The expression on Minister Li stiffened. He stared at Yan Mingli seriously and said, "Mingli, are you joking with me? This kind of joke can't be made. It concerns the Fourth Prince. If it reaches the emperor's ears, it will be a crime of great disrespect!"
Yan Mingli looked a bit blank. After hesitating for a moment, he said seriously, "But he is really the Fourth Prince."
Minister Li didn't expect Yan Mingli to be so stubborn. Although the young boy in front of him looked similar to the Fourth Prince, Minister Li had seen on the table just now that after the young boy finished his meal, he started to shell sunflower seeds, and Yan Mingli just watched without stopping him.
If the young boy was the Fourth Prince, how could he shell sunflower seeds, a servant's job? And there was no servant by his side.
Minister Li sighed, extremely helpless. "Mingli, you can't talk nonsense like this."
"No... He is really the Fourth Prince!" Yan Mingli felt a bit powerless. He didn't even know when he was joking.
The Fourth Prince still had a handful of sunflower seeds in his hand and nodded seriously. "Yes, I am the Fourth Prince."
To convince Minister Li, Yan Mingli pulled his father over. "Dad, tell Uncle Li whether the Fourth Prince is the real Fourth Prince!"
With Yan's father as a witness, Minister Li finally believed Yan Mingli's words. He walked around the Fourth Prince twice and then looked at Yan Mingli curiously. How did these two people who seemed to have nothing to do with each other get to know each other? But it didn't matter. The emperor had said that the Fourth Prince would be the future crown prince!
Minister Li looked at Yan's father enviously. "I really envy you. Your son is really promising."
Originally, Yan Mingli was a bit angry, but when he heard this, he straightened his back immediately and nudged Shen Baozhu.
Shen Baozhu understood and praised, "Brother Mingli is smart and handsome. He is the most amazing!"
The Dragon King: [This fool changes his expression too quickly. Why doesn't he look for Qiuqiu?]
As soon as the Dragon King asked, Qiuqiu appeared behind Shen Baozhu and praised, "Yes, yes. Brother Mingli even bought us food. He is the best brother - in - law in the world."
Then it was the Fourth Prince's turn.
The Dragon King: [Okay, I know. The little cutie has driven the other two.]
...
Outside the capital city.
Two carriages stopped at the foot of the mountain. There were dozens of servants waiting beside the first carriage. The second carriage was a bit smaller, and the smell of medicine faintly came from it. Behind them, there were also several flatbed carts carrying luggage.
A noble - looking woman got out of the first carriage. Looking at the blazing sun hanging high, she ordered, "We must reach the capital city tomorrow. We can't let father think that I've broken my promise."
"And the gifts I prepared for Yutang, go and check them again. There must be no mistakes."
The servant replied, "Yes, madam."
The woman was the daughter of Prime Minister Sima and the mistress of the Xu family.
Madam Xu quickly walked to the second carriage. "Yun'er, are you feeling better? Hold on a little longer. I heard that the disciple who was expelled from the master by a divine doctor is in the capital city. When we get there, I'll ask father to help us find him."
There were a few coughs from inside the carriage, and then a weak but gentle voice came out. "Okay, I trust grandfather. Tomorrow is the day to meet my younger sister. Mother should leave enough dignity for her."
Hearing her son cough, Madam Xu panicked and replied in a hurry, "Okay, okay, okay. Mother promises everything. As long as you're okay."
"The capital city is just around the corner. Mother is begging you. Hold on a little longer. We will definitely find the divine doctor's disciple."
The person in the second carriage was Madam Xu's only son, Xu Yunmiao, the sickly young master of the Xu family.
After Xu Yunmiao forced himself to finish a sentence, he fell silent. If it weren't for the fear that Madam Xu would abandon the younger sister she hadn't met for his sake, Xu Yunmiao would have fainted.
Madam Xu had taken Xu Yunmiao to seek medical treatment for many years. She also knew that Xu Yunmiao was now incurable and was just one step away from the gates of hell. But Madam Xu wouldn't give up until the last moment.
The group stopped to rest temporarily, and the servants started a fire to boil medicine.
Madam Xu stood in front, looking in the direction of the capital city, worrying. She was afraid that she couldn't find the divine doctor's disciple, and she was even more afraid of the days after losing her son.
This was also what Xu Yunmiao was worried about. He was afraid that Madam Xu would lose all hope after his death, so he advised her to adopt another child.
But Madam Xu was worried that her energy would be taken away by the adopted child, so she kept delaying.
A month ago, Madam Xu received a letter from her father and only then knew that her father had adopted a girl for her. After learning that he had a younger sister, Xu Yunmiao, regardless of his health, insisted on returning to the capital city to meet his sister.
Originally, Madam Xu didn't allow it, fearing that the bumpy journey would cause an accident to Xu Yunmiao's health. Coincidentally, Xu's father, who was looking for the divine doctor, sent a letter. He coaxed and persuaded the divine doctor and learned from him that he had a rebellious disciple who had been expelled from the master. That disciple was highly skilled in medicine and might be able to save Xu Yunmiao's life, and this disciple was in the capital city.
For Xu Yunmiao's glimmer of hope, Madam Xu immediately took him back to the capital city.
While Madam Xu was in a daze, the wild grass by the roadside suddenly moved, and a person covered in mud appeared. The mud - covered person bowed to Madam Xu. "Madam, does your family still need maids? Do you think I'm okay?"
The mud - covered person took a few steps forward and tried hard to recommend herself. "I can do anything. Please give me a mouthful of food."
"You, what kind of strange thing are you?" Madam Xu was so scared by the mud - covered person that she took several steps back.
Afraid that Madam Xu would be scared away, the mud - covered person quickly wiped the mud off her face, revealing a delicate face. "I'm not a strange thing. I'm a person, a normal person. Madam, does your family need maids? I'm selling myself. It's very cheap."
Madam Xu didn't lack servants. Even if she did, she wouldn't buy someone with an unknown background. She took a step back. "I don't need maids. Go and look elsewhere."
But the mud - covered person didn't want to give up this rare opportunity. She chased after Madam Xu all the way, which alarmed the servants. Several servants stepped forward together and subdued the mud - covered person.
The commotion woke Xu Yunmiao up. He propped himself up and lifted the curtain of the carriage. Just then, he saw the mud - covered person being held down. He wanted to say something, but the gentle breeze blew into the carriage, and Xu Yunmiao started to cough. "Cough, cough, cough. Mother, do good deeds, cough, cough..."
Madam Xu felt extremely heart - broken. She saw that Xu Yunmiao wanted to plead for the mud - covered person and quickly said, "You put down the curtain quickly, or the wind will blow in again. Mother knows you're kind - hearted. I'll settle this person down."
Because of Xu Yunmiao's kindness, Madam Xu bought the mud - covered person and asked the servants to find some water nearby for the mud - covered person to wash.
Hearing this, the mud - covered person said excitedly, "Madam, this servant knows where the river is. Please give this servant a piece of clothing. This servant will come back after washing. Don't worry, this servant won't run away!"
Madam Xu didn't care whether the mud - covered person would leave or not. She told her to go and come back quickly. The carriage would only stop for half an hour at most and then continue on the journey. If the mud - covered person delayed for too long, they would have to leave first.
The mud - covered person carried the包袱 with the clothes and ran to take a bath. She had been here for more than three months. It was not easy to meet a rich and kind - hearted madam. If she missed this chance, she would really starve to death in the mountains when winter came.