Please Call Me Your Highness (GL) - Chapter 21
Now that she had returned from exile and held the exalted title of Crown Princess, Princess Chengyu was the undeniable center of attention wherever she went. With the Empress having already dealt with the troublemakers and dissenters, Chengyu’s status was now unshakable.
Even Prince Kangning, who commanded great military power, had to pay proper respects when facing the Crown Princess.
Chengyu received this deference with calm ease. Over the past few days, she had grown accustomed to her new role and the authority that came with it—like living in a dream she had crafted for herself, one she was now learning to enjoy.
“Your Highness,” Prince Kangning said respectfully, “I have obtained a rare treasure and wish to present it to you in private.”
“What kind of treasure?” Chengyu asked with interest, her words drawing the attention of everyone present.
“You will like it,” Prince Kangning replied with a subtle smile but offered no further detail.
“Very well, let’s have a look,” Chengyu said. Though she found such theatrics childish, a strange feeling urged her to go along—as if an unseen force were guiding her steps. So, she agreed.
Inside a side hall, Prince Kangning personally led Chengyu to a large wooden chest.
Following closely behind was Second Princess Dong Yanning, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, clearly acting as Chengyu’s bodyguard. Her vigilance extended even to Prince Kangning.
After all, nothing was allowed to happen to the Crown Princess—not now.
“Your Highness, please,” Prince Kangning gestured for Chengyu to open the chest herself. But Chengyu merely looked at her. The meaning was clear—Prince Kangning was to open it.
Understanding, Prince Kangning stepped forward and lifted the lid.
Inside was a living, breathing person—the very one Chengyu had been yearning to see: Xiao Fu.
“Xiao Fu!” Chengyu exclaimed, rushing forward to embrace her. As soon as she held her, Chengyu immediately sensed something different—Xiao Fu had changed, though she couldn’t say exactly how.
“Your Highness…” Xiao Fu murmured softly, her voice calm and steady.
Prince Kangning glanced at Second Princess Yanning, silently urging her to step out. Yanning clearly hesitated, unwilling to leave. Prince Kangning had no choice but to speak aloud: “Shall we stand guard outside?”
Yanning looked at the two embracing figures, then at Prince Kangning, before finally stepping out in silence. She too had questions she needed to ask the prince.
The side hall door was left open, ready for guards to respond at any moment. But within, the two women seemed oblivious.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” Chengyu whispered.
“It was I who failed to be honest with Your Highness,” Xiao Fu replied quietly.
She stepped out of the chest and drew a document from her robes, handing it to Chengyu. “This is my story. Please, take a look.”
Chengyu hesitated, then took the scroll and quickly read through it.
According to the document, Xiao Fu’s real name was Chi Xuanyu, daughter of the late General Chi Fan of the Right Army. Ten years ago, at the end of the Mountain Bandit Rebellion, General Chi had become a casualty of the power struggle between the Ji and Ming clans. Accused and condemned, his entire family was executed—Chi Xuanyu alone survived.
“All these years, I took medicine to suppress my nature as a Kunze, posing as a Zhongyong to make things easier. I’ve been gathering evidence to clear my family’s name. But one day, I realized that wouldn’t be enough. I wanted revenge. Yet among so many, who was truly my enemy?”
Her eyes were full of sorrow as she continued, “When I fell into the sea, I prayed that if someone saved me, I would live to seek justice for my family. And then you appeared.”
Her voice trembled with emotion.
“Even now, I won’t deny it—there was intent to use you at the start. Even now, I hope to restore my family’s honor through you. This is how I feel, and I tell Your Highness this honestly.”
She stopped there, never directly asking Chengyu for help. Throughout her account, she had used “I” and “you,” only switching to formal titles at the end, deliberately drawing a line between them. She had laid her heart bare—this was her final confession.
Chengyu remained calm. Perhaps because she had read countless similar stories in novels, or perhaps because she herself had transmigrated into one. This kind of concealing one’s true identity to approach someone powerful for revenge plot barely fazed her.
What touched her was Xiao Fu’s honesty. After all, Xiao Fu could have lied—could have spun a beautiful tale to deceive her—but she hadn’t.
Instead, she laid everything on the table, leaving the decision to Chengyu.
“I’ll take you to see the Empress and demand justice for the innocent,” Chengyu said, firmly grasping Xiao Fu’s hand. Her mind was already made up.
“This involves the Ming Clan. It’s no small matter—it could cost you your position,” Xiao Fu said anxiously, her voice strained. In truth, she was torn inside.
“You’ve already considered that, haven’t you? There’s no need to warn me now,” Chengyu replied coldly, her tone tinged with anger. “If the Empress finds out she can strike the Ming Clan with this, she’ll gladly do it. By the way, what’s your relationship with Prince Kangning?”
“She and my mother were old friends.”
Dong Xiaoning understood everything clearly in her heart. She had no intention of pressing further and simply said, “Come back with me now.”
“Wait,” Xiao Fu pleaded, her tone imploring. Then, she took Dong Xiaoning’s hand and placed it gently on her lower abdomen. “Also… here, our child.”
Dong Xiaoning’s mind buzzed as if struck by lightning. For a moment, she was utterly stunned.
Xiao Fu appeared visibly uneasy, clearly finding it difficult to confess this. It was not easy for her to be honest about such a matter, as trust—perhaps—had crumbled in that instant.
“If you do not wish to have her, you can choose not to—”
“No! How could I not want her?”
Dong Xiaoning let out a breath, half laughing in exasperation, finally regaining her senses. “Let’s go, let’s go—now that there’s a child, things might actually be easier to resolve.”
Xiao Fu was momentarily startled. The worry she had harbored never materialized. Instead, this only proved she had been viewing everything from a darker perspective, which filled her with guilt.
At the Princess’s residence in Xiucheng, everyone was thrown into a state of fear and confusion upon witnessing Her Highness the Crown Princess leave so hastily. Many sought to uncover what had happened. However, since Her Highness herself said nothing, how could anyone else know the truth?
Dong Xiaoning returned to the imperial palace at the fastest speed possible and requested an audience with the Emperor. Bringing Xiao Fu before the sovereign, she declared, “Your Majesty, I beseech you to clear the name of your loyal subject.”
The Emperor quickly understood what had transpired, including the fact that Xiao Fu was now with child. However, she did not make a decision immediately. Waving her hand, she said, “It is already late. Crown Princess, you should return and rest.”
Dong Xiaoning, however, was unwilling. “Your Majesty must give a verdict on this matter.”
The Emperor’s gaze swept over Xiao Fu’s face and finally rested on Dong Xiaoning. “This is no small matter. One thread pulled may unravel the entire fabric. We shall speak again tomorrow.”
Dong Xiaoning wanted to speak further, but unintentionally met the Emperor’s gaze. In that instant, she felt the immense authority of a ruler, and her entire being calmed down. She then took Xiao Fu’s hand and said, “Very well, we shall speak of it tomorrow.”
As they left the imperial study, Dong Xiaoning knew that this matter could no longer be kept secret. She would likely face storms of bl00d and turmoil. But so what?
Looking at Xiao Fu’s barely noticeable baby bump, Dong Xiaoning, for the first time, felt the power of life—a strong, unwavering desire to protect someone.
This, perhaps, was what hope truly meant.
With the Crown Princess Dong Xiaoning’s sudden departure from Xiucheng Princess’s residence and her direct entry into the imperial study with a companion, rumors spread rapidly through the palace in the latter half of the night. By dawn, Grand Lady Ming had hurried alone into the palace to seek an audience with the Empress.
“Your Majesty, I’ve heard that Her Highness the Crown Princess brought back a kunze, and this kunze is already with child. Some say this kunze is none other than the maid Xiao Fu. Others claim Xiao Fu is the daughter of Chi Fan and has returned to clear her family’s name. Is any of this true?”
Grand Lady Ming threw out all these questions in one breath, causing even the Empress’s palace attendants to frown slightly. Such bluntness was indeed improper.
“Mother, where did you hear this?”
Although the Empress had many informants, she happened to have slept well and early the night before, missing all of these developments. Having just risen, how could she possibly know?
Sensing an opportunity, Grand Lady Ming embellished her story further and concluded, “That maid Xiao Fu betrayed her mistress at a crucial time and now returns with a swollen belly. Who can say for certain if the child she carries is truly of the royal bloodline? This concerns the lineage of the imperial family—it cannot be treated lightly!”
Though the Empress found her mother’s earlier remarks exaggerated, the latter part regarding the royal bloodline was a concern that everyone could agree on. She nodded and said, “I’ve just heard of this matter myself. Mother, rest a while. I’ll send someone to inquire.”
Grand Lady Ming, pleased with herself, took a seat and later shared breakfast with the Empress, enjoying her meal with a hearty appetite.
The Empress, having eaten little, waited until the messenger returned with news. As the inquiry had been almost public, the details differed somewhat from Grand Lady Ming’s version, though the general outline remained similar.
“That maid Xiao Fu has truly returned?”
“Your Majesty, yes. Last night, Xiao Fu was with Her Highness the Crown Princess, and they summoned Imperial Physician Han Congxian.”
“She is indeed pregnant?”
“Your Majesty, the Eastern Palace has confirmed it.”
The Empress fell silent.
Grand Lady Ming quickly added, “Your Majesty, you cannot stand idly by. Her Highness has clearly been bewitched by that maid Xiao Fu. That woman is nothing good! Perhaps she approached Her Highness with ulterior motives, and now that she carries a child, she’s trying to ascend to the heavens!”
This struck a chord with the Empress. She had already been displeased with the situation slipping from her control, and now she felt even more unsettled.
After a brief moment of contemplation, the Empress ordered, “Summon the Crown Princess.”