Lin Zhengqing asked Xiaobao how she wanted to deal with them.
Hugging her mother’s memorial tablet, Xiaobao knitted her little brows together. “Let’s go.”
Lin Zhengqing was surprised. “You don’t want revenge?”
Xiaobao sniffed. “Although they starved me and hit me, they’re Mommy’s relatives. From now on, Xiaobao just won’t want them anymore. Uncle, make them go without food for one day, so they can go hungry too. Being hungry is really uncomfortable, hmph!”
Seeing her little face scrunch up with such smug satisfaction, Lin Zhengqing felt as though she believed she had given that family an extremely severe punishment and finally vented all her anger.
He could not help laughing. She was only a child, after all.
His voice was gentle. “All right. Then let’s make them go hungry for two days.”
Su Xiaobao immediately brightened. Hugging her mother’s memorial tablet, she lifted her slightly dirty little face, her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.
“Then let’s hurry and go find Daddy.”
Her childish, milky voice was brimming with cheerfulness.
Even though Lin Zhengqing had no relation to this child whatsoever, he could not help growing fond of her at that moment.
However, when he thought of Su Xiaobao’s father, he could not help feeling sorry for the child.
Lin Zhengqing put it as tactfully as he could. “Your Imperial Father may be rather busy and might not have time to see you. However, there will be people specially assigned to serve Xiaobao, so after you arrive at the Imperial Palace, don’t worry if you can’t see your Imperial Father, all right?”
Su Xiaobao tilted her head. “Is the Imperial Palace Xiaobao’s home? Isn’t he Daddy? Why do we have to call him Imperial Father?”
Lin Zhengqing explained to her what the imperial family was. Xiaobao listened very seriously as well, wanting to learn more about Daddy.
The carriage carried Xiaobao all the way into the city. When she lifted the curtain of the carriage window, everything she saw seemed wonderfully strange. Her eyes widened and shone brightly as she opened her mouth and exclaimed in astonishment.
“There are so many people!”
From the time she was born until now, she had never even come to this town. Seeing the bustling streets before her, she was absolutely delighted.
Lin Zhengqing was sitting beside her when he suddenly noticed the little girl staring longingly at a certain place. The envy and desire in her expression were almost tangible.
Lin Zhengqing raised his eyes to look over and discovered that it was a place selling steamed buns. The vendor was still energetically calling out his wares.
“Steamed buns for sale! Big, piping-hot steamed buns!”
“Grrr…”
At just the right moment, Xiaobao’s stomach let out a loud growl.
That morning, she had only eaten a sour fruit. Not only had it failed to fill her stomach, it had made her feel even hungrier.
Lin Zhengqing beckoned, signaling one of his subordinates to buy several steamed buns.
When the plump, white, steaming buns were handed to Xiaobao, the little girl’s clear eyes visibly lit up with astonishing brightness.
“Are they for me? For me?”
Su Xiaobao did not immediately take the buns. Instead, she gazed at Lin Zhengqing, looking both obedient and pitiful.
“They’re for you. Take them and eat.”
“Thank you, Uncle!”
Her thanks were soft and sweet. After politely expressing her gratitude, Xiaobao wiped her little dirty hands, only to discover with an embarrassed look that she could not get them clean.
“We’ll go to the inn and wash up. I’ll feed you.”
Xiaobao shyly revealed a bashful smile. “Thank you, Uncle.”
Then she opened her little mouth and took a huge bite out of the fragrant steamed bun. Su Xiaobao ate with an expression of complete satisfaction, her slightly dirty cheeks puffing up, while her eyes shone even more brightly.
She looked like a cute, fluffy little animal, making people want to ruffle her.
Even with a mouthful of bun, Su Xiaobao still seemed unable to keep quiet. She kept making muffled “mmm” sounds, though no one could tell what she was saying.
Lin Zhengqing wiped her face with a handkerchief and said with a smile, “Eat slowly. Talk after you’ve finished eating.”
Xiaobao nodded. Only after swallowing all the bun in her mouth did she say with complete satisfaction, “It’s so yummy.”
That was exactly what she had been trying to say before, too.
Then she leaned her head forward and took another bite…
By the time they reached the inn, Xiaobao had finished one large steamed bun in the carriage. Her little stomach was no longer growling, but her beautiful, vividly black-and-white eyes remained fixed on the other large bun in Lin Zhengqing’s hand, shining with longing.
Lin Zhengqing beckoned, and two women wearing pale-pink maidservants’ clothes came forward and respectfully said,
“Little Mistress, we are here to attend to your washing.”
Lin Zhengqing said, “Go wash up properly, then come back to eat.”
Su Xiaobao obediently replied, “Oh,” but as she left, she looked back at the steamed bun several times, as though afraid it might suddenly fly away.
After Xiaobao followed the maidservants away, the smile on Lin Zhengqing’s face faded.
“Go investigate how they usually treated the princess.”
“Yes.”
The guard carrying a long sword clasped his fists and quickly departed.
Although Xiaobao’s body had been dirty and the clothes she wore were tattered, there were no fleas or anything of the sort on her.
After she was washed clean, a lovely, soft, pale little dumpling appeared before everyone. The two maidservants were stunned by her delicate features.
“Princess, you’re so beautiful!”
One of the livelier maidservants could not help exclaiming.
She was the most exquisitely beautiful child the maidservant had ever seen in her life. It had simply been difficult to make out her features when she was dirty before.
Xiaobao had been raised very well by Pretty Mommy and had been the cleanest and prettiest child in the village.
But after her mother left, she had begun going hungry. The flesh on her body had diminished somewhat, yet after being washed and dressed up, she was still an exquisite little porcelain doll.
Xiaobao rubbed the fragrant soap vigorously over her body. After washing herself clean, she lifted her face with a cheerful smile.
“I smell so good!” she declared, raising her little paws.
The two maidservants could not help laughing. “That’s right, Little Princess smells wonderful. Let us help you change your clothes.”
With the two maidservants’ help, Xiaobao finally put on a beautiful, tender-yellow new outfit. Her long hair was left loose, still slightly damp, and she lifted her little skirt as she hurried off impatiently to find Lin Zhengqing—and the large steamed bun in his hand.
“Master, Little Mistress, slow down!”
Although Xiaobao’s legs were short, she was truly running very fast.
The two maidservants behind her almost could not keep up.
Then she successfully crashed into Lin Zhengqing, nearly falling backward and landing hard on her bottom.
When she looked up and saw that it was Lin Zhengqing, her bright, sparkling eyes instinctively turned toward his hands.
She did not see the steamed bun she had been longing for, and Su Xiaobao’s eyes immediately dimmed.
Looking at the child now that she was clean, Lin Zhengqing saw that her features bore an astonishing five-part resemblance to that woman.
He had seen portraits of Su Yanniang. Although an accident had been the reason that woman caught His Majesty’s attention back then, someone who could be noticed by the people beside His Majesty naturally could not have been ugly.
Su Xiaobao was beautiful, and she had inherited her looks exceptionally well, taking all the best features from both of them. Even at such a young age, she already possessed the makings of a beauty capable of toppling cities.
With her five-part resemblance to that woman alone, no one could doubt that she was the princess.
The dimming of her sparkling eyes was far too obvious; everything she was thinking was written plainly across her face. Lin Zhengqing naturally noticed it as well. While laughing, he could not help feeling a little heartbroken.
This was the only princess of Great Xia. She should have been living in glory and riches, yet she had spent her days in such miserable circumstances.