdai reminded him. "Doctor Liu, the princess suspects that the Fourth Prince was poisoned by the Curse of the Idiot Child, and now the little princess has used a method to detoxify him."
This made Doctor Liu stunned. "Suspected to be poisoned by the Curse of the Idiot Child, and after detoxification? Mu Lanyue thinks too highly of me. How could I detect it? No, it's not that I'm incompetent. Even my master couldn't detect it!"
Seeing that Doctor Liu didn't understand, Qingdai poured him a cup of tea and hinted. "The Fourth Prince was rescued from the palace by the little princess. The princess suspects that the Fourth Prince was fed the Curse of the Idiot Child and has invited you to confirm it."
Qingdai deliberately emphasized the words "suspect" and "confirm". Doctor Liu suddenly understood. He felt the Fourth Prince's pulse again and then looked up. "Yes, this pulse is weak on the outside and even weaker inside. He must have been poisoned... Considering the symptoms, it's definitely the Curse of the Idiot Child!"