Shen Pingjin thought to herself, gritting her teeth. Even if she saved Lu Qingjia now, it might not change the fact that he would still be a traitor in the future. But at least now that she knew about it, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Shen Pingjin tugged at Yan Jue's sleeve, "Yan Jue, I want to save this child."

Yan Jue frowned slightly, but he didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he nodded and asked, "How do you want to save him?"

Shen Pingjin's expression instantly turned into a grin. "Yan Jue, aren't you the Regent? I don't believe it. A kidnapper like me isn't afraid of you, the Regent."

Yan Jue was somewhat surprised. "Are you sure? If I show the fish tally, everyone will know our identities. Our affairs in the capital have been making headlines recently. Aren't you afraid of becoming the target of public criticism?"

Shen Pingjin didn't care about these things at all. "It's okay, we'll stand together."

You and I... stand together through thick and thin?

The person beside him had already taken his wrist without him noticing. The woman was petite but had a firm expression. Yan Jue could sense that she was very serious when she said those words.

A cold heart suddenly softens, like a sponge being soaked in water.

Yan Jue nodded. "Alright, we'll stand together through thick and thin."

Yan Jue took Shen Pingjin's wrist and slowly pushed through the crowd, walking towards the direction of the kidnapper and Lu Qingjia.

The five-year-old child was only as cute as the kidnapper in front of him; otherwise, he was at a disadvantage. Lu Qingjia was covered in dust and dirt. He cried and looked at the kidnapper in front of him, his little tears falling like beads. He missed his mother and the others so much, but he didn't miss his brother because his brother had lost him.

The kidnapper looked at the delicate-featured little child in front of him and chuckled, "I advise you not to waste your energy. Look at all these people crowding around here, but who's going to save you? Everyone seems to know I'm a kidnapper, but not a single person is offering any help."

Lu Qingjia didn't believe it. He wiped away his tears and asked, "If I go with you, where will you take me?"

The kidnapper seemed to be thinking, "Then naturally we'll take you to a brothel, and see who takes a liking to you, and that's who will take you away."

Lu Qingjia choked up, "So you mean I'll never see my mother again?"

The kidnapper coaxed, "Whoever buys you becomes your mother. You'll understand later."

Although Lu Qingjia was only five years old, he was already very clever. He was stunned for a moment when he heard what the kidnapper said, and then he burst into tears, "You bad guy, you want me to leave with my mother, I... Waaah, I hate you!"

The kidnapper didn't care about any of that. She reached out and took a step to grab Lu Qingjia, who was still running ahead, but was stopped by a pair of large hands.

The man with the limbs frowned, looked up at the owner of the hand, and asked, "Who are you, and why are you blocking my way?"

Yan Jue's gaze was icy, and he remained silent, simply extending his hand to unfold the fish-shaped tally.

Under the sunlight, the four golden characters of "Regent's Palace" are carved on it, with clear textures and regular script, and a deep woody fragrance seems to linger around it.

The kidnapper was a man known in the underworld as Scarface Li because of the slanted knife wound on his left eyelid. At that moment, he saw the words on the fish-shaped talisman, and his pupils dilated in shock.

"You, you're the Regent? The famous figure everyone's been talking about lately?"

Yan Jue replied calmly, "Hmm."

Li Bazi was acting under orders, but he wasn't stupid. "This old man pays his respects to the Regent. May I ask what brings you here?"

Yan Jue glanced at Lu Qingjia, who was still wiping away tears and sobbing, "Is this child your child?"

Li Bazi was taken aback, then nodded and bowed, replying, "Yes, yes, Your Highness, this child is indeed my grandson."

"Oh?" Yan Jue asked thoughtfully. "What are your names, where do you live, and where are this child's parents?"

“This…” Li Bazi was at a loss.

Yan Jue looked at Lu Qingjia and said softly, "What are you two making a scene here for? Don't you know this is the grass market?"

Chen Pingjin, who was standing next to him, gave him a reproachful look. "Speak more politely!"

Yan Jue: ...

Was he not polite enough in his speech?

Yan Jue fell into deep doubt.

Lu Qingjia was still crying. He had just rubbed his red eyes when he saw a tall, fierce-looking man standing in front of him, staring intently at him. He was immediately frightened and dared not make a sound.

He was scared!

But then a pleasant fragrance drifted into his nose on the wind, and Lu Qingjia was stunned. Wow, it smells so good!

Lu Qingjia subconsciously raised his head, and what came into view was his sister whom he had seen before. Today she was wearing a light pink long dress, her skin was as white as snow and as smooth as cream, her nose was delicate and her lips were red. Her eyes were sparkling and had a cool and aloof quality. She looked exactly the same as when he met her under the peach tree that day.

Yes, Lu Qingjia and Shen Pingjin met not long ago.

"Pretty, beautiful sister?" Lu Qingjia looked at Shen Pingjin and finally couldn't help but speak softly.

Shen Pingjin was taken aback. She pointed to herself and asked, "You, are you calling me?"

She remembered that in her previous life she had only met Lu Qingjia once, and then they had no further contact.

Lu Qingjia's eyes were practically glued to Shen Pingjin. "Yes, I was calling you 'pretty sister'."

Yan Jue was a little unhappy. Good heavens, he had just accompanied his princess out on a trip and he had actually encountered someone trying to steal her away.

Yan Jue's eyes darkened slightly as he thought about pulling Chen Pingjin away.

Unexpectedly, Shen Pingjin looked puzzled and said, "What are you doing? We finally managed to squeeze into this place."

Yan Jue: ...How can he say that?

In the end, Yan Jue decided to quietly back down, since Lu Qingjia was only a five-year-old child. If he were to argue with a child, it would make him seem childish.

Yan Jue shook his head. "I'm fine."

Shen Pingjin gave Yan Jue a strange look, then stepped forward and asked, "Are you Lu Qingjia, the grandson of Lord Lu of the Zhenguo General's Mansion?"

Yay, the pretty lady still remembers me!

Lu Qingjia was so happy that she forgot to shed tears. She shuffled her little legs toward Chen Pingjin.

Li Bazi was dumbfounded when he saw this person. This... one after another, they were all people from the Regent's Palace?

But the people over there clearly said that no one would come to interfere...

However, Li Bazi decided to take things further. He glanced at Shen Pingjin and Yan Jue, and while everyone's attention was on Lu Qingjia, he seized the opportunity to slip away into the crowd.

Lu Qingjia's eyes were still glued to Shen Pingjin. He nodded, feeling incredibly happy inside, "Yes, beautiful sister, I am Lu Qingjia!"

Shen Pingjin smiled. "That person just now was definitely not a servant from your household, was he?"

Lu Qingjia pouted, her chubby face looking pitiful. "Pretty sister, that person kidnapped me while my brother wasn't home, and said they were going to sell me to someone else, waaaaah..."