Chapter 97 A Natural Affinity

Chapter 97 A Natural Affinity

Many eyes fell on Xin You, but her gaze was fixed on the little girl.

It wasn't because of what the child said, but rather a sudden vivid image flashed before her eyes.

A person tumbled clumsily to the side, pursued by a wild beast that couldn't turn in time and charged straight ahead, heading directly for the frightened little girl.

In an instant, the little girl was knocked into the air by the beast and then slammed heavily onto the ground.

Xin You only managed to see a long blade slicing toward the beast before the image vanished.

Before her stood a lovely little girl, looking at her with curious eyes.

Princess Royale Zhaoyang didn't pause in her steps, but her gaze naturally fell upon Xin You's face.

For no other reason than this young lady bore a striking resemblance to her. Judging by appearance alone, she looked more like her daughter than even Fu'er did.

Even someone of Princess Royale Zhaoyang's status couldn't help feeling a sense of novelty upon seeing someone who looked so much like her. After the initial surprise came confusion.

Judging from her attire, she appeared to be a noble lady. How had she never seen her before?

Seeing Princess Royale Zhaoyang approach, Xin You and Duan Yunling bowed and stepped aside to clear the way.

However, Princess Royale Zhaoyang stopped and asked Xin You, "Which family do you come from, young lady?"

Xin You lowered her head slightly. "This humble woman is the niece of Duan Shaoqing from the Imperial Horse Department."

Upon hearing that she was Duan Shaoqing's niece, many people around Princess Royale Zhaoyang immediately understood.

Ah, isn't she the cousin everyone talks about, the one who recently opened a Bookstore and has been making waves?

Their gazes lingered on Xin You's face, and with the child's words fresh in their minds, they found her increasingly similar to Princess Royale Zhaoyang.

Many exchanged glances secretly.

This cousin looks so much like the Princess Royale; it could either be a blessing or a curse.

"From the Shaoqing Mansion?" Princess Royale Zhaoyang felt no surprise.

She hadn't attended many banquets in the past year and had almost no interaction with the circles around Shaoqing Mansion.

"What is your name?"

"This humble woman's surname is Kou, and my given name is Qingqing."

"Qingqing—" Princess Royale Zhaoyang smiled. "A beautiful name. Go play now."

With those words, Princess Royale Zhaoyang walked toward the continuous rows of tents ahead.

Once the group moved far away, Duan Yunling let out a deep breath. "Good heavens, Cousin Qingqing, the Princess Royale actually spoke to you!"

"Had Cousin Ling not met the Princess Royale before?"

"In our household, we have no chance to interact with the Princess Royale. Even last year during the autumn outing, when Grandmother took us to greet her, we were just part of a large crowd, and Grandmother couldn't even speak to her alone."

Duan Yunling scrutinized Xin You as if seeing her for the first time. "If Cousin had joined us last year to greet the Princess Royale, perhaps others would have noticed how much you resemble her."

"Looking alike doesn't change anything. There are many people who look similar in the world." Xin You spoke indifferently, her mood somewhat sour.

Resembling the Princess Royale meant she also resembled her father, whom she had never met.

The thought was frustrating.

As for whether resembling the Princess Royale might raise suspicions, she wasn't worried. Who would think of blood relations just because a cousin from Shaoqing Mansion resembles the Princess Royale? After all, Kou Qingqing had always looked this way.

Princess Royale Zhaoyang sat down in the tent and asked, "Why does Miss Kou live with her uncle?"

Kou Qingqing had entered the capital four years ago and began a three-year mourning period. She only ventured out a few times after the mourning ended last year, so very few people had seen her. The noble ladies who often interacted with Princess Royale Zhaoyang had even less contact with Shaoqing Mansion.

Though none of the people present had met Kou Qingqing, they had heard much about her.

Soon, Princess Royale Zhaoyang had a good understanding of the situation and felt a bit more compassion for the poised young lady she had just met.

People came in groups to greet her. They would simply bow from a distance and leave, not wanting to disturb the Princess Royale's peace.

When one group approached, someone whispered to Princess Royale Zhaoyang, "The lady wearing the brown jacket is the matriarch of Shaoqing Mansion."

Princess Royale Zhaoyang summoned the matriarch forward and smiled. "I just met your granddaughter. She is truly a remarkable child."

The matriarch was bewildered but dared not show any disrespect. "That girl is clumsy and unrefined, unworthy of such praise from Your Highness."

"I find her quite endearing," Princess Royale Zhaoyang said without elaborating, dismissing the matriarch.

Had she not heard that the girl was an orphan living under someone else's roof, Princess Royale Zhaoyang wouldn't have spoken to the matriarch. Everyone present understood that with this statement, Shaoqing Mansion would treat the cousin even better.

The matriarch left full of questions and immediately sent a maid to find Xin You.

"Grandmother is looking for me."

"Qingqing, did you meet the Princess Royale earlier?"

Xin You nodded.

"What did you talk about with the Princess Royale?" The matriarch mentioned the special attention.

"She just asked which family I belonged to. As for why the Princess Royale noticed me, it might be because her beloved daughter mentioned that I bear some resemblance to her."

These words shocked the matriarch, causing her to examine her granddaughter closely and recall the Princess Royale's appearance. Indeed, there was a striking similarity.

The old lady's mood became complicated, and she murmured, "I really hadn't noticed."

Similar words were spoken by the Countess of Gu Chang.

The Countess knew that she was not favored by Princess Royale Zhaoyang, so after offering her respects, she kept her distance. However, news spreads quickly, and it wasn't long before she heard about it from others.

"Today, when I met Miss Kou, I wondered why she looked familiar," the Countess of Gu Chang said with a smile.

"That's true," the others agreed.

In reality, if not for the daughter of the Princess Royale pointing it out, these noble ladies, who wouldn't usually pay attention to a girl of ordinary background, would never have thought of the Princess Royale.

The Countess of Gu Chang recalled how Princess Royale Zhaoyang had several times been cold to the concubines, including Consort Shu, due to Empress Xin's departure. This made her even less fond of the visiting lady from Shaoqing Mansion.

She must not let her son get involved with this Miss Kou.

Where has Ze'er gone again?

The Countess of Gu Chang looked around.

Xin You, now at the center of today's topic, pulled Duan Yunling along as they searched for the location of the incident.

Through recollection, she recognized the beast in the scene—it was a wild boar. She also identified the person being chased by the boar: it was Dai Ze, the heir of Count Gu Chang.

This meant that Dai Ze somehow provoked the wild boar, managed to escape, but caused a girl named Fu'er to be knocked down by the boar, leaving her fate unknown.

If it were an ordinary person, Xin You could use the guise of divination to offer a warning, but this was the daughter of the Princess Royale, and she might be dismissed immediately if she spoke up.

After much consideration, the safest plan was to wait near the location of the incident and rescue the girl when the accident occurred.

Xin You stopped and looked at a patch of wild chrysanthemums.