Chapter 20 Running Away from Home
Li Nanke almost wanted to inhale the breath he had just exhaled.
But then Shen Cong's finger moved a little to the side.
"You... haven't fed me for three days."
"Waaah."
The snow eagle lowered its head dejectedly and wagged its tail, trying to gain its master's pity.
Unfortunately, the owner was heartless and didn't even bother to glance at it, turning around and leaving directly.
Xueying pitifully rubbed its head against Li Nanke.
Li Nanke was also powerless to help.
Her head had only just been saved, so she had no choice but to ask Erfeng for help.
"Uncle Erfeng..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Erfeng shrugged helplessly and patted Xueying.
"I already told you to learn your lesson. I'm still carrying ten lashes myself. Good luck to you."
"Waaah."
Snow Eagle fell to the ground, utterly despondent.
Erfeng glanced at the wound on Li Nanke's neck and then gave him a thumbs up.
"You're quite something, little girl. You've got guts. You're the first person to escape death from our prince's sword."
I'll have someone escort you out of the manor. Remember to apply some medicine when you get back; the wound will heal in a couple of days.
"Thank you very much, Uncle Erfeng."
Li Nanke thanked her sweetly.
Erfeng dared not delay any longer. He called a servant in, gave him a few instructions, and then quickly grabbed his sword and chased after him.
He caught up with Shen Cong outside the courtyard and presented him with the cleaned soft sword.
Shen Cong glanced at him, then expressionlessly holstered the soft sword back at his waist.
"You're happy that I didn't kill her?"
Erfeng chuckled.
"I don't think Your Highness ever intended for the little girl to actually feed the snow eagle in the first place, did you?"
Shen Cong snorted coldly.
"Your feeling is just an illusion."
Second wind...
"She's still a child. If Your Highness wants to know the whereabouts of the First Prince, you can just ask him directly. Why scare her like that?"
"Do you think she's behaving like an eight-year-old?"
Erfeng was speechless.
There were also children as young as seven or eight in the royal family. When they saw the prince, they would run away like mice seeing a cat.
Although the little girl Li Nanke was terrified, she still dared to negotiate with the prince.
He really doesn't look like an eight-year-old child.
"Does Your Highness find her words credible? Should we search in Taizhou? We've searched there before, but we haven't found anything."
Shen Cong did not hesitate at all.
"Search, head south of the city, focusing on areas we haven't searched before."
Erfeng was about to go down and make arrangements when Shen Cong remembered Li Nanke's words and instructed, "Send a few more people to keep an eye on the Anping Marquis's residence."
Erfeng said, "Does Your Highness still suspect that the Marquis of Anping's residence is connected to the rebels? Then is the focus on the Marquis of Anping? Li Mu? Or...?"
Shen Cong touched the soft sword at his waist, raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
Erfeng shuddered.
"Understood, Your Highness. I will keep an eye on everything and everyone related to Li Nanke, and report any unusual activity to Your Highness immediately."
Shen Cong hummed in agreement.
He and his elder brother had searched for immortality for many years but had not found it. How could an eight-year-old girl know about it?
It could only have been someone who told her this, or something she overheard her family saying.
Regardless of the truth, he was determined to find out.
On the other side, Li Nanke was escorted out by a servant from the Prince Xuan's residence.
Her head maid, Zisu, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth. When she saw her come out, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
When they saw the wound on her neck, they couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
"Oh dear, young lady, why is your neck bleeding?"
"It's just a minor injury, it's nothing, let's go home."
Zisu insisted on taking out a clean handkerchief and tying it around her neck.
"The girl is still young, we can't leave a scar on her neck. Let's go back and apply some more medicine."
Li Nanke held Zisu's hand, looked up and smiled.
Zisu is fourteen years old this year. She was chosen by her grandmother as a maid and has been serving her for four years.
In the dream, the whole family could not escape the calamity of having their property confiscated and being exiled.
When they were exiled, Zisu cried and hugged her, begging the yamen runners to let her go to exile with her.
However, she was a slave, and according to regulations, she could only be taken away by slave traders and resold, and was not on the list of those to be exiled.
Zisu held onto her tightly, refusing to let go, even though she was beaten black and blue by the yamen runners.
When she set off, Zisu was also dragged away by the slave traders.
Before leaving, Zisu quietly slipped some loose silver and jewelry she had saved over the years into her arms.
Unfortunately, she was too young, and her grandfather took all those things as soon as they set off.
But she remembered the warmth of the loose silver and jewelry that Zisu had stuffed in.
It's very warm.
Fortunately, the crisis of confiscation of property and exile has passed, and she and Zisu no longer need to be separated.
With a smile playing on his lips, Li Nanke pulled Zisu along, preparing to climb into the hired carriage and head towards the Marquis of Anping's residence.
Halfway there, her ears suddenly twitched.
"Sister Zisu, did you hear anything?"
Zisu looked puzzled. "No? What did you hear, young lady?"
Li Nanke tugged at the headband on her head.
Was it just her imagination?
Did I just hear a snow eagle's cry?
Her carriage was hired casually from the street; the interior was simple, with only a wide bench inside.
She jumped off the stool, bent down, and peered down.
A large, snow-white dog was lying under the stool. When it noticed her looking over, its ears perked up immediately.
Then it gently shifted its body, its furry head poking out from under the stool, rubbing against her skirt again and again.
"Oh dear, where did this dog come from? I didn't see it sneak in here."
Li Nanke reached out and rubbed Xueying's head.
"He is King Xuan's dog, named Xueying."
Zisu turned pale with fright.
"How did the prince's dog end up on our carriage? Oh dear, if the prince finds out... Miss, let's quickly take the dog back to the prince's residence!"
Xueying seemed to understand Zisu's words, and a muffled protest came from its throat.
It nuzzled its head against Li Nanke's palm again and again, looking up at her with its wet eyes, looking pitiful.
Li Nanke's palms itched from her rubbing against him, and he giggled.
"Did you run away because the prince punished you by making you not eat for three days?"
"Woof woof".
"Shall I take you back to the Prince's mansion?"
"Waaah."
Snow Eagle rubbed its head together, its ears drooping, looking as pitiful as could be.
Even Zisu understood its meaning.
"It doesn't seem to want to go back."
Li Nanke was amused by Xueying's pitiful appearance.
She had experienced hunger in her dreams, and could clearly hear muffled gurgling in her stomach. It felt as if her stomach was being ground by a rusty iron pestle, and a dull pain climbed up her ribs from her navel.
It's very painful.
The thought that Xueying would go hungry for three days, all because he saved her, made her very sad.
"Then... come home with me, I'll find you something to eat, and then you can sneak back to the Prince's mansion, okay?"
She dared not let Xueying stay at the Marquis of Anping's residence.
Snow Eagle's eyes lit up instantly, and it nuzzled her with its snow-white head.
"Woof woof!"
Li Nanke held Xueying, and the two of them had a great time playing together.
The carriage turned another street, and suddenly a cacophony of cries and shouts came from ahead.
She peeked out and saw a group of constables with swords at their waists escorting more than a dozen prisoners.
The prisoners being escorted included men and women, young and old, all with shackles around their necks and chains around their feet.
Everyone looked panicked and fearful.
Just like in the dream when their whole family was about to be exiled.
Zisu took a closer look and exclaimed in surprise.
"Young lady, who are they...?"
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