Xianrang was displeased by the dilapidated scenery along the way. He had been walking for a long time but had not encountered anything unusual. Just as he was wondering if the imperial advisor's divination was wrong, a red tassel suddenly fell from a tree. He paused for a moment, and instead of ordering Ma Yuan to do so, he went forward and picked it up himself. At this moment, he heard a faint sound coming from the tree. When he looked up, he saw a half-grown child lying on the tree asleep, as if talking in his sleep.
"Those who first occupy the battlefield and await the enemy are at ease; those who arrive later and rush into battle are weary. Therefore, the skillful strategist brings the enemy to his own feet, not the other way around. To make the enemy come of his own accord, one must offer them an advantage; to prevent the enemy from coming, one must inflict harm upon them. Thus, one can tire the enemy when he is at ease, starve him when he is well-fed, and rouse him when he is at rest. One must attack where the enemy does not go, and attack where the enemy does not expect. To travel a thousand miles without fatigue is to travel through uninhabited land..."
"Hmm, this is... military strategy!?"
Xianrang's voice seemed to disturb the child in the tree. He subconsciously reached out to rub his eyes, but forgot that he was still in the tree. He lost his balance and fell from the trunk. Xianrang, who had practiced martial arts, easily caught the child and felt that the child had a very kind face.
The child immediately struggled to get down, and after standing up, sincerely thanked them, "Thank you for saving me, but... my clothes are dirty, and I think I've soiled your clothes, I'm sorry."
His clothes were tattered, and the section of his arm exposed by the rolled-up sleeves was tinged with a bluish-purple hue. He was thin and looked like he had suffered a lot.
Even Ma Yuan couldn't bear to see such bullying of children in the palace.
Xianrang asked, "Child, what's your name?"
The rain suddenly stopped, and the sun, which had been missing for three days, finally came back to work, making the water droplets on the leaves reflect a dazzling light.
He lowered his head and after a long while said, "My name is Fengyan."
The view from the top of the wall almost screamed. She had told him to just say he didn't have a name! That way he would get more sympathy points. This child clearly agreed, what happened?!
Fengyan looked up at the tassel in Xianrang's hand, then touched her own waist and said nervously, "This tassel is mine!"
Xianrang smiled kindly, "Tell me first what the text you were reciting in your dream was, and then I'll give it back to you."
Fengyan shook her head. "I don't know. I just had a dream. An old man in the dream told me this."
"Hmm, is that so?" Xianrang pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then why are you sleeping in a tree?"
"I climbed up and couldn't get down, so I accidentally fell asleep."
"And why did you climb the tree?"
"I'm hungry, I want to go and collect bird eggs..." He unconsciously touched his empty stomach, seemingly a little embarrassed.
Where are your parents?
“According to Awan, my mother died in the imperial prison and my father is the emperor. But Awan always calls me a little bastard and they don’t give me food. I think I am a person without a father.”
Ma Yuan trembled with fear and said, "Your Majesty..."
"Shut up!" Xian Rang shouted. He had roughly guessed the boy's identity. He still remembered the incident with Consort Qing very well. As for this person with royal blood, he simply ordered Consort Yun to handle him and then ignored him. He never expected that the boy would fall into such a predicament. No matter what, he was still his child and a prince. Even if he was not favored, how could he not be furious that he had to resort to climbing trees to steal bird eggs to fill his stomach?
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