Young Miss from the Feng Family - FJXM Chapter 4

Several days passed peacefully, just like before. On this day, Leng Tian’ao was preparing to go out and find something for Jiugé to eat, as usual. However, when he returned, he found that she was gone. What was once the desolate Cold Palace was now filled with people.

The entire Cold Palace was littered with corpses. A group of men stood in front of the dilapidated building. As Leng Tian’ao approached, they confronted him.

“Fourth Prince, His Majesty requests your presence.” There was no trace of respect in their tone; instead, it carried a hint of command.

Leng Tian’ao’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.

“Where is Eunuch Wang?”

“Eunuch Wang is missing, but don’t worry, Fourth Prince, we are already searching for him. For now, the Fourth Prince should go see His Majesty.”

In the Imperial Study.

This was the first time Leng Tian’ao had seen his so-called father, the Emperor of Tianqi—Emperor Qi.

Emperor Qi also scrutinized the boy standing before him, the son who was born in the Cold Palace. If it hadn’t been for a report about the sound of a child crying in the Cold Palace, he might have completely forgotten about this son, a son he considered a disgrace. The boy’s survival in the Cold Palace was nothing short of miraculous.

Emperor Qi remained silent, and Leng Tian’ao had no intention of speaking either. Although he had never met his father before, he felt no desire for this encounter.

After a long silence, Emperor Qi finally spoke.

“Where did the child in your courtyard come from?”

“An abandoned child, forgotten by her family and by her father.”

Emperor Qi knew that this remark was directed at him.

“Are you blaming me for never caring about you?”

“I wouldn’t dare. I simply couldn’t bear to see a child left to die in the wilderness.” Leng Tian’ao didn’t know his true identity at this time, so his tone was somewhat defiant.

“Have you ever thought about where that child came from?” Emperor Qi’s face remained expressionless.

“I have not.”

“Good, very good!” Emperor Qi stared at Leng Tian’ao for a long time before suddenly laughing.

“I never realized I had such a son. It’s a pity you were left in the Cold Palace. Tomorrow, you will join the army at the border.” To send a five-year-old child to the frontier—truly, the royal family could be heartless.

“And the child?” Leng Tian’ao’s voice remained indifferent, as if nothing could sway his emotions.

“That is no longer your concern.” Emperor Qi replied impatiently, closing his eyes and clearly signaling that the conversation was over.

A carriage sped down a forest path.

Not far behind, a group of black-clad pursuers followed closely.

Feng Jiuming had stopped crying, sitting quietly in the carriage. The days of fleeing had matured him, and he now understood that crying wouldn’t solve anything.

“Uncle Ying, continuing to flee like this isn’t going to work. Sooner or later, they’ll catch us.” Their group was too large to evade detection for long. Feng Jiuli’s calm analysis earned Ying’s respect.

“Uncle Ying, you take the others and escort my brother and sister away.”

“Heir!” Feng Jiuli and Feng Jiuming had spent most of their childhood on the battlefield with their father, Jin Wang, and had only lived in the capital for a year. Their composure in the face of danger was far beyond that of ordinary children.

“Stop hesitating! Our group is too conspicuous. If we don’t make a decision quickly, none of us will survive!” Feng Jiuli urged.

“Yes, Heir!” Ying finally relented.

As he watched the others move away, Feng Jiuli’s lips curled into a slight smile. The black-clad pursuers were closing in.

As he saw the guards around him fall one by one, Feng Jiuli gripped a dagger and fiercely stabbed it into the horse’s flank.

The horse, in pain, neighed loudly and began to run wildly, scattering the approaching pursuers.

“Chase him!”

“He fell off the cliff!” The black-clad men stood at the edge of the cliff, staring into the abyss below.

“You, go search the area. You, take some men down to search. I want him alive, or I want his body.”

The pursuers were too many. Ying held Feng Jiuming tightly, and Lüfu cradled Feng Jiugé as they hid in the nearby underbrush, watching helplessly as the carriage plunged off the cliff.

“Over here!”

“That way!”

“You, check over there!”

“Search thoroughly! We can’t let anyone from Jin Wang Manor escape.” The black-clad men were so close that those hiding in the underbrush held their breath.

“Lüfu, you stay here with the young master and miss. I’ll draw them away. Once it’s safe, you can come out!” Ying whispered.

“Okay! Guard Ying, you must survive!” Lüfu replied nervously, clutching the child tightly.

Ying didn’t reply, only smiled.

“You, check that side!”

As the pursuers neared, Ying wrapped up the luggage to resemble a baby’s swaddling cloth, then swiftly ran away, drawing their attention.

“There he is!”

“Chase him!”

Lüfu watched as all the black-clad men took off in pursuit but didn’t dare move. She couldn’t be sure if there were more of them lurking nearby. As the night grew darker, the forest became eerily quiet.

Only then did Lüfu cautiously stand up.

“Young Master.” she whispered, reaching out to take his hand.

But when she turned around—

“Young Master!” Lüfu panicked. The young master was gone. She had lost him!

“There’s a sound over here!”

Lüfu had no time to think. Cradling the still-sleeping Feng Jiugé, she quickly fled.

She continued to dodge and hide along the way, but the black-clad men showed no signs of giving up. As she looked down at the peacefully sleeping child in her arms, Lüfu carefully placed her on the ground, covering her with branches, and once again wrapped the luggage to look like a baby.

“Miss, wait here for me. I’ll come back for you soon.” With that, she picked up the decoy and stumbled off.

“There she is! Quick, chase her!”

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