Qiu Lu finished speaking, and felt surprised in his heart.
Were the people who wanted to harm Miss Yun Er too blatant?
Zhan Tianye narrowed his cold eyes.
For some reason, the gaze she gave him that day in the palace, her gentle, watery eyes, flashed before his eyes.
And her confidence and composure while playing the zither.
She seemed like a different person from Yun Shu five years ago.
A complete stranger before him.
Sensing the change in his mood, Zhan Tianye's face was as cold as frost.
"Should we... find someone to leak this to Miss Yun Er?" Qiu Lu asked.
After all, it was rare for the young prince to like someone. Perhaps in the future, Miss Yun Er would become even more stunning, and the King might change his mind and want Miss Yun Er to be the young prince's mother.
Zhan Tianye's cold gaze swept sharply at Qiu Lu.
Qiu Lu immediately stopped talking.
...
Yun Xiao Jing came to Zhan Xiao Li's presence again during lunch.
"Why are you here again?" Zhan Xiao Li asked with a frown, a little disgusted.
They had only been out of the city for a while yesterday before being captured and brought back. Now, he could only sit on the bed thinking about his mother.
His mood was currently very bad, and he didn't want to see anyone.
"Because I'm too lonely eating alone, so I came to find you to eat together!" Yun Xiao Jing replied with a smile.
He was telling the truth.
It was too boring in Prince Ye's mansion!
He wanted to go out and play.
But because his brother was here, if he went out to play by himself, his scumbag father would surely become suspicious.
"I'm not eating." Zhan Xiao Li decided he would go on a hunger strike.
If his father saw him on a hunger strike, he would know how determined he was to find his mother!
"Did you not eat in the morning either?" Yun Xiao Jing's eyes widened.
"Mm."
Yun Xiao Jing's mouth twitched hard. "You're not going to protest by going on a hunger strike, are you?"
Zhan Xiao Li's little face was cold.
"You're really going to go on a hunger strike? Brother, going on a hunger strike is too harmful to yourself! You can't really go on a hunger strike! You can shout about going on a hunger strike, but secretly eat, and it's yourself who suffers from hunger! Mother said we shouldn't let ourselves be wronged easily." Yun Xiao Jing patted his little belly and said.
His peripheral vision caught sight of the delicacies placed on the table.
His eyes lit up.
He immediately reached out and grabbed a chicken leg.
While gnawing on it, he said, "When you went on a hunger strike before, you didn't eat a single bite of food, did you?"
"If I eat, is it still called a hunger strike?" Zhan Xiao Li was speechless.
"They don't know you ate, and isn't the point to let people know you're protesting by hunger striking?" Yun Xiao Jing said.
Zhan Xiao Li was stunned.
How had he not thought of that?
He glanced at the food on the table and swallowed. He had been enduring it with great difficulty just now.
Coupled with Yun Xiao Jing eating so deliciously.
He couldn't help it either and also picked up his chopsticks to eat.
When he was very full.
The sound of Steward Wang sighing from outside the door was heard, "Alas, young prince, you are growing, you must not skip meals. This old servant will go and persuade the King, alright?"
The door creaked open.
Zhan Xiao Li's short legs quickly jumped onto the bed.
In his panic, he wiped the oil and rice grains from his mouth.
Steward Wang was stunned when he saw Yun Xiao Jing eating in the room, "Xiao Jing, didn't the young prince eat with you?"
"No, he said he wouldn't eat." After Yun Xiao Jing finished speaking, he turned his back to Steward Wang and winked at Zhan Xiao Li.
They were in the same boat!
He was absolutely loyal!
Hearing Yun Xiao Jing's words, Steward Wang frowned, "Alas, Xiao Jing, persuade the young prince to eat."
"I tried, but it didn't work, he wouldn't eat a single bite." Yun Xiao Jing finished the chicken leg and placed the bones on the table.
Steward Wang glanced at the table.
Upon seeing this.
He was shocked, "Did you eat all of this?"
Yun Xiao Jing hadn't noticed before, but now he realized that almost all the dishes and rice on the table were gone.
He patted his still slightly sunken little belly and nodded without blinking, "Yes, it was too little, I'm not full yet."
Zhan Xiao Li, lying on the bed, had a small face flushed red.
After being shocked, Steward Wang's expression returned to normal, "In the future, I will ask the kitchen to send you more food."
If Xiao Jing ate it all, the young prince would have no food to eat.
However, based on the young prince's personality, for the past few years, whenever he went on a hunger strike, he absolutely would not eat a single bite.
His stubbornness made the King very angry.
And it also made the King heartbroken.
He came to the bedside.
He earnestly persuaded, "Young prince, please don't go on a hunger strike, eat a little! If you don't eat, you won't be able to grow, and how will you be able to do what you want to do? When you get older, you will be able to make your own decisions."
Zhan Xiao Li was stunned, "When I grow up, I can go find my mother freely?"
Steward Wang's eyes flickered, "Then it will depend on whether the young prince wants to go."
When the young prince grew up, he would know the cruel truth of being abandoned.
At that time, even if the King asked the young prince to go, he wouldn't.
Zhan Xiao Li lowered his head and said nothing.
Seeing this, Steward Wang sighed again, "This old servant will ask the kitchen to send another portion of food and dishes to the young prince."
"I'm not eating." Zhan Xiao Li refused.
He had eaten too quickly just now and was too full!
Yun Xiao Jing heard this and quickly said, "I'll eat!"
He had been too focused on gnawing on the chicken leg just now and hadn't even had time to eat rice.
Steward Wang looked back at Yun Xiao Jing, and his mouth twitched.
If only the young prince could eat as much as Xiao Jing.
A moment later, after Steward Wang left.
Yun Xiao Jing immediately sat by the bed.
He raised his eyebrows and winked at Zhan Xiao Li.
"You see! Grandpa Steward thought you were going on a hunger strike!"
Zhan Xiao Li gave a sound of agreement.
Yun Xiao Jing took out two candies from his pocket.
He had bought them from the street yesterday.
"Eat candy, it's sweet!"
Zhan Xiao Li looked at Yun Xiao Jing's greasy hands holding the candy. He really wanted to eat it, but because of his greasy little hands, he didn't want to anymore and decisively refused, "No."
Yun Xiao Jing heard this and didn't insist.
...
After leaving Zhan Xiao Li's room, Steward Wang, with a troubled expression, came before Zhan Tianye.
Zhan Tianye sensed someone had arrived.
He raised his cold eyes and looked at Steward Wang.
He guessed why Steward Wang had come, "Zhan Xiao Li is on a hunger strike?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The young prince is truly pitiable, lying in bed, not eating or drinking. He is only a little over four years old and is still growing. Not eating or drinking can easily lead to illness, and if he falls ill at such a young age, even if doctors are called to treat him later, it might not be curable." Steward Wang's face was full of worry.
Zhan Tianye's cold brows rose slightly.
Steward Wang continued, "Does Your Highness want to take a look?"
"Since he's not eating or drinking, let him starve. Let him remember that feeling." Zhan Tianye said coldly.
Hearing this, Steward Wang could only retreat helplessly.
After Steward Wang left, Zhan Tianye, with his icy aura, said, "I'd like to see how long he intends to go on a hunger strike!"
...
The next day.
Early morning.
Blue sky and white clouds.
The weather was excellent.
After Yun Shu woke up and got dressed, she simply prepared her bow and arrows and had a servant send her to the hunting grounds.