Qin Yi was right; they really couldn't help Jiang Wu a second time.
The political situation in the capital was constantly changing. A few years later, the palace underwent a major upheaval, and Jiang Wu also passed away. As for that pitiful little prince, there was no news of him. It is unknown whether he died silently in some unknown corner.
Occasionally, Wen Hemian would feel a pang of sadness when she thought about it, but she didn't have much time to grieve. She had a lot to learn, not only the homework assigned by her teacher, but also martial arts training with her martial arts master.
In her father's words, he did not expect her to go to the battlefield with him in the future, but she must have the ability to protect herself.
The border will be short of manpower for the time being, and with military power in hand, the Wen family is the biggest bargaining chip in the struggle among the princes.
Although Wen Hemian has been avoiding contact with the princes, she still has to go to the palace to deal with some troubles sometimes. She will be of marriageable age in two years, and she guesses that some people are already scheming about her marriage.
Unfortunately, the Wen family is not the kind of people who would use their children for bargaining. She still has her parents behind her, and if she is unwilling, no one can force her. Moreover, the current emperor is a coward who is afraid of being overthrown by his own son.
Wen Hemian walked along the long corridor, lost in thought.
It had just snowed, and everything in sight was white. A cold wind blew, making people shiver. She was weak and afraid of the cold, and suddenly shivered. Just as she was about to quicken her pace to go outside, she suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps beside her. As she turned the corner, she almost bumped into someone.
"...Princess! Greetings, Princess!"
Several palace maids were the first to recognize her. After a flurry of activity, they hurriedly bowed to her, saying, "Please forgive us, Your Highness. We were chasing a petty thief and that's why we offended you..."
Wen Hemian recognized these people; they were from Consort Shu's palace and were known for their reckless behavior.
She lifted her eyelids slightly, glanced silently in a certain direction, suddenly became interested, casually dismissed the palace servants, and then headed towards the back of a tree.
A moment later, meeting a pair of dark eyes, his eyebrows arched slightly: "Little thief?"
It snowed a few days ago, and a thin layer has already covered the ground. The weather is getting colder and colder, making people shiver all over. Especially Wen Hemian, who always wraps herself up tightly on days like this, afraid of letting in any wind.
But this also made the child's clothes appear even thinner, pitifully wrapped around his body, his little face smeared with dust from somewhere, and he clutched a few pastries in his hand, his dark pupils silently watching her, like a disheveled little dog.
Hearing her words, his fingers curled up awkwardly.
This reaction is very strange.
Wen Hemian narrowed his eyes: "Have you seen me before?"
The child was clearly very wary, and the fact that he didn't react aggressively or run away when she approached was enough to show that he trusted her.
So where does this belief come from?
"Hmm." The child, tense all over, finally responded. He explained in a low voice, "They won't give me any food, so I have no choice but to do this."
As if to verify his statement, the child's stomach rumbled as soon as he finished speaking. He was starving, but in front of Wen Hemian, he felt inexplicably embarrassed to eat.
Wen Hemian didn't believe he was a child sent to the palace. Looking at those slightly familiar features, a sudden thought flashed through her mind: "You are... the little prince?"
Ironically, Emperor Shun had few children, and after sending Jiang Wu and her child to the Cold Palace, no new children were born.
Anyone with eyes can see that he's ruined his health by taking too many elixirs, but he refuses to believe it and still dreams of longevity and immortality.
He didn't care at all how badly he had ruined the Great Zhao Dynasty.
To be honest, Wen Heming was a little surprised to receive the answer.
She had no intention of inquiring about these royal secrets, and thought that the little guy from back then was long gone. It turned out that he was still alive, but he seemed to be living a bad life.
It's easy to imagine that a child whose birth mother has passed away and who lives in a cold palace would not receive much attention.
He was lucky he wasn't killed by the concubines in the palace, but expecting someone to bring him food was impossible; he had to find a way to fill his stomach himself.
Forced by circumstances, one should not blame fate or others.
"So it was you." Wen Hemian sighed softly.
For reasons unknown, she grabbed the child's hand, and the icy coldness sent a chill down her spine.
The child sensed this and tried to break free from her grasp, but she held on even tighter and looked at him reproachfully: "Don't worry, I won't hand you over to them."
He pursed his lips, met those clear, smiling eyes, and was momentarily stunned, so much so that he missed the best opportunity to explain, wanting to say that he didn't think that way.
Wen Hemian led him to her temporary residence in the palace. Occasionally, when she stayed for a long time, she would take a short rest here. Usually, no one came.
"Your pastry is broken, why don't you try these?"
Wen Hemian took out some small snacks that could be stored for a long time. They looked much better than the few pieces in his hand, and their sweet taste made his hunger even more pronounced.
Being so young, and seeing someone he knew showing him kindness, the child let go of her hand, not bothering to wipe it clean, and went to eat the pastry she gave him. He put it in his mouth and found it sweet, taking bite after bite until his hunger was somewhat relieved.
Only then did he realize that Wen Hemian was still watching.
He stiffly looked up, wanting to see Wen Heming's reaction.
Wen Hemian didn't mind, but while she found it amusing, she also felt a little sorry for him.
He's still a prince, so young, yet he lives a life worse than a servant in the palace.
"you……"
"May I have your name?"
The next question was asked by Wen Hemian.
Upon seeing this, the child quickly stopped what he was about to say and instead said, "My name is Xie Lang."
"Okay, Xie Lang." Wen Hemian's smile deepened as she handed him a handkerchief, gesturing for him to wipe his face.
The child took the snow-white handkerchief, which was as white as a cloud, and was reluctant to get it dirty, so he just stared at it blankly.
Seeing that he didn't move, Wen Hemian had no choice but to take it herself and wipe it for him. It was only then that she noticed that what was on his face was not ash, but bruises that had not yet faded.
Her expression suddenly turned cold.
Xie Lang, however, thought that it was her dissatisfaction with his reaction. Coming back to his senses, he said softly, "You've helped me twice. I'll find a way to repay you in the future."
His voice was childish, but his expression was earnest.
If I remember correctly, the little brat is only seven years old now. He lost his mother less than two years ago, and he has already learned how to struggle to survive on his own.
She sighed, "You don't need to repay me."
"This is my territory. You can stay here from now on, but be careful to avoid outsiders. I'll have my guards bring you some warm clothes and bedding later..."
She said a lot, but the little brat didn't relax at all; instead, his expression became even more serious. Remembering the kindness she had shown him, hesitantly asked, "Why...why are you so good to me?"
"Just consider it an act of kindness on my part."
Wen Hemian smiled and said, "Even if you want to repay me, you have to grow up first, right?"
Speak softly and gently, as if coaxing someone.
The little brat nodded, his face flushed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com