Chapter 3 The Only Chance of Survival
Li Nanke looked up at her mother, her little face very serious.
"Mother, do you believe Father embezzled funds?"
Song Yi shook her head subconsciously.
My husband is a generous man who has always regarded money as dirt. How could he be corrupt?
Li Nanke said, "His Majesty has only issued an order to confiscate our property. He will most likely decide how to deal with us based on the results of the confiscation."
Since Father didn't embezzle, there's no way we'll find any stolen money or goods in the house, right?
Song Yi's eyes lit up, and she looked at her daughter with a moment of bewilderment.
This child has always been cute and mischievous, and usually likes to whine and act spoiled, but at this moment he speaks clearly and logically, as if he were a completely different person.
It was indeed thanks to the guidance of the fairy godmother.
Song Yi's panicked mind gradually calmed down.
Li Nanke turned to the table next to him, picked up a pen, and wrote two words on the paper.
Then blow the ink off the paper, fold the letter in half, and give it to Song Yi.
He whispered a few words into Song Yi's ear.
Song Yi's expression changed, and she subconsciously looked at the vermilion sedan chair parked in the courtyard.
"Huh? This... this is also an instruction from the Fairy Granny?"
Li Nanke nodded with certainty, his gaze fixed on the sedan chair.
The people inside the sedan chair have never come out since they were brought in.
A gentle breeze lifted a corner of the sedan curtain, revealing a section of the hem of a red dress, so strikingly red it was almost blinding.
Two weak coughs could be faintly heard from inside the sedan chair.
She knew that the person sitting in the sedan chair was the current emperor's younger brother, Prince Xuan.
Prince Xuan is twenty-seven years younger than His Majesty. He was raised by His Majesty from childhood and His Majesty dotes on him to the extreme.
Because King Xuan was in poor health, His Majesty personally ordered the construction of this vermilion sedan chair. It is said that the sedan chair is made of golden nanmu wood, and the inside is warm in winter and cool in summer.
Prince Xuan has just turned twelve years old this year, and His Majesty has already assigned him the Imperial Guard, allowing him to command 50,000 Imperial Guards at such a young age, which is an extreme honor.
His Majesty is nearly forty years old and still has no sons. He also refuses to allow members of the imperial clan to be adopted. The court officials privately say that His Majesty plans to let Prince Xuan succeed him after his death.
Thinking about the scene in the dream, Li Nanke whispered, "Mother, the fairy godmother said that if we want to save Father and the whole family, Prince Xuan is our only chance of survival."
Upon hearing the words "only hope," Song Yi trembled. Suppressing her fear, she got up and walked towards the door.
He handed the folded paper his daughter had prepared to the bearded man.
"Please present this letter to the Prince."
His bearded face was full of vigilance.
"Don't even think about bribing our prince."
Song Yi quickly waved her hand and, following her daughter's hint, whispered, "It's not a bribe; it contains the matter that the prince cares about most."
The bearded man's expression hardened, and he took the letter, uttering only two words.
"Wait."
Then he turned and walked toward the sedan chair.
Marquis Anping was so angry that he jumped up and down, pointing at Song Yi. He wanted to curse but dared not raise his voice, so he could only suppress his anger and growl in a low voice.
"Fool! King Xuan is cruel, capricious, cold-hearted, and vicious. Last month, he even ordered the execution of Imperial Censor Liu's entire clan."
If you ask him for help, he might just have us all killed.
Song Yi tensed up, and thinking about King Xuan's temperament, she felt a sense of despair.
But her daughter said that the instructions given by the fairy godmother were to ask King Xuan. She believed the fairy godmother and also believed that her daughter would not lie to her.
Marquis Anping's forehead veins throbbed as he turned to see the bearded man handing the letter into the sedan chair.
In a short while, a pile of scraps of paper flew out of the sedan chair and fell to the ground like snowflakes.
Song Yi saw the piece of paper flying out of the sedan chair, her face turned pale, and she subconsciously looked at Li Nanke.
Li Nanke frowned, her little face all scrunched up.
Was it because she wrote it too simply that King Xuan didn't understand it?
When Marquis Anping saw the bearded man stride toward the side hall, his face turned extremely ugly.
"See what I told you? How could King Xuan possibly save us?"
"Li Nanke, don't think I don't know this was your idea. You're just like your bastard father, trying to kill the whole family!"
"I'll kill you right now and apologize to King Xuan."
Song Yi held her daughter tightly.
“If you want to hit or scold me, do it to me, don’t scare Ke’er.”
Marquis Anping stared intently at the mother and daughter, veins throbbing on his forehead.
"You two are responsible for the mess you've made. If you can't, I'll beat this brat to death right now."
"What's all the noise about?"
With a dark expression, the bearded man knocked on the door again with his waist knife and walked in.
Marquis Anping was startled and quickly said, "The letter just now was written by the mother and daughter on their own initiative, and has nothing to do with us."
"Uncle, does the prince want to see my mother?"
Li Nanke looked up at the bearded man, his round eyes filled with anticipation.
The bearded man looked down at her bright, clear eyes and thought to himself that the little girl didn't seem so silly after all.
He glanced at Marquis Anping indifferently and nodded.
"His Highness requests that Madam Song come over."
Marquis Anping sneered, "I knew the Prince wouldn't... What? The Prince wants to see you!"
He only realized what the bearded man had said halfway through his sentence, and Marquis Anping was so shocked that he almost jumped up and nearly bit off his own tongue.
He turned his head in disbelief to look at the vermilion sedan chair in the courtyard.
How could King Xuan possibly meet with the Song family?
They must have called Song over to deal with her in person.
Marquis Anping looked wary. "Go quickly and apologize to the Prince. Don't let him implicate us."
When Song Yi heard that the King wanted to see her, she was initially relieved, but upon hearing this, she became so frightened that her body went limp.
Remembering King Xuan's usual behavior, she panicked and tears welled up in her eyes again.
He instinctively looked at his daughter, "Ke'er..."
Li Nanke knew her mother was scared, but there was no other way; her mother had to come along this time.
She actually preferred to talk to King Xuan herself.
Unfortunately, she is only eight years old, and the words of an eight-year-old child are not credible enough.
She looked up at the bearded man, grinned to reveal a set of neat, small teeth, and two dimples appeared on her cheeks.
"Uncle, can I go with my mother? Please, Uncle. Ke'er is a very good girl. She won't say or do anything out of line."
She clasped her hands together and looked pitifully at the bearded man.
His adorable appearance stirred a pang of tenderness in the bearded man's heart.
The little girl is so cute and cuddly, it's a pity she has such a hard life.
If you're lucky, you'll be beheaded and get away with it quickly; if you're unlucky, you'll be exiled, and the suffering and torment on the way to exile is something most people can't bear.
Well, she's just a little girl; the prince probably won't blame her.
Let's go.
"Thank you, Uncle. You are such a good person. Good people will be rewarded."
Li Nanke's eyes lit up, and he turned to grab Song Yi's hand.
"Mother, let's hurry, don't keep the prince waiting."
He took Song Yi's hand and gestured for her to bend down again. He stood on tiptoe and leaned closer, whispering in her ear.
"Mother, you must remember what Ke'er just said. Whether or not Father can be saved depends on you."
Song Yi took a deep breath, and the mother and daughter walked hand in hand toward the vermilion sedan chair.
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the sedan chair was actually larger than the horse-drawn carriage.
A large, round, luminous pearl was suspended around each of the four sides of the sedan chair, and a circle of rubies was set around each pearl.
The red and white colors complement each other beautifully.
Even the sedan chair curtains were woven from the finest snow silk, light and flowing.
It was just as luxurious and extravagant as I had seen in my dream.
Li Nanke withdrew his gaze from the luminous pearl, and sighed inwardly.
Song Yi knelt down and bowed.
"Ms. Song pays her respects to Your Highness."
"Li Nanke pays his respects to Your Highness."
Two soft coughs came from inside the sedan chair, followed by a cold voice.
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