In Gusu, it started quietly.
A senior official casually mentioned during tea:
"The Third Princess has changed remarkably since marriage."
Another replied,
"Yes… almost like a different person."
A senior officer said,
"Her medical knowledge exceeds her previous education."
Within days, the whispers gained shape.
"She predicts events before they happen."
"She speaks like a strategist."
"She saved xu yang from poison too easily."
And the most dangerous whisper of all—
"Is she truly the same Third Princess?"
Next day,
It began with laughter.
Soft.
Careful.
Hidden behind silk sleeves.
"The Princess is not the same as before."
Zhou Ye stopped mid-step.
The voices came from behind a lattice screen.
"She used to be timid."
"Yes… but at the banquet, she pushed the imperial physician aside."
"And how did she know the cure for that poison?"
A pause.
Then a lower voice.
"How could she know how to save the Prince?"
Her breath caught.
Another whisper followed:
"It was almost like she expected it."
Cold spread through her veins.
For a terrifying moment, she could not move.
They are watching me.
They are thinking.
They are questioning.
And worst of all—
They are connecting things.
She walked away slowly, pretending she had heard nothing.
But her heart was pounding violently.
How do they know?
No one knows the poison was meant for me.
Except me.
Xu Yang.
Song Lan.
And Jing Mo.
That was all.
So how had the whispers begun?
She stopped near a carved pillar, steadying herself.
Did someone speak?
Or… was someone watching us that night?
A chill ran down her spine.
If the court discovered the poison had been meant for me—
It would raise an even more terrifying question.
Why?
Footsteps approached.
Calm. Familiar.
She didn't turn.
Xu yang stopped a short distance behind her.
"What happened to you?" he asked quietly. "You seem troubled."
His voice was controlled, but she knew him well enough now.
He had noticed everything.
She forced a smile. "It's nothing."
He stepped closer.
"Do not lie to me."
The softness in his tone made it harder to stay strong.
She exhaled slowly.
"everyone thinks I am not the real princess because I saved you from poison from my knowledge," she said at last. "Everywhere I go, I feel eyes on me. As if they are waiting for me to make a mistake."
She looked at him carefully.
"I feel… this is your father's doing. Minister wen would not move without support."
His jaw tightened, but he did not deny it.
She continued softly, "I told you before. Getting you into trouble means fighting with your father."
There was no fear in her voice now.
Only determination.
He watched her silently.
"And what will you do?" he asked.
She lifted her chin slightly.
"If they question my identity, then I will give them something else to fear."
His eyes narrowed.
"You are thinking of confronting them."
"I cannot keep hiding," she replied. "If I stay silent, they will crush me. If I fight, at least I stand beside you."
The words hung between them.
Beside you.
For a brief second, something changed in his gaze.
Wariness softened into something deeper.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"You do not need to stand beside me."
Her breath caught.
"I will stand in front of you."
The statement was quiet.
But absolute.
Her heartbeat, which had been racing from fear, now raced for another reason entirely.
"You would go against your father?" she asked.
"If he seeks to use you as a piece in his game," he replied calmly, "then I has already declared war."
Silence fell.
The tension between them shifted.
Not political.
Not strategic.
Personal.
The royal court of Gusu was brighter than usual that morning.
Sunlight poured through the high carved windows.
Officials stood in two perfect rows.
Yet the brightness did nothing to clear the air.
Whispers floated like smoke.
"She has changed."
"She speaks like a scholar."
"She predicted the grain shortage last month."
"She is not the same Third Princess."
At the center of it all—
Zhou Ye stood calmly.
Daughter of the King of Gusu.
Born of the Queen herself.
Royal blood unquestionable.
And yet—
Doubt lingered in the air.
Beside her stood the xu yang.
His presence alone silenced half the hall.
The Emperor sat high above them on the golden throne.
His expression was unreadable.
"Third Princess," the Emperor said slowly,
"there have been… concerns."
Zhou Ye bowed deeply.
"What concerns, Father?"
A small shift in the court.
The Emperor's gaze sharpened.
"You have displayed knowledge beyond what was previously seen. Medicine. Strategy. Even administrative foresight."
A pause.
"These were not qualities often associated with you before."
The hall went completely still.
This was not casual curiosity.
This was suspicion.
Xu yang stepped forward slightly.
"Your Majesty—"
The Emperor lifted his hand.
"I am asking my daughter."
Xu yang's jaw tightened, but he stepped back.
All eyes fixed on her.
In the original timeline—
This was where she faltered.
Where her voice trembled.
Where rumors strengthened.
But this time—
She was prepared.
She lifted her head.
"Father," she said steadily,
"is growth considered deception?"
A few officials shifted.
She continued calmly:
"I am your daughter. I grew within these palace walls. But must I remain the same child forever?"
The Emperor watched her closely.
"You predicted the grain shortage."
"Yes."
"How?"
Here was the blade hidden in silk.
Zhou Ye answered carefully.
"The northern trade routes slowed weeks ago. Market prices rose gradually. Storage records showed imbalance."
She paused deliberately.
"The signs were visible. I simply chose to look."
A quiet murmur spread.
Logical.
Precise.
Hard to attack.
At that moment, Minister Wen stepped forward smoothly.
"Your Highness speaks wisely," he said politely.
"Yet records show no formal education in these matters."
Zhou Ye turned to him calmly.
"Does royal blood forbid observation?"
A ripple of tension moved through the hall.
She did not raise her voice.
She did not appear angry.
That made her more dangerous.
"My mother," she added evenly, "the Queen of Gusu, often said that a ruler must see what others overlook."
Mentioning the Queen shifted the atmosphere.
No one dared question the Queen's intelligence.
She continued:
"I listened. I learned. I remained silent before because I believed it was not my place."
Her eyes lifted slightly.
"But when poison entered this palace… silence became weakness."
The word echoed.
Poison.
The Emperor leaned forward.
"And the banquet?"
The hall froze.
"You survived," he said carefully.
The implication was sharp.
Did she switch the cups?
Was she involved?
Before she could answer—
Xu yangstepped forward firmly.
"I drank from her cup of my own will."
His voice carried across the hall.
"No one instructed me. No one forced me."
The Emperor studied him.
"You defend her strongly."
"She is the Princess of Gusu," he replied evenly. "And my wife."
The message was clear.
Attacking her meant destabilizing both royal blood and alliance.
Zhou Ye spoke again, calm but resolute:
"If Father believes I am guilty, I welcome investigation."
Gasps filled the court.
Confidence without fear.
Minister Wen watched her carefully.
She was not trembling.
She was not cornered.
She was composed.
That made dismantling her difficult.
The Emperor leaned back slowly.
A long silence passed.
Finally—
"I see no proof of wrongdoing."
Relief moved subtly through the hall.
But his gaze remained sharp.
"However… rumors damage harmony."
His voice deepened.
"If you are to silence doubt, do so not with words—but with results."
Zhou Ye bowed deeply.
"I will ensure Gusu benefits from my presence."
The Emperor nodded.
"Court dismissed."
Officials dispersed slowly.
But the war beneath the surface had not ended.
It had merely shifted.
And as Zhou Ye stepped down from the center of the hall—
She knew something clearly.
They had questioned her intelligence.
Soon—
They would regret it.