After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

My father doesn't kill chickens, saying that chickens are for laying eggs.

I asked my mother, and she said it was a rooster that crowed.

The chicken is gone. Dad killed it and stewed it for Mom. They're all liars; they fooled a little kid like me.

My mother didn't eat the meat; she couldn't bear to part with it and saved the meat and soup for me.

My mother is sick, quite seriously. I'm not eating meat or drinking soup, hoping she'll get better soon.

The prince read aloud the childish words carved on the pillar, and with each reading, the corners of his mouth turned up a little.

"I wonder whose child this is? He's both adorable and pitiful. I could have Zuo Yi buy him either the laying hen or the crowing rooster. By the way, is that hen or the rooster they keep?"

“It should be a hen.” Lu Zhiyuan pointed to the abstract picture at the bottom: “Look, a mother hen with her chicks, it should definitely be a hen.”

"Ah Yuan's observation is truly meticulous!" The Crown Prince touched the messy chick drawing. "With Ah Yuan's abilities, she might be able to deduce where that child lives. I'll have Zuo Yi prepare a cage of chickens and send it to him."

“He’s dead.” Lu Zhiyuan looked at the neatly maintained field ridges not far away. “Does the Crown Prince remember what the magistrate said? He said that the manor and the fields belonged to that old man, and so did the pavilion. Look at the color, material, and size of these pieces of wood; they’re all completely different. It must have taken at least two or three years to build such a pavilion. In the sweltering heat, the pavilion would provide shade for them, and in the midst of storms, it would offer them temporary shelter. This pavilion must have been their family’s favorite place.”

The Crown Prince hesitated and asked, "Is A-Yuan referring to the old man's son?"

Lu Zhiyuan nodded: "The main house has been renovated, especially the central beam. If I'm not mistaken, this piece of wood was replaced from the beam and has been sitting in the yard for a long time. It wasn't carved after it became a pillar, but rather when it was idle in the yard. Does Crown Prince still remember where the chicken coop is?"

The prince closed his eyes and thought for a moment: "On the right, in the kitchen, the cages are still covered in chicken droppings and feathers."

Lu Zhiyuan leaned against the pillar: "It's on the right. There's a large unused area over there. The marks on the ground are very deep, and there are a few pieces of wood near the corner. Children love animals. They would tease the chickens, carve words on the wood with a knife, and watch their parents busy in the kitchen. While their parents were busy, they would peek out from the kitchen to glance at their mischievous son."

The prince imagined that scene and felt a warm feeling.

Lu Zhiyuan closed her eyes: "They must have missed those moments so much that when the old man built the pavilion, he placed the side with the words on it here. If it weren't for the Duke of Rui's covetousness for this land, if it weren't for him having someone impersonate robbers and kill the old man's family, when the old man's grandson grew up, he and his wife would definitely have brought him here in their spare time, pointing to the crooked words on it and telling him about his father's childhood. Maybe the old man's son and daughter-in-law would even stand in the field and tease him, making the old man's son unable to help but complain to his parents."

The crown prince was somewhat saddened.

Although the old man's misfortune wasn't caused by him, it was intricately linked to him. If he hadn't wandered out of the palace out of curiosity, he wouldn't have encountered the slave traders. If he hadn't encountered the slave traders, he wouldn't have been rescued by the Duke of Rui. If the Duke of Rui hadn't rescued him, the Duke of Rui wouldn't exist. Without the Duke of Rui, the old man and his wife and children would have lived the happy life described by Lu Zhiyuan.

He clenched his fist, slammed it against the pillar, and muttered, "I've let them down."

“Even if it weren’t for my brother, the Crown Prince, there would have been someone else. It’s hard to say what cause and effect are.” Lu Zhiyuan grasped the Crown Prince’s wrist.

He had used nine-tenths of his strength in that punch, resulting in a scrape on the back of his hand and some splinters embedded in the wound. By the moonlight, he removed the splinters, gently blew on them, and then took out some medicinal powder and sprinkled it evenly on the wound.

Lu Zhiyuan's breath was very weak, and when it landed on the wound, it was like a feather gently caressing it. The Crown Prince felt no pain, but instead felt a tickling sensation in his heart. He remained motionless, watching her intently.

The hazy moonlight made her even more beautiful. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he couldn't resist moving closer. Just as he was about to kiss her cheek, Lu Zhiyuan pressed on his wound.

The prince snapped back to his senses, his ear tips turning red, and coughed lightly.

Lu Zhiyuan didn't expose him, but took out a handkerchief to bandage his wound: "You are the Crown Prince, you must never act so impulsively again."

The Crown Prince, unaware of what Lu Zhiyuan was referring to, awkwardly agreed, avoiding her gaze.

“My uncle wrote a letter saying he found out about the item belonging to the Duke of Rui.” Lu Zhiyuan raised her eyebrows, moonlight falling on her lips, and the Crown Prince’s Adam’s apple bobbed again.

He quickly averted his gaze and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is it from the royal family?"

Before leaving the prison, the Duke of Rui asked them to retrieve something from a certain place. That thing was a gift from his biological parents, and the only thing he could find in his search for his family. He had searched, but hadn't found them. He knew he couldn't possibly leave the prison alive, and he knew the Crown Prince and Lu Zhiyuan would definitely investigate the Human Tooth Organization thoroughly. He hoped they could help him find his family, as a way to settle the last knot in his heart.

A bellyband, worn close to the body, in a very special bright yellow color that only royalty could use.

The pattern on it is also very special; it is a dragon coiled up and hidden in the clouds.

The Duke of Rui once said that in his dream, his home was very large, and his mother stood with her back to him in front of a flowering tree. Beside the tree were artificial rocks, and in front of the rocks appeared to be a lake. His mother's clothes were very luxurious, unlike those of an ordinary family.

The slave trader who kidnapped him also said that he was eloquent and seemed to have attended a private school.

The child was about four or five years old when abducted. Ordinary families wouldn't send such a young child to a private school. Firstly, the tuition was very expensive, which ordinary families couldn't afford. Secondly, four- or five-year-old children are playful and wouldn't study properly even if sent, which would be a waste of money. Only wealthy families, families with exceptionally bright children, or families with high expectations for their children would send their children to private schools at such a young age.

Another type is where his father was a teacher, and he grew up in a private school.

Duke Rui had also suspected that his background might be related to the royal family, but his investigations yielded no results. Later, he changed his investigation direction and looked for royal merchants connected to the royal family. It's true that the undergarment was in the royal color, but it's possible that it was made by someone who made clothes for the royal family. Because the work wasn't good enough, it wasn't requisitioned by the royal family, and they felt it was a waste, so they wore it on their own children.

The close-fitting little bellyband was hidden inside the clothes; who would know?

“Not a royal merchant, but Prince Ning.” Lu Zhiyuan patted the seat next to her, gesturing for the Crown Prince to sit down. “Has Your Highness ever heard of the name Xu Youyan?”

"Xu Youyan, daughter of Grand Tutor Xu. In the second year of the Kaicheng era, the Xu family was ordered to be executed by the Emperor for their involvement in factional strife. Grand Tutor Xu died by crashing into a pillar, and Old Madam Xu led all the women of the household to commit suicide by fire in the Xu family ancestral hall. Xu Youyan died in that fire."

“She didn’t die. She was rescued by Prince Ning and is being secretly raised outside.” Lu Zhiyuan handed the Crown Prince a letter: “The Duke of Rui is the son of Xu Youyan and Prince Ning.”