“Is the King going to find out that she’s an imposter?” Little Yichen suddenly piped up. “He’s so stupid; why can’t he differentiate his daughter from another?”
“‘Dog slave, pick up the jade pendant for me right this instant!’ the fake princess yelled again. The real princess picked the item up and, upon a closer look, thought, Why is this jade pendant identical to mine? After she was done serving the princess, Love ran to ask an old palace servant about the jade pendant, and that servant told her everything. While she did not confide that she was the princess, just with her jade pendant and her intuition, she could tell her identity right away. She was depressed and wanted to tell this immediately to her father, but would the King believe a mere servant over that fake princess? He would surely not.”
She slowly flipped to another page.
Suddenly, the boy’s sharp eyes detected the trembling of Yun Shishi’s fingertips, which were holding the book.
Frightened, his little hands gently clasped hers. “Mommy, are you not feeling well?”
“No.” She feigned calmness and smiled reassuringly at him, continuing her storytelling. “In the dead of the night, because of what had happened that day, sleep eluded the King. He decided to take a walk around the palace alone. During his stroll, a girl’s crying from the servants’ quarters reached his ears, and he could not help but walk in that direction. He spotted the crying girl at the entrance to the servants’ quarters holding a heart-shaped jade pendant. The King’s heart skipped a beat, and he rushed over to her side at once, crying out, ‘Daughter!’ Love looked up in shock, and at the sight of the King, her hand involuntarily loosened around the pendant, causing it to fall to the ground and shatter… The father and daughter embraced.”
“Wah…”
Touched, he exclaimed, “The King finally found the real princess!”
In his euphoria, his voice roused Youyou from his sleep.
The latter frowned, turned his body slightly, burrowed his little face deep in Yun Shishi’s embrace, and fell asleep again.
Little Yichen tensed for a moment, thinking that he had inadvertently woken up his brother.
Only when he saw him resume his peaceful sleep did he sigh in relief and smile at her.
“The fake princess was convicted of treachery and was beheaded. Thereafter, Love issued a public announcement about this and had her adoptive parents lead a good life. From then on, The Kingdom of Love had prosperous and peaceful days…”
When the story ended, it took awhile for him to get back to himself.
Yun Shishi was pensive, too, and kept silent for a time. The room was without noise for a spell.
“That King was so stupid,” declared Little Yichen finally. His face showed disdain. “He couldn’t even recognize his biological daughter. He’s so incredibly stupid.”
“You also wouldn’t recognize her if you were him!” She did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Over a decade has passed. The princess was all grown up; she probably looked different from when she was a child, so the King failed to recognize her.”
However, the boy firmly refuted, “No, mommy, you’re wrong! I’m not as stupid as the King!”
“Huh?”
“If I were that King, I’d definitely recognize my princess at a glance.”
His expression was extremely firm and solemn.
“Why?” She was a little curious.
“Because if I were him, with how much I loved my daughter and me being her father, how could I not recognize her?”
She was a little taken aback at the seriousness on the boy’s face, and for a long time, she could not regain her senses.