Yongqi comforted him, "It's okay, this time it's on me, you can eat as much as you want!"
Xiao Yanzi glanced at Yongqi, who seemed concerned for her, then at the stall owner, before daring to speak, "Then I'll take two more."
Yongqi paid the stall owner and left with Xiaoyanzi. Watching Xiaoyanzi happily eating the buns, Yongqi felt both happy and sad!
He was happy to see that Little Swallow was still alive and well, and to see her unforgettable smile.
Sadly, the fact that Little Swallow is so content with just two steamed buns shows how miserable her childhood was.
While searching for Xiao Yanzi, he remembered Xiao Jian saying that Xiao Yanzi had slipped out of Baiyun Temple when she was seven years old, and that Abbess Jinghui of Baiyun Temple had never seen Xiao Yanzi again after that.
Now that he has found Xiao Yanzi ahead of time, he will surely protect and take good care of her.
However, during that month, he had thought of many reasons to persuade Emperor Qianlong to let him keep Xiao Yanzi in the palace, but the moment he saw Xiao Yanzi, all the reasons in his mind disappeared... After Xiao Yanzi finished eating the bun, she wiped her hands on her clothes before daring to look at Yongqi beside her, "Big brother, thank you for earlier. Where are you taking me now?"
Yongqi blurted out, "I'll take you home."
"Go home?" Little Swallow asked, puzzled. After thinking for a moment, she continued, "Do you mean go home?"
Yongqi then realized that his question was inappropriate, so he added, "Little sister, where are your family?"
"I don't know either, I have no family left." Little Swallow shook her head sadly. "Big brother, can I come with you?"
Little Swallow thought that the young man in front of her was handsome and generous, so he must be a rich man. If she followed him, she might be able to eat her fill. "However, young man, I won't eat for free. I'll help with the chores, although I probably won't be able to help much..."
Judging from the young man's appearance, Yongqi knew he didn't lack girls, so he quickly comforted him, "Okay, I'll take you home, but I don't need you to do so much. Come with me first."
When Yongqi came out, he left the carriage at the Scholar's Residence. Now that he had found Xiao Yanzi, he naturally went back to the Scholar's Residence first. Just as he arrived at the gate of the Scholar's Residence, the two brothers, Fu Erkang and Fu Ertai, also rushed back. Fu Ertai looked at Xiao Yanzi curiously and asked, "Is this the person you are looking for?"
"I ran into her on the street. Seeing her like that, I felt sorry for her, so I brought her back!" Yongqi said this, but he gave the two brothers a look, signaling them not to say anything more.
Although the two brothers were puzzled, Yongqi forbade them to ask any more questions, so they had no choice but to remain silent.
Fu Erkang continued, "Are you going to take her back to the palace now, or leave her at the scholar's residence?"
Yongqi had also thought that if he put Xiaoyanzi in the Scholar's Mansion, he might not have to bother explaining anything to his father and the Empress Dowager. But Fu Erkang and Fu Ertai were so outstanding. If he put them by his side, what if they took advantage of their proximity and got the first thing? Where would he go to complain?
Yongqi was about to ask them to find Xiaoyanzi a nice outfit to change into, but then he thought that Xiaoyanzi's miserable appearance might evoke sympathy from his father and the Empress Dowager, so he decided not to ask any further questions...
Once Xiao Yanzi has become familiar with them, he will then try to contact Xiao Jian and investigate the case of Xiao Yanzi's parents' wrongful execution to clear their names.
After thinking for a moment, Yongqi said, "No, I'll take her back to the palace now and go directly to Father Emperor. As long as Father Emperor agrees, there won't be so many problems with the Empress Dowager."
"Then she should at least change her clothes, right?" Fu Erkang asked, puzzled. "If she goes to the palace dressed like this, won't the Emperor and the Empress Dowager be angry? What if they misunderstand and think she deliberately approached you?"
Yongqi shook his head. "Perhaps the Empress Dowager would, but I believe Father Emperor wouldn't. I trust him. If he really has misunderstood something, then we'll deal with whatever comes our way!"
Fu Erkang still felt it was somewhat inappropriate. "That's too risky. If they get angry, you'll at most be confined to your quarters, but that might not be the case for this little girl. How about this, I'll have my mother go in with you, and then I'll have Consort Ling say a few words on your behalf..."
Fu Ertai chimed in, "My brother is right, we still need Consort Ling to help out!"
"Erkang and Ertai, thank you very much. That's all for now, it's getting late, I have to go!"
Fu Tai immediately ran inside and told his mother about it. After hearing this, the Fujin nodded and agreed to help Yongqi with this favor!
Yongqi led Xiaoyanzi into the carriage in front. After getting in, Yongqi looked down at Xiaoyanzi sitting next to him and asked, "Did I scare you just now?"
Little Swallow shook her head. "No, are we going back to your home now?"
Yongqi nodded and said, "Yes, the place we just went to was the home of two of my good friends. Now we're going back to my home. Are you scared?"
He was a little worried. Little Swallow was still so young. If she came to the palace with him, he wondered how many people would be curious about her identity. How could he protect her then?
"A little bit, but I think you're such a nice guy, you'll protect me!"
Xiao Yanzi's words warmed Yongqi's heart, yet also caused him pain. They warmed his heart because she trusted him so much upon their first meeting; they pained him because, what good was being the Emperor's most beloved son when he was ultimately powerless?
"Little brother, what's wrong?" Little Swallow, who was standing next to Yongqi, saw that he had tears in his eyes. She wanted to reach out and wipe them away for him, but then she remembered that her hands were not clean, so she didn't dare to move.
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things and feeling a bit sentimental. By the way, I haven't asked yet, what's your name?" Yongqi didn't want to tell her about those upsetting things. He believed that this time, they would definitely be safe and happy!
Everyone calls me Little Swallow. Little brother, what's your name?
"My name is Yongqi. I am the Fifth Prince in the palace, the fifth son of Father Emperor."
Upon hearing Yongqi's identity, Xiaoyanzi was filled with surprise, "Wow, I actually met a prince, oh my god..."
"Little Swallow, after you enter the palace, you won't have as many opportunities to come out. Will you be sad?"
"Huh? Once you're inside, is it really that hard to get out?"
"No, it's not that. The reason I was able to come out is because I told Father Emperor that I wanted to travel incognito in Beijing and write down everything I saw there every day. That's why Father Emperor agreed to let me come out. In short, as long as you behave well and Father Emperor is happy, you can make demands of him!"
Little Swallow asked curiously, "Is your father, the Emperor, very good to you?"
"To me, he is the best father in the world!" The mistakes they made would have been punishable by death for anyone else, but instead of killing them, their father protected them in every way...
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