"Give me the crossbow," Xie Chang'an said to Ye Jingchen.
The wooden box containing the crossbow even had a thoughtful shoulder strap, which Ye Jingchen carried on his back the whole time, never letting anyone else touch it.
However, now that Xie Chang'an wanted it, Ye Jingchen took the wooden box down without saying a word and handed it to Xie Chang'an.
Although the crossbow was his birthday gift, he had only just received it and didn't know how to use it yet, so it was best to hand it over to Xie Chang'an.
Only by handing it over to Xie Chang'an can the crossbows be used to their full potential.
There was only one small window in the thatched hut. Xie Chang'an took his crossbow and walked to the window, only to find that he was too short to reach it.
"Young Master Xie, would you like me to borrow your crossbow?" Wei Yi asked cautiously.
Xie Chang'an glanced at him coldly and ignored him.
He scanned the room and found a wooden stool. So, holding the crossbow in one hand and the stool in the other, he carried the stool to the window and then stood on it.
The height is just right.
He placed the crossbow by the window, loaded it with arrows, and stared intently outside.
A few days earlier, he had seen his father making crossbows. Judging from the size, they were made for children. He was very happy and thought his father had made them especially for him.
After his father finished making it, he waited and waited with great anticipation, but in the end—
This morning, his father finally gave him the crossbow, but he asked him to take it to Ye Jingchen as a birthday gift!
Xie Chang'an was furious!
He doesn't have any, so why should Ye Jingchen?!
Now, isn't this crossbow in his hands?
He hoped someone would rush in right now; he couldn't wait to test the power of this crossbow!
"Wei Yi, take someone to the village entrance and see what's going on, which side is winning?" Ye Jingchen thought for a moment and then gave the order.
He felt that the group of people at the village entrance probably weren't after them. After all, if they were after them, they shouldn't be fighting the emperor's men at the village entrance.
Even if the emperor's men are useless, Chenxi is not to be trifled with!
Besides, the group of kids he brought with him were all of noble status and protected by countless people behind the scenes. How could they be easily followed?
"Your Highness, you mustn't! If I leave with my men, what if the villains discover you?" Wei Yi said hurriedly.
The duty of the Eastern Palace Guards is to protect the safety of His Highness the Crown Prince!
“There are so many guards here, and there are also hidden guards in the shadows, so we'll be fine. But we must find out what's going on at the village entrance, otherwise we'll be in a very passive position!” Ye Jingchen explained to him.
Although Wei Yi was worried, he still left with one person.
"You must all be tired and hungry after walking such a long way. Take a break and have something to eat," Ye Jingchen said.
"Royal brother, aren't you nervous or scared at all?" Ye Jingshu asked him in surprise.
The other kids also looked at him in surprise.
Even though the villain isn't in front of you yet, you shouldn't be so calm!
"There's nothing to be afraid of. Although this thatched house isn't very sturdy, it won't collapse with a single push. There are guards outside and people protecting us inside. Even if the bad guys discover us, we'll still have time to deal with them," Ye Jingchen said nonchalantly.
The Eastern Palace Guards were elite soldiers personally selected by the emperor, and their abilities as secret agents were beyond question. So as long as they were not completely exposed to the enemy, they would be fine.
"A person who has survived an assassination attempt is different!" Ye Jingshu sincerely admired.
How can this time be compared to the last time?
If he hadn't been traveling with so many little ones and couldn't risk it for their safety, he would have definitely gone to the village entrance to see what was going on.
"Let's divide the longevity peaches; they look delicious." Ye Jingchen opened the food box containing the longevity peaches first, and each person received one.
When it was Xie Chang'an's turn, he didn't even glance at him, and directly refused, "I won't eat!"
"Xie Chang'an, aren't you tired of holding this crossbow like that?" Ye Jingchen asked curiously.
"Aren't you worried at all?" Xie Chang'an asked casually, his attention still focused on the outside world.
He just wanted to test the power of the crossbow his father made, to see if it was worth it for him to swallow his pride and beg his father to make one for him too.
"A great man once said that we should despise all enemies strategically, but take all enemies seriously tactically! Worrying is a useless emotion that will affect our judgment of the situation and waste our energy. It's really unnecessary," Ye Jingchen said while eating a longevity peach.
There was one last longevity peach left in the food box. He thought it tasted pretty good, so he kept it and planned to let Xie Chang'an try it later after the crisis was over, so that he could share in the birthday boy's good fortune.
After distributing longevity peaches to the children, he opened another box of pastries and gave them to the palace guards in the room.
"After you finish your snacks, go outside and keep watch. Let the people outside come in and rest for a while," Ye Jingchen said to Wei Er.
“Your Highness, we Eastern Palace Guards are not those useless soldiers like the Imperial Guards. We are not so incompetent that we get tired after standing guard for a short while!” Wei Er said helplessly.
"I don't underestimate you, but since it concerns the safety of so many people, of course I hope you can be in the best possible condition to guard this place and prevent anyone from getting close," Ye Jingchen said earnestly.
"Your subordinate obeys!" Wei Er said solemnly.
Wei Er finished the pastries in a few bites, then led his men out to change shifts with the people outside.
The guards outside came in and were also given pastries. They were all a little confused by the relaxed atmosphere inside the room.
"This room is so simple, can anyone really live here?" Ye Jingyu asked, looking around at the furnishings.
He was initially very nervous, but after being distracted by his elder brother, the Crown Prince, he was no longer nervous and could even focus on other things.
"They're not the worst off, after all, they still have a place to stay that shelters them from the wind and rain, and they can afford to eat rice," Ye Jingchen said.
"Are there really people who can't even afford rice? What do they eat to fill their stomachs?" Yun Shu asked in surprise.
“Wild vegetables, tree roots, or anything else that can fill their stomachs. For some ordinary people, being able to eat their fill is a luxury; just surviving is considered good!” Ye Jingchen said in a heavy voice.
“Like the people in this village, the grain they grow is only enough to feed their families, with no surplus. If a disaster occurs, they will have no way to resist it, and many people will die!”
"How can they live such a hard life? Can't we help them? One tael of gold can buy a lot of rice!" Ye Jingyu asked earnestly.
"There are many, many people like this in Dayuan. Can you help one, two, ten, or a hundred people? Can you help thousands or millions of people? Can you help them for a while, or for a lifetime?" Ye Jingchen asked rhetorically.
Ye Jingyu thought for a moment, then answered sincerely and solemnly, "My mother has a lot of gold, I think I can do it!"
Ye Jingchen: ......
If the Ji family knew that Ji Wushuang had raised her son to be so innocent and naive, I wonder if they would regret it?
Ye Jingchen had a premonition that Ji Wushuang and her son Ye Jingyu would cause the Ji family to suffer heavy losses in the future.
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