Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

This was the first time Li Yu had examined his maid, Green Robe, since his transmigration.

Her round face, while not strikingly beautiful, was still quite pretty. Her hair was styled in a small bun, which looked a bit messy because she hadn't had time to style it in the past few days.

"You're awake. This servant will help you wash up."

Having been used to the work of a servant, even in this desolate wilderness, this ten-year-old girl never forgot her place.

"Sit down and keep me company. Stop calling me 'maid' all the time; it sounds really awkward," Li Yu patted the seat next to him, gesturing for Green Robe to sit there.

The woman in green seemed flustered.

If I can't call myself a servant, then what should I call myself?

"Just change it to 'I'..." Seeing the green-clad woman's panic, Li Yu gave what he thought was the best suggestion.

"I...I obey!"

Alas! This is the feudal system's hierarchical structure ingrained in their very bones...

Fine, let her call me whatever she wants...

The two sat under the tree, not having much to talk about. After thinking for a while, Li Yu finally asked, "Are your parents still alive?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that his question was somewhat impolite, so he quickly changed his mind and asked, "I meant to ask, how many people are in your family?"

"Your Highness, my parents are still alive, and I have a younger brother who is two years younger than me. It's time for him to help out at home."

The woman in green didn't seem to find anything wrong with it and answered Li Yu's question with a smile.

The little girl, barely ten years old, was beaming with joy. Looking at the smiling face in the green dress, it was clear that she harbored no resentment towards her family.

This is quite different from Li Yu's impression of ancient times, where poor families sold their children.

"Are your family members good to you?" Unable to contain his curiosity, Li Yu finally asked.

"Mmm!" The little bun on the green-clad girl's head swayed happily a few times as she nodded emphatically.

"My parents love me very much, and the elders in the village also love me very much."

Huh? Li Yu became curious.

Since she was a daughter from a good family, how could her parents bear to subject her to slavery?

"How did you get to the Prince's mansion?" Li Yu then asked.

I thought asking this would make the little maid sad, but to my surprise, the maid in green still smiled and replied, "This servant is from Wenshui County, Jinyang, and is from the same village as Steward Chen in this mansion."

"Steward Chen said that there are few people in our Prince Zhao's mansion, so working here would be a good job. Therefore, he brought me into the mansion to serve Your Highness."

The steward Chen mentioned by the woman in green had appeared in Li Yu's memory; he was one of the stewards in the manor who had influence.

"And then you went with him?"

This old man is clearly ripping people off! Why would he give up his perfectly good life as a married woman and insist on becoming a slave in the Prince's mansion?

"My family is poor. The grain we harvest each year, after paying taxes, is only enough to feed the whole family for half a year. That's why my parents sent me here so that I could have enough to eat."

"Your Highness, please don't send Green Robe away. Green Robe will listen to you and may even eat a little less." Thinking that Li Yu was going to send her away, Green Robe, who had just been smiling, suddenly had tears welling up in her eyes.

"No, no! I didn't mean to kick you out, I was just a little curious."

The little girl kept sobbing, and Li Yu hurriedly wiped away her tears with his hand before explaining.

The girl was appeased. She's carefree and her emotions come and go quickly; soon she was playing with her little flower to the side.

Li Yu was left alone under the tree again.

"What the hell is this world?! Li Er, when are you finally going to become emperor?!"

.........

With a furrowed brow, Li Er was leading a group of men at the very back of the procession.

When the emperor returned to the capital in triumph, Zhuque Avenue, which used to be bustling with traffic, had long been cleaned up by Zhuge Liang.

A soldier on a fast horse caught up with Li Er just before he entered the Vermilion Bird Gate.

"Your Highness, there's news about General Niu!"

Not daring to ride alongside Li Er, the armored soldier slowed his horse and presented a secret letter at a suitable distance.

Li Er, seated on horseback, took the secret letter, tore it open, glanced at it, and his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed...

.........

Not long after Green Robe left, Sun Simiao also woke up.

The old man was used to getting up early, so he was somewhat surprised when he saw Li Yu sitting blankly under the tree and Green Dress teasing the little flowers.

"Young man, could it be that you, too, are following the example of Zu Ti of the Jin Dynasty, and have the habit of rising at the crowing of the rooster to practice martial arts?"

Seeing Sun Simiao approaching with his hands behind his back and a beaming smile, Li Yu stood up, patted his backside, and said, "This disciple just couldn't sleep and came out for some fresh air. Besides, where would any chickens come from in this woods?"

"Such a lack of ambition! What a waste of precious time!"

Old Sun's change of attitude was as fast as turning the pages of a book. After shoving a medical book into Li Yu's hands, he walked back to the cave with his hands behind his back.

Recalling Sun Simiao's instructions—after memorizing the entire book, Li Yu, standing there, felt like crying...

As the night faded and dawn broke, everyone else awoke.

Without being given breakfast, the group packed up and set off again on their journey back to Chang'an.

After trekking through the vast Qinling Mountains for three days, the exhausted group finally discovered a dilapidated temple on a low hill on the evening of the fourth day.

Inside the dilapidated temple stood a large Buddha statue with empty eyes, which sent chills down one's spine.

Perhaps due to years of disrepair, the place is drafty, but it's still a decent temporary shelter.

Having found a place to stay, the others, except for Sun Simiao who went out alone to gather herbs, either started a fire or cleaned up.

Cheng Chumo, whose wounds had not yet healed, took Old Sun's small knife used for scraping pus and blood and said he was going out hunting...

He was indeed from a military family. Before Li Yu could even start the fire, Cheng Chumo, who looked like a bear, walked in carrying a bloody wild boar.

That's amazing!

As a fellow descendant of a military family, Li Yu felt he should reflect on his own actions.

However, when he saw the dumbfounded Li Chengqian and his brother, he instantly felt that he had nothing to reflect on.

Later, Li Tai told them that the sheep seemed to have run into a tree on its own that day, and by the time the two of them arrived, it was already on the verge of death.

Damn it! No wonder I didn't find a single arrow hole when I was processing the sheepskin...

It took a lot of effort to get the fire going.

Exhausted and panting, Li Yu watched helplessly as Cheng Chumo skinned the wild boar right under the Buddha statue's nose.

Perhaps his technique was too crude, for the dilapidated temple was filled with the unpleasant smell of blood.

"You're disgusting!" After gagging a few times, Li Yu couldn't help but complain while covering his nose.

"Why make such a fuss? Why didn't you feel nauseous when you were eating?" Cheng Chumo said with some dissatisfaction at Li Yu's affectation.

There was nothing more to say to this idiot. Li Yu added a few more pieces of dry firewood to the fire, preparing to make it bigger.

The mountaintop was frighteningly cold, with unmelted snow still swirling up in the howling wind and slapping against the door with a crackling sound.

"You really have a lot of nerve to slaughter pigs and sheep in front of Buddha statues."

.........