Leng Ruo Li and the other two were also bewildered by the little boy's words. When did she gain a younger brother?
"You little brat, you even know how to lie. Everyone in the capital knows the Cold King's consort has only one younger sister. Where would she get a brother?" someone taunted him.
"I am the younger brother born to the Cold King's consort's concubine," the little boy insisted, still trying to wriggle out of it.
In fact, he had learned all this from the servants at the manor. His great-grandmother (the Poisonous Old Woman) and grandmother (Aunt Lan) had not returned to the manor to see him for several months, and the servants there had stopped giving him food.
Through the mouth of a servant, he learned that his biological mother, Liu Ruyi, was a concubine in the Cold General's mansion in the capital, and he had a half-sister named Leng Ruo Shuang.
And his elder sister, Leng Ruo Shuang, had an even elder sister named Leng Ruo Li, who was now the Cold King's consort. So, he was indeed her brother, wasn't he?
He had relied on this identity to beg for food and drink all the way to the capital, and this identity was indeed very effective. As long as he said he was the Cold King's consort's brother, no one dared to provoke him. Why was it not working this time when he came to the capital?
"Hahaha..."
"So you're that concubine Liu's illegitimate child? Don't you know that Concubine Liu has been driven out of the mansion by General Cold? And she even severed ties with your half-sister." Another person mocked him.
"What?"
But that servant hadn't told him these things.
"I don't care who you are! You knocked over our stall, so you have to pay. Otherwise, we'll sell you to those brothels as a male prostitute."
A stall owner, whose stall had been knocked over by the little boy, threatened him ferociously on the street. He relied on doing a little business to support his family of several people. Due to financial hardship, he had no choice but to argue with the little boy.
Seeing people pointing at him and even suggesting sending him to the yamen, the little boy became scared, but he still pouted stubbornly, refusing to admit defeat.
"Don't take me to the yamen. Otherwise, when I find my mother, she will beat all of you to death."
"You're not old, but you're quite boastful!"
The crowd pointed at the little boy and yelled at him loudly.
Leng Ruo Li and the other two, standing not far away, quietly watched the scene unfold. Ling'er and Yin Chen felt a bit annoyed. As expected of a child born to Liu Ruyi, they were all so troublesome.
"Consort, this child is truly detestable. He dares to impersonate your brother and cause trouble everywhere. He must be taught a lesson," Ling'er said indignantly.
"Consort, do you want me to send him to the yamen? That way, he won't damage your reputation," Yin Chen chimed in.
"No, I'll tell you a way to deal with this. It's..." Leng Ruo Li whispered a few words to Yin Chen and Ling'er. After she finished, a mischievous smile appeared on the lips of Yin Chen and Ling'er.
Then, they both walked towards the crowd that was scolding the little boy.
"Everyone, please be quiet, quiet down. I've just thought of a great way for you all to get compensation," Ling'er said, raising her hand and waving it.
"Miss, what method is it? Please tell us," a stall owner asked curiously.
"This child claims to be the son of Liu Ruyi and the younger brother of Leng Ruo Shuang. Then, why don't you go to his sister, Leng Ruo Shuang, to ask for the money? I heard she is now a favored concubine of Prince Qing. You should go to Prince Qing's mansion to demand compensation," Ling'er suggested to the crowd.
"Yes, it's said that Liu Ruyi is also in Prince Qing's mansion taking care of her daughter. You should all go to Prince Qing's mansion to get the money," Yin Chen added fuel to the fire.
"Yes, this young lady and young master are speaking very reasonably. We will go to Prince Qing's mansion to demand money right away."
The crowd continued to clamor. Two burly men among them directly picked up the little boy and rushed towards Prince Qing's mansion, followed closely by the rest of the crowd.
After a while, the street became much quieter. Ling'er and Yin Chen, having completed their task, happily ran back to Leng Ruo Li.
"Consort, they've all gone to Prince Qing's mansion to demand money. Prince Qing must be furious," Ling'er said with a sly smile.
"He might even cough up blood from anger," Leng Ruo Li added.
——
At the entrance of Prince Qing's mansion, a group of small merchants suddenly gathered, escorting a little boy, and shouting slogans demanding compensation from Prince Qing's mansion. This immediately alarmed Prince Qing.
After Prince Qing sent someone to understand the reason, a bloody taste surged in his throat, which he then swallowed. He clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the bed board. Due to his sudden force, he not only strained his back but also aggravated the wound on his buttocks.
Immediately, he let out a miserable cry.
"Ow, my back! My buttocks! It hurts so much!"
"Your Highness, be gentle!"
The attendant Zuo Qing on the side was flustered.
Originally, Leng Ruo Shuang and a group of concubines wanted to come and personally attend to Prince Qing last night, but Prince Qing was wary of these women plotting behind his back. Therefore, he drove all his concubines out of the room and had his personal guard Zuo Qing take care of him.
The next moment.
With Zuo Qing's assistance, Prince Qing rested for a moment before he could recover, lying prone on his bed.
"Zuo Qing, send someone to call Liu Ruyi and her daughter to deal with those people outside the door. This Prince has no money to clean up after them."
If rage could be transformed into fire, Prince Qing would have incinerated the Liu mother and daughter into charcoal at this moment. This Liu mother and daughter truly couldn't stay quiet for a moment.
First, Leng Ruo Shuang's monstrous offspring, which was neither male nor female, had made Prince Qing a laughingstock of the world. Now, an illegitimate child of his mother-in-law was impersonating the Cold King's consort's brother, causing trouble everywhere in the capital, and implicating Prince Qing's mansion in this matter. It was truly disgraceful.
Why was his luck as Prince Qing so bad? He had abandoned a piece of raw jade and insisted on embracing a piece of rotten stone into his mansion.
Now, every time he saw Leng Ruo Li's alluring face, his heart would ache with desire, and he wished he could possess her fiercely.
"Yes, Your Highness, your subordinate understands!"
After replying to Prince Qing, he turned and retreated from the room, summoned a subordinate, and relayed Prince Qing's instructions to him. The subordinate, upon understanding, immediately went to the courtyard of Concubine Leng.
Meanwhile, Liu Ruyi and Leng Ruo Shuang had already learned about the situation at the entrance from the servants.
Liu Ruyi desperately wanted to go out and see if the little boy was indeed her son, but Leng Ruo Shuang held her back.
"Mother, don't go out yet. Wait to hear the Prince's intentions before you go. Besides, that little boy might not even be my brother. The capital is not close to Linzhou City. How could an eight or nine-year-old child travel such a long distance to the capital?" Leng Ruo Shuang advised.
Liu Ruyi thought about it after hearing her daughter's words. She had gone to Linzhou City two months ago to look for her son, but after searching for a full month, she had not found any trace of him.