Xie Lian gently coaxed, "Don't be scared, it's okay, I just want to check your injury." The young child, however, only clutched tighter, revealing just one large, dark eye filled with fear. But this fear didn't seem to be from being hit, rather it seemed like he was afraid of something being discovered.
Looking at the half-exposed face and that one eye, Xie Lian suddenly felt he had seen this child somewhere before. He squinted slightly. Seeing his troubled expression, Qi Rong said, "Cousin Crown Prince, this little brat messed up your grand ceremony yesterday. I helped you teach him a lesson. Don't worry, I held back, he won't die."
Indeed, the child in his arms was the same one who had fallen from the city tower during yesterday's Lantern Festival parade!
No wonder Xie Lian found him familiar. The child hadn't even changed clothes, still wearing the same outfit from yesterday. But after being beaten and dragged around, he was dirtier, making it hard to recognize him as the same person. Xie Lian couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Who told you I wanted to vent my anger? What does this child have to do with it? It's not his fault!"
Qi Rong, however, argued, "Of course it's his fault. If not for him, why would the national teacher scold you?"
The commotion was attracting more and more onlookers, whispering among themselves. Just then, Mu Qing also approached. Qi Rong pointed his whip at him, his expression defiant with a hint of malice, "And you, this servant. This person is clearly up to no good. If you don't discipline him now, he'll eventually turn against you. I'm helping you teach him a lesson, and you protect him and report me. Now my uncle and aunt scolded me and took away my golden carriage. Cousin, that was my birthday gift! I've been waiting for over two years!"
Mu Qing gave Qi Rong a sidelong glance. Xie Lian, extremely frustrated, laughed and said, "I don't need you to do me any favors like this. Are you venting for me or for yourself?"
"...Cousin, why are you saying this to me? I'm siding with you, what did I do wrong?"
Xie Lian couldn't reason with him and said, "Qi Rong, listen carefully. From now on, you're not allowed to touch this child again. Not even a finger, got it?"
Just then, Xie Lian suddenly felt a tightness around his neck. He was still angry, and slightly startled, he looked down to see the child burying his face in his chest, arms tightly wrapped around his neck. Xie Lian felt him trembling violently, thinking he was in pain, he quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
The child's body was covered in dirt, dust, and blood, all of which stained Xie Lian's white clothes, but he didn't mind. He gently patted the child's back to comfort him, saying in a low voice, "It's okay. I'll take you to see a doctor now."
The child didn't respond, only held on tighter, as if clinging to a lifeline. Seeing Xie Lian completely ignoring his goodwill and siding with an outsider, and that the child smeared his dirty, bloody mess all over Xie Lian, Qi Rong was furious. He raised his whip, ready to strike the child on the back of the head. Feng Xin, who had been standing by, suddenly kicked out, hitting Qi Rong's arm.
With a "crack," Qi Rong screamed, the whip fell to the ground, and his right arm bent at an unnatural angle, hanging limply. He looked incredulous, slowly lifting his head to glare at Feng Xin, saying word by word, "You... actually dared to break my arm!"
His words were chilling to the bone. Feng Xin only realized what he had done after the kick, his expression changing slightly. Mu Qing's face changed even more dramatically.
Though they disliked Qi Rong privately, that was one thing. But as guards, accidentally breaking the arm of a royal relative was a completely different matter!
Although Xie Lian was holding the child with both hands and surrounded by onlookers, making it hard to dodge, he could have easily avoided the strike if he wanted to. But Qi Rong often acted suddenly and aggressively, and Feng Xin reacted too quickly to think it through.
Now the situation was chaotic, and there was no time to stop him. Xie Lian's chest was already soaked with blood, fearing that if they delayed any longer, the child might die. He made a quick decision, took a deep breath, and said loudly, "Everyone, if anyone here suffers any loss today, please note it down.
I will take responsibility later, no excuses!"
Then he instructed Feng Xin and Mu Qing, "Save the child first. Take Qi Rong away, don't let him cause more trouble outside!" With that, he turned and rushed towards the palace with the child in his arms.
Feng Xin, following orders, regained his composure, grabbed the furious Qi Rong, and followed behind towards the palace. The soldiers at the palace gates saw the Crown Prince returning in a hurry just an hour after leaving, and although puzzled, they naturally didn't dare to stop him.
Thus, Xie Lian rushed all the way to the royal doctors' quarters, leaving Feng Xin and Mu Qing to guard Qi Rong outside while he went in.
The Crown Prince rarely returned to the palace, and even more rarely gave orders, so the royal doctors hurried to attend to him. Xie Lian placed the child on a chair and said, "Thank you all. This child was beaten by several adults and stuffed into a sack, dragged along the ground. Please first check if his head is injured, that's the most important."
Although the royal doctors had never seen a noble bring in a dirty street child for treatment, they knew to do as they were told and nodded in agreement. One of them said, "Little friend, please put your hand down."
However, the child, who had been obediently carried in by Xie Lian, suddenly became stubborn, tightly covering the right side of his face, refusing to lower his hand. No matter how skilled the doctors were, they couldn't treat a patient who wouldn't cooperate. They looked at Xie Lian, "Crown Prince, this...?"
Xie Lian raised a hand slightly and said, "He might be shy. It's okay, I'll handle it."
The child was sitting on the chair, and since Xie Lian couldn't look him in the eye, he bent down slightly, tilted his head, and asked, "What's your name?"
The child's large eye stared directly at him, the dark pupil reflecting a snow-white image. This gaze, if one had to describe it, was exactly as Feng Xin had said—"as if possessed by a demon or ghost," not something that should appear in a child's eyes.
After a long pause, the child lowered his head and said, "...Red..."
His voice was low and mumbled, as if reluctant to speak or a bit embarrassed. Xie Lian only caught the word "Red" and asked, "How old are you?"
The child replied, "Ten."
Xie Lian had only asked casually to ease his guard, but hearing the shy answer of "ten," he was taken aback, thinking, "I thought he was only seven or eight, he's actually ten? This child is really thin and weak."
After a pause, Xie Lian smiled slightly and said, "Now the doctors will help you with your injuries, don't be afraid, can you put your hand down?"
The child listened but hesitated and shook his head. Xie Lian asked, "Why not?"
After a long silence, he finally said, "Ugly."
He only gave this one-word answer and no amount of coaxing could make him lower his hand for a head examination. Xie Lian swore it wasn't ugly, but he wouldn't look, even if he turned around. So young, yet so stubborn. Helpless, the doctors had to ask him a few questions, make him recognize some hand signals, and confirm he wasn't dizzy or in pain, and could see and think clearly, before treating his other injuries.
As they treated him, the doctors seemed increasingly puzzled, clicking their tongues in wonder. Xie Lian, who had been watching, asked, "Doctors, how is it?"
One doctor couldn't help but say, "Crown Prince, did this child really get beaten up and dragged in a sack?"
Xie Lian was silent for a moment, then said, "That's the truth."
The doctor said, "That's... remarkable. I've never seen someone so resilient. Five broken ribs, one leg, and various other injuries, yet he can still sit and talk as if nothing's wrong. Even adults would struggle, let alone a ten-year-old child?"
Hearing the severity of the injuries, Xie Lian's anger towards Qi Rong grew. Looking again at the child, sitting on the chair seemingly unfazed by pain, still using that large, dark left eye to secretly watch him. When he realized Xie Lian caught him, he immediately turned his head away.