But when they reached a corner, the person had disappeared; had they lost him?
The Imperial Guard hurried to search the area, but after searching for a long time, they found nothing. It was as if the slippery little rascal had never appeared; it was all their illusion.
They didn't dare report to Emperor Yongning, so they kept their heads down and continued searching.
Emperor Yongning had skipped his lunch, waiting here for news of that little brat, but none came.
He was a bit agitated and turned to the servant Xiao Lizi beside him, asking coldly: "Xiao Lizi, go ask the Imperial Guard how the capture is going? Have they caught him?"
Xiao Lizi quickly went to inquire and returned, reporting timidly, "Your Majesty, they have not caught him. They... they lost him."
"Lost him?" Emperor Yongning snorted coldly, "These fools, worthless, can't even catch a child. I've been supporting them for nothing, take them all away and execute them."
Tyrant, truly a tyrant!
"...Really, really execute them?" Xiao Lizi was so scared he knelt down.
"Your Majesty, don't!"
The Empress Dowager happened to be strolling nearby and came over when she heard the commotion.
She hadn't expected to hear such frightening words upon meeting the Emperor.
After all, these Imperial Guards were young nobles selected through many rounds, it seemed too wasteful to execute them for something so minor, but it was also true they hadn't caught the person.
Under the Empress Dowager's persuasion, the Imperial Guards were not executed but instead were each punished with fifty strokes, urging them to reflect well on why they couldn't even catch a child.
After returning to the palace, Emperor Yongning sighed and said, "If that little rascal were a little girl, she surely wouldn't be so mischievous."
Xiao Lizi echoed, "What Your Majesty says is true."
…
The center of this storm, Jun Ning, had no idea the turmoil he'd stirred; after returning, he washed his face and handed the chicken leg he'd brought back specifically to his mother Qiong Hua.
"Mother, stop working and eat something; your daughter... son brought you something tasty."
Qiong Hua had finished hoeing the field by now; she wiped her sweat and looked at the little boy handing her the chicken leg.
"Yi Yi, where did this come from?"
The chicken leg in the little boy's hand truly shocked her; her beautiful eyes instantly widened, filled with disbelief.
Jun Ning thought for a moment and said, "A kindly person gave it."
"In this Cold Palace, it's good enough to have a full belly, let alone someone kind enough to give you a chicken leg?"
"Naturally, a kind person from outside the Cold Palace gave it." Jun Ning argued.
"You went outside the Cold Palace?" Qiong Hua was shocked to hear this; she quickly looked Jun Ning up and down, ensuring he was unharmed, just a bit dirty, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she asked, "Where did you leave from? Did anyone see you?"
Jun Ning was taken aback by the woman's concerned look; previously, he was an orphan with no parents, and this was the first time he felt loved, cared for, and worried about.
His heart felt warm, but not wanting Qiong Hua to worry more, he plunged into her embrace and said, "Mother, rest assured, I crawled out from the dog hole at the wall; no one saw me."
Qiong Hua caught the flaw in his words, "No one saw you? Then how did you get this chicken leg?"
"Just a kind sister, she saw me hungry and pitiful, asked which palace I belonged to, and gave me several chicken legs. I only saw her alone."
"Really?"
"Really, really." Jun Ning nodded vigorously.