"Calm down, Commandery Princess! Please, calm down! The Prince and Princess ca to Wei City incognito. They sent no word to inform this humble servant, and they had no guards for protection. There was no way for anyone to know who they were!" Xue Jinshan said in a panic.
'Slighting a Prince and Princess was a serious offense. If the Commandery Princess and the Prince found out he had also offended them, the consequences would be truly unimaginable.'
"Incognito? How strange. I wonder which Imperial Brother and Imperial Sister it is. Lead the way. I want to see them," the Commandery Princess said, unable to hide her eagerness.
Xue Jinshan nodded eagerly and quickly led the way. Before long, the group arrived at the City Lord's Mansion.
"Where are my Imperial Brother and Sister? Take to see them, quickly!" the Commandery Princess blurted out, revealing just how anxious she was.
"Soone!" Xue Jinshan shouted to a nearby maid. "Quickly take the Commandery Princess to the Prince and Princess's rooms. They have things to discuss!"
A maid quickly ca forward and said to the Commandery Princess, "This way, Commandery Princess. Please follow ."
The Commandery Princess glanced at her father, the Prince. "Father, you go on to the main hall and wait for . I'm going to see just who this Imperial Brother and Sister are!"
The Commandery Princess then left with the maid. anwhile, Ye Tian and Zhang Xinlan had fully extended their Divine Senses, blanketing the entire City Lord's Mansion. They were aware of the slightest disturbance.
Naturally, they knew the Commandery Princess was coming to find them. The two of them stepped out of their room, ready to et her and already thinking of how to handle the situation.
"Xinlan, let handle this," Ye Tian said. "While the Prince and Commandery Princess have noble status, they are still a step below an imperial Prince and Princess. They should recognize all the Princes and Princesses from the Imperial City, but they naturally wouldn't know any from outside of it."
"I'll leave it to you," Zhang Xinlan replied. "I'm actually curious to see how you'll manage to pull off this grand deception. And if we are exposed, it's no big deal. With our current strength, we could fight our way out of Wei City if we had to."
As they spoke, the maid appeared with the Commandery Princess. "Commandery Princess, the Prince and Princess you wished to see are right ahead. This servant will now take her leave."
The Commandery Princess gave a slight nod of acknowledgnt and walked quickly toward Ye Tian and Zhang Xinlan. Her voice preceded her. "Imperial Brother! Imperial Sister!"
But when she stood before them, she froze. 'I've never seen these two before in my life! They claim to be a Prince and Princess? They must be impostors!'
'There's sothing strange going on here. I need to figure it out before I do anything. The auras on these two aren't simple. They might look like they're only at the Three Veins Realm, but that can't be the whole story. Until I know more, I won't tip my hand.'
"Who are you?" the Commandery Princess asked, her voice now calm. "Why have you co here impersonating a Prince and Princess? Do you not know that this is a cri punishable by death? Your entire family could be implicated!"
"You're the Commandery Princess? I heard my father, the Emperor, ntion you years ago," Ye Tian said calmly. "It's perfectly normal that you don't recognize my sister and . We've never been to the Imperial City. We're on our way there now to be formally acknowledged by our family."
"Acknowledged?" the Commandery Princess asked. "Acknowledged by whom? What is this all about? 'Father, the Emperor'? Are you going to keep up this lie? If you're in so kind of trouble, tell , and I might be able to help you. But if you're trying to deceive us, then there's only one end for you. I suggest you think carefully." Her tone was mild.
"I'm glad you can say that," Ye Tian replied. "But so matters can't be explained in just a few words. This concerns the Emperor's dignity, so certain things must be understood, not spoken aloud. If you truly wish to know the truth, you will have to wait until you can et the Emperor himself in the Imperial City."
At his words, the Commandery Princess seed to realize sothing. Her expression flickered, her shock evident. 'If what he's saying is true,' she thought, 'then this is a terrifying situation.'
'The Imperial City is currently beset by internal strife and external threats. The four Princes are all scheming to seize the throne, forging alliances with powerful factions, and even resorting to assassination. If he were to appear before them now, he would surely beco their common enemy. It would be a struggle just to stay alive.'
"Do you have any idea what the situation in the Imperial City is like right now?" the Commandery Princess said, looking at Ye Tian with a serious expression. "If you truly are the Emperor's children from the outside, I urge you to keep this a secret. Otherwise, your lives will be in danger."
"Commandery Princess, what exactly is going on?" Ye Tian asked. "Though we may not be our father's officially recognized children, we still share his blood. Has he run into so kind of trouble that could affect us?"
"My four Imperial Brothers are all fighting for the throne. Just think, if they found out there was another Prince, wouldn't all four of them imdiately target you? As it stands, their power is relatively balanced. Your appearance, or you helping any one of them, would shatter that balance.
That's a situation they will not tolerate. If you're planning to go to the Imperial City, my advice is not to. It's a path to certain death. Of course, if this is all an act, I won't expose you. I just hope you'll leave this place at once and go back to wherever you ca from.
The Imperial City isn't the wonderful place you imagine. Once you're caught in its struggles, it's nearly impossible to get out. Many people would do anything to get away from the Imperial City, so why are you so determined to wade into these muddy waters?" the Commandery Princess finished.
Zhang Xinlan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "Commandery Princess, you're wrong. If our four Imperial Brothers are all vying for the throne, then our father the Emperor's life is in danger. As his children, it is our duty to ensure his safety. We appreciate your kind intentions, but we must go to the Imperial City. We have no other choice."
"Then suit yourselves," the Commandery Princess said with a hint of resignation. "Since you insist you're the Emperor's children, I won't argue. I just want to know, is the only reason you're going to the Imperial City to be acknowledged? If it is, please, think carefully about what I just told you."
'Ye Tian and Zhang Xinlan both had refined features; you could tell at a glance they were exceptional people. It would be a real pity if they went to the Imperial City only to die.'
"Being formally acknowledged is one reason," Ye Tian said. "But we are also to enter the Imperial City Academy to pursue our Cultivation. This was also our father's wish! So we must go."
"The Imperial City Academy?" she exclaid. "You're planning to go there too? What a coincidence, that's where I'm headed when I return to the Imperial City! But it's not so easy to get in. Even Royal Family and Relatives have to pass an assessnt. The test is just a little bit easier for us than it is for everyone else.
But if anyone finds out you're a Prince and Princess, you'll probably end up dead before you even finish your studies at the Academy!" the Commandery Princess warned.
"Thank you, Commandery Princess," Ye Tian said, his expression serious. "Are you here to take us to the main hall? I hear our Imperial Uncle has also arrived. We'd like to et this uncle we've never seen. Let's go. We can talk on the way. Also, please inform your father about us, but my sister and I wish to keep a low profile."
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