"Xiao Man, compared to Wen Mohuan, who is better?"
"Didn't you just say there's no need to compare, you're being silly again." Xiao Man refilled Nangong Yu's cup, "Right, I asked you to come over for something else too."
"What is it?"
"We'll talk after we eat." Xiao Man ate dumplings while drinking, "Eat more."
Nangong Yu ate and asked, "Is it related to the Jin family?"
"Sort of." Xiao Man burned her mouth on a dumpling and kept panting. Seeing this, Nangong Yu reached out and took the dumpling from her mouth, "If it's hot, why don't you spit it out?"
"That would be such a waste!"
Nangong Yu was both amused and exasperated, "Look at you, you stingy thing. You won quite a bit of money tonight, yet you're still reluctant to waste a dumpling."
"But these dumplings were made by you, Your Highness Prince Qin. I only get to eat them once a year, how can I waste them?"
"If you like them, I'll make them for you every day?"
"No need." Xiao Man blew on the dumpling to cool it, then popped it into her mouth, chewing with effort. "No matter how delicious something is, eating it every day will get tiring."
"You always have an excuse." Nangong Yu said with a hint of helplessness, "On the first day of the new year, I have a gift for you."
"What gift?" Xiao Man asked without looking up.
Nangong Yu placed an exquisite box in front of Xiao Man, "See for yourself."
Xiao Man took it and opened it. Inside lay a dagger. It looked plain and unadorned, but when Xiao Man picked it up and drew it out a little, she felt an icy chill emanating from it.
"Is this Tian Wen?"
"I saw you particularly liked using daggers, so I specifically sought this out to give to you."
"Thank you, I really like this gift." Xiao Man expressed her gratitude. The reason she liked using daggers was because Tian Gan was too famous, and she couldn't find a suitable replacement weapon for a while. Now, Tian Wen perfectly solved her problem!
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Xiao Man tidied the table and took the cups, bowls, and plates to the kitchen to wash. By this hour, the maids had already gone to bed.
Nangong Yu accompanied Xiao Man in the kitchen, washing dishes. One washed, the other rinsed; they were a surprisingly well-coordinated pair.
"I never expected the dignified eldest daughter of the Protectorate General's mansion to wash dishes." Nangong Yu teased.
"Your Highness Prince Qin, the dignified prince, can make dumplings, so if I couldn't wash dishes, wouldn't that be a laughable matter?" Xiao Man gave Nangong Yu a side-eye, "Or is it that Your Highness Prince Qin feels that the trivial matter of washing dishes is beneath you?" Su Dan Novel Network
"I dare not, I dare not. Such trivial matters as washing dishes can be left to your husband. My dear wife, please go and rest, lest you hurt your tender hands, as white and delicate as green onions."
Xiao Man ground her teeth, "Get lost!"
Nangong Yu's face bloomed with a smile. He couldn't out-argue Wen Mohuan, but he could certainly out-argue her?
After they finished tidying up, they returned to Xiao Man's room. Xiao Man took out a box from her cabinet. The box was crafted from millennium-old ice, specifically designed to store items that required low-temperature preservation.
"What is this?"
"A New Year's gift." Xiao Man winked playfully. She brought over a bowl of clear water, dropped some medicinal liquid into it, then took Nangong Yu's hand, pricked his finger, and dripped a drop of blood into the bowl. She then took out a bottle of blood from the box and added a drop to it.
"What is this for?" Nangong Yu asked, looking at his pricked fingertip, confused.
"Just to verify my suspicion." Xiao Man watched as the blood in the bowl quickly merged, turning a vibrant color. Her gaze fell on Nangong Yu, "They've merged."
"Whose blood is that?" Nangong Yu inquired. Was she using a blood paternity test to confirm someone's relation to him?
Xiao Man, harboring a mischievous intent, said, "During the day, I saw a child. He was very handsome and looked exactly like you did when you were little. I was very curious, so I took his blood. And look, you actually share a blood relation! It seems the child must be your illegitimate son!"
"By all that is holy, I could not have an illegitimate son! If I did, it would surely be yours!" Nangong Yu panicked. "Where is that child? I must ask who on earth his father is!"
Seeing Nangong Yu's embarrassed rage, Xiao Man collapsed onto the table, laughing uncontrollably. Nangong Yu then realized he'd been tricked and immediately curled his fingers, tickling Xiao Man's ribs.
"You wicked Xiao Man, to dare play such a trick on me! Let's see how I'll deal with you!"
Xiao Man couldn't bear it and rolled into Nangong Yu's arms, pleading repeatedly, "Haha... I won't dare again, never again! Please spare me, hahaha..."
Only then did Nangong Yu stop. "If you dare to trick me like this again next time, I won't let you off lightly."
Xiao Man, with tears streaming from laughter, crawled out of Nangong Yu's embrace and slumped onto the table, gasping for breath, "Aren't you curious whose blood it was?"
"In any case, it's not my son's!" Nangong Yu reached out and wiped the tears from Xiao Man's eyes.
Xiao Man smiled mysteriously, "That blood belongs to the eldest young master of the Jin family."
"Jin Yu's?" Nangong Yu was somewhat surprised. "Jin Yu has a blood relation with me? Is he my father's illegitimate son?"
Xiao Man shook her head and handed the box the old eunuch had given her to Nangong Yu. After reading it, Nangong Yu immediately understood. "Jin Yu is Consort De's child, which is why he shares a blood relation with me?"
Xiao Man nodded. "I didn't expect the Empress Dowager to be so audacious as to replace a prince with her own illegitimate son."
"She's always been ambitious. The 'weasel replacing the prince' scheme is nothing to her. Now I understand why she was so scheming. It seems she wants to put her own biological son on the throne."
"The most pitiable should be Mo Xiu's child. She originally wanted to give her son a bright future, but instead, she harmed her own son."
"That is her just deserts; she is not to be pitied."
Xiao Man sighed, "Do you think Prince Qi knew about this?"
"He probably didn't." Nangong Yu said slowly, "And you don't need to feel too much pressure. Whether he is a prince or an ordinary person, he is still your friend, isn't he?"
"You know me so well."
"If I don't even understand you, then I must be quite a failure." Nangong Yu quipped, "The gift you gave today was truly surprising."
"Actually, I had always hoped my guess was wrong." Xiao Man stood up and walked to the window. "In this matter, the most innocent are the children. They have no right to choose their own destiny, yet they have become pawns in others' power struggles. I can't even imagine how sad he would be if he learned his true identity."
"Our birth is an unchangeable fact." Nangong Yu picked up a padded jacket from the side and draped it over Xiao Man. "Be careful not to catch a cold."
"Look, so many stars in the sky. Tomorrow should be a good weather day." Xiao Man pointed at the night sky. "It's almost dawn."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the envoys from Blue Moon will likely become restless soon." Nangong Yu said gently, "The three of us will not come into conflict in the short term, so you don't need to worry too much about the thirteenth prince."