Xie Lian turned around and asked, "What do you mean?"
Mu Qing said, "The homeless children in the imperial city are all in the same group. They often come to my house to beg for food. I know them all, but I've never seen this child before."
The child stared at Mu Qing without saying a word. Feng Xin asked suspiciously, "Who do they always ask for food from? You? Are you willing to give it to them?"
Mu Qing glared at him and said, "He's really pestering me. What else can I do if I don't give in?"
Feng Xin still found it incredible and stopped talking. He said, "Oh."
Xie Lian watched them talking, almost wanting to laugh. Mu Qing added, "And his clothes have several patches on them. Judging by the stitching, they must have been mended recently by an adult. He must have at least one elderly person at home. He might not be from a wealthy family, but he's definitely not a beggar."
Xie Lian naturally never paid attention to the stitching on the patch, nor could he tell if it was done by an adult. However, Mu Qing had previously worked as a handyman at the Imperial Temple and had done a lot of odd jobs around the house. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was indeed the case and asked, "Are there any adults in your family?"
The child shook his head. Mu Qing said, "Of course there is. If he doesn't go back, his family is probably anxiously looking for him right now."
"No, no! No one!" the child said, as if afraid of being sent back. He opened his arms, as if wanting to hug Xie Lian. He was still covered in dirt and blood. Feng Xin couldn't bear to watch and said, "What are you doing, little kid? You were in a hurry just now, but are you still ignorant now? This is His Royal Highness, Your Highness. Do you understand?"
The child immediately retracted his hand, but continued to look at Xie Lian and said, "There was a quarrel at home, and I was kicked out. I've been away for a long time, and I have nowhere to go."
The three of them looked at each other. After a while, Feng Xin said, "What should we do?"
An imperial physician suggested, "If Your Highness is in trouble, you can leave him here and send a few palace servants to take care of him."
After pondering for a moment, Xie Lian shook his head slightly.
He was ultimately worried that Qi Rong would persist and sneak out to cause trouble, so he said, "I think I'll take care of him until his injuries heal. It doesn't look like his family can properly care for him. When Feng Xin goes back to deal with the stalls Qi Rong knocked over, he can also send a few people to find the child's parents and let them know so they don't have to worry."
Feng Xin nodded: "Okay."
One of his arms was still hanging, and he tried to lift the child with his other hand. Xie Lian smiled and said, "Let's forget about your injury."
Feng Xin, however, was unconcerned. He said, "If one arm is broken, the other one won't matter. Even if both my arms were broken, I could still carry him up the mountain for you by holding his collar with my teeth."
Mu Qing secretly rolled his eyes and said, "Forget it, let me do it." But he had just taken a step when the child jumped down from the bed and said, "I can walk by myself."
The resistance on his face was palpable, making Mu Qing's second step extremely awkward. He didn't know whether to continue. Seeing this kid, with five broken ribs and a leg, still so energetic, Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or feel distressed. He said, "Stop running around!" and then he bent down and picked him up.
The three of them, along with a child, left the palace. Because Qi Rong had just caused trouble on the street, disturbing pedestrians and knocking over many stalls, Xie Lian felt guilty and ashamed to face the people of the imperial city. The group was ashamed, not daring to show their faces, and walked along the side roads. Along the way, the child nestled in Xie Lian's arms, acting very well. He remained silent even when asked to be quiet. Feng Xin glared at him and said, "This kid kicked me yesterday, and now he's acting like this. He really treats people like he's mine."
Mu Qing said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is naturally much more popular than the average person."
For some reason, even when he was saying nice things, there was always something off-putting about his words. Feng Xin immediately ignored him. After walking for a while, Feng Xin said, "No. I still feel that Your Highness cannot just hold a child of unknown origin in your arms for everyone to see."
Xie Lian asked, “What’s the big deal?”
Feng Xin said: "You are His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
As he spoke, he caught sight of a tattered cart parked at the entrance of the alley ahead and said, "Put the child there and drag him along!"
Mu Qing immediately said, "Let me make it clear first, I will not drag this thing up the mountain."
Feng Xin said, "No one expects you to drag them." He then reached out and pulled the child from Xie Lian's arms. Once in his hands, the child began to struggle again. Xie Lian said, "Forget it, forget it. Maybe someone else wants this car!" Feng Xin had already put the child on the car. At that moment, someone not far away suddenly said, "Are you... the Crown Prince?"
Someone immediately shouted, "Yes, yes, yes! That's the prince! His mask fell off yesterday, and I saw his face with my own eyes! It's him!!!"
“Catch him!!!”
The three of them felt a pang of fear in their hearts. Although Xie Lian didn't think he had done anything wrong during the Heavenly Sacrifice Parade yesterday, he knew that others might think the same thing. The interruption of Yue Shenwu was a very ominous sign, something the royal family and nobles would be wary of. The common people, after getting over the excitement of yesterday, would come to their senses and ask around about what the accident meant, so they probably wouldn't be too forgiving. In addition, Qi Rong had caused trouble in the street today, causing widespread complaints. If they were surrounded now, it would probably not be a good thing. Before he could think about it, Mu Qing suddenly pulled him and said, "Your Highness, run!"
Feng Xin also dragged a cart and urged him: "Your Highness, I have a broken arm and cannot stop these mobs. Let's go!"
However, outside the alley, the people on the street were already rushing in with excited expressions, blocking all the ways out. The four of them had no way to retreat. Seeing countless pairs of wide-open eyes surrounding them, Xie Lian steeled himself and thought, "The worst that can happen is I get beaten up, but I won't fight back!"
Unexpectedly, although the crowd surged forward, they did not attack him as expected. Instead, seventeen or eighteen hands reached out and threw him up, cheering in unison: "Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Xie Lian was thrown up and down several times, yet he remained remarkably calm. Everyone chattered, "Your Highness, that leap you made on Shenwu Street yesterday was truly spectacular!"
Someone exclaimed: "That jump was amazing! Seriously, I thought it was the Emperor Shenwu himself. I got goosebumps!"
Someone affirmed: "Your Highness is right to save the child! Other people's lives are lives, but our poor children's lives are not lives? I would do the same!"
Someone said angrily, "That's right. Today, I heard someone say that Your Highness had messed up something big, and I couldn't bear to hear it. If the person who fell was a royal relative, I'm afraid those people wouldn't say that. Your Highness, please don't pay any attention to people like that!"
"Your Highness is the one who truly cares about us..."
From the initial feeling of guilt, to the confusion along the way, to the end, he was completely swept away by the enthusiastic faces. The crowds pushed Xie Lian out, and as they reached the street, more and more people gathered. Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and the child were far away from the outside, unable to squeeze in at all. They could only follow the long procession. This huge crowd was no less impressive than the one at the Heavenly Sacrifice Parade yesterday. Every time Xie Lian tried to leave, he would be forced back in, pushed to the highest point again, and not allowed to come down.
Xie Lian couldn't help but feel both amused and relieved. "The opinions of the common people and the Imperial Master are completely opposite. It seems I'm right."
When we returned to Taicang Mountain, the sunset was still burning as brightly as before.
Passing through the towering mountain gate, the long bluestone path was filled with Taoists running up and down, carrying buckets of water and loads of firewood. They greeted Xie Lian and his companions one by one, many staring in amazement at the unusual four-person cart. Feng Xin pulled the cart single-handed, like a diligent, young black ox. Xie Lian and Mu Qing initially laughed with a reserved air, but eventually, unable to resist, they gave in.
The maple forest stretched endlessly, and the wheels turned slowly. As they climbed the mountain, Xie Lian pushed the cart from behind. Since he was in a good mood, he casually asked the child, "Little boy, what's your name? What's red?"
The child looked at him and whispered, "I...I don't have a name."
Xie Lian was startled and asked, “Didn’t your mother give you a name?”
The child shook his head and said, "My mother is gone."
Xie Lian felt pity and asked, "What did your mother call you before?"
The child hesitated for a moment and said, "Honghong'er."
Xie Lian smiled and said, "That's a cute nickname. I'll call you that, then."
Hong Hong'er seemed to be shy when talking to him and lowered her head. Dusk had already fallen, and clusters of lights from various temples and monasteries lit up on the distant peaks. The brightest of them all was Shenwu Peak, the highest peak of Mount Taicang.
The Shenwu Palace on Shenwu Peak was as bright as day, with tiny dots of light converging on the peak. As Xie Lian watched, he sighed.
The sigh wasn't due to distress, but rather to the sheer beauty and grandeur of the scene. Each point of light was a lamp enshrined within the Shenwu Hall. Each lamp represented a believer's most sincere prayer. The more eternal lamps a temple held, the greater the priest's power. To offer a lamp within the Shenwu Hall of Huangji Temple was a priceless feat. Only those with wealth, power, ability, affection, and affinity were permitted to enter the temple and offer lamps. However, far more people possessed none of these qualities.
The four of them stopped, each gazing at the radiant Shenwu Palace, their expressions varied. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Xie Lian turned around and saw a pale-faced young man running towards him. It was the Taoist gatekeeper of the Four Symbols Palace. He said sternly, "Senior Brother Zhu, what's the rush?"
Senior Brother Zhu saw Mu Qing behind him and looked slightly embarrassed. He pretended not to see him and said, "The Imperial Master wants to see you. He has been looking for you for a long time. He is now in the Shenwu Hall, waiting for you to come."
Xie Lian was startled when he heard this. He knew it was probably because of the unexpected incident during yesterday’s Heavenly Sacrifice Parade. He said, “Okay, thank you, Senior Brother.”
Ling Fengxin and Muqing took Honghong'er back to Xianle Palace first, while Xie Lian went to Shenwu Peak alone.
Outside the main hall, swirling clouds of smoke from incense burners cast the entire Shenwu Hall into a dreamlike landscape. On either side of the incense burners, rows of eternal lanterns hung suspended in the air, neatly arranged to form a wall of lights. Each lantern bore the name and prayer of the patron, inscribed in elegant official script. Entering the hall, rows upon rows of suspended eternal lanterns lined both sides. The eternal lanterns enshrined within the temple were even more precious than those outside.
In front of the huge temple, the chief state master was burning incense in front of the statue of the Shenwu Emperor, and the three deputy state masters were behind him, bowing to the statue together.
After Xie Lian entered, he bowed slightly and said, "National Master."
After the Imperial Masters finished their obeisance, they turned back and motioned for him to come forward. Xie Lian then went over, took the incense, and offered it reverently.
After a long while, the Imperial Preceptor said, "Your Highness, we have discussed this matter and there are only two solutions to the Heavenly Sacrifice Tour."
Xie Lian said, “Master, please speak.”
The Imperial Master said, "The first solution is to find the child who disrupted the ceremony. We will then perform a ritual. At the very least, we must seal one of his senses as atonement."
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