Spring comes to the desperate place

After he had swept away all the food in the pot like a whirlwind, Song Chunlin felt like he was alive again. He burped with contentment, touched his bulging belly, rested for a while, and washed the dishes with the hot water in the pot.

It was almost dawn outside. Song Chunlin walked around the kitchen but didn't find any ingredients that interested him. Then he remembered that there seemed to be quite a few frozen dumplings in the space, so he simply took out the dumplings, continued to make a fire and boil water, intending to steam some dumplings in the morning.

Song Dazhuang was the first one to get up. As soon as he woke up, he smelled a fragrance. At first he thought that his little father had gotten up early to prepare something delicious, but when he moved his nose, he suddenly realized that he seemed to have never smelled this smell before. So he suddenly had an idea and ran straight to the kitchen without even having time to put on his shoes.

When he saw the little person drinking milk tea while making a fire, he smiled when he saw Song Dazhuang coming in and shouted to him loudly: "Dad!"

Song Chunlin threw down the fire tongs and ran into Song Dazhuang's arms. Song Dazhuang took his son in his arms and rocked him, making Song Chunlin laugh with joy.

"Alright, alright, Dad, put me down quickly, or the milk tea will spill."

Song Dazhuang helplessly put the man down, touched his head, and asked him: "Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere else? If so, please tell me. Dad will ask the doctor to come and take your pulse."

Song Chunlin shook his head: "No need, Dad. I'm very strong. There's no need to call a doctor. Besides, I can still drink water."

Song Dazhuang suddenly remembered the magical spiritual spring water in his son's space. Look at his brain, he was really confused because of worrying. No matter which doctor he saw in the world, it would not be as effective as drinking a sip of spiritual spring water.

Knowing that Song Chunlin was fine, the Song family was very happy. They kept asking Song Chunlin about his well-being the whole morning. Song Chunlin was a little flattered. Fortunately, this situation only lasted until the evening. When they woke up the next morning, everyone returned to their normal state.

The Song family lived their small lives in Yongle Village, but things were quite bloody in the capital. The late emperor's funeral was messed up because of a treason incident, and as the weather was getting hotter, the empress no longer cared about the ceremony and only wanted the late emperor to be buried as soon as possible.

The third prince has begun to supervise the country alone and handle all affairs of the court. The first thing he has to do is to investigate the remnants of Prince Ru'an who remained in the capital. As for the other two princes who led troops privately, the third prince only raised them high and then put them down gently because of their meritorious service in saving the emperor.

Although the people of the Third Prince's faction were dissatisfied, they dared not speak out.

The rebellion of Prince Ru'an has implications for many people, and Gu Fengyun has been busy during this period. Gu Fengyue hasn't seen his brother for several days, and she can't help but worry whether his body can handle it.

Today, Gu Fengyun came back for dinner, and Gu Fengyue took the opportunity to ask Gu Fengyun how he was feeling. Gu Fengyun felt carefully and didn't feel anything wrong with his body.

"I don't know if the water given by the Song family is still available. Recently, I, your brother, no longer feel short of breath, chest tightness, and my mind is clear. It's just that I sleep less and always feel sleepy during the day. But you don't have to worry, I know my own body, and I feel much more comfortable now than before." What Gu Fengyun said was not a lie. His complexion was rosy now, and his voice sounded full. Except for the faint dark circles under his eyes, he looked like a healthy person overall.

However, who would have thought that this seemingly healthy man had been dying not long ago.

Everyone in the court who had come into contact with Gu Fengyun discovered this problem. Some of them even privately asked Gu Fengyun which doctor he had consulted and what magic medicine he had taken to achieve such a transformation.

Upon hearing this, Gu Fengyun just smiled and did not answer, because he himself did not know how to answer. Should he say that he felt better after drinking a glass of water?

He was sure that if he dared to say that, the other party would think he was playing him for a fool.

Every time this happens, he would choose to keep the other party busy. As long as they are busy working, then they won't have time to chatter, right?

As the spring passed, many wealthy families in the capital were on the verge of collapse overnight. The Third Prince himself had not expected that Prince Ru'an had such a sophisticated plan, and he suspected that this man had already started planning many years ago.

After most of the big fish in the open were caught, the third prince finally had time to take a look at his ninth brother who was almost pushed onto the throne.

The Third Prince did not put the Ninth Prince into the Sky Prison. Firstly, he was only four years old. It was impossible for a four-year-old child like him to plan a rebellion, right?

Secondly, he had watched his ninth brother being born. When he was a child, the ninth prince was very cute and had a good temper. He always smiled when he met everyone and was very likable.

If you ask the Third Prince to lock up this baby in the Sky Prison, he simply cannot do it.

The third prince came to the courtyard where Concubine Wan had lived with mixed feelings. Before he even entered the door, he heard the crying of a child and the sarcastic insults of the palace servants.

The third prince stepped into the yard with a frown on his face. After a few steps, he saw the ninth prince lying on the ground, covered in dirt. In front of him was a broken bowl with a hole in it. In the bowl was porridge as clear as water. The bowl was also dirty and did not look like a bowl for humans. It looked more like a dog bowl.

The three palace servants had their backs to the Third Prince, completely unaware that their death was approaching, and were still gloating over his misfortune.

"What good things can this bitch, Concubine Wan, give birth to? Humph, she even wants to usurp the throne. She is just dreaming."

"That's right, a lowly bastard should be equipped with a dog bowl. Oops, it seems like something is missing. Is this thing missing a dog chain?"

"Hahaha, you really know how to have fun. Let's put a dog leash on him tomorrow, and then he will be worthy of the name...ah!"

A sudden scream interrupted the conversation of the three people. The palace servant who said he was going to hit the dog chain was kicked to the ground, with his cheek right in the bowl. The porridge with a sour smell was inhaled into his nose, choking him and making him cough.

He recovered and just wanted to see who was bold enough to kick him, but then another heavy kick stepped on his back. The man heard a "crack" and his ribs were broken.

The two palace servants next to him had already knelt down in fear. They really didn't expect that the Third Prince would actually come here. They thought that the Third Prince had given up on the Ninth Prince and wanted him to fend for himself in the harem. If they knew that the Third Prince would stand up for the Ninth Prince, they would not dare to treat the Ninth Prince like this even if they had ten times the courage.

The two frightened palace servants knelt on the ground and kowtowed madly, muttering in unison:

"Master, spare my life. I will never dare to do it again!"

"Please calm down, Master. I know I was wrong, and I will never do it again."

The third prince took the handkerchief from the palace maid beside him, squatted down and gently wiped the dirty little face of the ninth prince.

The child didn't seem to understand what was happening. He just saw his brother coming and started crying and reaching out for a hug.

The Third Prince looked at him with some disdain. It was still a little chilly in the mornings and evenings in late spring, but the Ninth Prince was only wearing a linen garment which didn't even fit him. The Ninth Prince was shivering from the cold, and his face was so dirty that it was almost unrecognizable.

The palace servant beside him tactfully unbuttoned his coat and put it on the Ninth Prince. The Third Prince wrapped the Ninth Prince completely with the coat and then reluctantly held him in his arms.

Before leaving, he issued an order in a cold voice: "Come here, these palace servants are abusing the heir to the throne, drag them away and beat them to death."

Hearing the words "beaten to death", the three palace servants were completely panicked. They kept kowtowing to the Third Prince and begging for mercy, but the Third Prince left with the Ninth Prince without looking back, and they were soon dragged away with their mouths covered.

The Third Prince carried the Ninth Prince back to his own bedroom in a high-profile manner. The palace servants along the way were all amazed when they saw it, but some of them turned pale, for no other reason than that they had also bullied the Ninth Prince behind his back.

The Third Prince had the Ninth Prince taken down to bathe. The Ninth Prince tugged at the Third Prince's sleeve with tears in his eyes and refused to let go. It was the same that day. Concubine Wan handed him over to the palace servants and never came back. Not long after, those people changed their attitude. He began to not have enough food, and his clothes were stripped off. Every night he could only curl up in the corner with his little body shivering.

He had hoped countless times in his heart that his mother would come back, and he also hoped that someone would come to rescue him. But he waited and waited, and hoped and hoped, and finally he waited for his third brother to come and rescue him, and he refused to let go no matter what.

The little child didn't know what he had done wrong to be abused by the palace servants. He just instinctively felt that as long as he didn't leave his third brother, no one would dare to bully him. The third brother was really powerful.

The third prince had no choice but to carry the kid to take a bath. He just wanted to change into clean clothes. He could smell the sour smell on his body.

Thinking of what he had just seen with the Ninth Prince, the Third Prince's face turned cold and he called over several imperial guards.

"Go, investigate thoroughly to find out who has abused the Ninth Prince."

Several people responded and left. The third prince took his younger brother to take a bath and changed into clean clothes. When they came out, they saw the queen sitting in the room.

"Mother, why are you here?"

The queen glanced at the Ninth Prince calmly and said softly, "You've lost weight."

The third prince looked down at the little kid at his feet. He had indeed lost weight. He noticed it when he was bathing him just now. It had only been twenty days since the palace coup, but the baby fat on the child's cheeks had disappeared, not to mention that his ribs were clearly visible, and there were even many bruises and scars on his chest and back.

Before this, his ninth brother was still a sturdy little fat boy.

The queen sighed and waved for the Ninth Prince to come over. The Ninth Prince looked at the Third Prince, who nodded at him. Then he timidly walked up to the queen.

The queen gently pinched his cheek and said, "I know about his affairs. The harem always likes to flatter the powerful and bully the weak. What are you going to do after those people are found out?"

The Third Prince: "If you abuse the prince, you should be beaten to death according to the law."

"You also heard what King Ru'an said that day. This child may not be your father's flesh and blood."

The Third Prince: "Mother, it is not important whether Xiaojiu is our father's blood or not. What is important is that his biological mother participated in the rebellion and said such ambiguous words before she died. Everyone present heard it. Even if we want to keep him, we can't."

The queens all understood what the Third Prince said. The Ninth Prince's biological mother had rebelled, and his own background was unknown. Even if he was the blood of the previous emperor, so what? When he grew up, he would know that his biological mother was such a person, and he might also be the blood of a traitor. If he had a bad heart or was instigated by others, he could easily grow up to be a disaster.

This is the conflict between the Queen and the Third Prince. If they kill him, they won't be able to bear it, but if they don't kill him, there will be endless troubles.

The mother and son were speechless for a moment. Only the Ninth Prince looked left and right. After a short while, his stomach started to growl very loudly.

The ninth prince touched his belly sheepishly and glanced at the queen shyly.

After hearing this, the queen smiled gently and said, "You must be hungry. I'll have someone serve you food right away."

A wide variety of meals were served. Because it was still the mourning period, all the dishes on the table were vegetarian. However, after the skillful hands of the royal chef, even the vegetarian dishes tasted delicious, which ordinary people could not enjoy.

The Ninth Prince, who had not had a full meal for a long time, ate voraciously. The Queen kept urging him to eat slowly. When he wanted to eat his third bowl of rice, the Third Prince snatched his bowl away.

"You are full. You can't eat any more. If you eat any more, your stomach will explode and your intestines will spill all over the floor."

Perhaps the Third Prince's threat was enough, for the Ninth Prince shuddered at the thought of his stomach exploding and his intestines spilling all over the floor. He touched his stomach and found it bulging, completely different from the shriveled state he had been in the past few days.

It feels so good to have a full meal, the Ninth Prince thought with a smile.

The queen felt soft-hearted and quickly asked someone to bring some sour plum soup to help digestion, and she fed it to the ninth prince herself.

As the Ninth Prince was drinking, he suddenly burst into tears, which frightened the Queen.

"What's wrong? Too full?"

The Ninth Prince threw himself into the Queen's arms with a "woooooo" sound, mumbling, "Mother."

Those calls of "Mom" revealed all the grievances he had suffered in the past few days.

He went from being an innocent little prince to a poor little person who could be bullied by everyone. Those people didn't give him food to eat, didn't let him wear clothes, and even beat him secretly. The most hateful thing was that they said that his mother was a bad person, and he was also a bad person.

The four-year-old child did not understand how his mother could be a bad person? His mother would hold him gently and coax him to sleep, make him delicious sweet-scented osmanthus cakes, sew new clothes for him every month, and send people to find him fashionable toys from outside for him to play with.

In his heart, his mother is the best, better than his father. His father is old and can't hold him, so he can only circle around him.

The third prince didn't know how to explain death to a child, let alone argue with him about his biological mother's fault. In the end, he could only cover his eyes in pain, trying not to see or be bothered.