"Who would have thought that when the two returned home to hold their ceremony, the Crown Prince suddenly barged in and demanded that the girl become his concubine in front of everyone. When the girl refused, he sent men to hunt them down. The two were on the run for half a year before finally returning home just before the New Year. But they didn't expect that the Crown Prince would still not let them go and sent the local Magistrate Zhu to arrest the boy."
"The two of them had no other choice but to send someone to me for help!"
The old general spoke indignantly, and the emperor looked up at her, then suddenly asked, "What are the names of these two children?"
The emperor was quite curious as the two people's names were not mentioned in the document.
"The girl is Han Luoxue, and the boy is Han Yuchen. They are from the same village."
"Han Yuchen?"
As the emperor pondered the name, he was observing the old general out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, he saw the old general's expression falter for a moment, though it was only for a brief instant, the emperor still noticed it keenly.
Yu Chen, isn't that the character when you put them together?
How could the old general be so idle? He knew that his son couldn't possibly die young.
"Don't overthink it, he's just an ordinary person," the old general quickly said, seeing the emperor's thoughtful expression.
"Hehe, I know!"
"What do you know? Do you know how he endured his childhood? He was shorter than a gun, shorter than a knife, and he practiced with those things. How many children under ten years old go to the battlefield? He went, and do you know what it was like when he killed his first person?"
"He fought his way out with great difficulty, but what did you do? You don't even know who stabbed you in the back!"
"It's one thing to be injured, but you could rest and recover. What did you do? You hired assassins to kill him! How many waves of assassins were there? More than a dozen!"
"He was just a ten-year-old child. Can you imagine what happened back then? He was injured, fell off a cliff, and his life was in danger, but those assassins still wouldn't give up! Your Majesty, are you aware of these things?"
The old general's eyes turned red with anger. Remembering the suffering his grandson had endured, he wished he could go up and shake the emperor awake.
"I……"
Even so, those people haven't given up. Don't tell me you didn't know there are still people guarding my neighborhood!
Because that person knew that Han Yuchen had no other relatives, if he wanted to come back, he could only go to the old general.
The emperor's eyes darkened, and his fists clenched tightly.
He knew this, but what could he do? His most favored son's fate was unknown, and the only person he could rely on now was the Crown Prince!
"It is I who have wronged that child!"
The Emperor finally sighed heavily. He had failed to protect the child's mother, and even more so, he had failed to protect his own son.
"That's the last thing he needs to say!"
The old general snorted coldly and stopped looking at the emperor, who was filled with self-reproach.
If self-blame is useful, what in this world cannot be forgiven?
"Cough cough cough..."
The emperor coughed violently again, his face turning red.
Looking at the emperor, who was coughing so hard he looked like he was about to cough up his lungs, the old general's eyes were filled with complex emotions.
"General, it was my fault."
After finally finishing coughing, the emperor could only utter this one sentence.
"I hope you can handle this memorial!"
The old general gave a haughty snort, turned around, and left.
...
"Have you discussed it with them yet?"
Since she had limited words to say, Han Luoxue tapped several more sound transmission trees in her spatial storage.
"Don't worry, Grandpa will handle it. Xue'er, when shall we go to the farm to take a look?"
I've been quite busy lately, and I was too tired yesterday to visit Old Li's house. However, Han Yuchen has already asked around and found out that Old Li's wife is keeping the grain tightly sealed, saying that she'll invite the villagers to a meal once her son's injuries improve. Of course, the villagers she's referring to are the people who came to Hutouya Village with her that day.
She wasn't as magnanimous as Han Luoxue; that old woman valued food more than her own life.
As for Li Aidi, she was still in the livestock shed, and she was still responsible for all the housework. However, the food she ate was the last bit of food left over from the pot.
Old Mrs. Li's family lived a simple life; the bottom of their pot was very clean. You should know that the food they cooked was so watery you could barely find any grain.
As for sweet potatoes, although they were grown, they couldn't be eaten freely. Usually, a pot was cooked only at noon, but Li Aidi wasn't given any. She could only watch them and swallow her saliva.
Thinking back to the days she spent at Han Qiang's house, Li Aidi felt even more regretful.
Han Qiang was, after all, the village head of Hutouya Village, and his family's life was considered good in the village. She could eat grain every meal, and if there was boiled sweet potato or something, she could eat one or two.
But what kind of life did she lead after arriving at her parents' home? Thinking back to the way Han Qiang looked at her that day, it wasn't disappointment, but hatred.
This was the first time she had ever seen such a look in someone's eyes, while the people around her were gloating, all condemning her for bringing it on herself.
Only her maternal family members remained silent. Li Aidi's feelings were extremely complicated; the day her mother pressed her fingerprint, she and Han Qiang were no longer related.
When she returned, she felt heartbroken, always feeling that even if Han Qiang was so heartless, her son would still care about her.
A day had passed, and none of her children had come. At Old Lady Li's house, with endless chores during the day and insufficient food, Li Aidi became even thinner, her high cheekbones making her eyes appear quite large.
Just as she finished her chores, washed the clothes, and was hanging them to dry, someone suddenly came to her house. It was a man, quite old, who looked to be in his fifties or sixties.
As soon as the man entered the room, his gaze fell on Li Aidi, staring intently at her. Li Aidi felt uneasy and turned away, covering her thin body with her clothes.
"Who are you?" The man's face was unfamiliar, and Li Aidi was certain that she had never seen him before.
Li Aidi's voice reached the house, and the old woman from the Li family hurriedly ran out on her bound feet, rubbing her waist as she ran.
That fall at Han Mingyuan's house that day really hurt my back; it still aches faintly to this day.
However, there is no able-bodied person in the family now, and she has to do everything by herself.
When the old woman from the Li family saw the man who came in, he was dressed in tattered clothes and looked like he had no money. He was living a life even worse than hers.
She curled her lip in disdain, her eyes rolling so high she looked down at the newcomer: "Who are you?"
"I am Li Erhan. Granny Xu sent me here. Didn't she say she was going to find me a wife?"
As soon as the man opened his mouth, saliva began to flow.
Li Aidi looked disgusting, especially the yellow liquid flowing from her nose; it was simply awful.
How much dowry should we prepare?
The old woman from the Li family sized up the newcomers. Since they were here to take a wife, the bride price couldn't be too low.
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