Several men carried the baskets one by one into a courtyard, and then kicked the baskets over.
A basket fell to the ground with a thud, and the two little girls inside also fell to the ground, still not opening their eyes.
"Damn it, why aren't these little brats awake yet?"
"It's probably because the medicine was too strong. Children are weak, so they sleep a lot."
"Never mind them for now, lock them in their rooms first, and we'll go around Liucheng and into the prefectural city first thing tomorrow morning."
"OK."
Lili heard the men cursing as they picked up the basket and tossed it into a doorway.
"Clang."
The basket containing Pear was roughly and carelessly thrown in, and Pear inside wasn't much better off, her whole body aching from the fall.
Pear was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.
Only when the door creaked shut and was locked did Lili cautiously open her eyes.
The room was completely stuffy, without even a window, let alone a candle.
The only source of light in the small room was the light that shone through the narrow crack in the door.
It was already getting dark, and the sliver of light was of little use. By the light, Lili could barely see that, besides the unconscious children in the basket, there was also a row of shivering children sitting in the corner.
Unlike the children in the cage, they are awake.
So, is he a "senior"?
This group arrested more than one batch of children.
Pear crawled out of the basket on all fours, the sound of which startled the children sitting in the row.
Lili looked at the girl sitting by the door. She was about five or six years old, covered in dirt, and had many bruises on her body.
To Lili's surprise, although the girl's clothes were old and dirty, it was still clear that the fabric was different from the fabric used by ordinary people.
"No way, who are they? They dare to kidnap a rich girl?"
Lili muttered to herself.
Seemingly having overheard Lili's words, the girl asked her in a low voice, "How do you know my family is rich?"
Her voice was soft and filled with fear and doubt. Looking at the bruises on her body, it was clear that she had been beaten by this group of people, which explained her fear.
Since she had nothing better to do, Lili simply climbed over and sat down next to her.
The girl flinched and moved to the side, seemingly hesitant, before stopping only after seeing Lili smile at her kindly.
Lili spoke first: "My name is Lili, what's yours?"
"My name is Xia Ning."
"Hello, Sister Xia Ning."
As Lili moved closer to her to dispel her doubts and anxieties, she pondered the situation.
There don't seem to be any wealthy merchants with the surname Xia around here. Could they be government officials?
Then there's definitely none left.
Xia Ning found it strange. They were thrown here yesterday. When the other children were thrown in, they either cried or fussed after waking up. How could this little dumpling still be smiling?
Aren't you afraid?
Lili blinked and smiled sweetly: "I'm scared."
Xia Ning: "?"
I didn't see it.
Another girl nearby said, "We were all trafficked here. Tomorrow we'll be taken to another place to be sold."
Lili nodded: "I know, it's the prefectural city."
Another girl: "?"
What are you afraid of?
Xia Ning couldn't help but admire her when she saw that she was really not afraid.
Thinking about how I've been terrified ever since I was kidnapped, I felt inexplicably ashamed.
Even a little kid like him isn't afraid, Xia Ning, what are you, a six-year-old, afraid of!
Do you even qualify as the daughter of the Minister of Rites?
Look at him, he's not even as brave as that little kid.
Suddenly emboldened, Xia Ning straightened up and declared, "If you're not afraid, then I'm not afraid either!"
Lili: "?" Didn't I say I was scared?
Another girl: "Huh?"
The other children: "?"
What? You were the one who cried the loudest before, and now you're saying you're not afraid anymore?
Lili smiled; this older sister was quite interesting.
Xia Ning then realized that this little girl was quite pretty, even prettier than the cousin of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Moreover, this younger sister is cuter and more affectionate than that cousin.
Xia Ning immediately took a liking to this soft and sweet little sister. Although they were in a difficult situation, they were already in this predicament anyway. They were just a bunch of children and had no way to save themselves. Sighing and complaining wouldn't help. They might as well chat with the little sister and cheer her up!
"Lili, were you kidnapped too?"
Lili nodded: "Yes, Lili was only sold for twenty taels of silver."
Others: "..."
Xia Ning smiled. Lili was really interesting; she was the most interesting child she had ever met!
"I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to go home again in this lifetime."
Xia Ning said dejectedly.
She was different from others; although she was young, she was quick-witted.
These children were kidnapped because they were good-looking.
But she's different.
She is the daughter of the Minister of Rites; which human trafficker in the world would dare to kidnap her?
Xia Ning bit her lip. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped on the orders of her father's political enemy—the First Prince.
Just because the eldest prince embezzled disaster relief funds, her father and Marquis Chongbo jointly impeached the eldest prince in court. The eldest prince, being petty, wanted to use her to give her father a hard time!
Marquis Chongbo is the current emperor's uncle, so he naturally can't afford to offend him. This unfortunate thing naturally happened to her.
Lili stared at her thoughtfully for a while, until Xia Ning began to wonder if she smelled bad because she hadn't showered for several days. Only then did Lili ask, "Sister Xia Ning, do you know Gu Ziyi?"
Lili waited for her answer without blinking.
Sure enough, upon hearing the name, Xia Ning was first puzzled, then covered her mouth in shock: "Gu, Gu what?!"
Did she hear that right?
Gu Ziyi?
Is it just someone with the same name, or...?
There is no rule that people in the world need to avoid using the surname of the royal family when it comes to His Majesty's holy name.
Therefore, it is not impossible for people to share the same name.
Although she had only seen His Highness the Crown Prince once at a palace banquet, everyone knew that Gu Ziyi was the Crown Prince's name.
But looking at Lili's appearance, Xia Ning didn't know why, but she didn't think they were just people with the same name.
Xia Ning tentatively leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Wei, the mighty general...?"
Lili's eyes lit up, and she nodded: "Yes, that's it!"
Xia Ning leaned back in shock. Could it be that Lili's father was also a political enemy of the First Prince, and like her, was also kidnapped on the orders of the First Prince?
Lili quickly waved her hand, denying her guess: "Lili's home is in Xinghua Village."
Xia Ning was taken aback. Xinghua Village?
It sounds like the name of a small village. Isn't Lili one?
How did she meet His Highness the Crown Prince?
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