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The light in his eyes was filled with despair. Xiao Yao was momentarily stunned when she heard a rough male voice say, "That's him! Where is he?"
Xiao Yao looked at the child in surprise, wondering how a kid could be chased by a group of big men. What had this child done to offend them? She exchanged glances with He Yu and immediately understood each other's thoughts. The few big men approached, and upon seeing that He Yu and Xiao Yao were dressed elegantly, they realized that these two must hold significant status, especially since the Emperor had recently come to Jinling.
One of them, who appeared to be the leader, stepped forward and cupped his fists in greeting. "Thank you both for capturing this little thief. Please hand him over to us, if you would."
"Why?" Xiao Yao asked. "He's just a child. Is it really necessary for you grown men to chase him down so aggressively?"
The group exchanged glances, and the leader spoke again, "To be honest, this Cub stole quite a bit from my shop, which is why we are pursuing him."
"Stole?" Xiao Yao turned to look at the child's dirty face, where only his bright eyes showed a stubborn expression.
At that moment, an Old Man's voice came from nearby, speaking slowly, "This child has no parents. He can't earn money and has to rely on stealing to get by. Alas..."
No parents? Xiao Yao raised an eyebrow and glanced at He Yu. He Yu understood her meaning and set the child down. The child seemed to sense that Xiao Yao was his shelter and quickly hid behind her before the big man's hand could reach him. Faced with a woman, the big man awkwardly withdrew his hand. He Yu then smiled warmly and said, "Gentlemen, may I ask how much the stolen items are worth? If I can afford it, I will compensate you with silver."
Upon hearing this, the men realized they had stumbled upon a lucrative opportunity and their eyes lit up as they began calculating a number.
Xiao Yao took out several gold leaves from her pouch at her waist. Instantly, everyone's eyes brightened. She handed the gold leaves to He Yu, who then pulled out a silver ingot from his pocket and placed it in the big man's hand. "I believe this should be sufficient."
"Sufficient?" The big man looked at the gold with greedy eyes and sneered, "But I think this is far from enough! Brothers, charge!" However, before they could truly pounce, a group of guards suddenly appeared out of nowhere and swiftly bound the men. The leader of the guards knelt down to apologize, saying, "We arrived late; please punish us, Your Highness!"
Your Highness?!
For a moment, everyone was stunned. The faces of the several big men tied up like zongzi turned pale, realizing they had provoked a formidable opponent. He Yu stepped forward and kicked the leader, clicking his tongue twice. "You had gold in your hands just now; why didn't you take it and leave? Now look at you—are you happy with this situation?"
"Greed leads to downfall," Xiao Yao scoffed. "Looking at your clothes, you don't seem to be doing any big business. The money that the prince and I gave you was enough to buy a farm and a few acres of land for a good life. But since you didn't appreciate it, we can't be polite anymore. It's quite something to mobilize so many people against a child."
At that moment, a guard ran up to He Yu and whispered something in his ear. He Yu nodded. "Oh, Local Tyrant, is it? Quite arrogant, huh? Bring them! Throw these people into jail for interrogation. Anyone who dares to act so lawlessly must face consequences; they are not allowed to die before we get the truth out of them!"
"Yes!"
The big men didn’t even get a chance to plead their case before being dragged away. The nearby commoners applauded and cheered, kneeling down before He Yu and his group. Xiao Yao quickly helped those around her back up. "Sir, how can this be?"
"It can be," the man wiped his tears and said, "You don't know, Princess, this group has been committing crimes for years—eating for free every day while collecting protection fees and even robbing women in broad daylight. They are truly despicable."
"Then why not report them to the authorities?"
"Report? It’s useless! Those who collect protection fees share the spoils with the officials; no one can do anything about them!"
"Don't worry; since the Emperor is here now, he will surely give the people of Jinling City justice. Please rest assured," He Yu declared loudly. Upon hearing this, everyone knelt in the direction of the Emperor's residence, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
"If it's convenient for the princess, please take this child with you and provide for him—at least give him something to eat," the man said.
"They?" Xiao Yao asked in confusion.
The man stroked the child's head. At this moment, the child had lost his earlier fierceness and instead looked at the man with dependence, like a true child. The man sighed and said, "This child is mute and cannot speak. He has a brother; I don’t know if they are blood brothers or not, but when we saw them together, they were always side by side. We are all common folks ourselves; our lives are tight as it is, and we can't support these two children—after all, that's two mouths to feed. We can only give them leftovers when we set up our stalls so that he can take something home. That’s how they’ve grown up."
Xiao Yao felt a pang of sympathy and took a breath before continuing, "I heard his brother has been sick these past few days. It seems he couldn't afford a doctor, which is why he thought of stealing. He's usually a good kid."
He Yu walked over and looked at Xiao Yao. Xiao Yao turned to He Yu, who smiled and said, "If you want to do it, go ahead. I support you."
Hearing this, Xiao Yao was overjoyed and gave He Yu a kiss on the cheek. The onlookers nearby blushed and smiled, commenting on how affectionate the prince and princess were. He Yu also smiled happily in response.
Xiao Yao bent down slightly in front of the child to meet his gaze and gently asked, "Do you want to come with us? You can bring your brother too."
The child's eyes lit up for a moment, but then doubt and fear quickly took over. Xiao Yao felt a twinge of sadness and continued, "How about this? You can come back with me first to help your brother get better. After that, you and your brother can decide whether to stay or not. Does that sound good?"
Clearly, this was a huge temptation for a child already in a difficult situation. The child remained silent for a while before finally nodding hesitantly; after all, his brother's life was at stake.
Xiao Yao said excitedly, "Then let's go find your brother!"
The child nodded and led the way. After walking a few steps, he turned back to check as if afraid they would disappear. Seeing the child's cautious eyes reminded Xiao Yao of her own sons' spirited faces, filling her heart with an inexplicable sadness.
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