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"Help?" Xiao Yao raised his head, "Do you mean..."
He Yu nodded, "If possible, it’s fine to let them stay. I won’t talk to them for now; you go instead, how about that?"
"I go?" Xiao Yao was a bit confused, "Is that really okay?"
"We're providing them with a safe environment to grow up in. Isn't that good?" He Yu said with a smile, "I think even without you, they would want to stay."
Xiao Yao lowered his head and thought for a moment, "Okay, I'll give it a try."
"Good." He Yu paused and looked at Xiao Yao, "Do you think I'm very bad?"
Xiao Yao shook his head, "Not at all."
"Really? Why not?"
"You also said 'maybe,' so you don't have any coercive intentions; it's all voluntary," Xiao Yao replied. "Moreover, if these two children were really left out there without Shelter, who knows what might happen? They could end up being caught by some thugs and beaten to death."
"That's true," He Yu nodded. "But we can't guarantee what will happen here either; it could be good or bad. No one can predict that."
"So, they need to choose for themselves."
In the following days, Xiao Yao only went to check on Zhong Yiyuan's condition periodically. He wouldn't stay long and didn't disturb the two brothers in whatever they were doing.
He Yu continued to accompany the Emperor on his rounds, watching the current Sovereign put on a show of being close to the people.
Walking through the fields, the Fourth Prince suddenly said, "I heard that a couple of days ago, Xuanping Wang found two beggars on the street and brought them back?"
"Yes, it is indeed my wife's kind heart," He Yu said politely with a forced smile, "Looking at the two children is truly pitiful, especially since one of them has a high fever. If we turn a blind eye to their suffering, wouldn't that just bring misfortune upon ourselves?"
With just these two sentences, the Fourth Prince was left speechless and could only awkwardly turn his head away. The Emperor, who had been listening ahead, turned back and said, "Oh, right, you discuss this matter with me. What is the background of that ruffian?"
"Your Majesty, that ruffian doesn't have much of a background, but the Jinling Prefect knows that there are bullies causing trouble in the market and has neglected it for years. That is where the dereliction of duty lies."
At this statement, everyone's breath stopped for a moment. The Jinling Prefect was among them; upon hearing this, he wiped cold sweat from his brow and suddenly knelt down on the ground. "Your Majesty, please spare me! That ruffian has been acting lawlessly for many years. By the time I arrived, he was already someone everyone in Jinling City feared. I also have a wife and children; I truly..."
"Waste!" Qidi snorted coldly and kicked the Prefect. "The court pays you to ensure order; are you just going to be a turtle hiding your head in your shell?!"
Seeing Qidi's anger, He Yu calmly added fuel to the fire and said slowly, "Minister Yu, why are you so quick to distance yourself from your connections? You must have profited quite a bit over these years, right? How much of the protection money collected by these ruffians do you get a share of?"
"You... you..." The Prefect trembled as he pointed at He Yu and then immediately began to cry out in desperation. "Your Majesty, please see clearly! Xuanping Wang is slandering me!"
"Hong Ming." Qidi did not turn around.
"Yes, Your Majesty." He Yu straightened his expression, putting away his previous playful demeanor and adopting a serious face.
"Do you have any evidence?"
"Of course," He Yu snapped his fingers, and a guard stepped forward from the accompanying group, respectfully handing over a small booklet. Liang Xinzhi took it and presented it to the Emperor.
Upon seeing the booklet, the Prefect trembled uncontrollably like chaff in the wind. After a long time, he finally collapsed to the ground, his voice trembling with fear as he cried out, "Please spare me, Your Majesty..."
"Spare you?" Qidi flipped through the booklet and raised his eyes to look at the Prefect who had curled up into a ball. "If I spare your life, who will spare the lives of these common people?"
He Yu stood by silently; that booklet contained not only records of profit-sharing between the Prefect and the ruffians but also accounts of common people being beaten to death for so-called 'protection fees.' There were even records of some embezzled funds flowing into the capital. However, He Yu did not write about what happened afterward; he certainly knew who received the bribes from this Jinling Prefect, but those details could not be documented.
If it is written too clearly, it would seem that one has already plotted everything out, appearing too cunning. Instead, writing it a bit more obscurely allows the Emperor to believe that this is merely the result of what He Yu has quietly discovered.
For example, one line mentions that just before dawn, three people sneaked out from the Jinling Prefect's residence and headed north.
"Good, very good!" Qidi's face turned pale with anger. "This is the local official of my Dafeng! How dare he be so bold! Crown Prince!"
"I am here!" The Crown Prince quickly stepped forward and stood before the Emperor.
Qidi gritted his teeth. "I command you to thoroughly investigate this matter! Find out everyone involved! Even if they are Royal Princes and Grandsons, investigate them all!"
"I obey your command." The Crown Prince bowed deeply, his expression serious.
Meanwhile, the Jinling Prefect was replaced on the spot, and Minister Yu was dragged away by the guards, his eyes vacant.
After this commotion, Qidi naturally lost interest in leisurely wandering around and ordered to return to the capital the next day. He Yu had already reported to Qidi that he would return to the capital two months later, which Qidi had agreed to.
That night, Xiao Yao arrived at the ear room where the Zhong Brothers were staying.
Due to Xiao Yao's friendliness and her attitude of no longer probing into their matters, the two children gradually became familiar with her and even felt somewhat close. Xiao Yao said, "We will be leaving here tomorrow. Do you want to come with us?"
The brothers exchanged glances, and Zhong Yiyuan mustered up his courage to ask, "If we want to follow you, can we really do that?"
"Of course," Xiao Yao replied with a smile. "After escaping from that place, do you have anywhere in mind to go?"
The brothers were both puzzled. Zhong Yiyuan whispered, "Actually, we don't have any direction. We only know we need to escape. We ran for a long time before arriving in Jiangnan, and after that... we don't know where to go."
Xiao Yao smiled slightly but did not speak further.
Zhong Yiyuan paused for a moment, seeming to have something to say but hesitating. Xiao Yao said, "If you have any questions, just ask. As long as I can answer, I will tell you."
"I heard from my brother, madam... are you... a princess?" Zhong Yiyuan asked hesitantly.
"Yes," Xiao Yao nodded, showing no intention of hiding it. "My husband is Xuanping Wang; I don't know if you've heard of him."
"Ah!" Zhong Yiyuan exclaimed, and Zhong Yiliang's eyes also lit up. The two children nodded eagerly, and Zhong Yiyuan said excitedly, "Father admired General Xuanping very much! He told us many stories about General Xuanping!"
"Hmm? Is your father an old subordinate of the old General Xuanping?"
"Our grandfather was, but our father is not. However, our father fought on the battlefield with our grandfather, so he knows some things. My brother has always looked up to General Xuanping as a role model!" Zhong Yiyuan said while looking at Zhong Yiliang with excitement.
Old General's subordinate? It seems there is more to this story. Xiao Yao remained composed, simply smiling at the two children.
"Then... are we going to the capital?" Zhong Yiyuan continued to ask.
"No," Xiao Yao replied. "We will first go to Nanping City, which is my maternal home, and stay there for two months before returning to the capital."
"Oh." Although Zhong Yiliang couldn't speak, he mimicked the words with his lips, looking adorably dazed. Xiao Yao continued, "So do you want to come with us?"
"Yes!" Upon hearing that they were saved by Xuanping Wang, possibly due to their grandfather being an old subordinate, the closeness between them increased significantly, and both children nodded in unison.
She anticipated the outcome but did not expect to gain so much from it.
Xiao Yao raised her eyebrows and sat up straight. "Alright then, I will now tell you about the rules."
"Okay." This was something the two children had already anticipated, so they were not surprised and stood up straight to listen to Xiao Yao attentively.
Xiao Yao nodded in satisfaction and then said seriously, "First of all, I need to make it clear that I cannot truly raise you as my children. For now, you are the children that I and the prince have picked up. You will temporarily be my children's companions for study. Is that acceptable to you?"
"The princess consort is willing to take us in and find a doctor to treat me; this is already a great kindness. Zi Xi and Zi Yao do not dare to ask for too much." The two brothers knelt down and respectfully bowed their heads to Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao was pleased to see that they remembered to be grateful and continued, "To avoid drawing attention, your names will also take on the surname of He Family. You will be called He Zi Xi and He Zi Yao. Can you accept this?"
The room fell silent, only the sound of breathing could be heard. Xiao Yao quietly waited; her expression was calm, but the hands hidden in her sleeves were already clenched into fists. The success or failure depended on this moment.
After a long while, Zhong Yiyuan finally spoke in a low voice, "I understand that the princess consort is doing this for our own good, so we accept..." By the end of his words, his voice had begun to tremble, and Zhong Yiliang also wiped away tears.
Xiao Yao squatted down and hugged both children, saying, "Well, as long as you understand the stakes, you will eventually regain your original names."
"Really?" Zhong Yiyuan looked up at Xiao Yao with tear-filled eyes.
"Yes, believe me; it will happen one day." Xiao Yao gently stroked the children's hair with affection.
The two children wiped away their tears and deeply bowed towards the empty space outside the door. Zhong Yiyuan spoke each word clearly as if he wanted to engrave today's words in his heart, saying, "Now changing our names is truly a necessity for our survival. We brothers vow that one day we will restore our original names. Parents, please forgive us!"
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