Chapter 16: Going to Feed the Dogs
Li Nanke knelt in the carriage, wrapped his arms around Song Yi's neck, and gently rubbed his face against hers.
Song Yi's tears stained her face, hot yet comforting.
My mother's body was warm and smelled nice.
Unlike in the dream, when my mother hanged herself, the last tear that fell from the corner of her eye was so cold.
No matter how much she cried and screamed, her mother no longer responded to her.
She knew that today's events were a huge blow to her mother, and that her mother must be heartbroken right now.
But being heartbroken is better than being constantly deceived by bad people.
She can be her mother's armor to protect her, but her mother must also be able to recognize bad people.
Song Hui's schemes against them won't stop; Mother must find out the true colors of Song Hui and Zhang Shi as soon as possible.
This was just the beginning; they were about to do even worse things.
"Mother, don't be afraid. You still have Ke'er and Father. Ke'er and Father will always protect you."
She used her sleeve to wipe away Song Yi's tears, then leaned in and gave her a big kiss.
Looking at her daughter's well-behaved and considerate appearance, Song Yi's tears fell even faster.
She felt useless; at such an old age, she still had to rely on her daughter for protection.
She couldn't even imagine what kind of miserable situation her family would be in now if she hadn't listened to her daughter yesterday and insisted on writing a letter to Song Hui for help.
The more Song Yi thought about it, the more heartbroken she became. She hugged Li Nanke and asked, "Don't you think your mother is too stupid? She's been treated like an idiot since she was little. Your mother is so useless, sob sob sob."
Li Nanke hugged her tightly and said loudly, "Mother is not stupid. Mother is just too kind, which is why she was bullied by bad people."
"Mother, don't be afraid. Ke'er is here for you. I've been guided by the Fairy Granny, and I'll definitely be able to protect you."
"Mother, just remember this: if your maternal grandmother or aunt tries to coax you into wearing those unsuitable clothes again, you should let them wear them with you."
If they force you to do something you don't want to do, your mother will cry, and cry in front of everyone.
Li Nanke's voice was crisp and clear, but the words she spoke were heartwarming and comforting.
Song Yi sniffed and asked softly, "Mother doesn't want to cry either, but she can't help but cry when something happens."
"Mother is still too useless."
"No, Mother did a great job today. Didn't you see that Grandmother and Aunt couldn't eat because you were crying?"
"Really?"
Song Yi was so surprised that she forgot to cry; two tears still clung to her long, thick eyelashes.
Li Nanke nodded seriously.
"Really? Didn't Mother notice that they barely ate anything?"
Song Yi blushed slightly; she was so focused on crying that she didn't notice anything else.
"So, Mother, don't think that crying is useless. I think you are the best mother in the world."
Li Nanke's small face was pressed tightly against Song Yi's face.
No matter how much she cried, her mother always protected her on the road to exile, when they were surrounded by wolves.
Recalling the scene in his dream, Li Nanke reached out and hugged Song Yi's neck tightly, trying hard to suppress the tears welling up in his eyes.
Now that fate has allowed her to awaken to the plot of the book, she must protect her father, mother, and grandmother.
"Hoo."
Suddenly, the sound of reining in the horse rang out outside, and the carriage came to a sudden stop.
Song Yi instinctively hugged Li Nanke to prevent her from falling due to inertia.
Then he asked the driver outside, "Why did you stop?"
A voice sounded outside the car.
"I am Zhang Erfeng, a guard of Prince Xuan's mansion. I have come here on Prince Xuan's orders to take Li Nanke... to feed the dogs."
"Since we've run into each other here, I won't follow you to the Marquis's residence."
Song Yi's face turned pale instantly, and the tears she had just stopped falling started flowing again.
Today is the second day, and they've forgotten that King Xuan only gave them two days.
It's over, it's over.
What should we do now?
Song Yi instinctively hugged Li Nanke tightly in her arms and cried, "My daughter is still young, so let me take the fall."
"Please, Your Highness, spare my daughter's life."
Erfeng's beard curled slightly, and he looked troubled.
"His Highness has ordered that Li Nanke be taken away immediately. Madam, please do not put me in a difficult position."
Li Nanke struggled to get out of Song Yi's arms and waved to Erfeng with a smile.
He greeted her crisply.
"Hello, Uncle, we meet again."
"Uncle, please don't worry. I will definitely keep my promise to the Prince. May I arrange two things before I go to the Prince's residence myself?"
Song Yi was terrified and hurriedly tried to stop her.
"Ke'er doesn't want to."
Li Nanke tugged at Song Yi's hand and gently shook his head at her.
Song Yi bit her lip, trying hard not to sob.
Erfeng frowned.
Li Nanke quickly raised his hand as if to swear an oath, his bright eyes shining with determination.
With a solemn promise, he said, "I swear I mean what I say. If I don't get to Prince Xuan's residence within half an hour, Uncle can come and arrest me himself."
Her determined little face, with its rosy cheeks and round cheeks, was so adorable that it made your heart melt.
Such a cute little girl, what a pity that she became Xueying's lunch.
The prince is too cruel.
Erfeng muttered to himself and nodded in agreement.
"I'll give you half an hour. When the time is up, I'll come and get you myself."
"Thank you, Uncle. You are such a good person."
Li Nanke smiled and clasped his hands together, bowing to Erfeng.
Erfeng was amused by her, sighed inwardly once again, and turned to leave.
Before Erfeng had gone far, Song Yi hurriedly grabbed Li Nanke, crying as she said, "Ke'er, don't be afraid, Mother will go for you. Mother will never let the dog hurt you in the slightest."
Li Nanke believed this, but she couldn't let her mother go.
If they really angered King Xuan, their whole family would be beheaded.
"Mother, don't worry, Ke'er has a way to deal with it. I won't really let the dog eat me."
"real?"
Song Yi didn't believe it.
"Of course it's true! Has Mother forgotten that I have a fairy godmother protecting me?"
When the name of the fairy grandmother was mentioned, Song Yi managed to hold back her tears.
Li Nanke hurriedly instructed his head maid, Zisu, "Go to the nearby market immediately and buy..."
He quickly explained what he needed, and then said to Song Yi, "Father should have finished his caning by now."
Mother, please spend some money to visit Father at the Censorate and have the yamen runners apply some medicine to him.
Father's health is weak; he might not make it through without medicine.
Li Nanke was worried that Song Yi would cry if she stayed at home alone, so he arranged some things for her to do so that she would forget about crying.
Sure enough, Song Yi remembered that her husband was still being beaten at the Censorate and needed her to deliver medicine, so she immediately stopped crying.
"Okay, I'll go get the money to buy the medicine right away."
"Have Sister Zilan accompany Mother to your dowry shop to get some money to buy the best medicine for bruises and sprains."
The mansion had just been ransacked, and the grandfather was angry that the father had implicated the Marquis's family. He would certainly not allow the mother to take medicine from the mansion, let alone money.
The only option was to withdraw the money from my mother's dowry shop.
Prince Xuan's residence.
Shen Cong lay on the veranda. The autumn afternoon sun was rather harsh, but it did not add any heat to his pale face.
The boy was still covered by a thick cloak, and when he looked up, his eyes were full of hostility.
"You believe a little girl would willingly walk into your door to die? Zhang Erfeng, did you forget your brain today?"
thump.
Erfeng knelt on both knees, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Your subordinate knows his mistake and begs for punishment, Your Highness."
Shen Cong snorted coldly and did not let him get up.
"You have half an hour to go. If the little girl doesn't come by then, she can go and get twenty lashes herself."
"yes."
Erfeng knelt on the ground, not daring to move.
As the sun gradually began to set in the west, half an hour was almost up.
Li Nanke hasn't arrived yet.
Shen Cong scoffed coldly, "You were fooled by an eight-year-old girl, Zhang Erfeng. Do you accept my punishment?"
Erfeng hung his head dejectedly, "Your subordinate submits, and is willing to accept..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a crisp sound rang out from outside the courtyard.
"Uncle Erfeng, I'm here."
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