Wu Nian boasted to everyone he met along the way that his two nephews had traveled a long way to see him.
People who saw that Wu Hua was cute all went over to pet it and gave it lots of treats.
When the three arrived at the restaurant, Wu Hua was so full of children that she couldn't put them down in her arms or hands.
Upon seeing Wu Nian, the shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, then glanced at Qin Luo and Wu Hua.
"Lord Centurion, when you booked the banquet a few days ago, didn't you say it was your niece coming to visit? Why are there two boys here?"
As Wu Nian led Qin Luo towards the private room, he explained to the innkeeper...
"My niece can't come right now, so these two nephews rushed over overnight because they were worried I'd be upset!"
Qin Luo and Wu Hua had gotten used to his constant boasting along the way, and kept nodding in agreement.
The shopkeeper looked at the chubby Wu Hua and couldn't help but take his little hand in his.
"Your nephew is so adorable! He looks just like the little baby next to the goddess of fertility!"
Then, looking at Qin Luo, seeing the horrifying scars on her face, he praised her for being as brave as Wu Nian.
Qin Luo thought to himself: I really don't know how to praise him, I don't have to.
Wu Nian suppressed a laugh upon hearing this and even covered Wu Hua's mouth, which was about to burst out laughing.
"Shopkeeper, hurry and serve the food! The children are starving!"
The shopkeeper slapped his thigh.
"Yes, yes, I've been so busy chatting. I'll go right away and bring a few more plates of pastries for the children to try!"
Wu Nian nodded in thanks: "Thank you very much!"
The shopkeeper waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite, and then turned to instruct the kitchen to prepare the dishes.
After Qin Luo took his seat, Wu Nian placed Wu Hua next to him and made sure she sat down.
After the waiter came in, brewed the tea, and took out two plates of delicate pastries, the two began to chat.
"I heard from your uncle that your destination this time is Chunyang County?"
Qin Luo nodded: "Yes, to Chiling Mountain in Chunyang County!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Nian told her the information he had recently gathered.
"The drought has lessened in many places, but Chunyang County is not only suffering from drought, but also has a city full of people who have died violently!"
Qin Luo was both astonished and confused.
"What do you mean by that, Uncle Wu? What exactly happened in Chunyang County?"
Wu Nian sighed heavily.
"Chunyang County was massacred long ago. Now it's completely desolate, the whole city is eerily quiet, and even birds probably wouldn't dare to fly there!"
Qin Luo was shocked by his words.
"A massacre? This didn't happen when we passed through there!"
"It must have been shortly after you left that the bandits blocked all the city gates, leaving no survivors among the civilians and refugees inside. If the prefect hadn't been injured and left in advance, he probably would have died inside too!"
Qin Luo sighed upon hearing this.
"Didn't the imperial court do anything about it?"
Wu Nian was somewhat surprised when she asked that question.
"Don't you know? The bandit leader has been imprisoned!"
"Imprisonment? The bandit leader is a member of the royal family?"
Wu Nian glanced at the closed door and lowered his voice.
"Yes, it is the current emperor's elder brother, Prince Heng!"
Qin Luo immediately imagined a drama about a struggle for the throne.
"Could it be that his throne was usurped by the current emperor, and he harbors resentment, wanting to kill his younger brother and seize the throne himself?"
Wu Nian was amused by her reasoning.
"You're right about a third of the time. Back then, Prince Heng's face was disfigured while saving the late emperor, so he had to relinquish the position of crown prince. He didn't really want to be emperor; he just wanted to disrupt the situation in Pingzhao and vent his anger!"
Qin Luo once again lamented the ruthlessness of those in power.
"Did the late emperor offer any compensation to Prince Heng back then?"
Wu Nian shook his head
"No, the very next day they announced a change of crown prince and bestowed upon him the title of Prince Heng. He didn't even get the rank of a prince!"
Qin Luo was shocked again
"What? That's too much! He must have hated his father and brother to death back then!"
"Yes! Otherwise, they wouldn't have colluded with other countries and kept stirring up trouble in Pingzhao!"
Qin Luo rested his chin on his hand on the table.
"Alas! Even the most hateful people have their pitiable aspects! What about those bandits?"
"Anyone caught will be beheaded, and those not caught will all be wanted! However, some clever ones have probably already changed their identities!"
Hearing him say that, Qin Luo suddenly felt guilty.
It was she who gave You Sun the advice to change his identity and rebuild his power...
Now she only prays that You Sun won't do anything immoral or wicked; if he's going to go crazy, she'd better go to Lan Cang Kingdom.
The two hadn't been chatting for long when the waiter came to serve the food.
Wu Hua had already finished the pastries and was eagerly waiting for the dishes!
He rolled up his sleeves and used chopsticks to pick up food from the plate.
Seeing that it was struggling to reach with its short arms, Wu Nian picked up the food one by one and put it in its bowl.
"You have quite the appetite, kid. How could you eat so many pastries?"
While munching on her food, Wu Hua managed to reply with a single word: "Yes!"
Qin Luo was speechless when she saw that it looked like it hadn't eaten for days.
"Uncle Wu, don't worry! It's always eaten so much, look how well it's growing!"
Wu Nian looked at Wu Hua's small, lotus-root-like arms and nodded in agreement.
"The more you eat, the stronger you'll grow, and you'll be more robust than others when you grow up!"
Seeing how much he liked children, Qin Luo asked him about his personal life.
"Uncle Wu, are you married?"
Wu Nian shook his head sheepishly.
"I had arranged a marriage with someone before, but her family was too well-off. They looked down on me because I have a paralyzed father, and they kept delaying the marriage!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Luo realized he had walked right into a trap.
I just happen to be the chosen doctor; some things really are just ordained by fate.
"Uncle Wu, I'll go see Grandpa Wu after we finish eating! I've been learning medicine from Grandpa You since I was little, maybe I can cure him!"
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