Chapter 184: Sitting in the Shrine

As Ah Bao pondered how to leave the palace, a small hand landed on her shoulder.

“Ninth Brother?”

Di Rongjing pointed at the letter in her hand and then at the outside.

[Is Ninth Brother asking me to take him out of the palace?]

Ah Bao patted her chest, as the lesson had ended and the tutor had gone for a break. “Ninth Brother, porridge.”

[I was just worried about how I, with my short legs, would get out of the palace. But now I have my Ninth Brother right here.]

[Let’s go, I’m taking Di Rongjing out of the palace to see the world.]

Di Rongjing looked down at Ah Bao, admiration in his eyes.

Following Ah Bao’s lead, Di Rongjing and Ah Bao managed to slip past Zhilan, and the two sneaked out of the palace, one big and one small.

At the palace gate, the guards rubbed their eyes.

“Uh, that pretty, slightly older child… isn’t that the Ninth Prince? The Ninth Prince doesn’t seem dull; why is he coming out?”

Besides the doodles, the letter also had some illegible writing. It wasn’t that Ah Bao couldn’t read, but rather that Rong Yimeng’s handwriting was just too messy.

The characters were barely legible, but she still managed to figure them out.

Upon arriving at the temple, she pushed open the grand doors. Di Rongjing looked around, frowning.

Although there were no guards stationed here, this was not a place one could enter and leave at will.

His mother had frequently reminded him of this.

“Little Stutterer is here!” Rong Yimeng burst into laughter as soon as he spotted Ah Bao.

Di Rongjing, still a bit disoriented, carried Ah Bao on his back and noticed several other children standing behind Rong Yimeng, all around six or seven years old.

However, as Rongjing looked at those children, they seemed somewhat familiar to him.

“Di Rongjing, Di Jiaoyang, you two really are a perfect match—both daring to come here,” Rong Yimeng exclaimed, surprised that his message had actually gotten through. After all, he was the little tyrant of the world, and everyone in the palace knew him as the little prince of the Rong Prince’s Mansion. Who wouldn’t give him face?

“Now that you’re here, let’s get started.” Rong Yimeng waved his hand grandly and took out an incense burner from a black pouch on his waist.

“What’s that?” Ah Bao squinted.

Rong Yimeng snorted, “My mother taught me not to fight with you, and I’m obedient—I won’t fight.”

Ah Bao’s squinting smile deepened. This little rascal definitely isn’t that obedient!

“I’ve come up with a great idea. I can swallow my pride and not fight with you.”

Ah Bao pouted, clearly uninterested in Rong Yimeng’s chatter. She was here to teach this rascal a lesson, not to make peace.

“You two should acknowledge me as your leader. From now on, in the capital, I’ll be looking out for you. How about that?” Rong Yimeng asked proudly.

“Pfft!” Ah Bao rolled her eyes in disdain.

“Hey! Di Jiaoyang, you even call me brother. What’s wrong with acknowledging me as your leader? If not, you can just call me brother when you see me.”

“No way!” Ah Bao huffed.

“I knew you, stubborn little girl, wouldn’t acknowledge me. But I’ve come prepared. Do you see these little guys behind me? If you and Di Rongjing don’t call me the leader today, I’ll have them beat you up!” Rong Yimeng chuckled. “I won’t fight you myself; I’ll have them fight you. I’m so clever.”

Ah Bao laughed even harder than Rong Yimeng.

Di Rongjing’s lips curved into a smile as well.

Rong Yimeng rubbed his eyes, as if he were seeing things. Why were these two so happy when they were about to get beaten up?

“Leader!”

“Leader!”

“Stop calling me that! Can’t you see I’m busy?” Rong Yimeng waved his small hand, puzzled by why Ah Bao was laughing.

The children behind him suddenly all came forward and stood behind Ah Bao.

Rong Yimeng: ???

His eyes widened, “What are you doing? I told you to beat up Di Jiaoyang. Why are you standing behind her?”

“She’s our leader,” one of them said proudly.

“Huh? What kind of joke is this? I’m your leader! Since when did Ah Bao become the leader?”

“Ah Bao has always been our leader. You just thought you were,” they said. They hadn’t played with Rong Yimeng before; it was only today that Rong Yimeng found them on the street, saying he was going to settle a score with someone named Ah Bao.

As soon as they heard that Rong Yimeng wanted to find their leader, they immediately agreed and followed him eagerly.

They hadn’t seen their leader, Ah Bao, for two months since the last time at the Great Uncle’s Mansion, and they missed her dearly.

“I just thought…?” Rong Yimeng was dumbfounded. It seemed that from the start, these kids hadn’t once called him their leader.

“Hahahahaha.” Ah Bao laughed out loud.

Rong Yimeng’s face turned blue with frustration. He was furious—there was no way he would lose to a little stutterer!

And that mute donkey too.

“Hmph, I know why you’re all calling her the leader!” Rong Yimeng fumed. “It’s just because Ah Bao sat in the temple.”

“Yes, yes, our leader is amazing.”

Not only did she sit in the temple, but she also saved them.

No, she saved all the children in the capital. Ah Bao’s talisman was incredibly powerful. Every time a kidnapper took a child, their parents would somehow discover it immediately.

Since that day, no child had ever gone missing in the capital again.

Rong Yimeng, being just six years old, didn’t know about this. He thought it was just because of the temple.

“Hmph, Ah Bao, I want to make a bet with you!”

Ah Bao, who was munching on a small milk bun, raised an eyebrow, “Hmm?”

“I heard you sat in the temple. Hmph, even my grandfather praised you.”

This little rascal doesn’t think that if he sits in the temple, the old prince will praise him, does he?

“Let’s bet today on who can sit in the temple the longest. The loser has to call the other one ‘leader!'”

“Shake on it.” Ah Bao immediately extended her little finger.

Rong Yimeng chuckled, thinking Ah Bao was easy to fool. He was five years older than Ah Bao, so he could definitely sit longer.

“Little girl, just wait to call me ‘leader,’ hmph.”

Ah Bao smiled sweetly, This rascal is about to get more than he bargained for. This is going to be fun.

Di Rongjing’s eyes sparkled. Every time he followed his sister, it was so much fun.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, all the officials entered the palace to pay their respects to the emperor.

This day was supposed to be the day of the sacrificial rites, but the Tiansheng Dynasty had no national deity, so they couldn’t perform the rites. Instead, they entered the palace to look at the temple with the emperor, praying for the national deity to descend.

Every year, it was the same.

Even though they knew the Tiansheng Dynasty would never have a national deity, they still hoped for one on this day, year after year.

The news that Prince Rong had recovered today spread like wildfire, and soon Emperor Tiansheng and all the civil and military officials were aware.

Seeing Prince Rong enter the palace with their own eyes, the officials were stunned.

One by one, they approached the old prince to ask, “Old Prince, which divine doctor cured you?”

“My grandmother has also had a stroke for decades and hasn’t recovered. She’s barely hanging on. Old Prince, could you introduce this doctor to us so they can take a look at my grandmother?”

“Old Prince…”

Faced with the throng of civil and military officials, even the experienced Old Prince couldn’t help but be bewildered.

The main issue was that he didn’t know where to begin. If he explained, not only would others not believe it, but he wouldn’t believe it himself.