Chapter 49: Falling into a Ravine

The Third Prince barely had time to settle down when he heard rustling noises behind him—bandits were on the chase!

The Third Prince took off running.

The bandits in pursuit followed suit.

Di Zian checked the treasury. Gold, silver, jewels, and various chests were all present; nothing had been stolen.

These were to be deposited in the national treasury.

Losing them would have been disastrous.

[Yay! Seventh Brother is amazing! Finally added something to our Heavenly Saint Dynasty’s treasury!]

[A success! A success!]

Di Zian patted the little princess’s cheek. “Sister, you really are my little lucky charm.”

If it weren’t for her suggestion, he wouldn’t have managed to handle Feng Batian so smoothly.

“Seventh Prince, the figure in black didn’t get away; he ran to the foot of the mountain and fell into a ravine,” Big Scarred Face said with a look of regret. “I never expected Little Scarred Face to collude with outsiders and betray the chief.”

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would hardly believe it.

Both had sworn to follow the chief for life.

Di Zian frowned. There was something familiar about the voice of the figure in black, but he couldn’t quite place where he had heard it before.

“That Little Scarred Face has quite a network.”

Big Scarred Face muttered, “I think I heard Little Scarred Face mention once that he had relatives in the palace. At the time, it was just the brothers talking, and no one took it seriously.”

“Relatives in the palace?” Di Zian’s expression grew serious.

The little princess in his arms yawned.

Di Zian focused and quickly fed her a bit of milk, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Di Zian then went to find Feng Batian.

At this moment, Feng Batian, having survived the ordeal, was sitting in a chair. The black and purple discoloration on his face had faded, but he still held onto the little princess’s tuft of baby hair like a protective talisman, guarding it closely.

When Di Zian arrived, Feng Batian immediately knelt on one knee and performed a grand salute. “Seventh Prince.”

Di Zian was a bit surprised.

After all, Feng Batian had previously threatened to kill him.

Seeing him being so courteous all of a sudden made Di Zian a bit uncomfortable.

“Chief Feng, please get up.”

Feng Batian quickly kowtowed twice on the ground. “Seventh Prince, you saved me from a dire situation. I, Feng Batian, am someone who repays kindness. You are my savior.”

“This wasn’t really my doing. If you want to thank someone, it should be my sister.”

[Eh? Why thank me?]

The little princess, still chewing on her hand, looked up in surprise.

Di Zian smiled, “To be honest, I had a dream last night where my sister told me you would be in danger today, so I came to save you. My sister is my little lucky star. Without her, you would have likely ended up dead.”

[Wow~ Brother, is that really the case?]

[It must be a prophetic dream! The heavens must be showing mercy, seeing that you’ve had bad luck, so they gave you a dream to turn things around.]

The little princess giggled in Di Zian’s arms.

Her little hand touched Di Zian’s cheek, [I’m your little lucky charm. I love hearing that! Heeheehee.]

Hearing her thoughts, Di Zian was speechless.

Feng Batian looked deeply at the little princess and kowtowed repeatedly, “Thank you, Tenth Princess, for saving my life. From now on, my life belongs to the Tenth Princess. I will follow any command from her.

If the Tenth Princess tells me to go east, I will never go west. As long as the Tenth Princess needs me, I am willing to serve her loyally.”

[Feng Batian is indeed a loyal person. It seems I didn’t misjudge him.]

[It’s a pity I’m still too young and can’t speak.]

[Otherwise, I would have sent him to Lingnan, which is an epidemic area with recent riots. Although Feng Batian is a prince, he grew up among common people and understands how to pacify the masses.]

[Well, never mind. It’s just something to think about.]

Di Zian had a sudden idea. “Feng Batian, the Tenth Princess is still too young and can’t speak. Since you seem to be a trustworthy person, why don’t you go to Lingnan in her name?”

Feng Batian’s eyes brightened as he realized that what the Seventh Prince said was exactly what the Tenth Princess had in mind.

He had been thinking about how to request a mission to Lingnan, and now the Seventh Prince’s order had come.

Di Zian continued, “I won’t write an official decree. If I were to dismiss you just like that, it wouldn’t be appropriate given your past mistakes.

The epidemic in Lingnan has been ongoing for over three months, and with winter approaching, it’s a good time for you to take a batch of cotton clothes and deliver them to the affected people.

This will also give you a chance to redeem yourself.

However, it is a high-risk area, so I don’t know if you’re willing to go.

Of course, if you’re unwilling, the Tenth Princess won’t force you. Everything is up to your will.”

Feng Batian clasped his fists firmly. “Seventh Prince, rest assured. I’m very willing to go to Lingnan. Even if it’s a dangerous area, I’m not afraid as long as it’s the Tenth Princess’s wish.”

“Are you sure? The journey could be extremely perilous.”

Feng Batian nodded. “Seventh Prince, rest assured. I’ll live each day as it comes. Even if I die in Lingnan, I have no regrets.”

“Very well. Pack your things and set off,” Di Zian patted Feng Batian on the shoulder to encourage him.

He really didn’t expect Feng Batian to be so accommodating.

Despite his burly appearance, he was actually quite sincere.

[Brother, you really understand me!]

[Brother, how did you think of sending Feng Batian to Lingnan? It must have been from that dream yesterday.]

Di Zian chuckled, “It wasn’t a dream, it was the little princess’s thoughts!”

……

Su Jinye was waiting with a team of officials and soldiers for a signal from Di Zian on the mountain.

After waiting for two days and nights, there was still no signal.

Instead, he saw a group of bandits, carrying bundles and armed with curved knives, heading down the mountain.

Su Jinye was puzzled.

Why did these bandits look like they were going on a long journey?

Wasn’t Taibai Mountain their old base?

Wasn’t Hǔtóu Village their home?

Were they abandoning it all?

“Uncle!” Di Zian, carrying little Ah Bao, ran over with enthusiasm.

Su Jinye looked over, puzzled. “What’s going on?”

[I see my handsome uncle again!]

[Uncle, hug me!]

Ah Bao, seeing Su Jinye, smiled so widely that drool came out of her mouth. She reached out her little arms towards him. “Ah… hug…”

Su Jinye quickly took Ah Bao into his arms. “Has the little girl been hungry in the village these past few days?”

Ah Bao nodded.

[Yes, I’m hungry!]

[Brother only lets me drink milk, but I really want to eat meat!]

Su Jinye’s mouth twitched.

The little girl is quite the foodie.

Di Zian cleared his throat and said, “Thanks to my sister’s help, this bandit extermination was very smooth.”

[My brother is amazing! Wishing him success in the bandit elimination, flowers everywhere~]

As night fell, Su Jinye dismissed the soldiers and went with Di Zian and Ah Bao to the palace to meet the Tyrant Emperor.

In the imperial study, the Tyrant Emperor, upon learning of Di Zian’s return, immediately got up, unable to deal with any more documents. “You rascal! You actually took your sister out of the palace to deal with bandits and let them raid the mountain stronghold.”

The Tyrant Emperor had gone to Yihe Palace yesterday but hadn’t seen Ah Bao.

After several inquiries, he finally learned that Di Zian had sneaked Ah Bao out.

The Tyrant Emperor was furious.

Di Zian was completely unreliable—what if something happened to his precious daughter?