A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 161: Chapter 160 What’s Going On?

Zhao Junyao listened, a faint smile playing on the corners of his lips.

”Qingqing, don’t worry about these matters. I have everything under control!”

Xia Ruqing looked at him, somewhat puzzled by his words.

But she didn’t dare to ask further, so she simply bit her lip and obediently nodded.

”Yes!”

Afterward, she poured another cup of tea for the Emperor.

Once Zhao Junyao finished drinking, she personally took the empty cup from him.

Then, she personally attended to Zhao Junyao as he washed up and went to bed.

Throughout the entire process, she was extremely careful and silent, her obedience heart-wrenching.

Zhao Junyao chuckled inwardly at her.

What is this silly girl thinking? Even if her brother were truly an irredeemable scoundrel, he could easily turn a blind eye and spare his life.

With that thought, Zhao Junyao stretched out his long arms and pulled her into his embrace.

”It’s getting late. We can talk about whatever it is tomorrow! Qingqing, let’s sleep!”

”Mhm!”

Xia Ruqing obediently nodded, then curled up in the crook of his arm and closed her eyes.

Perhaps because she was too tired, she fell asleep quickly, even with matters weighing on her mind.

Zhao Junyao watched her long eyelashes as they cast soft shadows, observing her innocent and beautiful sleeping face.

He felt as if his hardened heart was being gently enveloped by something, slowly melting away.

”You silly girl,” he murmured.

Then, he gently kissed her eyelashes.

...

When Xia Ruqing woke groggily at dawn, the space beside her was already empty.

Zi Yue came in with water to help her wash up and dress.

While Zi Yue was doing her hair, Xia Ruqing eagerly asked, ”Where did the Master go?”

Zi Yue smiled. ”The Master went to practice his sword in the open area of the backyard early this morning!”

”Sword practice?” Xia Ruqing frowned.

Unable to understand why, she didn’t dwell on it and quickly instructed, ”Zi Yue, hurry up. We have things to do today!”

Zi Yue shook her head helplessly.

...

Why was Zhao Junyao practicing the sword?

Because he had a strong sense of crisis; a mere street thug had managed to exchange dozens of blows with him.

If word got out, it would be utterly humiliating.

If the former Emperor knew, he would probably be angry enough to climb out of his mausoleum.

Thinking of this, Zhao Junyao felt exceedingly vexed.

Xia Ruqing sat beside him, watching the bustling street outside the carriage.

Suddenly, a critical question popped into her mind!

”My Lord!”

”Hm?”

”Is this Zhuoshui County? How did we end up...”

Indeed, Xia Ruqing had only just now realized this.

”We... weren’t we supposed to go... to Qiantang? How did we end up in Zhuoshui County!”

Caught off guard by the question, Zhao Junyao was suddenly at a loss for words.

Why... why didn’t I think of preparing an excuse beforehand?

After hesitating for a moment and realizing he couldn’t concoct a plausible reason, Zhao Junyao had no choice but to tell the truth.

”I came here for you!”

”Ah?” Xia Ruqing exclaimed in surprise.

”I don’t want to see you suffer any grievance. I want to stand up for you!”

After speaking, Zhao Junyao turned his head, facing the carriage window.

Huh? My face is burning, I feel restless all over, my breathing is shallow, and my heart is racing—what’s going on?!

Xia Ruqing was speechless.

Warm, sweet, a pleasant tingling... She couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart. It was just... just really lovely, like she had eaten a spoonful of honey. HAHA...

For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

The atmosphere in the carriage was both sweet and awkward.

Just then, Li Shengan reported from outside, ”Master, we’ve arrived at the medical hall!”

Zhao Junyao didn’t have much else planned, so he decided to visit the medical hall.

In truth, he was still quite concerned about Xia Tingfeng. After all, encountering such a capable opponent wasn’t easy. A promising talent, if only... he weren’t an utterly despicable scoundrel. If only... he could find a good master to properly teach him martial arts. Then, given time... As the emperor, Zhao Junyao knew all too well how rare a good seedling was. It was like a jade aficionado suddenly acquiring a piece of peerless beauty; the joy was something ordinary people could never comprehend! He had dealt with so many corrupt officials and overbearing military generals along the way. He needed many, many talented individuals to fill these vacancies. Hopefully... hopefully, things aren’t as bad as they seem.

...

After getting out of the carriage and arriving at the medical hall, Zhao Junyao was still shocked by the scene before him, despite having mentally prepared himself.

The dark, thin old man had been beaten again, this time more severely than before.

His delicate and pretty daughter stood to one side.

Strangely, however, she neither cried nor made a fuss.

Zhao Junyao didn’t have time to overthink it; he stepped forward and stopped Xia Tingfeng.

”What do you think you’re doing! This is a medical hall!”

The bloodstains on Xia Tingfeng’s clothes had dried, but his hair was still just as disheveled.

He spat a mouthful of bloody fluid onto the ground and said menacingly, ”He... he’s a child trafficker! He deserves to die!”

With that, he began to struggle furiously again. ”He dared to bully my sister! I’ll beat him to death!”

”Calm down!” Zhao Junyao shouted sternly, simultaneously landing a heavy punch on Xia Tingfeng’s shoulder.

Xia Tingfeng grunted in pain.

He glanced at Zhao Junyao, then at Xia Ruqing standing behind him, and finally calmed down.

”Someone, take him to wash up!”

”Yes!”

Li Shengan bowed his head and affirmed.

A quarter of an hour later, Xia Tingfeng, having washed his face and changed his clothes, was brought in.

He looked more composed this time; despite his injuries, his back was held perfectly straight.

Zhao Junyao sat down on a stool.

Though simply dressed, the inherent noble aura about him still evoked an irresistible urge in onlookers to kneel in obeisance.

”Speak. What happened?”

Xia Tingfeng sneered. ”He’s a child trafficker, notorious throughout our county. He specializes in abducting children around eight or nine years old, sometimes even as young as five or six!

”He’s black-hearted and vicious. He cripples these children and then forces them to beg on the streets. Unsuspecting people who see them give him money!

”If any of the children are good-looking, he defiles them himself first, then drugs them into a stupor and takes them to the streets to... to solicit clients!”

Xia Tingfeng continued, ”If anyone disobeys him or tries to escape, he beats them to death and throws their bodies into the river, or buries them!”

Zhao Junyao’s frown deepened, his gaze sweeping over the dark old man like a sharpened sword. He asked in a low voice, ”How did you find out about these things he did? Why has no one reported this to The Government Office?”

Xia Tingfeng thought for a moment, then said, ”He abducted my sister and was trying to flee when I caught him!

”Poor families often have many children. It’s hard to raise them all. If one goes missing, the family searches for a while. If they can’t find the child, they grieve for a time, and then they stop looking.”

”What?” Xia Ruqing found it utterly unbelievable.

Yet she knew it was true! As for The Government Office... according to her memories, wasn’t the Magistrate of Zhuoshui County her so-called father? With such atrocities happening in Zhuoshui County, did he genuinely not know, or...?

Xia Ruqing sighed inwardly.

Why is my family plagued with such wretched affairs?