The guards at the gate were surprised by Li Yao's question and went to consult Prince An.
Prince An alighted from his carriage, walked up to Li Yao, squatted down, and carefully examined her, saying, "How did you know we were here to pick you up? Who is your master?"
Li Yao silently adjusted her expression, saying with a hint of fear, timidity, and anticipation, "Master is indeed Master. He said I'm a princess, and my family will come to pick me up in a grand carriage to take me home. Are you... my family?"
Prince An was a man in his late thirties, with children of his own. Looking at this little girl who was supposedly five years old but was so thin she was practically skin and bones, and seeing her timid eyes and features that resembled the Emperor and Empress, he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
He took the bamboo basket off Li Yao's shoulders, gently patted her head, wiped her cheeks with a handkerchief, and then said, "Yes, I am your family, I am your uncle. We have come to take you home. Uncle will carry you to the carriage, okay?"
Prince An asked gently, and Li Yao nodded, then, as if remembering something, said, "Can we not bring anyone else? I... I'm not a child bride. They hit me... they're bad people, they won't give me food."
Listening to Li Yao's incoherent words, especially the words "child bride," Prince An gestured to the guards beside him. Then, he hugged Li Yao and said, "No, no one. Your uncle is here to take you away. You are a princess. No one has the right to make you a child bride."
With that, Prince An personally carried Li Yao to his carriage.
Li Yao used his mental power to see that his guards were also a little surprised to see the miserable state of the Zhao family members when they went in, but they still went up and punched and kicked each of them.
Then, Li Yao pretended to be a little uneasy, curious and a little scared as she sat in the carriage, using her mental power to notice the guards in the village outside, who were already inquiring about the Zhao family's situation from house to house.
The guards of the Zhao family carefully searched the house and inspected the surroundings before escorting the Zhao family members to follow the carriage.
The road conditions in ancient times were indeed terrible. Li Yao felt like her butt was about to fall apart before the carriage finally stopped. She used her mental power to find that this should be a county town, and the carriage stopped at the county government office.
Li Yao turned to the side and gently rubbed her buttocks when she heard Prince An above her chuckle and say, "Is this your first time riding in a carriage?"
Li Yao nodded and said, "Yes."
Prince An picked up Li Yao and got out of the carriage, saying, "I'll have the maid rub it for you in a bit."
Li Yao was carried into the government office and handed over to a nanny of about forty years old and two maids, who said they would bathe and change her clothes.
During the bath, the old woman kept pretending to casually look at Li Yao's wounds. Li Yao pretended not to notice and took a bath with restraint. She changed into a brocade dress and silk undergarment, combed her hair into two small buns, and wore hair ornaments with gemstones.
During the conversation, the nanny and maidservant choked up as they said, "My poor princess, she's suffered so much, look how thin she is!"
Afterwards, Li Yao was given a hot meal: soft rice porridge, refreshing side dishes, and a bowl of chicken soup. Later, a doctor came to check her pulse and said that she was severely malnourished, which might affect her lifespan.
Afterwards, Li Yao spent a day at the county government office. During this time, she used her spiritual power to see the Zhao family being interrogated in prison. These people were beaten several times, and they basically confessed everything.
Then the group set off for Kyoto.
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