Chapter 27 You reap what you sow…

Seventeen chuckled. This little girl's vigilance was far too poor; she'd have to teach her a lesson later.

“We came to see you about something. We knocked but no one answered, so we were worried that something might have happened to you and came in. Don’t be afraid, we’re not bad people.”

The little girl blinked her big, bright eyes and said, "I know you're not bad people."

"Hmm? Are you so sure?"

"Yes! Mother told me that those who are beautiful and wear expensive clothes are all good people from Yejing!"

Hearing the little girl say that, Seventeen and Mingyue smiled slightly, but still said softly, "You can't distinguish between good and bad people like that in the future. Good people are not all pretty, and bad people are not all ugly."

The little girl seemed confused. Seventeen touched her head and realized that it hadn't been washed in a long time, and his heart tightened.

"May I have your name?"

"Li Yan."

The little girl looked at Seventeen with wide eyes and asked, "What do you need me for, handsome brother?"

"I wanted to ask you about your father and mother."

Li Yan tilted her head and thought for a moment: "My father and my mother? What do you want to ask?"

Just as Seventeen was about to speak, Mingyue patted his shoulder from behind and said, "Li Yan, did you weave those flowers?"

His finger pointed to the only table in the room, on which sat the medicine Seventeen had bought, and a few crooked flowers.

"Yes, my mother taught me how to make it, but I wasn't very good at it, so no one wanted to buy it."

Li Yan scratched her chin, looking somewhat forlorn, when Mingyue asked, "How did your father and mother die?"

“My father was teaching in another city when my mother was pregnant with me. On his way back, he encountered bandits and was killed by them while protecting several students who were returning with him.”

Li Yan said earnestly, but her expression didn't seem sad. That's understandable, since she had never met this father since birth, so it's reasonable that she didn't have any feelings for him.

"My mother... this year the weather was too cold, and we didn't have money to buy medicine, so she..."

When she spoke of her mother, Li Yan's expression became noticeably sadder, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I heard that your mother used to be an embroiderer in the palace, how could she be poor?"

Li Yan thought for a moment and said, "Mother said that she didn't study much, so she wanted to use the money to help Father with his studies."

Seventeen and Mingyue exchanged a glance, both having a general idea of ​​what was going on, and then stopped asking.

"Li Yan, shall we help you tidy up the house?"

Li Yan looked at Seventeen happily, got off the bed, and gave him a proper bow: "Thank you, handsome brother!"

Where did you learn that?

Seventeen chuckled to herself. This little girl even knew palace etiquette; her mother must have taught her.

"My mother taught me that!"

Li Yan's voice was clear and crisp. Seventeen sighed. This child probably didn't know how outsiders viewed her, or perhaps she didn't even know what "a cursed lone star" meant.

Seventeen and Mingyue worked quickly, and after they cleaned the small house, Li Yan looked at them with admiration: "Brother, you are both so amazing."

"It's just cleaning the house, you..."

Before Seventeen could finish speaking, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and a boy about the same age as Li Yan walked in. Upon seeing the two strangers in the room, he immediately became alert, rushed over and pulled Li Yan behind him, staring at Seventeen and Mingyue with obvious wariness on his face.

Li Yan exclaimed and slapped the boy, saying, "What are you doing! These two brothers are really good people!"

The boy looked at Seventeen and Mingyue suspiciously, and Li Yan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Look, they're the ones who cleaned the house!"

Only then did the boy relax a little, opening his mouth and making a few "ah ah" sounds before handing the two large steamed buns in his hand to Li Yan.

"I don't need two, one is enough for me, you have one too!"

Li Yan took one steamed bun and gave the other one back to the boy.

Mingyue looked at the boy in front of her thoughtfully, and suddenly asked, "Can't you speak?"

The boy nodded, though his wariness remained, his attitude had softened considerably.

"Hold out your hand, let me see it."

The boy tilted his head in confusion, but Li Yan from behind nudged him, and he then stretched out his hands.

Mingyue chuckled softly and placed her hand on his left wrist to feel his pulse.

Seventeen asked in confusion, "Brother Yue?"

Without turning her head, Mingyue said, "I'll tell you when we get back."

"Muteness caused by poisoning."

"Poisoned?!" Seventeen exclaimed in surprise. Who would poison such a young child?!

The boy silently withdrew his hand, his gaze towards Mingyue filled with obvious admiration.

"You know you were poisoned and that's why you can't speak?"

"Ah ah."

The boy's meaning was clear; he knew.

Mingyue's brows furrowed, and her voice was low: "Take good care of Liyan, we'll come back later."

The boy nodded, but Li Yan ran a few steps forward, grabbed Seventeen's hand, and said, "Handsome brother, his name is Yuan Man."

Mingyue raised an eyebrow: "How do you know his name?"

“Yuan Man can write. My mother told me that his name is Yuan Man.”

The boy behind Li Yan nodded silently again.

......

After Seventeen and Mingyue returned to the inn, Long Zhaoming was sitting at the table reading a storybook. Seeing the two return, he put down the storybook and asked with a smile, "How did it go?"

Mingyue took a sip of water and said, "We need to send someone to investigate Li Yan's mother."

"Li Yan?"

"It's that little girl."

Long Zhaoming asked doubtfully, "Wasn't her mother a palace embroiderer? What do we need to investigate? Is it fake?"

"No, I have a few questions. Her mother was an embroiderer in the palace, and the salary there was quite good. Her mother must have been very skilled to be able to work in the palace. If that's the case, she shouldn't be living in such poverty after leaving the palace."

"But didn't Li Yan say that her mother used all her money to support her father's education?"

Seventeen asked doubtfully, "This is what Li Yan told them, could it be false?"

"Reading books doesn't cost that much money. Even if you buy books every day, it won't cost you a lot of money. In Dajing, scholars are highly respected."

Mingyue pondered for a moment and said, "Li Yan is not very old. Even if her mother marries late, she is probably only around thirty years old. The embroiderers in the palace can work until they are fifty years old before leaving the palace to make a living on their own. Generally speaking, they would not leave so early."

"Do you think something happened to her mother in the palace that made her leave in such a hurry, even abandoning her salary?"

Long Zhaoming guessed, and Mingyue nodded: "Yes, and she didn't use her skills to make money after leaving the palace. This may indicate that she was unwilling to show her face too much, which also confirms that something very likely happened to her in the palace, and it was something not good, which made her have to hide her identity."

Seventeen listened to their conversation, pondered for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Was Li Yan's father really murdered in an accident? And her mother... did she really die because she was sick and couldn't afford treatment?"

Mingyue's eyes seemed to hold a storm. He was born in the palace, a place filthy and full of grime. If it was really as they guessed, then Li Yan... was truly pitiful.

"And that Yuan Man..."

"And who is Yuan Man?"

Long Zhaoming looked completely bewildered. How did he get to know so many people after just one trip?

"It's a boy, about the same age as Li Yan. We don't know anything about him. His voice was poisoned and he became mute."

"Poisoned and rendered mute?" Long Zhaoming clicked his tongue, asking with some surprise, "Who would poison such a young child?"

"Just like we don't understand why that master would target an ordinary little girl."

Mingyue's casual remark startled the other two.

"Was it done by that master too? But why would he poison others to make them mute?"

Seventeen's face was full of disbelief, and his tone was somewhat shocked. He couldn't understand why a master, a master who was quite famous in the area, would do these things.

"Let's investigate first. I have a feeling that there is some kind of relationship between Li Yan, Yuan Man, and that master."

Long Zhaoming understood Mingyue's meaning, and awkwardly whistled. Lingwu, whom he had just met, appeared in the room and knelt in front of Long Zhaoming.

"Did you hear that? Go check it out."

Long Zhaoming raised his chin, and Lingwu nodded and replied, "Understood," before turning and leaving.

Seventeen looked at Zero Five and pondered for a moment, then looked at Long Zhaoming and asked, "Your Highness, may I write a letter to His Majesty?"

These words stunned the other two. Long Zhaoming glanced at Mingyue and asked, "What did you write in the letter? We're not far from Yejing."

"Hmm... I feel a little worried. Although it's not far, His Majesty's mission for me is to protect His Highness, so I naturally can't go back alone."

Long Zhaoming glanced at Mingyue with a half-smile. Mingyue's expression didn't change. Receiving Long Zhaoming's gaze, she raised her eyelids and said, "You write it."

Seventeen happily went outside to find paper and pen, leaving Long Zhaoming and Mingyue looking at each other in the room.

"No, you really want him to write a letter?"

Why can't I write it?

Long Zhaoming frowned, a half-smile on his face: "Hmm... write it, write it. I don't understand you anyway... but does he not know that His Majesty is seriously ill?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sound came from outside. Mingyue's expression changed, and she glared at Long Zhaoming. Then, Seventeen pushed open the door and strode in.

"Your Highness, what's wrong with His Majesty? What serious illness does he have? What happened?"

Seventeen crumpled the paper and pen in his hand and threw them on the table. He looked at Long Zhaoming in disbelief, seemingly not yet understanding what the other had just said.

Long Zhaoming screamed inwardly, "Oh no! My mouth!"

But the words had already been spoken, and there was no going back. Seeing this, he moved his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "My brother... he has suddenly contracted a serious illness, and his condition is not good..."

Seventeen's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Mingyue, watching from the side, was alarmed and immediately stepped forward to pull him back: "Seventeen! Calm down!"

"You all knew? Why didn't you tell me?"

Seventeen stared blankly at Long Zhaoming, then at Mingyue, but no one gave him an answer.

Mingyue and Long Zhaoming both knew this was just an act, but Seventeen was different. Seventeen... didn't know that Mingyue was His Majesty...

Seeing that Seventeen seemed to be on the verge of tears, Long Zhaoming didn't know what to say for a long time, and fled back to his room, leaving the "battlefield" to Mingyue.

You made this mess, so you'll have to clean it up yourself!

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Author's Note: Tomorrow's update will be a little late, around 11 AM. Thank you for your understanding!