A piece of Japanese incense

"In the front hall!"

We quickly wrapped handkerchiefs around our faces, covering our noses and mouths, and hurried into the house.

Green smoke came out of the incense burner. The sunlight coming in through the window turned the smoke into the colors of a rainbow.

A man was lying on the ground, with a celadon vase beside him, broken into pieces. He was tall and thin, wearing a black straight-collared robe.

Yuyi and I quickly opened all the doors and windows, while Yutuan untied the silk ribbon from her waist, tied the man's hands behind his back and tied a tight knot.

"Girl, I have tied his hands, what should I do next?"

"Take another rope and tie him securely to the pillar so he can't move!"

"Yes, sir~" Yu Tuan lifted her dress and ran straight to the west wing.

I walked towards the man, turned his face, and tried to see who he was.

I was dumbfounded, and stood there like a piece of plaster, in shock.

"Girl, why are you standing there in a daze?" Yuyi walked to my side and took off her handkerchief.

"He is the grandson."

"What?!" Yutuan and Yuyi screamed in unison.

"Young lady, are you talking about the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess' biological son, the Crown Prince Feng Zhiyu, who lives in the East Palace?"

I hesitated again: "It seems... a little thinner..."

"Girl, did you... make a mistake?"

"I go to school with him every day. Do you think I will admit my mistake?" I said in a firm tone.

"Then...how could he appear here?"

I stroked my chin and said thoughtfully, "Don't worry about who he is! Tie him to the pillar! A man trespassed into a woman's room, so he must be the one who made the mistake first."

"Ok!"

We worked together to drag him to the east wing and tied him tightly to the pillar inside the house.

I threw the water from the teapot at him.

"Why is there no movement?"

I took another pot of cold water and splashed it on his face along with the tea leaves.

"Cough cough!" He squinted his eyes and struggled.

"Ah-ah--" He gasped violently, his hands trembling, his eyes full of horror.

I said calmly, "What do you want, Grandson?"

His face was pale, his cheeks resting on his shoulders, his brows were tightly furrowed, and he was obviously frightened.

"Don't panic, my grandson. I'll ask you questions and you can answer them~"

He shook his head frantically, screamed "Ahhh" loudly, and kicked his legs desperately to try to break free from the restraints.

"Miss Zhi, I'm Zhou Song! What happened in your courtyard?" Zhou Song's loud voice came from outside the courtyard.

I quickly stuffed the handkerchief into the prince's mouth, and he immediately spat it out and continued to scream. Yuyi took out her own handkerchief, rolled up the two handkerchiefs into a ball and stuffed them back into the prince's mouth, and covered his mouth with both hands.

The prince opened his eyes wide and shook his head desperately, still making a "wuuuu" sound, struggling with all his strength.

Yu Tuan ran out of the yard and shouted, "Ahhhhhh! Guard Zhou! There are rats in our yard! Come quickly!"

"Miss Zhi is still sick, so she'd better be patient. We are willing but unable to help. Who knows? The mouse might run away by itself! Hahaha!" Zhou Song responded loudly, followed by a burst of laughter.

Yu Tuan then pretended to shout a few more times and then returned to the house.

Yuyi was still covering the crown prince's mouth, and Yutuan and I looked down at him with serious faces.

He finally calmed down, his eyes widened, his breathing became rapid, and sweat dripped from his forehead. Every drop of sweat was like a signal of fear, revealing his uneasiness and panic.

"Don't be afraid, Grandson. We won't harm you. But why are you here? Did you leave the palace with us? How did you get into this courtyard?"

His eyes flickered with anxiety, his body was trembling slightly, and his arms were covered with red marks from the effort he had just put in to break free.

I bowed and smiled apologetically, "Don't blame me, Grandson! We are just three girls. We were so scared when we saw a man suddenly appear in our room. Please calm down and let's be quiet, okay?"

He paused and nodded.

"Well... look, Grandson, we are all girls and will not cause any harm to you. Just explain how and when you came here and why you followed us. Once you have explained everything clearly, I will let you go. What do you think?"

After a long while, he finally said word by word: "I have been here since I was a child."

I looked up at Yutuan and Yuyi in confusion and asked incredulously, "You said you have been here since you were a child?"

He nodded firmly.

My eyes stayed on his face.

He saw me examining him and said timidly, "Grandson, who is it?"

I felt shocked, as if the ground beneath my feet cracked in an instant, and I felt like I was electrocuted, and my whole body was stiff.

"Grandson, are you kidding me, ha ha ha!"

"Who are you? Why are you coming to my house?"

Yu Tuan's mouth twitched, and she said hesitantly, "Girl, are you sure this is the crown prince? This, this, this... this temperament doesn't look like him! And he stutters!"

I stared at him with heavy eyes and asked in confusion: "You said this is your home? Then what is your name?"

"Aban."

Yu Tuan said with a playful smile: "Aban? The Ban in spots!"

"No! Dad said, yes, they are exactly the same."

"No two are the same? Then it's just the same, hahaha!"

"Yutuan!" I stopped her.

Yutuan stopped laughing and looked forward.

"So what's your last name? Who's your father? What's his name?"

"I have no idea."

"Girl, this guy must be a fool! He doesn't even know his father's name!"

"I'm not! Dad, that's it, Dad."

"Ah, yes, yes!" Yu Tuan said with a wink and a curled lip.

Yu Yi thought for a long time before speaking: "Miss, I have also seen the Crown Prince. He is somewhat similar to this man, but there are more than two or three similar people in this world."

I nodded, pointed at him and asked, "So you have been living in this room all along? Then where did you sleep last night? How come we didn't notice anything?"

"I...I just came here today."

"Bah! You filthy bastard! Why don't you admit it? You peeped at our girl sleeping! I'll beat you to death!"

"Ah——" Yutuan punched him hard in the face, and his expression instantly became painful.

"I just came today!" he said excitedly.

"You still dare..." Yu Tuan punched him on the body and face several times. When he was tired, he stood up and kicked him twice.

He curled up on the ground, grimacing in pain.

"I, am! Today!"

Yuyi slapped him hard, and his head tilted to one side.

"You scoundrel! This courtyard is locked tightly, and there are guards outside. And you said you came here today. Do you know how to become invisible?!"

I questioned him, "Aban, was it you who made the 'bang' sound last night? Was it you who passed the note to me?"