TSFLIP Chapter 1016

Xian Rang only felt that the ruined scenery along the way irritated him. He had been walking for quite some time, yet nothing unusual had happened. Just as he began to wonder whether the Imperial Preceptor’s divination had been mistaken, a red tassel suddenly fell from a tree above.

He paused. Instead of ordering Ma Yuan to pick it up, he walked over and picked it up himself. At that moment, he faintly heard a voice coming from the tree. Looking up, he saw a half-grown child lying across a branch, fast asleep, as if muttering in a dream.

“Those who reach the battlefield first and wait for the enemy will be at ease; those who arrive later and rush into battle will be weary. Thus, a skilled commander makes the enemy come to him and is not led around by the enemy. One who can make the enemy come of his own accord does so by offering advantage; one who prevents the enemy from coming does so by causing harm. Therefore, when the enemy is rested, you exhaust him; when he is well-fed, you starve him; when he is at ease, you force him to move. Strike where he does not expect it, and appear where he does not anticipate. To march a thousand miles without exhaustion is to travel through places where there are no enemies…”

“Hm… this is… military strategy!?”

Xian Rang’s voice seemed to disturb the child in the tree. The boy instinctively tried to rub his eyes but forgot that he was still perched on a branch. Losing his balance, he slipped and fell from the trunk.

Fortunately, Xian Rang had some martial training. He easily caught the child, though he found the boy’s face strangely likable.

The child immediately struggled free, stood upright, and thanked him sincerely.

“Thank you for saving me. But… my clothes are dirty. I think I may have stained yours. I’m sorry.”

The boy’s clothes were ragged and worn. The sleeve he had rolled up revealed a section of his arm mottled with bruises. His frame was thin and frail—clearly someone who had suffered a great deal.

To think that such abuse of a child existed in the palace—even Ma Yuan could hardly bear the sight.

Xian Rang asked, “Child, what is your name?”

Just then, the rain suddenly stopped. The sun, which had been absent for three days, finally emerged, making the droplets on the leaves sparkle with dazzling light.

The boy lowered his head. After a long moment, he said quietly,

“My name is Feng Yan.”

From atop the wall, Feng Guang nearly cried out.

She had specifically told him to say he didn’t have a name! That would earn him far more sympathy. The boy had agreed so readily before—what was he doing now!?

Feng Yan lifted his head and saw the tassel in Xian Rang’s hand. He immediately touched his waist and said nervously,

“That tassel is mine!”

Xian Rang smiled kindly.

“First tell me what those words you were reciting in your dream were, and then I’ll return it to you.”

Feng Yan shook his head.

“I don’t know. I just had a dream. In the dream, an old grandfather told them to me.”

“I see,” Xian Rang murmured thoughtfully. Then he asked, “Why were you sleeping in the tree?”

“I climbed up and couldn’t get down. I accidentally fell asleep.”

“And why did you climb the tree?”

“I was hungry… I wanted to take some bird eggs.”

He unconsciously touched his shriveled stomach, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Where are your parents?”

“I heard Ah Wan say that my mother died in the Heavenly Prison. My father is the emperor. But Ah Wan always calls me a little bastard, and they never give me food. So I think… I probably don’t have a father.”

Ma Yuan was instantly terrified and stammered,

“Your Maj—”

“Silence!” Xian Rang barked.

He had already guessed the child’s identity. The incident involving Consort Qing all those years ago was still vivid in his memory. As for this child with imperial blood, he had merely ordered that he be handed over to Consort Yun and then stopped asking about him.

He had never imagined the boy would end up like this.

No matter what, he was still his own son—a prince of the imperial family. Even if he was unloved, the fact that he now had to climb trees and steal bird eggs just to fill his stomach filled Xian Rang with fury.