Daqing Reborn Prince, Intercepting Si Lili at the Beginning

Chapter 17: The Emperor’s Methods! Foolish Bluebird!

Upon hearing the word “newspaper,” Li Chengyuan was momentarily stunned. But he quickly snapped out of it. Indeed, the Qing Nation had newspapers, which the Qing Emperor had personally ordered to be established two years ago.

At that time, Li Chengyuan was a bit surprised, but he didn’t pay much attention to it afterward and gradually forgot about it.

Now that he thought about it, it seemed like this happened in the middle of the story of Celebrating the Years (Qing Yu Nian), but that was in the novel, not a TV series.

Knowing that he would soon be featured in the newspaper, Li Chengyuan was quite pleased. He wrote poetry and novels not only to make money but also to intercept the title of “talented scholar” before Fan Xian entered the capital.

What Li Chengyuan wanted were the interception rewards!

He originally thought that he would have to finish writing Journey to the West and attend a few poetry gatherings before he would be admired. But he didn’t expect the Qing Emperor to help him promote his name. This was indeed a good thing!

However, Li Chengyuan understood that the real reason the Qing Emperor was helping him become famous was to involve him in the fight for the throne, using him as a whetstone for the Crown Prince.

Whether it was talent or connections, as long as he was outstanding enough, even if he wanted to play the fool, the situation would force him to move forward.

But this was exactly what Li Chengyuan wanted. He never intended to stay idle for long. He just needed to hold on until Fan Xian arrived in the capital. Once that happened, he wouldn’t need to pretend anymore!

No matter what, Fan Xian had to enter the capital. If Fan Xian didn’t, there would be no one to take over the Supervision Bureau and the Inner Treasury. As a prince, Li Chengyuan had no way of interfering in these matters.

Only when Fan Xian entered the capital could Li Chengyuan lay out his plans.

Li Chengyuan’s only worry now was that if the Qing Emperor pushed too hard, he might not be able to hide his sharpness until Fan Xian’s arrival.

If that happened, he’d have to come up with a different plan.

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After sending off Eunuch Hou, Li Chengyuan returned to the backyard.

Upon entering, he smelled the aroma of meat, which came from the kitchen.

Seeing this, Li Chengyuan hurried into Bluebird’s room.

As soon as he reached the door, he saw Li Huang waiting outside.

Li Chengyuan rushed forward and asked, “Li Huang, how is Bluebird?”

“Your Highness!” Sword Nine Huang quickly responded, “The imperial physician examined her. The young lady Bluebird is not in serious condition. She just hadn’t eaten in a while and fainted from exhaustion after fighting someone. The physician prescribed medicine, and I’ve already ordered the kitchen to prepare some food for her. Once she eats, she’ll be fine!”

“That’s good!” Li Chengyuan instructed, “But someone who hasn’t eaten for a while shouldn’t have greasy food. Prepare some light porridge and a bowl of steamed egg custard. Have them send it over quickly!”

“Right, I’ll get on it!” Li Huang immediately rushed to the kitchen.

After Li Huang left, Li Chengyuan was about to enter the room but paused at the door and knocked.

Knock, knock.

Moments later, the door opened, and it was Sang Wen who greeted him.

“Your Highness!”

“Mhm, how’s Bluebird? Is it convenient for me to go in and see her?”

“Please come in, Your Highness,” Sang Wen said, “I’ve just had someone clean her up, and the imperial physician gave her some sugar water. She’s already awake.”

As she spoke, Sang Wen invited Li Chengyuan into the room.

Once inside, Li Chengyuan saw Bluebird lying on the bed, looking weak in her white nightgown.

Seeing him, Bluebird struggled to sit up.

Li Chengyuan hurriedly stepped forward and pressed her down gently.

“All right, you’re weak. No need for formalities.”

“Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life,” Bluebird said weakly.

“No need for thanks with me. How do you feel now?”

“I’m much better now, just hungry.”

“Mhm, I’ve already asked them to make some porridge for you. You’re too weak to eat oily food now, so have some porridge and egg custard first. Once you’re better, I’ll have them make you something more delicious.”

“This is already wonderful, Your Highness,” Bluebird said, her eyes filled with gratitude.

“By the way, how did you end up fainting from exhaustion?” Li Chengyuan asked, puzzled.

Bluebird blushed with embarrassment and explained, “Your Highness might not know, but I’ve been around the capital. When I heard last night that you had been granted a title, I wanted to come see you. But I had lost my money pouch earlier, so I hadn’t eaten all day.

I originally planned to get some money first, but I was in such a hurry to see you that I thought I could bear it. After all, as a martial artist, I thought I could go without food for two or three days.

But then, on my way, I encountered more than a dozen bandits and fought them. I used up too much energy, and after hurrying all the way here, I fainted from exhaustion upon reaching the capital.”

“…”

Hearing this, Li Chengyuan was almost amused out of anger. He had thought Bluebird had been injured by some expert.

He never expected that she fainted simply because she had lost her money pouch and had no money for food, leading to her fainting from hunger.

Why is this girl being so stubborn all of a sudden?

Li Chengyuan remembered her being much more clever.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how dangerous it had been. If he had left Drunken Immortal Residence a bit earlier or later, he might have missed her entirely.

The thought of Bluebird almost being picked up by someone else made Li Chengyuan furious. He pointed at her and scolded: “You silly girl, how could you be so stubborn? If you lost your money pouch, why didn’t you try to get some money first?”

He continued, “Even if you were in a hurry to see me, once you reached the capital, you could’ve found something to eat by the roadside. You could have told them to put it on a tab, and when you came to me, I could’ve paid however much you owed!

It’s far better than fainting on the street! If I hadn’t happened to pass by, do you know you might’ve been picked up by someone else?”

Bluebird felt deeply ashamed by his scolding. She knew she had made a foolish mistake. Even Bluebird didn’t understand why she had acted that way!

At the time, she just felt an overwhelming urge to see Li Chengyuan, to the point that she forgot about eating and hurried the whole way.

It was only after seeing him that her mind cleared up!

“Your Highness!” At that moment, Sang Wen entered, carrying a bowl of porridge and egg custard. “Your Highness, let Bluebird have something to eat first.”

“Mhm!” After scolding her for a while, Li Chengyuan had calmed down.

He knew that Bluebird might not be to blame entirely this time. Maybe she was already famished and a bit disoriented, and on top of that, the system had prompted her to come to find him.

As a result, by some strange coincidence, she ended up acting foolishly.

Of course, Li Chengyuan’s worry was unnecessary.

Since it was a system reward, Bluebird would undoubtedly reach Li Chengyuan safely.

So, this morning’s encounter wasn’t a coincidence.

It was just that the way system-rewarded retainers appeared varied, and this time, Bluebird was just unlucky.

“All right, hand me the porridge. I’ll feed her.”

With that, Li Chengyuan took the egg custard and began feeding Bluebird bit by bit.

Bluebird ate slowly, her heart filled with contentment.

She had wandered outside for so long, and now she finally had a “home.”

What made her happiest of all was that Li Chengyuan treated her as kindly as before.

Though Li Chengyuan had scolded her earlier, Bluebird wasn’t upset at all. She was happy.

Because she knew that Li Chengyuan cared enough about her to scold her.

If he didn’t truly care, why would he bother whether I lived or died?

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Footnotes:

Qing Yu Nian (庆余年): A popular Chinese novel that was later adapted into a TV series. The name can be translated as Celebrating the Yearsor Joy of Life.