An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

At dusk, the setting sun cast its afterglow over the hot spring pool. The steaming water swirled in a shimmering orange-red glow, veiling the entire area like a veil. Jing Chunxi and Qiyue sat side by side in the pool, the warm water covering their shoulders. A few petals and leaves, fallen from the nearby trees, floated on the surface, gently swaying with the waves.

"July, look at the clouds over there," Jing Chunxi raised her head, her wet hair sticking to her cheeks. She pointed to the horizon, "Doesn't it look like a wild goose spreading its wings?"

Qiyue looked in the direction of her finger and saw the sunset glow as fiery as fire. Indeed, there was a cloud with a strange shape. She was about to reply when she heard footsteps in the distance. They turned and saw Jingyi and Xu Zize approaching, but they stopped a dozen steps from the hot spring and sat on a large, flat rock with their backs to them.

"Brother Jing and the prince are here." July said in a low voice, subconsciously sinking into the water.

Jing Chunxi didn't take it seriously, but instead shouted over there: "Master! Brother Xiaokang! Don't come over, we are here."

The two of them didn't even turn around. Jing Yi scolded them with a bit of resentment, "You didn't even call for help when you came out. If the prince hadn't seen you going up the mountain and asked me to come up with you, who would have accidentally run up here to see you crying?"

"Go ahead and have fun. I'll help you look after your clothes." Xu Zize said this, looking a little uncomfortable. He straightened his back and fixed his gaze on the distant mountains, not daring to look in the direction of the hot springs. The tips of his ears were slightly red, whether it was due to the setting sun or some other reason.

The clothes were neatly stacked on the stone - Jing Chunxi's goose yellow skirt and Qiyue's indigo dress, with their headbands and embroidered shoes next to them.

Jing Yi picked up a branch and drew circles on the ground carelessly.

"Uncle San, please don't bring Xier back home when the time comes." Xu Zize suddenly spoke in a low voice, as if he was afraid of being heard by the two people in the hot spring.

The branch in Jing Yi's hand paused. He turned his head to look at Xu Zize, with a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Why?" He deliberately dragged out the tone, with a teasing smile on the corner of his mouth.

Xu Zize's face suddenly turned red. He lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously stroking the lines on the surface of the stone: "She...she is not suitable for the palace." His voice became smaller and smaller, and the last few words were almost lingering in his mouth.

"Then she's suitable for..." Jing Yi deliberately dragged out his words, but didn't continue. Silence suddenly fell between the two of them, with only the sound of hot springs in the distance and the occasional bird song echoing in the dusk.

Xu Zize's gaze drifted off into the distance, his thoughts seemingly far away. Jing Yi, on the other hand, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, overlapping them, and the wind blew them slightly.

After a long while, Jing Yi spoke again: "She's still young!" His tone became gentle, with the tolerance that only an elder can give. "Don't overthink it, my lord. Everything will work out in the end."

Xu Zize hummed softly, but said nothing more. His eyes fell on the shimmering light reflected from the water, his expression dazed, as if he was thinking about something important.

"What are you talking about? We've all changed and are standing here, and you didn't even notice." Jing Chunxi's clear voice suddenly broke the silence. She and Qiyue were already dressed, their hair dripping wetly from their shoulders.

Qiyue stood quietly a little distance away, while Jing Chunxi approached the two of them curiously, tilting his head to look at them.

Xu Zize was startled as if he was peeped at. He stood up suddenly, but realized that he had overreacted. He quickly covered it up, "Nothing... nothing! Just talking about the princess's illness." His voice became a little sharp because of nervousness, and his fingers unconsciously twisted the corners of his clothes.

"The princess's illness?" Jing Chunxi's eyes widened, his gaze darting back and forth between the two of them before finally settling on his master's face, trying to discern any clues from his calm expression. "The princess is slowly recovering! The well in Prince Jing's mansion..."

She looked back at Qiyue, making sure she was standing far enough away before lowering her voice and continuing, "The water in Prince Jing's Mansion is all good now. Not only Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wangfei, but everyone else will be healthy after drinking it."

At this point, her brows furrowed slightly. "As for Grandma Wangfei's eyes..." She shook her head, a trace of guilt in her eyes. "There is no medicine in the space now, but I have instructed the two aunts who serve Grandma Wangfei to wipe her eyes with well water every day. I hope so."

Seeing that the two of them didn't look particularly depressed, Jing Chunxi thought they were pretending to be calm, so she comforted them, "There will always be a way." Her voice was soft but firm, and her little hands unconsciously clenched into fists, as if making a silent promise.

On the morning of the fourth day, Prince Jing and Prince Hong's carriages were ready to depart for the capital. Jing Chunxi stood at the gate of Qingshan Villa, watching the drivers load two small bundles onto the carriages.

Prince Jing lovingly handed Jing Chunxi a small bundle and said, "Girl Xi, inside is a letter from grandpa to the old general. You must deliver it. As for the thank-you gifts for them, I will send the housekeeper to Qingshan Villa when we arrive in the capital. Be careful on the road." After that, he patted Xu Zize's shoulder again.

Jing Yi stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Father and big brother, you have a safe journey." After saying that, he was punched on the shoulder by Prince Hong, but his body did not even tremble.

Prince Hong said to him, "There is a long way to go!" Then he helped Prince Jing into the car.

Elsewhere, Jing Yi was making final arrangements for the children who were about to return to Qingshan Manor, discussing something with Ah Qi, and Jing Chunxi didn't come over. Soon, five ox carts and donkey carts carrying thirty-seven children pulled up.

Riding on his horse, Jing Yi walked over to Jing Chunxi and whispered, "Since we have to keep it a secret, Xi'er should also put Prince Jing's letter and gift into the space, so that your mother won't see it and you won't have to explain yourself."

Jing Chunxi looked up in surprise. Her master's face remained calm, even though he was so close to her. But there was a glint in his eyes that she couldn't understand. She felt that her master was being overly concerned about this matter. Why was he always so wary of her mother? Was it interesting?

Just as she was wondering, she caught a glimpse of Xu Zize winking at her from the horse beside her, his bright eyes full of urging. Although Jing Chunxi was full of doubts, she still obeyed and quietly put the small bag given by Prince Jing into the space.

After returning to Qingshan Villa, Jingyi and Chongsan immediately got down to work.

At the training ground on Daqing Mountain, the coaches trained the children in groups according to the new plan; the soldiers were busy expanding the houses on the mountain; several carpenters were building plum blossom piles on the open space, and the clanging sounds of hammering continued.