Chapter 131: The Little Princess's Unusual Behavior

The little princess was whisked away by the imperial guards who had stormed in, while Fu Bao and the young Miss Chen were escorted back by the Chen family servants. Given that Meng Yun’s upgraded "bamboo-strip meat-frying" (a severe spanking) was already prepped and waiting, Fu Bao decided that she would rather die than return home, choosing instead to stay at the Chen residence.

Gu Li launched into a relentless lecture the moment he saw Fu Bao. "Tell me, what are you even thinking? The person literally claimed to be a swindler, and yet you foolishly followed them anyway, blah, blah, blah..."

A few days later, under a clear, bright sky, Fu Bao had breakfast at the Chen residence and set out with Miss Chen. No sooner had they stepped outside than they bumped into Gu Li, who was pretending to have run into them by chance.

"Oh? Brother Li, why are you here?" Fu Bao asked, puzzled.

"Ahem, just passing by," Gu Li said with an awkward cough.

"Passing by? Alright then, we won’t disturb you. Bye!" Fu Bao didn't think much of it and climbed into the carriage with Miss Chen.

"Hey! Where are you two going?" Gu Li hurriedly called out.

"Out for some fun."

"Fun?"

...

Once the carriage left the city, Fu Bao and Miss Chen were filled with excitement. The previous night, they had received a secret letter from the little princess stating that she was holding a banquet today at the imperial villa in the suburbs, inviting a selection of young ladies from the royal nobility.

"Tell me, how does my makeup look?" Miss Chen asked, posing the same question for the nth time.

Fu Bao was speechless, munching on a large apple. "Oh my, you’ve asked me that so many times already! You look beautiful."

"Tsk, let me tell you, Liu Fei'er is definitely coming to this banquet today, and not just her, but her little sidekicks too." Liu Fei'er had three followers: the young lady from the Yu family, the young lady from the Feng family, and the sickly-looking young lady from the Pan family.

"Let them come. Who cares about her?" Fu Bao said with a look of disdain. Those four were always stirring up trouble.

"Hmph, I bet you that the moment we walk through the door, we’ll be surrounded, and then it’ll be: 'Oh my! Look at this outfit of mine, it’s a custom piece from the Secret Treasure Pavilion! And this hairpin on my head was a gift from my auntie...' blah, blah, blah," Miss Chen said, mimicking Liu Fei'er’s affected, pretentious mannerisms.

Fu Bao was speechless. *It really was a perfect impression.*

"You’re making me want to turn back," Fu Bao said, getting goosebumps just imagining the scene.

"Speaking of which, why did the little princess host a banquet this time? What is she up to?" Miss Chen rested her chin on one hand, toying with an apple with the other.

"I don't know. We'll find out when we get there."

"True."

...

Miss Chen’s prediction was spot on. They were blocked at the entrance by Liu Fei'er the moment they stepped out of the carriage. After enduring another round of showing off, they were finally allowed to pass.

"I'm exhausted. How can someone be like that? She’s dripping in jewels—isn’t she afraid of being robbed?" Miss Chen grumbled, smoothing out her clothes.

"Well... nobody would dare rob her. With all those imperial guards and hidden sentries around, who would dare?" Fu Bao noted.

"I suppose that's true," Miss Chen sighed.

"Let’s go. Shall we see where the little princess is?"

"Lead the way!"

...

The little princess was currently in the waterside pavilion, looking lovesick. When Fu Bao and Miss Chen arrived, they found her with a dreamy, infatuated look on her face.

After calling her name several times with no response, Fu Bao lost her patience.

*Whack!* She slammed her hand down on the table.

*Fu Bao: Ouch, that really hurt.*

"Ah! You're here," the little princess said, snapping out of her daze, though she still seemed distracted.

"What’s going on?" Miss Chen asked, plopping down onto a stone stool.

"Nothing," the little princess replied listlessly.

Fu Bao frowned. This girl was acting strange.

"How many days has your mistress been like this?" Fu Bao turned to ask the little princess’s maid.

"Replying to Miss Lin, the Princess has been like this for nearly three days."

"What did the imperial physician say?"

"Physician Wang said it was to drive away evil spirits."

Fu Bao: "..." Grandfather Wang was still the same as ever.

"Pfft, haha! Grandfather Wang is out of ideas again," Miss Chen couldn't help but laugh. Everyone knew that while Physician Wang was highly skilled, he was also incredibly sharp-eyed; he could tell exactly what was wrong with a body at a single glance.

"Then why isn't it being treated properly?" Fu Bao’s brow furrowed deeper.

"It was treated, Miss. Physician Wang said she is already recovered, just a bit weak," the little maid explained.

Fu Bao didn't say anything for a long moment before finally asking, "Is that so?"

"Fu Bao, what's wrong?" Miss Chen asked, noticing the look on Fu Bao’s face.

"Nothing," Fu Bao shook her head.

"Hmm..."

...

That night, Fu Bao grabbed the little ginseng doll and shook it violently. "Did you see anything? Tell me, tell me quickly!"