The concubine pretends to be obedient, the sinister prince's favorite

The two poor little guys had been blowing in the cold wind at the entrance of the cave for half an hour before they saw the man slowly walking out.

Qi Yu stood up reflexively with a respectful look.

"Your Majesty!"

Even with his eyes lowered, he couldn't help but drift towards the upright dark figure, exploring in his heart.

It's only been half an hour and the prince has already come out. This shouldn't be the case...

Li Jinyuan had no idea what this man was thinking under his nose. He threw the bag of wild fruits in his hand to him and walked out of the cave.

"You guys eat these fruits first. She's injured and can't eat these."

"The princess is injured!?"

Qi Yu held the fruit in his arms, his face filled with worry.

Li Jinyuan hummed lightly and then handed him his sword.

"You stay here to guard them while I go out and hunt some game."

The little girl is too weak and needs to be well nourished.

"Yes!"

……

In a daze, Jiang Li opened her eyes and saw a dark figure sitting in front of the campfire.

"Li Jinyuan..."

Even though the sound was as thin as a mosquito, the man still caught it with his keen sense.

He put the roast chicken in his hand on the rack and immediately stood up and walked over.

Jiang Li moved her body and tried to sit up, only to find that what was pressing down on her was a man's coat.

No wonder, the ground was so hard, she didn't feel uncomfortable sleeping...

"Does the wound still hurt?"

His big hand supported the girl's waist from behind, allowing her to sit smoothly in front of him.

Jiang Li shook her head, her dry red lips slightly parted.

"thirsty……"

"Here it comes! The water is coming!"

Qi Yu, who had been waiting nearby since early morning, responded, carefully holding a large banana leaf with a pool of clear water in it in his hands.

Li Jinyuan reached out to take it, put the edge to the girl's lips, and watched her drink it in small sips.

"Are you hungry? Eat something before you go to sleep?"

"Ah."

The man specially selected a few pieces of tender meat, carefully cut them into small pieces, and then fed them to Jiang Li.

After eating, perhaps because her body, which had been tense for two days, finally relaxed, the girl fell asleep quickly again.

……

When I opened my eyes again, what I saw was the familiar ceiling of the bed.

Is she...returning to the Song Mansion?

Jiang Li had just sat up when Liusu's excited voice came from the door.

"Princess! You're finally awake!"

The little girl put down the basin she was holding and ran to Jiang Li's bed in a hurry.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"It's been a day... Yesterday, the Fourth Prince and General Lin found you on the mountain. After bringing you back, you've been sleeping the entire time. The Prince has been watching over you the entire time, and it wasn't until this morning that the Fourth Prince called you away."

Jiang Li was a little surprised. She didn't expect that man to have been guarding her for so long.

"Where are they now?"

Liusu suddenly pursed her lips in anger, her tone gloating.

"Of course, we're going to deal with those beastly bandits. I heard the Fourth Prince decided to hang them in front of the city gate for three days to let the people vent their anger. After that, they'll be exiled to the southern border, where they'll be slaves forever and forbidden from entering the city!"

In ancient times, exile was second only to the death penalty. Whether it was hard labor, conscription, or epidemic disease, the physical and mental damage it caused would only leave a person alive for a few years...

"These bandits are truly ruthless. The Fourth Prince and General Lin even rescued dozens of decent women from the bandit camp on the top of the mountain. Not only did they humiliate them, they also forced them into slavery. They are truly despicable!"

Jiang Li nodded. That's right, these people deserved to die.

Xiao Li's mother and sister were severely persecuted by them, and there must be many women who have suffered the same fate.

"Where's Xiaoli?"

Liusu thought for a while before she realized who the princess was asking about.

"That little girl? She was taken by Prefect Song and his wife to inspect the farmland. Madam Song liked the little girl very much and didn't want her to stay bored in the mansion anymore, so she took her out with them."

Jiang Li curled her lips slightly. It was good this way. Xiao Li had lacked love and care since she was a child. Now that so many people liked her, she should be happy.

She asked Liusu to hand her coat. Because she had an injury on her shoulder, she couldn't move too much, so Liusu had to help her.

"Princess, are you going out? But your wounds haven't healed yet. The prince asked me to watch over you..."

Jiang Li chuckled and nodded Liusu's head, her tone scolding.

"Are you my little maid, or Li Jinyuan's little maid?"

"Why do you obey his orders every day now?"

Liusu stamped her feet in anxiety, her face almost turning red.

"Princess...of course I am your maid!"

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. I'm just going out for a walk. I'm getting bored staying in this room for so long, I want to get some fresh air."

Seeing that the little girl was really anxious, Jiang Li quickly stroked her hair.

Seeing that she didn't plan to go far, Liusu didn't worry too much and just followed the girl with her cloak.

……

The backyard of Song Mansion,

When Li Jinyuan came back and didn't see the girl, he hurried here.

The man paused, and then he saw the girl squatting on the gravel road, teasing a little wild cat with her head down.

The petite girl was wearing a light blue palace dress, which was exquisitely embroidered with a light pink rosy flower that was cool and refreshing and placed under the left corner of her waist. The thin fabric outlined a winding curve like flowing water.

Her long, soft, black hair was casually tied up, interwoven with each other, layer upon layer, and draped over her shoulders, making her look slightly soft.

The clean little face without a trace of makeup was tilted upwards, looking at Liusu, and a faint smile was revealed in her clear and translucent black eyes.

"This little kitten is so cute. Is it raised by Prefect Song and his family?"

Liusu shook her head, then squatted down and scratched the kitten's chin lightly without resisting the temptation.

Seeing it purring comfortably with its head tilted back, Jiang Li's smile widened.

"So good and so cute."

"I don't know if the cat is well behaved or not, but there's a little fox that's very disobedient."

Suddenly, a male voice came from behind her, as mellow as wine, floating into her ears.

Jiang Li turned around suddenly, and what she saw was the hem of the man's robe embroidered with a black and gold-lined long python.

She patted her chest lightly with her little hand, and her tone was tinged with anger.

"Why are you walking without making any sound?"

"And... I'm not a fox..."

Li Jinyuan didn't move. He put his hands behind his back and looked down at the girl's mischievous expression without blinking.

His complexion looks rosier and he's in better spirits. It seems...his wound is healing well.

The two of them, one tall and one short, stared at each other for a long time. Jiang Liyang's neck was sore, and she realized that squatting like this was not very impressive, so she stood up immediately.

"Um……"

"Slower."

After squatting for so long, Jiang Li forgot that if she stood up suddenly her vision would go dark. Her shaky appearance scared Li Jinyuan, who quickly reached out and pulled her into his arms.