Shen Xu and Song Lin exchanged a glance, and Song Lin frowned and said, "Well, the whole country is in a state of panic right now. We are both ordinary people, and there is really no way we can shelter and protect such an important person. If we are discovered, our whole family might be beheaded."
"Yes, this matter is of great importance. My husband, you should quickly go and discuss it with the county magistrate and uncle."
Song Lin nodded. He didn't want to care about the disputes within the Xiao royal family. He just wanted to live a comfortable and sweet life with his wife.
Hearing this, Xiao Mingcheng panicked and grabbed Song Lin's sleeve to stop him from leaving. He cried anxiously, "Brother Song, are you going to hand Cheng'er over? Cheng'er doesn't want to die. Cheng'er has never thought about becoming emperor."
Shen Xu touched Xiao Mingcheng's tear-soaked cheek. He was just an eight-year-old child. He had encountered such a misfortune at such a young age. It was a blessing that he was able to survive.
I heard that Hua Guoshi was forcibly recruiting young boys and girls to make elixirs in the country, which was extremely cruel. If he were handed over to the Guoshi, he would definitely be in great danger.
"Cheng'er, don't be afraid. Brother Song and I are both commoners. We might not be able to protect you on our own. But we won't hand you over easily. The county magistrate here, Mr. Zhou, is a good man, just and kind. He will find a way to help us. If you trust us, let's go to the county magistrate now to find a solution."
Xiao Mingcheng wiped his tears and was silent for a long time. He seemed to have made up his mind and said, "Brother Song is willing to save Cheng'er and take me in for so long. It's already a great favor. Cheng'er really shouldn't be a burden to you. Cheng'er should go on his own."
He released Song Lin's calf and knelt down to kowtow to them reverently. "Cheng'er will never forget Brother Song and Sister Shen's life-saving grace. If Cheng'er can escape danger this time, I will definitely find a way to repay their kindness. Even if I am caught and killed, I will not harbor any resentment for it."
"Cheng'er, don't be impulsive. You're too young. It would be hard for you to survive if you run away alone." Shen Xu quickly helped the child up and advised, "Let your brother Song think of a solution."
Song Lin pursed his lips and thought for a long time, then turned his head to discuss with Shen Xu, "The court hasn't sent anyone to investigate for so long, so I think Master Zhou has already suppressed the matter. We work in the government office, so it's easy for us to receive orders from above. Since the court hasn't ordered us to arrest him, I think Cheng'er is safe staying in our house for the time being."
"Well, I'll go discuss this with my uncle and the county magistrate first. If you trust Song, Cheng'er, we'll definitely find a way to protect you."
"Yeah!" Xiao Mingcheng nodded and looked at the two of them with tears in his eyes.
Shen Xu touched his head and comforted him: "Don't be afraid."
"Cheng'er has lost his parents and relatives. Living one more day is a blessing." Xiao Mingcheng tightly grasped Shen Xu's sleeve and said sincerely, "If the pursuers come one day, my brother and sister must not care about me. Disown me immediately and hand me over to save your lives."
Shen Xu looked up at Song Lin and replied, "We all know the news coming out of the capital these days, and we can make a judgment."
Song Lin nodded in agreement and sighed slightly. He never expected that the wise rule of the late emperor would end up in such a state that it would make his people feel disheartened.
He slaughtered his brothers and sisters, harmed loyal and good people, imposed heavy taxes, forced labor, and kidnapped children to make elixirs. As soon as the new official took the throne, he took drastic measures against the people. How could this not make the people feel disheartened?
Song Lin immediately went to the yamen and told Captain Song and Master Zhou about the incident. Master Zhou said solemnly, "I didn't expect him to confess to you. I'm sorry, I saw that this child would get along with you guys, so I didn't discuss it with you in advance."
"Master Zhou, this could be a capital offense if things go wrong." Captain Song said worriedly, "You're ruining my nephew and his wife!"
"Alin is a skilled martial artist, and Miss Shen is clever. Furthermore, we have people dispatched to keep tabs on the court, so there shouldn't be any major problems. The case report I submitted detailed his identity as a corpse, along with the autopsy report and the results of the body disposal. We've already submitted them to the capital, but we haven't received any response from the capital yet. Once the checkpoints are relaxed, we'll send the child to Jiangling Prefecture."
"Old Zhou, you're playing with fire. If you're betrayed or discovered, Langya County and even Qingzhou Prefecture will suffer."
Master Ma couldn't help but say, "We brothers were counting on you to become an official and take care of us in our old age. How could you do such a thing?"
The county magistrate sighed softly and said, "Although I am a lowly official, I have received the emperor's grace. Now that Imperial Master Hua has slaughtered the royal family and innocent people, he is acting indiscriminately against heaven. It is my duty to protect this heir for the late emperor. Moreover, this child is only eight years old. I cannot do anything like pushing him into the fire."
Then, Master Zhou spoke again about serving the country and being loyal to the emperor, convincing everyone. The actions of Master Hua and the new emperor had clearly aroused public anger, but Master Zhou had no money or food to recruit soldiers, and he still had a lot of loyalty to the Haoyue Kingdom, so he would definitely not use the Thirteenth Prince to start a rebellion.
Just let Song Lin go home to hide the child and wait and see what happens.
Fortunately, the imperial court had been busy suppressing riots in various places recently and had no time to pay attention to the Thirteenth Prince. Everyone spent some time in fear.
Shen Xu simply dressed Xiao Mingcheng up as a little girl, and when someone asked about her, he said that this was Captain Song's newly adopted daughter, who was temporarily living in his house.
Since Xiao Mingcheng originally lived in seclusion, no one noticed him. Aunt Zhang was a warm-hearted and reserved person, so she would not say anything after receiving the money.
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