Something is not right!
Duke Yan thought. He was looking blankly back and forth to his daughter and concubine Xian.
How is that possible? If Ye'er was the one in there then how she come home before me, when it will take an hour to arrived from the palace into our manor? Did I made a mistake? But how could I not recognized my own daughter?
He thought as he felt into silence.
"Why are you here?"
He then asked concubine Xian when he realized her presence.
"I was checking the Crown Princess as I heard that she was—"
She paused unable to find an exact words to say.
"I'm fine Xian'niáng!"
Ye'er smiled sweetly.
"Thank you but I will asked Si'niáng, instead. if I want something!"
I'm afraid I could no longer see the sunshine if I would eat anything from you! Ye'er thought.
You probably escaped by now but I will find ways to exposed you! Concubine Xian thought angrily as she was smiling at Ye'er.
When the two of them left, thats the only time she let a sigh of relief.
It was too closed!
If concubine Xian arrived in here sooner rather than later and caught her red handed then in really means trouble!
Ye'er was expecting her father but the one who came first is the least person she expected.
"I think they were starting to take their moves"
She reminded herself to be wary of them from now on and don't let her guards down.
Ye'er sat down on the table and started writing in her book as she was recalling what really happened and how she devised
A best laid plan!
Crown Prince, was badly injured and the poison was already acting up in his body, as his internal force was already weaken.
Luckily she give him a pill to temporarily blocked the poison.
"This won't do— we need to bring him into the capital as soon as possible!"
She muttered. His chance of survival is dire if the poison will not be removed immediately.
"Beside that one, we still have problems!"
Prince Yu suddenly told her in a matter of fact tone.
"He needs to attend a court session every morning!"
"Why do we still have to bother by that damn—"
"Of course!"
Price Yu snap.
"If he wont show up then those old geezers will find another trouble to put Royal Father in pressures!"
Princess Ye'er was flushed. Prince Yu was right.
"I thought you don't have brain at all!"
She said looking at him in disbelief. At least Prince Yu is still reliable and good supporter.
"What we're going to do now?"
"I don't know— what are we supposed to do, Nana?!"
She felt into silenced. Its impossible for them to reach in the capital on time, plus Xin'er was badly injured.
She was too worried to his highness that she set Xin'er aside and even forget about her situation.
Thinking about Xin'er makes her felt guilty, another one that bothers her is that how is that possible that she was also injured, the same exactly like her?
Ye'er closed her eyes, originally she just wanted to eased all her worries and think of some plans.
As the evening breeze touched her checks it send a cold chill.
"Cold wind in summer?"
She open her eyes and stared at the fire, it send a tiny firecrackers up in the air, as it dances when the wind blew and the crackling sound of the wood being burn up.
The air was supposed to be hot! She thought, confusedly. Adding the fire in summer it should be—unless!
She look arround and smelled that familiar scent. there must be a river somewhere?
"Xiao Yu, come here!"
She called him frownin. what he did just now did not passed in her eyes without noticed.
"Stay away from her!" She warned him.
"What? I just—"
He was about to say something when she shut him with an imperious look in her eyes.
"Look, in the distance if there's some river!"
"Why?!"
He asked complaining.
"Are you going to look for it or I'm going to drawn you when I found one?"
She asked him grimly. Without a word prince Yu went, scratching his head.
If there's a river then, there's hope! She remembered that the lake in their house is connected to the river in far end, calculating the distance it must be near in the palace.
Even if she had a terrible sense of direction she knew that there's only one river that surrounds the entire kindom.
And the flow of it goes into the capital!
After a few minutes, Prince Yu suddenly emerged out in the dark. He was panthing heavily as he put both of his hands in his knees and gasped for air.
"There is one indeed!"
"Good!"
She exclaimed excitedly.
"Xiao Yu, bring Chunli with you. Gather some bamboo stick and vines as many as you can!"
Moment later, the two of them brought the things she asked. though they were confused but didn't dare not to asked.
Ye'er gathered all the bamboo stick an asked them to tied up, all together. She used bamboos intead of log, it's because bamboos were lighter than logs.
And log is difficult to be found in the middle of the night.
"We will reached in the capital in time!"
She said afterwards, Prince Yu and Ma Chunlu was stunned. They did not thought that the Crown Princess would actually come up with a very plausible idea.
Ma Chunli felt an extreme respect towards her.
They were already in the river after a while and did not put any light as they were afraid that they might attract a river bandits.
Their movement was quite fast as the river were downsloping.
"Are you sure there's no crocodiles in here?"
Prince Yu's voiced shivered in fear.
"You want to checked?"
Princess Ye'er teased him.
"Oh yeah—I remember, how could the Crown Prince will attend a court session tomorrow in this state?"
Princesa Ye'er asked after a long silence.
She stared at his face, he seems to be lifeless and his breathing was so heavy. looking at him she felt like being pierced rigth through her heart.
"He had to show up tomorrow, no matter what!"
Prince Yu said disperately.
"Otherwise, the consequences is unimaginable knowing that someone else is always wanted to dethrone him!"
Prince Yu clenched his hands tightly.
"If we could only find someone to disguised as him—"
"What?"
Princess Ye'er and Prince Yu'er both exclaimed in shocked.
Ma Chunli suddenly gasped when he realized what he just said, to the two of them. He was shocked by his own stupidity.
Because of their reaction, Ma Chunlin was reluctant whether to spill the beans or to keep his mouth shut but Prince Yu stared at him girmly, out of his fear he told everything that had happened to them in the small town.
"Those despicable bastard!"
Princess Ye'er clenched her hands tightly.
"How dare them used me to hurt him?"
She yelled furiously.
"Fine! We will going to used this despicable ways to deal with them!"
Ma Chunli's idea wasn't bad at all, however it needs a lot of timing. Both Yu'er and Chunli stared at each other, confused.
They arrived right before the dawn breaks. They carried the Crown Prince while Prince Yu'er single handedly carried Xin'er as if he was afraid that someone else might touched her.
"What is your plan next?"
Prince Yu asked her anxiously.
"Just makes sure no one sees us. I'm going to disguised myself as the Crown Prince—"
"What?
This time both Prince Yu'er and Ma Chunli exclaimed in disbelief.
"As you noticed, we have the same eyes and as for the rest will be up to me!"
Ye'er said with both confidence and determination in her voice.
She remembered that His Majesry had mistaken her as Prince Ching before, only now she realized that they really had similarities in one look.
"I will take some poison to changed my voice, but first we have to remove the poisoned inside His Highness body!"
"Do you think this will do?"
Ma Chunli frowned.
"This is the best we can do!"
Princess Ye'er immediately groom herself and wear the Crown Prince court gown. she had to bind herself to make her slender body look masculine.
She put a high ponytail on the top of her head and put a hairlock, like the one she always does when she's sneaked outside and disguised herself as a gentleman.
When Princess Ye'er went out Prince Yu'er jaws drop in surprised. If he doesn't knew who she is, he might probably think that the one who stood in front of him was actually his brother.
"How is it?"
"You do look exactly like him—"
Prince Yu's said with amusement.
"What about my voice?"
The poison will only take a few minutes to effect and her voice will be back to normal.
Prince Yu chuckled, "It's just like your having a cold!"
"This will do. I don't know if we can deceived His Majesty's eyes but atleast those old geezers—"
"What about Duke Yan?'
Princess Ye'er suddenly flushed, she tap her forehead. How could I forgot that father will be attending too?
She was about to panicked when she thought of something.
"Right after the court session, I'm sure His Majesty will come to see the Crown Prince to checked on him."
Princess Ye'er paused and think. She knew by that time, His highness will be able to gain his consciousness.
"We need Princess Xiang's help to distract His Majesry so I could safely leaved—"
"But Yan's mansion will take an hour—"
Prince Yu worriedly asked her.
"Don't worry about that I knew a shortcut!"
She smiled and winked to ease the tention between them.
Everything was already set according to their plan. When Ma chunli burst inside the Crown Prince chamber to informed them that His Majesty was throwing a feat in the court.
"All ministers including Prince Zhang demanded the Crown Prince's in court!"
He reported then Princess Ye'er suddenly come out.
"Fine— let's attend the court session"
She said in a manly tone, the poison had already effect into her throat.
Ma Chunli look at her, uncertain.
"Your High—"
******************************
Note:
Xiao Yu, or little Yu
informal name for Prince Yu since Princess Ye asked him to call her Nana or grandmother.