"Any news from the Southern Court?" Before daybreak, Chen Luo was already waiting outside the gate of the mansion. The weather had been too cold these days, and whenever he opened his mouth to speak, a thick circle of white mist would come out of his mouth.

Someone immediately responded, "Don't worry, sir. The guards at the tower just reported that they saw a cloud-piercing arrow in the direction of the city gate. It was the work of the Southern Court's Imperial Guards. Your Highness must have arrived in the capital."

It was windy and snowing heavily in Kyoto today. Chen Luo held an oil-paper umbrella in his hand and stood in the wind and snow for several hours. His outer coat was soaked and his eyebrows and eyelashes were covered with frost.

But no matter how cold he felt, he refused to go inside the door to take shelter.

When Shen Luo heard that His Highness was assassinated in Jinling City that day, he was shocked at first, and then he couldn't help but wonder, didn't His Highness say that he wanted to go outside to relax? But if he just wanted to relax, would he have to go to such a far place thousands of miles away?

Not to mention Prince Yan, even Shen Xiangzhi left the palace without telling him, leaving only a text message asking him to keep an eye on the palace.

Immediately afterwards, he received another letter from Eleven, in which the short note said that the person had been found, and a little prince had been brought back with him.

Chen Luo didn't understand at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt a chill down his spine.

Just as he was in a daze, he suddenly heard several gatekeepers below him chanting, "Here they come!"

I saw a group of black-armored cavalrymen turning into the intersection, followed by a luxurious and spacious carriage covered with brocade and silk, pulled forward by five horses. Fortunately, the road in front of the palace gate was wide enough, so it was not a big deal to park these cavalrymen and carriages.

Chen Luo hurriedly asked several gatekeepers to take umbrellas and surround the curtain of the carriage. The brocade curtain wrapped with velvet was opened a little, and immediately, the servants lay down on the snow.

The first one to come out was indeed Prince Yan, who got off the car using the "footstool". Shen Luo hurriedly went up to him with an umbrella and nodded, "Your Highness, be careful."

But Xie Shiguan ignored him, turned around and looked inside the curtain again: "Come down, what are you doing?"

The man inside was willing to lower his eyes and stick half of his body out. Chen Luo saw that familiar half of the profile. His nose felt sore at first, and then that gaze was firmly glued to him, and he couldn't even scream.

At such a close distance, Shen Que of course saw him, but after just one look at his senior brother, his eyes immediately turned red.

He was currently holding Si Lai, who was wrapped like a dumpling, in his arms. The wound on his calf had not yet fully healed, so it was difficult for him to get out of the car. However, he did not dare to step on the "footstool" made of ** underneath.

When Xie Shiguan saw how timid he was, he felt suffocated, so he simply hugged his knees and carried the two people, one big and one small, down.

Suddenly he flew into the air, and Shen was startled. He hurriedly hugged the little boy in his arms, but His Highness just put him down gently, then half-held his waist and slowly walked towards the gate of the mansion.

The guards on both sides came over with umbrellas, but the mute didn't even dare to raise his eyes. He was afraid of being stared at, and even more afraid of the probing look in those eyes.

"You go back first and rest in that room," His Highness said as he pulled his fox fur coat tighter for him. "I'll go to the palace first. If there's no delay, I'll be back before dark."

Shen, however, nodded obediently.

But the guards serving on the side couldn't help feeling a little surprised when they heard His Highness and him going back and forth.

The whole story of this matter was kept secret by the higher-ups, and even Chen Luo, who was usually the closest to him in the mansion, only had a vague understanding and looked confused.

Therefore, the people below had their own guesses in their minds. Some guessed that Chen had committed some unforgivable crime and fled for fear of punishment. What's worse, some people talked about it privately, saying that he had fallen in love with a young singer from Pingkangli, and the two of them eloped together.

However, they only dared to say these words in private. In front of King Yan, they could not even mention the name "Chen Que", let alone say it in public. If it got to the ears of Shen Xiangzhi and his son, they would be in great trouble at least.

But defecting from the capital without permission is a serious crime no matter how you look at it. According to His Royal Highness Prince Yan's temperament, he should be executed on the spot. Why was he welcomed back to the palace in such an orderly manner, and His Royal Highness was even so intimate with him... whispering to others.

Not to mention that they didn't understand, even Shen Luo, who was protecting Shen Que and holding an umbrella for him, didn't understand.

His Highness only escorted him and Si to the entrance hall, and then turned out again.

The wind and snow were getting stronger. Chen turned around and glanced at Xie Shiguan quietly from under the umbrella. The prince seemed to sense something as well. He tilted his head and met his eyes from afar.

Xie Shiguan curved his eyebrows, imitated him, and opened his lips silently: Be obedient and don't run around.

Shen Que's heartbeat tightened, and he quickly withdrew his gaze, and followed Shen Luo hurriedly into the inner palace.

Chen Luo unconsciously tilted the oil-paper umbrella towards his side, and walked along, stealing glances at the small and soft baby in his arms. The kid had been sleeping with his eyes closed all the way, and when he was almost at Lansheng Courtyard, he suddenly opened his eyes.

It was rare that she didn't cry or make a fuss, and her bright eyes were darting around.

Chen Luo caught a glimpse of his pupils unexpectedly, his heartbeat stagnated, and the oil-paper umbrella in his hand trembled, and he spoke incoherently: "He, you, that person..."

Shen Que's eyes were so dark that they couldn't be any darker. How could he give birth to a kid like this? In an instant, the suspicion that made his back shiver came up again.

But when he saw the dumb man's eyes, he couldn't bear to ask, so he could only say awkwardly: "Let's go back to the house, it's cold outside."

As soon as they arrived at Lansheng Courtyard, a dark shadow ran towards them, calling him happily: "Sir!"

However, Shen almost didn't recognize him. This boy had indeed grown taller, got tanned, and looked much stronger.

He reached out to touch the top of Yuanzhi's head, rubbed it gently, and said in lip language: "Grown up."

This kid is actually feeling shy now. When he rubs his head, he shrinks back, blushing a little, looking a little shy, but his voice is bright: "Master Chen Luo asks me to go to the training ground every day to practice sword with him. Now I can also take on several moves."

Seeing that he was looking for boasting, Shen Luo frowned and said, "How dare you show off your mediocre Kung Fu in front of your parents? When I was your age, I was proficient in swords, bows, crossbows, spears, halberds, and whips, let alone those moves."

Shen was so overwhelmed by his praise that he was not as good as he said. He was not proficient in everything, but he could only get a handle on everything.

He was more afraid of such boasting than being scolded by others, so he gently touched Shen Luo's forearm and told him to stop boasting.

Yuan Zhi had noticed the kid in Chen Que's hand early in the morning. He stood on tiptoe and curiously reached into his arms: "Who is he?"

Shen Luo stopped him from looking, and slapped him on the forehead with his hand: "What are you doing? Do you understand the rules?"

Yuan Zhi was beaten and he covered his forehead with a cry of "ouch". He was very afraid of Shen Luo and Shen Xiangzhi, both of whom were very strict with him. Whenever he made a mistake, Shen Luo would not reason with him but would use a stick to educate him.

Therefore, when he heard that his kind-hearted and amiable master was coming back, Yuanzhi was so happy that he didn't sleep a wink all night. Before dawn, he put on the new jackets distributed from the mansion for them to wear on New Year's Day, and even combed his hair meticulously.

Sure enough, when he saw Shen Luo teaching him a lesson, the mute seemed to be unable to bear it and stopped him, then shook his head and used his free hand to gesture: "Don't be mean to him."

"If you spoil a half-grown brat like this, he will be spoiled," Chen Luo said with a stern face, "Boys need to be beaten before they will be obedient. If you spoil him like that, he will lose his sense of reason and think of himself as the master, which will harm him."

"If you don't follow the rules, you will be severely punished," Chen Luo said, and then he glanced at Yuan Zhi and ordered him, "Go to Chongtai Courtyard and bring over the box under the table in my room. The one painted red with lotus patterns on it, don't take the wrong one."

Yuanzhi took the order and ran out of the yard, disappearing in an instant.

Chen Luoxu gathered the people, opened the door, and then took the two people, one big and one small, into the house.

The furnishings in the room remained unchanged, except for the addition of an exquisite and luxurious table, which seemed out of place when placed together with the other furnishings in the room. Upon closer inspection, the curtains and mattress on the couch had also been replaced.

Shen had served His Highness for more than ten years, so how could he not tell who the bed, mattress, curtains and drapes belonged to?

Seeing him in a daze, Chen Luo hurriedly said: "The prince felt that the lighting in the bedroom was not good, so he moved here to live. Now that you are back, Your Highness should..."

Should we move back?

His Royal Highness Prince Yan was too lazy to even come up with a good excuse. The two best places in the mansion were the main hall outside and the bedroom inside. They had plenty of light, were warm in winter and cool in summer, and had underground heating underneath.

Xie Shiguan must be crazy to move to this small courtyard to suffer.

Chen lowered his eyes and suddenly saw a wooden goose next to the porcelain pillow. He subconsciously leaned over and reached out to take it, but was gently stopped by Chen Luo.

When His Highness smashed the wooden goose, Shen Luo and the others were not in the mansion, and they did not know that the wooden sculpture was given to King Yan by Shen Que, so they kindly reminded him: "The wooden goose belongs to His Highness, and His Highness treasures it very much and never allows others to touch it. We have finally come back, so don't make His Highness angry again."

But Shen was still stunned.

After a long while, he raised his hand and whispered, "Your Highness... do you treasure it very much?"

It was also because Xie Shiguan was not around that Shen Luo dared to lean over to his ear and whispered, "I even hold it in my arms when I sleep at night, how come it's not considered a treasure?"

Shen Luo's mind was not on the wooden goose. He asked him to put Si Lai on the couch first, and then looked the mute from head to toe. He saw that his arms and legs were intact and there were no obvious wounds. He breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the bite marks on the back of his neck that could not be covered by the fabric, and the ambiguous red spots on his neck still made him nervous.

"That person..." Shen Luo asked carefully, "Is that person His Highness?"

He asked haltingly, and when the mute nodded, Shen Luo suddenly felt his heart break.

"He forced you to do it," he murmured, feeling both distressed and resentful, "didn't he?"

No wonder he didn't find that person in this mansion. He asked Shen Xiangzhi privately, but Shen Xiangzhi just kept it a secret and told him not to meddle in other people's business.

When he thought about the suffering that the mute had endured outside, Shen Luo felt a bitter pain in his heart. When the body was fished out of the river that day, he didn't even dare to go over to take a look.

His hands and feet went limp and he collapsed in front of the bamboo fence, unable to stand up.

Shen Xiangzhi refused to tell him anything. For a while, he really thought that Ah Que was gone. He felt hopeless and didn't even dare to come into Lan Shengyuan. Just a glance at her from afar would make him feel anxious and distressed.

Later, Shen Xiangzhi couldn't stand his depressed look anymore, so he told him the whole story in a vague way. Only then did Shen Luo dare to believe that the mute was still alive.

Shen Shi knew too well how dangerous it was to be pregnant and give birth to a child - his mother died when she gave birth to him, and she died before she could even see him.

Shen Xiangzhi never loved him much, and it was because he killed his mother.

"Did you get bullied?" Shen Luo touched his shoulder with red eyes, "You've lost so much weight, did you eat well outside?"

He wanted to cry as soon as they met just now, but there were too many people outside, and he didn't dare to be rude in front of His Highness. Now he couldn't hold it back any longer.

When I think about the mute who was pregnant for ten months, I wonder what kind of miserable life he had, how he gave birth to a child, and whether there was anyone by his side...

Chen Luo couldn't help but hate that man, even though he was the master he had been loyal to for more than twenty years.

But Shen saw that his eyes were red, and his heart was also sour. He couldn't bear to see him sad, so he raised his hand and explained: "No, I wasn't bullied."

What kind of temper does this mute have? Chen Luo grew up with him, so how could he not understand him? Even if he was in deathly pain, he would say it didn't hurt. He thought so little of himself and was never willing to feel sorry for himself.

Shen Luo put his arm around his back and wanted to hug him, but he remembered that Shen didn't like being touched, so he moved very slowly. If Shen didn't want to, he would stop.

But the mute remained motionless, with red eyes and lips, and silently called him: "Brother."

Chen Luo couldn't bear it anymore, so she hugged him and started sobbing: "I was scared to death when I heard that someone fell into the water. They say that the souls of people who drowned in rivers will sink to the bottom of the river, and if they get lost, they won't be able to find their way home..."

"I was thinking, if you were really lost, where would you go?"

The author has something to say:

I was unblocked today and went out to eat and drink a lot. When I came back, I was in a hurry to take a shower and forgot to update. I’m sorry everyone!