Chapter 58 The Second Time

Li Nanke suddenly stretched out both hands and quickly and accurately grasped Shen Cong's hand holding the sword.

She was kneeling on the ground, while Shen Cong was half-squatting opposite her.

Caught off guard, Shen Cong's hand was grabbed as she reached out and grasped it.

He instinctively stepped back, but lost his balance and fell hard on his backside.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then a cold, sharp roar echoed inside the sedan chair.

"Li Nanke! You're asking for it!"

Li Nanke shuddered, and her chubby little hands instinctively gripped even tighter.

The little boy was so nervous that he momentarily forgot the words he was about to say.

He blurted out, "Your Highness, your hands are so cold. Let me warm them up for you."

The little girl's hands were chubby and soft, and her palms were warm, like a small stove.

A surge of heat traveled from the back of his hand to his palm, and then flowed to his fingers.

Shen Cong instinctively curled his fingers, then coldly shook off her hand.

"Get out of my way!"

Li Nanke was thrown aside, along with the short sword in his hand.

Shen Cong scrambled to his feet somewhat awkwardly, but suddenly caught a choke and coughed repeatedly.

She fell back to the ground, supporting herself with one hand, a blush rising on her pale face.

I don't know if it was because of the cough or because of the disheveled state.

"Your Highness."

Erfeng bent down and rushed in, reaching out to help him up.

Looking at the blush on the prince's face, she couldn't help but wonder, was the prince embarrassed?

This was the first time I had ever seen the prince look so disheveled and embarrassed while I was by his side.

Li Nanke is quite a character; she can elicit such an expression from the prince.

That's more like a normal twelve-year-old child.

Shen Cong was helped to a soft couch by Er Feng, and coughed up another mouthful of blood before his breathing gradually stabilized.

He turned to look at Li Nanke, his gaze extremely cold.

Li Nanke spoke before he could.

"Did Your Highness encounter a problem while searching for the First Prince?"

After much thought, she concluded that the most likely reason Shen Cong would brave the rain to come looking for her was that something had gone wrong in the search for Shen Xu.

As expected, Shen Cong narrowed his eyes and his expression grew even colder.

"You knew all along?"

Li Nanke quickly shook his head.

"I don't know, it just occurred to me."

"Your Highness, could you tell me the details? I need some information before I can perform divination."

Shen Cong glanced at Er Feng.

Erfeng quickly replied, "As Miss Li said, we did indeed find the First Prince in Taizhou."

Who knew that a group of people would suddenly appear out of nowhere and try to take our people away?

In the chaos, the eldest prince disappeared again. We searched almost the entire Taizhou, but couldn't find him.

"Upon receiving the news, the prince immediately came to find the young lady, and learned from the Marquis's residence that she had come to the Song family."

On our way to the Song family's house, we encountered Zilan, who had run out seeking help. That's how we managed to catch the Song family's old woman carrying your mother out of the alley and rescue her in time.

Li Nanke was extremely grateful that she happened to meet Shen Cong today, otherwise she would have experienced the heart-wrenching pain of losing her mother once again.

She was truly grateful to Shen Cong, so she tried hard to recall the things about Shen Xu in her dream.

In her dream, when she was sent to Shen Xu's side, Shen Xu had already been made crown prince.

After becoming the crown prince, Shen Xu was very sensitive about others mentioning the years he was missing. She only heard snippets of information about it on two occasions when Shen Xu was drunk.

Shen Xu said that he suffered a lot in Taizhou when he was a child, and later encountered a famine, so he followed others all the way north to Xuzhou.

Then he unexpectedly joined the salt gang, smuggling salt with them and gradually making a name for himself. Later, he was found by the Emperor's men and gradually regained his childhood memories.

But now reality has deviated from the situation in the dream.

Her family was not exiled, and she revealed Shen Xu's whereabouts in advance.

She wasn't sure if Shen Xu would go to Xuzhou ahead of schedule.

Never mind, she needs to get through the current crisis first.

Li Nanke's heart skipped a beat, and he gritted his teeth.

He said, "The eldest prince must have been injured while displaced, so he doesn't remember his past or his own identity."

He's very wary, so he refuses to go with you.

As soon as he finished speaking, Erfeng opened his mouth wide in surprise.

"Amazing! Miss Ke'er, you really know how to divine! You can even predict this."

Do you know what he called himself? "Erdan..."

A soft, cold snort came from behind.

Erfeng shrank his neck and immediately shut his mouth.

Li Nanke blinked, forcing herself not to laugh.

So Shen Xu used to be called Erdan. No wonder he never mentions the name he used in the common people.

In a daze, a deep, cold voice rang in my ears.

Where is he now?

She paused, feeling a little uneasy, and then said, "Xuzhou, his destination is Xuzhou."

Your Highness can send men to search along the route from Taizhou to Xuzhou.

As long as she finds Shen Xu along the way, it won't be considered that she lied.

Shen Xu squinted and stared at her intently, as if trying to determine the truthfulness of her words.

Li Nanke tried her best to stop herself from trembling, and looked back at him earnestly with her grape-like eyes.

After a long while, Shen Cong finally looked away and waved his hand.

"If you can't find me, you'll know what happens when you deceive me."

Li Nanke let out a long breath, and his clenched fist loosened slightly.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Then he got up.

The snow eagle, which had been kneeling idly playing with its own feathers under the couch, suddenly scrambled to its feet and stared longingly at Li Nanke.

"Woof woof!"

Chen Cong's soft sword gently patted its forehead.

"sit down."

The snow eagle lay back down on the ground, looking aggrieved, resting its head on its two front legs and swaying slightly, as if it were being affectionate.

Shen Cong tore the paper off its neck and slapped it on its head.

"Fool, you've become someone else's dog-beater without even realizing it, and you're still happy about it."

Xueying shook his head and tossed the piece of paper to the ground.

"Woof woof woof!"

"Dare to argue? You fool, you've disgraced me!"

When Li Nanke heard him scolding Xueying, he understood what he meant and couldn't help but explain in a low voice.

"I...I discussed it with Snow Eagle beforehand, and it agreed before I borrowed it."

And...and I'm truly grateful to it; I even gave it a thank-you gift.

Shen Cong raised an eyebrow and used the tip of his sword to flick the red ribbon on Xue Ying's neck.

The copper bells hanging from the net made a series of clear and melodious sounds.

The snow eagle even shook its head in response to the sound.

Shen Cong looked disgusted.

"This is your thank-you gift?"

Li Nanke nodded, "I knitted it myself."

Shen Cong let out a chuckle.

"It's so ugly."

Li Nanke...

It's her first time making this, and it's already so beautiful, isn't it?

Shen Cong's writing might not even be as good as hers.

He puffed out his cheeks, only daring to curse in his heart, but not daring to show it on his face.

Shen Cong used his sword to pick up the piece of paper on the ground, shook it, and then threw it at Li Nanke's feet.

The eight characters on the paper read: "King Xuan's dog, try hitting me," blatantly pointed at her.

Shen Cong: "Your handwriting is even uglier, it's an eyesore for this king."

Li Nanke...

I'm so angry!

But I'm too cowardly to argue back.

He could only clench his small fists and say in a muffled voice, "If Your Highness has nothing else, I will take my leave."

"Did I grant you permission to leave?"

"Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"

Shen Cong tapped the paper with his sword and hummed softly.

"This is the second time!"

"At such a young age, he knows how to use any means necessary."

"What? Is my power so easily borrowed that it's only worth a single tassel? To fob off a beggar?"