Chapter 20 Who exactly are you?

Zhichun and the others immediately softened.

"Princess, you flatter me. Protecting the Princess, the young princess, and the young master is my duty!"

"Yes, Princess, we all know that Madam Mei and the Princess Consort have a good relationship!"

The four of them, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, comforted Yun Zhao in hushed tones and even took out pastries they had brought from the capital, feeding Yun Zhao small bites at a time.

The soft and chewy pastries, with their sweet but not cloying flavor, instantly filled Yun Zhao's taste buds.

"Mmm! It's so delicious! Zhao Zhao wants to take some back for Mommy!"

Yun Zhao nodded heavily, and Zhi Chun quickly helped her wrap it up with a small handkerchief.

Yun Zhao then used his sleeve as a cover to put the pastries into his spatial storage.

Then she tilted her head back and asked, "Sister Zhichun, you left the city in such a hurry today, Mother asked me to come and ask what you bought?"

"This servant has made a list; the young princess only needs to give it to the princess!"

Zhichun is always meticulous in her work and had already prepared a shopping list.

Wow! Sister Zhichun is amazing!

Yun Zhao took the list and praised Zhi Chun without reservation, making her feel very sweet.

Immediately afterwards, Yun Zhao lowered his head to read the form in his hand.

Seeing her carefully browsing the list, Zhichun and the other three couldn't help but be a little surprised.

Can a princess who is so young understand this?

"Sister Zhichun, we need to buy some herbs to dispel cold and dampness. It's early spring now and the snow is melting, so we can use them on the road."

The south is humid, and we'll definitely be sleeping outdoors along the way, so we must bring these medicines to dispel dampness and cold.

Yun Zhao's expression was serious, and Zhi Chun and the others were stunned.

Her youthful face held an expression that belied her age, and she did bear a resemblance to the princess when she was arranging servants.

But she's clearly only a five-year-old child!

"Hehe, that's what the master always said, 'Well, it's called being prepared!' Yes, that's right!"

The childish voice, nodding its head with an air of seriousness, was incredibly cute.

This is the true innocence and naivety of childhood!

It seems that what they saw earlier was just their imagination!

"The young princess is exceptionally intelligent, it's a pity she's not in the capital..."

Zhi Dong sighed sadly.

Before she could finish speaking, Zhichun grabbed her and forcibly stopped her from saying anything more.

"Don't worry, Princess, I will make sure everything is ready!"

"Yes, Princess, please rest assured and leave her to us servants!"

Zhichun and Zhixia quickly spoke up to change the subject.

Yun Zhao not only heard what Zhi Dong hadn't finished saying, but he also understood it completely.

She took Zhidong's hand and looked at him intently.

"Don't worry, Sister Zhidong. Once we meet with Father, the truth will surely come out."

I believe my father is definitely not a corrupt official; the truth will eventually be revealed!

Zhi Dong was easily moved to tears, and she couldn't help but let them fall.

"Yes! This servant also believes that Your Highness, such a good person, must have been wronged!"

The group fed Yun Zhao food and gave her small amounts of silver, and then talked to her for a long time.

About half an hour passed. It was too long, and Yun Zhao was worried that Xu Qingyi might wake up halfway through, so he suggested that they go back.

Zhichun and the others wanted to see her off, but she refused, saying that there would be too many people around.

Worried that they would catch a cold, Zhi Dong stuffed the hot water bottle she had prepared into their arms.

"Princess, this hot water bottle is small, so please hide it well. You can put some small charcoal fire inside when you have the chance!"

"Sister Zhidong is so thoughtful~ Thank you, Sister Zhidong!"

Yun Zhao held the hot water bottle in his arms, and Zhi Xia then carried her off the donkey cart.

After escorting her for a short distance, Yun Zhao struggled to get out of Zhi Xia's arms.

"Don't worry, Sister Zhixia, Zhaozhao is a big girl now, she can manage on her own!"

Yun Zhao raised his little arm, looking like he was "very strong," which made Zhi Xia feel heartbroken.

"Princess, please be careful on your journey. Keep this little firework safe; you can give it to the Princess Consort later!"

Zhi Xia felt that explaining the uses of fireworks to the child was pointless, so she simply had her hand them over to Xu Qingyi.

Yun Zhao naturally knew this was a signal flare, so he nodded.

"Okay, I'm going back now! Goodbye, Sister Zhixia!"

Yun Zhao quickly slipped back.

As Zhichun and the other three watched the little princess disappear into the dark night with her short legs, they couldn't help but tear up.

The four of them gave her so many things that Yun Zhao could only put them all into her spatial storage so she could easily slip back.

Fortunately, she was a child and was not in shackles.

Otherwise, it would make a clanging noise with every movement, making it really inconvenient to sneak out!

She quietly returned to her room, planning to give the items to Xu Qingyi discreetly the next day after everyone had gotten up.

Inside the room, everything was just as it had been when she left.

She lay comfortably next to Xu Qingyi, listening to her mother's long, even breaths, and couldn't help but snuggle closer to her.

Xu Qingyi was half asleep when she opened her eyes and saw her daughter. She thought her daughter was scared.

So he hugged her tightly, gently patted her back, and coaxed her to sleep.

The child's body was really weak, and after just this little bit of fuss, Yun Zhao was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Little did she know, someone outside the window had been watching her every move.

Why would such a young child sneak out in the middle of the night?

Judging from her actions, she doesn't seem as cautious as a five-year-old.

The man suppressed his suspicions, then nimbly climbed out the window and returned to the next room.

He quietly put the shackles back on and lay back down.

Everything returned to silence, the rustling wind making it seem as if nothing had happened.

The next morning, the officials banged a gong downstairs, making a very jarring "clang clang" sound.

After everyone got up, they were given only a bowl of porridge that was as thin as water.

Yun Zhao glanced at it and thought to himself that his three uncles were so tall and big, and this little bit of food wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap.

After thinking for a moment, she quietly went to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the cook was preparing food for the officials when she turned her head and saw a little girl who wasn't even as tall as the cutting board.

"Hey, little girl, what are you doing here?"

The cook was a plump middle-aged woman who looked somewhat fierce.

Yun Zhao wasn't afraid of her. He took short strides and ran to the cook.

"Auntie, my mother and brother are not getting enough to eat. Could you give them some eggs?"

Before the cook could even speak, she rummaged through her sleeves, pulling out only a few copper coins.

Her lips trembled, and she sadly took off the small silver bracelet from her wrist.

"Auntie, Zhaozhao doesn't have much money, sob sob sob, Zhaozhao can go without eating."

"Could I give the eggs to Mommy and my little brother? And could I give some meat to Uncle too?"

Holding up the copper coin and silver bracelet, she blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at the cook with hopeful eyes.

The cook was instantly charmed by her.

"This is against the rules, but take it quietly and don't let anyone else see it, understand?"

The cook stuffed her bowl of braised pork knuckle into Yun Zhao's arms and then put a few eggs in his pocket.

"Hurry up, don't let anyone see you!"

"Thank you, Auntie! Good deeds are rewarded, you'll definitely become very wealthy!"

"You have such a sweet tongue, child! Go on your way!"

The cook pinched her chubby cheeks, and her smile deepened as she thought of her little one at home.

Holding the pork knuckle and eggs, Yun Zhao quickly slipped back inside while everyone was still in the room.