Tang Zhuyun knew that the Prince of Jin had written a letter to have someone investigate the matter Zhang Jin had mentioned, so she nodded.
The Prince of Jin went upstairs.
Yanran was just coming downstairs with Jiaojiao when she almost bumped into Prince of Jin. She stuck out her tongue sheepishly, "Father."
The Prince of Jin asked her, "Are you going out again?"
Were his two children switched?
Yanran runs around outside every day like a wild boy; Linlin, on the other hand, has become increasingly quiet and reserved, spending her days reading in her room and hardly making a sound.
Linlin is even more composed than Xiyou.
Xiyou also likes to go out and explore the places it passes through.
Linlin seemed uninterested in this.
Wherever he went, he would have people look up the local gazetteers and county annals, reading them so intently that they forgot to eat and sleep.
The guards all knew that the last room to extinguish its candles each day was not the prince's room, but the eldest son's room.
Tang Zhuyun was very worried about Linlin's eyes, so she wrote him an eye care guide.
Linlin: One hour outdoors every day? Great, perfect for practicing martial arts and archery.
Yanran: My mother said that the difference between people is greater than the difference between people and dogs.
What's even more infuriating is that now even dogs won't let her do it; her brother might compare her to a pig.
Yanran heard the Prince of Jin's question, she smiled and said, "I won't go far. I'll just find someone to play shuttlecock with at the door."
The Prince of Jin patted her head and said, "Go on, but don't go too far."
Yanran rushed out with Jiaojiao in her arms.
She greeted Tang Zhuyun, and then, true to her word, she started playing with her friends at the door.
Tang Zhuyun stared in disbelief at the several boys and girls who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"How did we meet?" she asked, looking at Xiu'er.
Xiu'er: "The tallest one in the purple dress is the innkeeper's granddaughter; the boy in the blue dress is the innkeeper's son; the girl in the pink dress is the maid from the sesame oil shop next door; and that one..."
Tang Zhuyun: I'm kneeling! I'm kneeling before you social butterflies!
Why worry about having no friends on the road ahead? You can easily find friends anywhere.
Xiu'er: "Anyway, don't worry, I've inquired about everything and can find the root cause."
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
"Oh dear, you just said it and you're already slapping yourself," Xiu'er said.
"Um?"
"Someone I don't recognize has arrived. Please wait while I go ask them."
Tang Zhuyun also saw it; a girl dressed in dark blue, about the same height as Yanran, was standing timidly to the side watching a group of children play.
Yanran asked, "What's your name? Want to come play together?"
At this moment, the guards beside him approached with some suspicion.
--They bear a heavy responsibility and dare not slacken their efforts in the slightest.
Yanran had gotten used to it.
Even if you scare the other person, it'll be fine in a little while. Everyone will be playing together, and the awkwardness will disappear quickly.
She took the initiative and said to the girl, "Don't be afraid, my brothers have some questions for you. Just tell them the truth, and then we'll play together."
Xiao Yanran was sweet-talking and down-to-earth, and the guards were all charmed by her.
Imagine a young master of noble birth, yet without the slightest hint of arrogance, clever and Lovely, with a sweet tongue and considerate manner—who wouldn't like that?
Unexpectedly, no sooner had she finished speaking than the little girl suddenly rushed over.
Instead of siding with Yanran, he directly hugged the guard's leg.
Tang Zhuyun was stunned.
Yanran blinked and looked at the guard mischievously, "Did you steal that little girl's candy? You can't possibly have a daughter this big, can you?"
Tang Zhuyun sighed, rubbing her forehead.
You little brat, how do you know so much!
The guard blushed. "Miss, please don't joke around! I'm not married yet! You, you get up, let's talk this out."
He didn't know what to do when faced with the persistent young girl.
"Help me, help me!" The little girl's eyes were filled with tears.
Just then, a man in his thirties wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat walked over from a short distance away, smiling apologetically, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you! My daughter is so spoiled; I scolded her a few times and she ran away from home..."
Other guards stopped him.
"No, he's not my father, he's a bad man! He forced us to steal!" the little girl shouted, trembling with fear, yet she firmly accused him, gripping the guard's leg tightly.
Yanran waved her hand. "Take him down first, then confront him."
However, seeing that things were not going well, the man turned and ran.
The guards gave chase.
Tang Zhuyun: A melon flying from the sky?
Xiu'er: "Your Highness, this servant will go and take a look."
Tang Zhuyun stopped her, saying, "No need, let Yanran handle it. We'll just watch."
When she encountered difficulties, Yanran naturally sought her help.
Xiu'er nodded.
Upstairs, Prince of Jin was already calling to Tang Zhuyun, "Come back."
It was chilly outside, and she had been there for a long time.
Tang Zhuyun led Xiu'er upstairs.
The Prince of Jin continued writing his letter, while the master and servant went to the window to watch the commotion.
The more he listened, the angrier he got.
It turns out that the girl's name is Jiang'er, and she is eleven years old this year. She has been controlled by that man since she was five years old and has been taught to steal money.
Because children are easier to lower one's guard against, the man didn't feed Jiang'er properly in order to prevent her from growing up. That's why Tang Zhuyun thought that an eleven-year-old child was only seven or eight years old.
Becoming a tool for thieves, one can imagine their predicament.
They were starving and cold, and were constantly beaten and verbally abused...
Even more shocking is that Jiang'er wasn't the only one.
The man managed to acquire more than twenty beggar children through various means, all of them girls, ranging in age from five to twelve.
Girls become valuable around thirteen or fourteen years old—because they have value to be exploited by men, and thus they are sold to brothels or to bachelors...
Jiang'er's treatment wasn't actually the worst.
In fact, she was the most "favored".
Because of her exceptional skills.
Jiang'er, having changed her clothes, was led in by Yanran.
She was still scared and trembling, but you could tell she was trying to calm herself down.
Yanran said, "Don't be afraid, my mother is a very kind person."
Jiang'er kowtowed to Tang Zhuyun: "I've heard about it, so I thought of this path, perhaps it's possible, so I... I'll do it this way..."
"What have you heard?" Xiu'er asked curiously, handing her a piece of pastry at the same time. "Her Majesty wants you to stand up and speak."
Jiang'er held the pastries, hesitant to eat, and said with her head down, "I... a few days ago, when I was stealing... I stole a letter..."
The man was literate, and after receiving the letter, he read it aloud, which Jiang'er overheard.
Now even Tang Zhuyun was curious.
"I... I can't really explain it. I just vaguely remember that the prince dotes on the princess and only treats her well. It's too difficult to become the prince's concubine."
The Prince of Jin, still writing his fifth letter. "..."
What does it mean to be caught in a trap when you're just sitting at home?
Tang Zhuyun: "..."
What did she say?
When you're holding a delicious piece of meat, naturally, headless flies will flock to you.
Xiu'er retorted angrily, "Then think carefully, who wrote it?"
Jiang'er: "I, I really don't know... I can't remember, my father, no, ptooey, that thief didn't say it clearly either."