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“Protect the Emperor!”
In an instant, a shadowy figure flickered ghost-like through the air, swiftly pushing the young emperor aside and raising a gleaming silver sword to shield him.
The hidden guards, alarmed by the commotion, rushed over, their blades clashing against a barrage of flying projectiles.
The young emperor was still groggy from last night’s drunken revelry. His mind hadn’t fully cleared when the sudden push from the hidden guard sent him stumbling sideways.
His feet gave out beneath him, and he crashed toward a nearby window lattice, his towering golden crown striking it with a loud bang.
Then—snap!
A crisp sound rang out.
A mysterious burst of white powder sprayed from somewhere, coating the young emperor’s head and face entirely.
“Cough! Cough! Cough…!”
The emperor clutched his mouth, coughing violently. When he reached out to touch his face, his hands came away covered in a thick layer of… “dust”?
What the hell was this?!
Furious, the young emperor slammed his fist against the ground and bellowed,
“AAAHHH! Insolent thieves! This is outrageous!”
As the ruler of a nation, he’d seen plenty in his life, but never had he encountered such a bizarre burglary!
Looting his ancestors’ wealth and treasures was one thing. But setting up such an absurd trap—just to throw powder in his face?!
His royal guards had thoroughly inspected the study before he entered. They hadn’t detected any hidden weapons or traps.
Which meant…
Whoever designed this contraption was a master of mechanisms, a genius without equal.
And yet, they’d used their brilliant skills… just to throw dust in his face?!
The insult was far worse than the attack!
“AAAHHH! Curse you, vile scoundrels! I will have my revenge!”
Shaking with rage, the young emperor sprang to his feet, ready to summon his army and hunt down the impudent fool who had dared to humiliate him.
But before he could act, a sharp pain stabbed through his chest. His vision blurred, and he collapsed straight to the ground.
“Thud—!”
The crisp sound of his head hitting the floor echoed through the room.
The hidden guards, still caught in the chaos of the triggered mechanisms, finally snapped back to their senses. Several of them rushed to check on the emperor.
“Bad news! His Majesty has fainted!”
“It’s the powder! Everyone, hold your breath! The white powder is poisoned!”
“Xiao Shunzi! Hurry, call the imperial physician!”
—
While the palace descended into chaos, leaving the noble ladies in turmoil, the exiled convoy had found shelter in a secluded valley to prepare their midday meal.
For some reason, the weather today was unusually harsh.
Winter had only just begun, yet several heavy snowfalls had already blanketed the roads. The official paths were covered in thick layers of snow—shallow areas reached halfway up a shoe, while deeper spots could swallow a foot entirely.
The exile group, numbering over a hundred, consisted mostly of frail scholars and elderly women and children, apart from the government escorts.
Even with the officers relentlessly cracking their whips to hurry them along, the group had trudged northward for an entire morning—only covering a mere ten miles.
After finally finding an open space to rest, the Sheng family’s main branch settled down while Sheng Yichen quickly gathered dry twigs and leaves from the nearby forest. Borrowing a fire starter from the head officer, Leng Feihu, he built a small fire in their midst.
Earlier, they had consolidated the numerous small bundles of gifts sent by various noble ladies into three large packs, which were carried by Sheng Yichen, Li Zhenyi, and Yun Jin.
Now, they finally had time to take inventory of the supplies. Among the items, they discovered a thick cotton coat—likely gifted to Sheng Yichen by an unknown lady.
But instead of putting it on himself, he immediately turned to Sheng Nanxi. Seeing the tattered and ugly clothes she wore, he began undressing her to help her change into the warmer garment.
The moment he unfastened her old coat, they were met with a shocking sight—her delicate, fair skin was covered in angry red rashes across her neck and chest. Some areas had even developed small, blistering sores.
Li Zhenyi and Sheng Yichen were both heartbroken at the sight. Hurriedly, they rummaged through their belongings and found a jar of ointment—another gift from a noble lady—then carefully applied it to her irritated skin.
They carefully wrapped Sheng Nanxi in the soft new cotton coat, folding it snugly around her, then tore a few strips of cloth to secure it in place.
The entire family was focused on taking care of the little girl, not even bothering to treat the red rashes and blisters forming on their own skin from friction.
Earlier, Sheng Nanxi had been using her fire-based abilities to subtly raise the temperature around her family.
But her powers were still weak, and the constant energy drain was exhausting. Half-asleep, she leaned against Sheng Yichen, dozing off in a light slumber.
When she woke up, she found herself bundled up like a multicolored ball!
The whole family was dressed in ragged, hole-filled cotton coats, yet she alone was wrapped in a thick adult-sized one.
As if that weren’t enough, they had even found extra cloth to wrap her tiny hands and feet, worried that any exposed skin might suffer frostbite.
From head to toe, the only visible part of her body was her little round face!
Sheng Nanxi was speechless.
Wait a minute, Mother, just because it’s snowing, doesn’t mean I’m actually cold!
You were so focused on wrapping me up, yet you didn’t even notice the thin layer of sweat forming on your own forehead? You seriously don’t find that strange?
“Mother, Xi’er isn’t cold! I don’t want to wear so many layers!”
She stretched out her chubby little hands, weakly struggling against the fabric.
Li Zhenyi remained unfazed, gently yet firmly stopping her from removing her makeshift “gloves.”
“A child like you wouldn’t understand! Sitting by the fire might feel warm now, but the farther north we go, the harsher the wind and frost will be. There’s no way you won’t be cold!”
Sheng Nanxi: !!!
Sigh. There’s a type of cold called your mother thinks you’re cold…
Still, being doted on by her family did feel quite warm in its own way.
With a pout, Sheng Nanxi looked up at the sky and reluctantly withdrew some of the fire energy surrounding her, lowering the temperature back down slightly.
Perhaps because Sheng Yichen had discreetly slipped twenty taels of silver to the head officer, Leng Feihu, before departure, the guards were somewhat more lenient toward the Sheng family.
While the other exiles had to line up for rations—each person receiving just one hard, black bread roll, unless they could afford to pay extra for white bread—the Sheng family received special treatment.
When their turn came, the officers didn’t charge them a single coin and handed each of them a soft, white bun.
Li Zhenyi picked out the softest bun and, after searching through their bundle, found some delicate pastries to feed Sheng Nanxi.
Only after the little girl had eaten her fill did the rest of the family start on their own buns.
Seizing the moment when no one was paying attention, Sheng Nanxi discreetly retrieved a portion of beef from her spatial storage and tucked it into the bundle. Then, pretending to rummage through it, she pulled out the still-warm beef and handed it to Li Zhenyi.
“Mother, eat! Grandmother, Brother, Yun Jin—you all eat too!”
Since the bags were already packed chaotically with all sorts of things, no one questioned how she had suddenly found some beef inside.
Li Zhenyi simply accepted it and, without hesitation, tucked it back into the bundle.
Gently patting Sheng Nanxi’s head, she said, “Good girl. These buns are enough for us. We’ll save the meat for later—when we find a proper place to rest tonight, I’ll cook some beef porridge for you.”
The entire family tacitly avoided looking at the meat, quietly nibbling on their bread instead.
At this rate, they would be lucky to have even one more meal with beef.
The adults could endure hunger, but Xi’er was still growing—she couldn’t afford to go without food.
Everything they had should be saved for her.
Sheng Nanxi pouted as she watched them silently chew their plain buns.
There were too many people around right now to say anything. It looked like she’d have to find a way to reveal her abilities to her mother in the dead of night.
Otherwise, they’d keep trying to save everything for her while starving themselves.
At this rate, by the end of their exile, she’d still be a little round dumpling, while the rest of them would be malnourished!
Just as she was worrying about her family’s hardships, a familiar voice suddenly rang out in protest:
“Officer! Why does the Sheng family’s main branch get free white buns and the best wind-shielded seats while we’re stuck eating black bread and shivering in the cold?!”
“We’re part of the Sheng family too! We should be treated the same as them!”