The reborn prince's little palace maid in the apocalypse

Having a master who loves to eat means that a servant will never lack food.

Xiao Ba sat cross-legged in the middle of the carriage, with steamed buns and dumplings laid out in front of him—food he had scavenged from all around the carriage.

With tears in her eyes, Mantou gently combed Xiaoba's hair. She combed it lightly, little by little, afraid that if she pressed too hard, she might break the hair.

Dumpling found a bottle of hair oil. "This is Mei'er's. Should we give some to our mistress?"

"The master doesn't like strong-smelling things."

"But this hair still needs some care." Dumpling opened the bottle and smelled it. Fortunately, it had a delicate orchid scent, not strong, just a faint fragrance.

"Master, smell this. It has only a faint orchid scent. Shall we use a little?"

Xiao Ba was munching on a steamed bun when Jiaozi handed her a fragrant jar. She immediately picked up her bun. "I've had osmanthus jam and peach blossom jam before. Orchid jam too?"

"Master, this is hair oil. It's for you to use on your hair." Dumpling was afraid her master would mistake it for flower jam and eat it. She quickly took it and withdrew her hand.

Xiao Ba rolled her eyes at the dumplings helplessly. What was she going to do with them if she couldn't eat them? She thought there would be sweet sauce to dip the pancakes in.

Seeing that Xiao Ba didn't object, Mantou carefully applied the hair oil little by little to Xiao Ba's hair. She didn't dare to comb or put her hair up in a bun, but simply tied it up gently with a hair ribbon.

"Master, we don't have any flower jam, but I have some honey here. Would you like some?" Dumpling took out a small half-jar of honey and handed it to Xiao Ba.

"You can only dip it in food, you can't drink it directly."

Last time, the master just drank directly from the honey jar; the drinker wasn't sick of it, but the onlookers almost threw up. Therefore, His Highness the Crown Prince forbade Xiao Ba from touching the honey jar.

After tidying up Xiao Ba from head to toe, Mantou turned around and saw Jiaozi feeding him.

With so much food, more than half of it has already been eaten, and Dumpling is still searching everywhere; they're practically ready to be hand-fed.

"Take it easy, don't overeat your master." Mantou quickly tugged at Jiaozi.

"When have you ever seen our master last that long? This is only a little bit of food."

"Can the past and the present be the same? Look at our master now, be careful he can't handle the nourishment." Our master suddenly became like this; we don't know if he has any internal injuries. What if he gets hurt eating so much all at once?

"I think you're overthinking it. If His Highness couldn't eat much, he would have already said so. In fact, His Highness didn't say anything at all, but he can eat a lot."

"It's better to be careful."

Two maids were involved; one was hurriedly feeding the baby, while the other was cautiously and furtively trying to stop them.

On the other side, An Jiu reported on the events that had occurred after Yan Sinian's disappearance and the reactions from all sides, picking out the parts he could talk about. Mainly, several people from Bowenzhou were still in the car, and there were some things that couldn't be said openly.

An Jiu was originally a secret guard, but on the surface he was also the Crown Prince's personal eunuch. He usually got along well with Xiao Ba and the Heavenly Guards.

So when this happened, everyone contacted him. If he hadn't run fast and caught up with Dumpling and the others, he would still be running errands for An Yi.

Yan Sinian made no reaction to what Xiao Jiu reported. With him missing, Wei Rong would take over directly. He had power, Bai Miao behind him with advice, and Tian Gan and the secret guards in secret. Things in Jiangnan and Hexun would not be in chaos.

"Xiao Jiu, after you go back, inform everyone to raise Bai Lu's wanted level to the highest level. Anyone who captures Bai Lu will be richly rewarded by me, and I will also grant her one wish."

A wish? This is a promise made by the emperor, though it was made by the Crown Prince, it's still pretty much the same.

"Bai Lu? The one from Prince Fu?" An Jiu asked uncertainly.

"Yes. Remember to tell them that I want to live." The last few words sent a chill down the spines of those present.

"The same goes for you all. Go back and get some portraits, and have your families search for them together. Whoever finds them, I will grant them whatever they desire. Also, that woman has some extraordinary abilities. Once you find her, cut off all four of her limbs, then carefully lock them up. You absolutely cannot let her escape."

With all four limbs cut off, how can you run? Roll away to escape?

Regardless, Bowenzhou and the others readily agreed.

The journey was fast at first and slow at the end, and by noon, the city gates of Jiangnan Prefecture were already in sight.

Having received a signal from An Jiu confirming that His Highness the Crown Prince was alright, Bai Miao ordered the city gates opened, allowing the people to enter and leave freely, but each person had to be thoroughly searched before being allowed to pass.

The floodwaters had just receded when they breached the dikes and released water. Although the water didn't reach the city, last night the city was filled with soldiers who went door to door, counting heads against household registers. Who would dare to wander around today?

The area outside the city gates is now so deserted that it can only be described as deserted.

After entering the city, Yan Sinian and his entourage went directly to the Li residence.

The news spread throughout the city as soon as their carriages came into view.

At this moment, the street in front of the Li residence was already full of people.

Wei Rong led the Eastern Palace guards to guard all the intersections, and the Crown Prince's entourage stood on both sides of the road, while Princess Jinshan led the Li family to stand in front of the gate.

As for Jia Mu and the other Heavenly Stems, they all found a cool place to stay. If there was nothing else, they wouldn't show themselves when His Highness the Crown Prince returned. But if there was anything, they could at least hear his orders from nearby.

Yan Sinian stepped down from the carriage, still looking radiant and elegant. He showed no signs of distress whatsoever.

Princess Jinshan's eyes flickered, and she quickly led the Li family members to kneel down to welcome the Crown Prince.

Normally, Princess Jinshan wouldn't be able to kneel down completely; His Highness the Crown Prince would definitely stop her, and after a few more polite words, she would be able to enter.

However, even after Princess Jinshan's knees had touched the ground, His Highness the Crown Prince remained silent and did not even glance at them.

Yan Sinian stood there coldly, without saying a word, only glancing back every now and then. After waiting a short while, he took a cloak from a tray held by a eunuch beside him, turned around and walked directly to the carriage where Xiao Ba and the others were sitting.

Pulling back the carriage curtain, one could see the little girl with her head down, clutching a string of sausages, eating with gusto. She hadn't gotten out of the carriage, clearly because she hadn't finished eating, and certainly not intentionally waiting for Yan Sinian to pick her up.

These sausages were made according to a recipe taken from Xiao Ba's space. However, due to issues with the process and timing, Yan Sinian never gave any to Xiao Ba. He didn't know how they managed to hide them in the car.

He waved for the steamed buns and dumplings to go.

Yan Sinian boarded the car alone.

This girl is clearly staying in the car because she didn't have a chance to put away the steamed buns and dumplings, and she couldn't bear to part with them.

"Alright, you can put it away now. There will be even more delicious food when we get back!" Yan Sinian took a handkerchief and gently wiped the oil stains off Xiao Ba's little hands.

Hearing that there was more delicious food, Xiao Ba gave Yan Sinian a big hug. She waved her hand, putting all the food away. She stretched out her arms to Yan Sinian, saying, "Hug."

In such a weakened state, it's best to move as little as possible. Xiao Ba wouldn't entrust her safety to anyone else entirely, but this person in front of her is an exception.

He wrapped Xiao Ba in a cloak, and the tiny bundle was held protectively in Yan Sinian's arms.

Yan Sinian felt that this time, the person in his arms was more dependent on him than before. Her body was more relaxed, and her attitude more unrestrained. She was no longer like a cat that might leap away at any moment.

As Yan Sinian carried Xiao Ba through the door, he politely said to Princess Jinshan as he passed by, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Please rise!"

Since arriving at the Li family, Princess Jinshan had never knelt, and for such a long time at that. This kneeling wasn't just about her knees; it was about her face. Yet, she dared not even show her displeasure, and had to force a smile as she ushered Yan Sinian inside.

In the main hall, a dragon throne in the very center was placed, awaiting the arrival of Yan Sinian.

Everyone else stood outside the door with their heads bowed, even Princess Jinshan stood on one side of the hall.

At this moment, no one dared to breathe loudly. His Highness the Crown Prince had been in trouble, inexplicably falling into the river. Although he had returned safely, judging from his attitude just now, he had clearly returned in anger. He hadn't even given the Princess any face; who knew how many lives would be needed to quell his rage?

"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived." With a shout, Yan Sinian, who had just put Xiao Ba to sleep, entered the hall in a dragon robe embroidered with a dragon pattern and sat on the dragon throne.

When the eldest princess was about to kneel and pay her respects, he interrupted her. "Please sit down, Your Majesty."

Princess Jinshan, who had just touched the edge of the chair, was so frightened by Yan Sinian's next words that she immediately knelt on the ground.

"I am very fortunate that my imperial aunt still has the surname Yan, otherwise Jiangnan Prefecture would have been completely under the surname Li."

"How is this possible? The Li family is just an ordinary small family, with only a few scholars. They are not even considered powerful or noble, let alone have any disloyal intentions."

“Your Majesty, I apologize. How could a place capable of welcoming a princess be a small family that has only produced a few scholars?”

"As Your Highness knows, I was able to marry into this family entirely because of the late Consort Li. Consort Li came from the Li family, and I was registered under her name since childhood. I married into this family to repay my mother's kindness."

“The Dowager Consort Li does have a kind mother’s heart, but I don’t know if my aunt has come to repay a debt of gratitude or to seek revenge.” Yan Sinian lowered his voice, and only Princess Jinshan could hear him.

The princess was stunned and speechless.

"Let Li Zhishen and Li Zhigong in."

"Summon Li Zhishen, head of the Li family, and Li Zhigong, dean of the Jiangnan Hongru Academy, to come forward and report." Upon hearing the eunuch's summons, the Li brothers quickly stepped inside and knelt before Yan Sinian.

"Gentlemen Li, I have heard that the Li family is neither powerful nor influential. Is this true?"

"Your Highness, most of the members of the Li family are scholars who love teaching and educating people. Few of them serve as officials in the court. Even among our clansmen, if one or two have been granted official positions, none of them have exceeded the fifth rank." Li Zhigong had spent many years in the academy and did not quite understand the meaning behind Yan Sinian's questions, but he could tell that the words were not well-intentioned.

"Yes! Yes! No one in our family holds an official position; at most, we're just a family of farmers and scholars." Li Zhishen, emboldened, slightly raised his head and secretly pointed behind Yan Sinian. He wanted him to see the plaque hanging above that read "Family of Farmers and Scholars."

The main reason is that the plaque was a gift from the palace. Although it wasn't written by the late emperor, it was still a compliment from the emperor himself.

He hoped that Yan Sinian would show leniency, regardless of what his family had done, by showing consideration for the imperial plaque bestowed upon them.

"What a fine family of scholars and farmers! You may not become high-ranking officials, but anyone who wants to serve as an official in this Jiangnan Prefecture must first pay their respects to the Li family upon arriving here. If you don't meet the Li family's standards, you'll have to go back the way you came! Isn't that right?"

"It's a miscarriage of justice! Your Highness, nothing like that happened. Those officials came to our house because...because they are also scholars. Yes, scholars. We were just scholars exchanging ideas and making friends through literature. There was no question of formalities or formalities. Our family doesn't have the ability to prevent someone from becoming an official." Li Zhishen explained quickly while kowtowing.

"Is that so? So it's fake that they have to come to your house to kowtow and pay their respects during festivals and seasonal events."

"That's right, that's them coming to kowtow to the princess. The princess is a royal princess, and they've come to express their loyalty." Hearing Li Zhishen almost rambling incoherently, Li Zhigong quickly kowtowed as well.

"Your Highness, those officials are often away on official business and cannot express their unwavering loyalty to the Emperor and the court. They are always restless and unable to eat or sleep whenever they think about it. It was only because I was chatting with someone that I mentioned that the Lady was a princess, which attracted those people to come and pay their respects to the Princess from time to time, as a sign of respect for the royal family. Of course, when they come, they only bow outside the walls of the Princess's residence. Her Highness has never met them."

“Your Highness, I have been married to the princess for over twenty years. She is virtuous and capable, and manages the household well. She helps me govern the entire clan and never associates with outsiders. I beg Your Highness to investigate this matter.”

Regardless of the conflicts and disagreements between Li Zhigong and Princess Jinshan, now they can only praise each other, not criticize each other.

Judging from His Highness the Crown Prince's words, he's implying that their family, relying on the Princess's influence, is suppressing local officials. If this is proven true, it would be tantamount to treason. We absolutely cannot admit to this.

Yan Sinian didn't have time to listen to their nonsense; he still needed to take his little girl out for a delicious meal.

"Very good. I understand what you mean. Your family will take care of the greetings and courtesies that Father Emperor cannot receive. I will report back to you truthfully later."

"Where is Li Qiju? Hasn't he been brought yet?"

"Your Highness, we have not yet found Li Qiju," a guard reported as he entered.

"No need to look anymore, he's in the side room of the main courtyard," the eldest princess suddenly said quietly after a moment of silence.

"He is dead."