It was a peaceful dusk at Li Mansion. The servants were quietly going about their chores, and everything seemed calm.
Until a loud cry suddenly rang out from inside.
"Nooo! I don't want to eattt!"
It was FangFang, who seemed rather upset as she stubbornly refused the food Aunt Tong had prepared for her.
At that very moment, Prince Li and TanTan arrived at the mansion.
As Prince Li dismounted, he offered his hand to help TanTan down as well. However, still annoyed with him, TanTan ignored his gesture and tried to get down by herself.
Unfortunately, the horse suddenly shifted, causing her to lose her balance. She had no choice but to grab Prince Li's hand to keep herself from falling.
Reacting instinctively, Prince Li caught both her arms to steady her.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
But TanTan quickly pulled away.
"I told you I could get down by myself! There's no need to force me every time!"
Prince Li frowned, clearly irritated by her rejection.
"And let you have another chance to cause trouble? No, thank you! Don't think you can do whatever you please, HuaMuTan! I've realized that I really can't afford to let my guard down around you!"
"YangMuu...!"
A little voice suddenly called out.
FangFang came running toward TanTan and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Aunt Tong, who had been chasing after the little girl, stopped when she noticed Prince Li and TanTan had returned.
Her eyes then wandered over TanTan's unusual outfit.
What on earth has that woman been doing, wearing men's clothes like that?
TanTan was equally surprised by FangFang's sudden appearance. She turned around and gently patted the little girl's head.
"FangFang, what's wrong?"
Prince Li glanced at Aunt Tong, silently asking for an explanation.
Aunt Tong looked apologetic as she answered,
"FangFang XiaoJie hasn't eaten anything since this afternoon. I prepared dinner for her, but she refused to eat."
After hearing this, TanTan looked at FangFang with concern.
"What's wrong, FangEr? Why don't you want to eat? Are you feeling unwell?"
She gently touched FangFang's forehead to check her temperature, but it didn't seem to be any higher than normal.
FangFang shook her little head and looked up at TanTan.
"I was waiting for YangMu... and YiFu."
Prince Li approached them and stood beside TanTan. He looked at FangFang in confusion.
"Why were you waiting for us? Is there something you want to tell us?"
FangFang looked nervous and uncertain. She seemed afraid that Prince Li might scold her for what she was about to say.
Noticing her hesitation, TanTan gently reassured her.
"It's all right. You can tell YangMu, FangFang."
With a shy expression, FangFang lowered her gaze and spoke softly.
"I just... I just want to eat with YangMu and YiFu again..."
TanTan blinked.
That's it? She was only waiting for us to have dinner together? I thought something serious had happened!
"You were waiting for us just so we could eat together?"
FangFang nodded. Then she added in a small voice,
"But Aunt Tong wouldn't let me wait. She even said that YangMu might not come home tonight..."
TanTan glanced at Aunt Tong with a displeased expression.
Aunt Tong immediately turned her face away, clearly feeling guilty.
But TanTan soon turned back to FangFang and smiled.
"Aunt Tong was only teasing you. See? YangMu is home now, isn't she? And... YangMu is hungry too. Why don't we go inside and have dinner together?"
"YiFu too?"
FangFang looked up at Prince Li with such an innocent expression that he found himself unable to refuse.
TanTan and Prince Li exchanged a brief glance, as though silently agreeing to put their argument aside for the moment.
"Of course. Me too," Prince Li answered shortly.
At once, FangFang's face lit up with a big smile. Her earlier unhappiness disappeared as quickly as it had come.
She immediately took TanTan's hand and began leading her toward the mansion.
"Come on, YangMu!"
"Wait... I need to change my clothes first!"
TanTan allowed FangFang to lead her inside, while Prince Li remained where he was, watching the two of them disappear into the mansion.
Aunt Tong, feeling guilty, approached him.
"Please forgive me, Young Master. I heard about what happened in town, and I carelessly said those things to FangFang XiaoJie. I never expected her to become so upset because of my words..."
Prince Li glanced at her and let out a small sigh.
"Aunt Tong, I know you haven't liked HuaMuTan since the day she came here. But please be careful with your words, especially when speaking about her in front of FangFang."
Aunt Tong lowered her head, acknowledging her mistake.
"I understand. I won't speak carelessly again. But... if this old woman may speak honestly, I still don't think it's wise to let FangFang become too attached to Young Madam. We never know when her true nature might show itself again!"
After expressing her concern, Aunt Tong politely excused herself to prepare dinner.
Her true nature, huh?
Prince Li fell into thought.
Indeed, I shouldn't lower my guard around her. All these confusing changes in her behavior might only be temporary... For now, I should keep a close eye on her.
With that thought, he headed toward the dining room.
However, before he could get far, the sound of another horse approaching caught his attention.
He stopped and turned around.
It was ManQi. His aide hurriedly dismounted and approached him with an urgent expression.
"Your Highness! The First Prince has returned from the battlefield with a victory!"
Prince Li's expression immediately turned serious.
"I see. All right, we'll discuss this later."
Then, as if remembering something, he asked,
"But why did you return alone? Where is XiaoRue?"
ManQi hesitated slightly before answering.
"XiaoRue is accompanying Miss QingQing here. She said Young Madam had invited her to stay at Li Mansion for a while..."
ManQi wasn't sure whether this news would upset Prince Li, so he carefully observed his master's expression.
As expected, Prince Li's face darkened.
"That woman...! She didn't even bother asking me first!"
With an irritated expression, he turned and strode into the mansion.
ManQi wisely kept his mouth shut and followed him inside.