Chapter 619: The Disappeared Residents

"Uhm..." Xiaosuisui hesitated for a moment.

"Pretend I didn’t say anything," Xie Pan’Er said. She then tidied up the bedding, checked the tent, and told her to lie down and sleep.

Xiaosuisui obediently lay down, patting the pillow beside her.

"Pretty Sister sleeps here."

Xie Pan’Er chuckled, gently tweaking her little nose. "You sleep first; I’ll keep watch."

After all, they were in the wilderness, and someone needed to stay alert.

"No need! You go to sleep! The National Master is guarding outside!"

Xie Pan’Er blinked at her words.

"How do you know the National Master is guarding outside?"

"I heard him!"

"Huh?"

"I heard the National Master and Li Yanyan talking."

"What exactly did you hear?"

Xie Pan’Er slapped her own forehead.

How could I forget this little Ancestor’s hearing is astonishingly sharp?

"Li Yanyan said, ’Master! Why did you give our tents to others?’"

"The National Master said, ’As Master, I had extra, so I shared two with them’!"

Xie Pan’Er laughed.

"From just those two sentences, how can you be sure the National Master is guarding outside?"

Xiaosuisui shook her head, rolling around on the soft lambskin mat. "That’s not all! Pretty Sister, come up here, I’ll tell you."

Helpless, Xie Pan’Er took off her shoes, climbed onto the mat, held the girl gently to stop her rolling, made her lie down properly, and then held her in her arms.

"Go on, tell me."

"Li Yanyan is so mean. She spoke ill of me to the National Master."

Xie Pan’Er was incredibly surprised.

"She’s that young and already knows how to speak ill of others?"

Xiaosuisui tilted her head. "She did."

"What did she say? Slandering an Imperial Princess is a punishable offense!"

"Really?"

The little girl abruptly sat up, her eyes wide as she looked at Xie Pan’Er, filled with delighted surprise.

"But it depends on what she said. If it’s a small matter, it generally won’t be considered an offense. But if it’s serious, offensive, and damages the Royal Family’s prestige, then His Majesty the Emperor will definitely punish her."

"Does it have to be my foster father, the Emperor, to punish her? Can’t I punish her?"

Xie Pan’Er actually had to think about this question for a good while before answering.

"If it’s just a minor punishment as a stern warning, you can do it too!"

Xiaosuisui’s eyes brightened again, and she suddenly became very, very happy.

"That’s great! From now on, I’ll give minor punishments as stern warnings!"

The little girl started frolicking on the bed again.

Xie Pan’Er was truly at a loss whether to laugh or cry. It took her quite some time to coax the little one to settle down.

Only then did she ask what exactly Li Yanyan had said to the National Master about her.

"Nothing much. Just that after the National Master gave us the tent and bedding, Li Yanyan wasn’t happy. She told the National Master that she didn’t like me and didn’t want me to use these things!"

Xie Pan’Er was speechless.

If the Eldest Princess were only a year or two older, she probably wouldn’t be sleeping here peacefully but would have run out to argue.

"Don’t take it to heart. Li Yanyan is still a child; she’s ignorant and doesn’t mean what she says!"

Xiaosuisui pouted.

"She wasn’t being thoughtless; she really doesn’t want me to use these things."

Xie Pan’Er tapped her little head.

"And how would you know that? Did you use your telepathy to eavesdrop on Li Yanyan’s thoughts?"

"Of course not!" Xiaosuisui muttered, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Seeing her asleep, Xie Pan’Er smiled and wasn’t bothered. She closed her eyes as well, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t fall asleep.

Xie Pan’Er had no choice but to get up and go for a walk.

Not far away, the National Master and the Emperor were sitting opposite each other by the bonfire. When they saw her, they both greeted her, "Miss Xie!"

Xie Pan’Er walked over and curtsied respectfully.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, National Master!"

"I’ve said it before, there’s no need for so many formalities when we’re outside," the Emperor said.

"There are no outsiders here, but propriety must be observed!" Xie Pan’Er replied softly as she rose.

The National Master stood up and yawned. "HA... When one gets older, staying up late becomes unbearable. I can’t take it anymore; I need to go back to sleep. Your Majesty, Miss Xie, the rest of the night watch is up to you."

With that, the National Master walked away.

Xie Pan’Er was stunned.

Keep watch? Is he kidding me? The first half of the night isn’t even over yet!

She turned her head blankly to look at the Emperor and saw him extending his right hand towards the departing National Master...

"Ah... the National Master... he’s always so impulsive, ha!" the Emperor remarked, looking a little awkward as he withdrew his hand.

Xie Pan’Er nervously sat down opposite the Emperor, in the spot the National Master had just vacated.

"Miss Xie, why are you not yet asleep?" the Emperor suddenly asked.

"Perhaps because it’s my first time spending the night in the wilderness, I’m having some trouble sleeping."

"I am truly sorry that you’ve had to endure such hardships on this journey. Once we return to the capital, I will compensate you!"

Xie Pan’Er was very surprised, her mouth agape as she looked at the Emperor.

"No... there’s no need!" Her voice was very low, and she seemed timid.

Seeing her timid demeanor, the Emperor furrowed his brow.

However, a moment later, Xie Pan’Er lifted her head and boldly asked for a boon.

"Your Majesty just mentioned compensation. Was that a genuine offer?"

The Emperor opened his mouth.

Ah, women!

he thought.

So duplicitous!

"A monarch does not jest," the Emperor stated, his face stern.

Xie Pan’Er opened her mouth, finally mustering the courage to say, "My brother... Your Majesty, could you please..."

"You should recall that you earned great merit when you suggested the Empress Dowager go to Qixia Temple to pray for the Princess. I told you then that I would release Xie Si. However, the time is not yet right!"

Hearing this, Xie Pan’Er lowered her head. "In that case, Pan’Er doesn’t need Your Majesty’s compensation. As long as Your Majesty keeps your word, you must release my brother when the time is right!"

The Emperor nodded firmly. "Naturally!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

For a while, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward again.

Xie Pan’Er, trying to break the silence, asked, "Your Majesty, aren’t you tired?"

The Emperor sighed. "How could I possibly sleep? The disaster in Yunhang is baffling. There are no victims, only collapsed houses. Where has the large amount of relief silver, allocated by the imperial court every few years, actually gone? I am completely clueless!"

Unable to make sense of these things, the Emperor naturally had no desire to sleep.

Xie Pan’Er began to analyze the situation with him.

"Those collapsed houses, do you think someone might have intentionally built them with rotten wood, just waiting for a natural disaster to strike so they could claim relief funds from the imperial court?"

The Emperor nodded. "I suspect the same. But to do so would require incredible means. And where did the original residents go?"

"Yes! Where did the residents go? Where could so many people find shelter? They can’t all be living in the sea, can they?"

"In the sea?" The Emperor’s eyes widened abruptly, and he stared intently at Xie Pan’Er.

Xie Pan’Er blinked, as if she too had just thought of something.

"Are you suggesting..."