Chapter 66 People Above Are Still People, People Below Are Still People

Xie Lian turned his head and asked, "What do you think?"

Mu Qing replied, "The homeless kids in the imperial city usually hang out together and often come to my place for food. I know them all, but I've never seen this child before."

The young boy looked at Mu Qing without saying a word. Feng Xin asked suspiciously, "Who do they usually ask for food? You? Do you give it to them?"

Mu Qing glared at him and said, "They pester a lot. What else can I do if I don't give them food?"

Feng Xin still found it hard to believe and said, "Oh."

Xie Lian watched their exchange and felt like laughing. Mu Qing continued, "Also, his clothes have several patches. Judging by the stitching, an adult must have recently sewn them. There's at least one older person in his family. They might not be well-off, but he's definitely not a beggar."

Xie Lian never paid attention to stitching and couldn't tell if it was done by an adult, but Mu Qing used to do odd jobs at the Royal Extreme Temple and did a lot of work at home. Upon closer inspection, it seemed true, so he asked, "Do you have any adults at home?"

The young boy shook his head, and Mu Qing said, "There must be. If he doesn't go back, his family is probably worried and looking for him."

The boy said, "No, no! There's no one!" He seemed afraid of being sent back and opened his arms as if wanting to hug Xie Lian. His body was still dirty and covered in bloodstains, and Feng Xin couldn't stand it anymore. He said, "What are you doing, kid? It was understandable in an emergency, but don't you know any better now? This is the Crown Prince, do you understand?"

The boy quickly pulled his hands back but still looked at Xie Lian and said, "There was a fight at home, and I got kicked out. I've been walking for a long time with nowhere to go."

The three of them exchanged glances. After a moment, Feng Xin asked, "What should we do?"

A royal physician suggested, "Your Highness, if you're unsure, you can leave him here and have a few palace attendants take care of him."

After thinking for a moment, Xie Lian shook his head slightly.

He was worried that Qi Rong might cause trouble again and said, "I think I'll take care of him until he recovers. It seems like his family can't take care of him properly. Feng Xin, when you go to deal with the stalls Qi Rong knocked over, send a few people to find his parents and let them know so they won't worry."

Feng Xin nodded, "Alright."

He still had one arm in a sling and tried to pick up the boy with his other hand. Xie Lian laughed and said, "You're injured, just leave it."

Feng Xin didn't mind and said, "One arm's broken, but the other is fine. Even if both my arms were broken, I could still carry him up the mountain by holding his collar with my teeth."

Mu Qing rolled his eyes secretly and said, "Fine, I'll do it." But as soon as he took a step, the boy jumped off the bed himself and said, "I can walk by myself."

His face showed clear resistance, making Mu Qing's second step awkward, unsure whether to continue. Seeing the boy with five broken ribs and a broken leg still so lively, Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry and said, "Don't run around!" Then he bent down and picked him up.

The three of them, with the child, left the palace. Because Qi Rong had caused a scene in the street, disturbing the people and knocking over stalls, Xie Lian felt guilty and didn't want to face the citizens of the imperial city. They quietly took side roads, avoiding attention. Along the way, the boy nestled quietly in Xie Lian's arms, obediently silent when told not to make a sound. Feng Xin glared and said, "This kid kicked me yesterday, but today he's acting all nice. He's really just sizing people up."

Mu Qing commented, "Well, the Crown Prince is naturally more likable than most people."

For some reason, even when he was saying something nice, Mu Qing's words always had a way of making people uncomfortable. Feng Xin didn't want to talk to him anymore. After walking for a while, Feng Xin said, "I don't think it's right for you to just carry an unknown child around, Your Highness."

Xie Lian said, "What's the big deal?"

Feng Xin said, "You are the Crown Prince!"

He then spotted a rickety cart at the entrance of an alley and said, "Put the kid on that and drag him along!"

Mu Qing immediately said, "Let me make it clear, I'm not going to drag that thing up the mountain."

Feng Xin said, "No one's expecting you to." Then he reached over and pulled the boy from Xie Lian's arms. As soon as the boy was in his hands, he started struggling again. Xie Lian said, "Forget it, forget it. Someone might need this cart!" But Feng Xin had already placed the boy on the cart. Just then, someone nearby exclaimed, "Is that... the Crown Prince?"

Immediately, someone shouted, "Yes, yes, yes! That's the Crown Prince! I saw his face yesterday when his mask fell off! It's him!!!"

"Catch him!!!"

The three of them felt a jolt in their hearts. Although Xie Lian didn't think he did anything wrong during the festival parade yesterday, he knew others might not see it the same way. The interruption of the Divine Harmony was a bad omen, something the royal family and nobles were superstitious about.

After the initial excitement, people might not be so forgiving when they thought about what the incident could mean. Plus, Qi Rong had caused a scene in the street today, causing complaints. If they got surrounded now, it wouldn't be good.

Before he could think further, Mu Qing pulled him and said, "Your Highness, run!"

Feng Xin also urged him while dragging the cart, "Your Highness, I've got one arm broken and can't hold back these people, let's go!"

However, outside the alley, the citizens on the street were already excitedly rushing over, blocking all exits. The four of them had nowhere to retreat. Seeing countless eyes surrounding them, Xie Lian braced himself and thought, "At worst, I'll get beaten up. I just won't fight back!"

Unexpectedly, the crowd surged forward, not to beat him, but to lift him up with dozens of hands and cheer, "Crown Prince!"

Xie Lian was tossed up and caught several times, maintaining a remarkably calm expression. People around him chattered, "Crown Prince, your leap on the Divine Martial Street yesterday was truly amazing!"

Someone praised, "That jump was incredible! Honestly, I thought it was the Emperor himself, I got goosebumps!"

Someone affirmed, "The Crown Prince was right to save the child! Other people's lives matter, so why shouldn't the lives of poor kids matter too? I would have done the same!"

Someone angrily said, "Exactly. I heard people saying the Crown Prince ruined things, but I can't stand that talk. If it were a royal relative who fell, those people wouldn't say that. Your Highness, don't listen to them!"

"The Crown Prince truly cares about us..."

From feeling guilty at first, to being bewildered, and finally being touched by the enthusiasm of the crowd. The people carried Xie Lian out to the main street, where more and more people gathered. Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and the boy were left on the outer edge, unable to get through, and could only follow the long procession. The crowd was no less grand than the parade yesterday. Every time Xie Lian tried to leave, he was pushed back up, not allowed to come down.

Xie Lian couldn't help but feel both amused and relieved, thinking, "The people's opinion is completely different from the national teachers'. It seems I was right."

When they returned to Mount Tai Cang, the sunset was as brilliant as ever.

Passing through the tall mountain gate, the long stone path was filled with monks carrying water buckets and firewood, greeting Xie Lian and his group. Many were surprised to see the unusual group of four with a cart. Feng Xin, with one hand, pulled the cart like a diligent young black ox. Xie Lian and Mu Qing initially tried to maintain their composure, but eventually gave up and just went with it.

The maple forest stretched on, the cart wheels turning slowly. As they climbed the mountain, Xie Lian pushed the cart from behind. In a good mood, he casually asked the boy, "Little one, what's your name? Something 'Hong'?"

The boy looked at him and softly said, "I... I don't have a name."

Xie Lian was taken aback and asked, "Didn't your mother give you a name?"

The boy shook his head and said, "My mother left."

Feeling sympathetic, Xie Lian asked, "What did your mother call you before?"

The boy hesitated for a moment and said, "Hong Hong'er."

Xie Lian chuckled and said, "That's a cute nickname. I'll call you that then."

Hong Hong'er seemed shy when talking to him and lowered his head. By this time, dusk had fallen, and the distant mountain peaks were lit up with the lights of various temples. The brightest was the highest peak of Mount Tai Cang, the Divine Martial Peak.

The Divine Martial Peak's Divine Martial Hall was as bright as day, with countless lights gathered at the top. Watching it, Xie Lian sighed.

The sigh was not out of sadness, but because the scene was so beautiful and grand. Each light represented a devotee's most sincere wish. The more lights a deity had in the temple, the stronger their spiritual power. To have a light in the Divine Martial Hall of the Royal Extreme Temple was extremely difficult. One needed wealth, power, talent, love, or fate—at least one of these five—to offer a light. However, most people in the world had none of these.

The four of them stopped, each lost in thought as they gazed at the radiant Divine Martial Hall. Just then, a familiar voice called out, "Crown Prince!"

Xie Lian turned to see a young man with a pale face hurrying toward him. It was the gatekeeper from the Four Symbols Palace. He said seriously, "Brother Zhu, what's the rush?"

Brother Zhu, seeing Mu Qing behind him, looked slightly awkward and pretended not to see him. He said, "The national teacher requests your presence. He's been looking for you for a while and is waiting in the Divine Martial Hall."

Xie Lian was surprised, knowing it was likely about the incident at the festival parade, and said, "Alright, thank you, Brother Zhu."

He instructed Feng Xin and Mu Qing to take Hong Hong'er back to the Divine Joy Palace and went alone to the Divine Martial Peak.

Outside the grand hall, the incense smoke made the Divine Martial Hall look like a dream. On either side of the incense burner, rows of floating lanterns formed walls of light. Each lantern had the name and wish of the person who offered it written in solemn script. Inside the hall, there were even more floating lanterns, more precious than those outside.

In the vast hall, the main national teacher was offering incense in front of the statue of the Emperor, with three assistant national teachers bowing behind him.

Xie Lian entered, bowed slightly, and said, "National Teacher."

The national teachers finished their prayers and turned to signal him to come forward. Xie Lian approached, took some incense, and offered it sincerely.

After a while, the national teacher said, "Crown Prince, we've discussed the festival parade incident and have two solutions."

Xie Lian said, "Please tell me, National Teacher."

The national teacher said, "The first solution is to find the child who disrupted the festival. We can hold a ceremony and at least seal one of his senses as atonement."