Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 39 The Phoenix Terrace (8)

Yan Zhen immediately understood.

The palace maid's status was awkward; she was neither a servant nor a master. As a child of His Majesty's blood, it was no wonder she was bullied in a place like the Yeting Palace.

"Does Your Majesty know of this child's existence?"

“This…” Hongyu hesitated, “This servant does not know.”

Yan Zhen pondered for a while and then instructed, "Prepare some food and come with me to the Yeting Palace tomorrow."

The next day, Yan Zhen took Hongyu to the Yeting Palace.

Hongyu had already made arrangements. When the child was brought over by the steward of the Yeting Palace, his clear black and white eyes were full of vigilance.

Yan Zhen waved away the obsequious steward and said to the child, "Come with me."

She took a few steps, but the child didn't follow. Instead, he stood still, his back stiff.

Yan Zhen wasn't annoyed. She stretched out her hand, revealing the stone in her hand, and waved it in front of him with a strong sense of threat.

child:"……"

He followed reluctantly.

The master and servant led the child to a secluded spot, where Yan Zhen gestured for Hong Yu to open the food box they had brought, revealing the sweet and fragrant pastries inside.

Sure enough, the child stared at the pastries and quietly swallowed.

"Eat up, it's all for you." Yan Zhen pushed the food box in front of him.

The child didn't move.

"Are you worried I poisoned you?" Yan Zhen chuckled. "If I wanted to kill you, I could just expose your murder and body disposal. Why go through all that trouble to tamper with the pastries?"

The child was silent for a while, and no one knew what was going on in his head. Suddenly, he grabbed a pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks bulging out.

Several plates of pastries were devoured in the blink of an eye.

"Is it delicious?" Yan Zhen asked.

After the child finished eating the pastries, he became like a saw-mouthed gourd again, pursing his lips and refusing to speak.

Yan Zhen asked him several questions, such as "What's your name?" and "How old are you?", but he refused to answer them.

She had no choice but to stand up, sighed regretfully, and then instructed Hongyu, "Go and call that steward over. Tell him we saw him in Yunguang Palace yesterday..."

Before she could finish speaking, the child quickly reached out and tugged at her hem, his anxiety evident: "No, no!"

Yan Zhen looked down at him, and saw that his dirty little hand had made a black handprint on the hem of her clothes.

The child noticed and immediately let go, rubbing his hand behind his back.

Yan Zhen smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "You can talk? I thought you were mute."

child:"……"

Yan Zhen repeated the question from before: "What's your name?"

"...Xia Houche."

"how old are you?"

"Eleven years old."

Yan Zhen measured his head with her hand, then compared him to herself. The original owner of this body was about 1.63 meters tall, while this child only reached her chest.

It's all caused by malnutrition.

As they were talking, the manager led a group of people and hurriedly ran past from not far away.

"Go look over there. Liang Sheng is usually lazy; he might be hiding and sleeping."

Yan Zhen looked up for a moment, then looked away. Seeing that Xiahou Che's fingers were curled up and he seemed a little uneasy, she asked, "Liang Sheng... the one you killed yesterday?"

Xiahou Che pursed his lips and nodded almost imperceptibly under her intense gaze.

Why kill him?

"He... humiliated me." Xiahou Che's face gradually turned pale as if he remembered something.

Yan Zhen pretended not to see it and pressed on, "How did they humiliate you?"

Xiahou Che, however, refused to speak.

"Pretending to be mute again? Hongyu—"

"I'll talk!" Xiahou Che clenched his fists, his whole body trembling. "He took off his pants in front of me, and made me... made me..."

He simply couldn't bring himself to utter those highly insulting words.

Yan Zhen looked him straight in the eye: "Is it humiliating?"

"..."

Upon closer inspection, Yan Zhen noticed that Xiahou Che, despite being thin, had handsome features, delicate yet not effeminate, and one could vaguely see the shadow of the current emperor between his eyebrows and eyes.

“Even if you lose one Liang Sheng, there will be a second and a third. As long as you remain in the Yeting Palace, you will not escape the fate of being bullied.” Yan Zhen lowered his voice and coaxed patiently, “Do you want to leave the Yeting Palace?”

Xiahou Che was taken aback and suddenly looked up at her.

“You are of the Emperor’s bloodline,” Yan Zhen said. “If you climb higher, you will become a prince, and if you climb higher, the position of the Emperor is not impossible.”

Xiahou Che did not answer immediately, and looked at her with the same gaze Little Red Riding Hood had when she looked at the Big Bad Wolf.

"Besides, with a living person missing from the palace, it's hard to say whether the investigation will lead to you." Yan Zhen didn't urge him to make a decision. She put down the stone. "Think it over carefully. Once you've figured it out, put this stone on the stone lion outside Yun Guang Palace. When I see it, I'll naturally come looking for you."

After she finished speaking, she told Hongyu to pack up the food box and then turned to leave.

After walking a short distance, Hongyu asked with concern, "Princess, do you intend to support Xiahou Che?"

"Correct."

"But he has no connections or influence in the palace, no imperial favor, and no support from his maternal family. How easy is it to support a prince who has nothing?"

Yan Zhen smiled but remained silent.

It's easier to bribe someone who has nothing.

Moreover, the fact that Xiahou Che, at the age of eleven, dared to kill someone and could dispose of the body without changing his expression proves that he not only had a certain amount of courage but also some cleverness.

Her plan was missing a pawn that wouldn't be foolish enough to hold her back, had no powerful backing, and was easy to manipulate.

Upon returning to Yihua Palace, Xiahou Jin unexpectedly arrived.

He greeted Yan Zhen upon seeing her: "Aheng, where have you been?"

"Yeting Palace".

Xiahou Jin frowned: "What are you going to the Yeting Palace for?"

Yan Zhen remained calm and said, "Fanxue ran away yesterday. It was the palace servants of Yeting Palace who helped find her and bring her back. I sent some food over to express my gratitude."

“This is a small matter; a palace servant can handle it. Why do you have to go yourself?” Xiahou Jin naturally took her hand and led her into the inner palace.

Yan Zhen changed the subject: "Your Highness, is there something you need today?"

At this point, Xiahou Jin's expression turned serious: "There are two things I need to tell you. I asked my father, the Emperor, to grant me this marriage, and he agreed. The imperial decree for the marriage will be issued soon, but..."

Xiahou Jin sighed: "An urgent report came from Bashu. A huge earthquake has occurred there, causing countless deaths and injuries. My father has ordered me to lead troops there to provide disaster relief."

Yan Zhen's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Business is more important."

“But this back and forth will take several months,” Xiahou Jin said hesitantly. “I’m afraid the marriage will be affected.”

It's unclear how long the matriarch of the Xiao family can hold on. If she passes away, the marriage will inevitably be postponed for three years.

“Your Highness is the Crown Prince and should prioritize the well-being of the people.” Yan Zhen finished speaking and then softened his voice, “If the marriage changes, it’s only three years; we can wait.”

Xiahou Jin held her hand tightly, his expression full of reluctance.

After a long while, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly: "Ah Heng, wait for me to come back."