Could that person... be Han Xi?
Song Chaoyu truly couldn't be sure, but she couldn't believe that two unrelated people could look exactly alike.
Song Chaoyu's heart was in turmoil, so even though the palace banquet offered a lavish and exquisite spread, she ate without tasting a single dish.
By the time everyone began to relax and drink, and the First Madam had taken Song Yanjiao to mingle and toast with other noble ladies, Song Chaoyu remained seated in her spot.
Xun Lu, who had accompanied her, had also seen Han Xi before. She leaned closer to Song Chaoyu and whispered, "Miss, could it be that your servant saw incorrectly? How can that Prince Chang resemble Han—"
"Hush!"
Song Chaoyu quickly cut off Xun Lu's words, glancing around. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to their conversation. "That is Prince Chang. You must remember, he can only be Prince Chang. He cannot possibly have any relation to Han Xi. Keep this firmly in your heart, or you might lose your life!"
Seeing Song Chaoyu's seriousness, Xun Lu nodded earnestly, "Your servant understands."
Only then did Song Chaoyu rise, daring not to look at Prince Chang any longer, fearing that others might notice her unusual expression.
She picked up her wine cup and headed towards the pond, appearing to be greeting some of the other officials' daughters from that direction. In reality, she was slowly approaching the Crown Princess.
The current Crown Princess was twenty-five years old, the eldest granddaughter of Liu family, the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Her given name was "Qingzhi."
Despite having already borne a son and a daughter for the Crown Prince, she maintained her appearance well. Even when standing among noble ladies of seventeen or eighteen, she did not appear old.
At that moment, she was speaking with the eldest daughter of the Duke of Liao, seemingly discussing something amusing. A smile played on her lips, and she was both elegant and poised.
Song Chaoyu stopped beneath a cluster of peonies not far from them, pretending to admire the flowers.
Indeed, before long, Song Chaoyu spotted a young eunuch carrying a watering can, stealthily approaching the Crown Princess.
As this was a banquet hosted by the Noble Consort, eunuchs and palace maids naturally moved about. The young eunuch did not attract the Crown Princess's attention.
In her previous life, Song Chaoyu had heard that the Crown Princess was bumped into the pond by a young eunuch, who then jumped in after her. The Crown Princess falling into the water during such an important banquet was already a disgrace to the royal family.
Everyone assumed the young eunuch had jumped in to save her. However, when the Crown Princess was pulled out, it was discovered that her clothes had been torn open, exposing a large area of her shoulders and chest to everyone's sight.
Although most of the attendees were women, there were also many guards present.
Furthermore, the Crown Prince and the various princes were all seated at Prince Chang's table. The Crown Princess's perceived misconduct was immediately judged. Before the banquet even concluded, the Emperor sent people to confine the Crown Princess to the palace's cold court for reflection.
The next day, civil officials and censors submitted memorials accusing the Crown Princess of misconduct and imploring the Emperor to issue an edict to depose her from her position as Crown Princess.
Although the Crown Prince vehemently blocked this memorial, the Emperor was furious, reprimanding the Crown Prince for disregarding the royal honor. From then on, a rift formed between father and son, and the Emperor began to favor Prince Ning, Mu Hansu.
Following that incident, the Crown Princess was confined to the palace's cold court for a full three months before being brought back to the Eastern Palace by the Crown Prince.
However, upon her return to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess fell gravely ill due to a cold.
Song Chaoyu only remembered receiving news of the Crown Princess for the last time in her previous life, six months before her death.
The Crown Princess, suffering from both a severe cold and deep melancholy, was already on the verge of death.
Looking at the healthy and gentle Crown Princess before her now, Song Chaoyu gathered her courage and walked towards her—
As Song Chaoyu approached the Crown Princess, the young eunuch carrying the watering can suddenly lunged towards them!
"Careful!"
Seeing him charge towards the Crown Princess, Song Chaoyu, disregarding everything else, dropped her wine cup and lunged forward as well.
"Ah—"
The noble ladies around were startled and turned pale. The Crown Princess stumbled, about to fall backward into the flower pond—
Just as everyone thought the Crown Princess was about to fall into the flower pond, a pair of hands firmly grasped her wrist.
Simultaneously, with a splash, the young eunuch fell into the water.
The Crown Princess looked up and saw Song Chaoyu, and she tightly gripped Song Chaoyu's hand.
But before the Crown Princess could regain her footing, the young eunuch in the flower pond below lunged to the edge and fiercely grabbed the Crown Princess's skirt!
"Ah!"
The Crown Princess cried out, feeling her outer garment about to be pulled off. She could only hold Song Chaoyu's hand with one hand while using the other to clutch her clothing.
The young eunuch's intention was now very clear.
Song Chaoyu felt she was losing her grip on the Crown Princess. She couldn't afford to hesitate any longer.
Turning back, she angrily shouted at the stunned crowd behind her, "Why aren't you helping?!"
Then, disregarding her rapidly deteriorating balance, she stepped forward and stomped fiercely on the young eunuch's hand!
The young eunuch cried out in pain, but he still refused to release his grip on the Crown Princess's hand.
At the same time, his angry gaze turned towards Song Chaoyu.
He reached out with his other hand and grabbed her ankle!
It's over!
Song Chaoyu's heart turned cold— she feared she would be dragged into the pond by this young eunuch.
But if it meant saving the Crown Princess, it would be worth it, right?
Song Chaoyu, completely losing her balance from the eunuch's tugging, closed her eyes in resignation—
But just as her body began to fall backward into the pond, a hand firmly grasped her!
Then, she was yanked forward sharply, preventing Song Chaoyu from falling in.
She looked at the person who had grabbed her, and a familiar face once again came into view.
It was Prince Chang, seated in his wheelchair, who pulled Song Chaoyu back. His eyes were calm, as if he had never known Song Chaoyu.
Seeing Song Chaoyu steady herself, he released his hand. "Thank you for saving Imperial Sister-in-law."
The events had unfolded too quickly. It wasn't until Prince Chang spoke first that everyone else reacted.
His indifferent gaze made Song Chaoyu feel an indescribable sadness.
But she still knelt before Prince Chang without hesitation. "Your Highness's gratitude is more than I deserve. As long as the Crown Princess is unharmed, that is all that matters."
The Crown Princess, still shaken, gratefully stepped forward and pulled Song Chaoyu up. "Quickly, rise! If it weren't for you today, I would have fallen. Which family's daughter are you? How have I never seen you before?"
With the Crown Princess and Prince Chang both expressing their gratitude to Song Chaoyu, the First Madam naturally stepped forward. "Replying to the Crown Princess, she is the fourth daughter of the Song family, the Minister of Rites. Her given name is Chaoyu."