Chapter 6: 第6章 学而知用

“Coachman, turn around and head back to the city immediately.” He had to send this runaway child back, otherwise, the charge of kidnapping would truly stick to him!

“No, I don't want to!” Like a koala, Shangguan Ling lunged into his arms, her large, watery eyes brimming with tears. “Pretty older brother, if I go back just like this, Mother will definitely punish me. Do you really have the heart to see me suffer because of you?”

*Damn it, what does this have to do with me?* Black lines streaked across Feng Jinmo's forehead. He really didn't want her fierce mother and powerful older brother showing up at his door one day to seek revenge and hunt him down across thousands of miles.

“Pretty older brother, to tell you the truth, I actually came to the capital to find my father...” Seeing that he was unwilling to agree, Shangguan Ling's eyes darted slightly as a scheme formed in her mind; she fabricated a story of a thousand-mile journey to find a father. She secretly pinched her own thigh, and her tears fell incessantly like broken strings of pearls. Her small face turned flushed, causing Feng Jinmo's heart to soften instantly.

“Your father is in the capital?”

“Yes, yes, Mother said it. Father went to the capital to take the imperial examinations. She said once I grow up, Father will come back. But, I'm almost five years old and I still haven't seen him. Whenever I ask Mother about Father, she secretly sheds tears! I don't dare ask anymore. Pretty older brother, you are so generous and must be very rich; if I go to the capital with you, I'll surely be able to see Father. I want to ask him why he is so heartless, leaving me, my brother, and Mother behind for so long without coming home.” Her weak words, tinged with sobs, pierced straight into the depths of Feng Jinmo's soul like an arrow.

So, their family had such a story?

He thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. “Fine! I will take you to the capital. If that father of yours refuses to acknowledge you, I will demand an explanation on your behalf.”

With such a lovely girl, he wanted to see which bastard of a man would ignore her.

Shangguan Ling secretly made a "victory" sign in her heart. With her face lowered, a triumphant smile bloomed. She knew this method would definitely work!

“Stop crying.” Mistaking her flushed face—caused by holding back laughter—for grief, Feng Jinmo's tone grew even softer. He pulled Shangguan Ling onto his lap, and she took the opportunity to bury her head in his chest, her small body trembling.

*She is just a child, after all.*

Feng Jinmo let out a faint sigh, his palm gently patting her trembling back. “Don't cry, don't cry. Brother swears to you, I will never let anyone wrong you again.”

He was completely immersed in his sense of being moved, selectively ignoring the small hand that had slipped through his loose collar and was currently crawling onto his chest, slowly stroking him.

Shangguan Ling was shamelessly taking advantage of him. She did not see that within the doting gaze of the man holding her, there lay a hidden, dangerous undercurrent. Was her reason for following him to the capital really just to find her biological father? Feng Jinmo only believed this about seventy percent; the remaining thirty percent was the suspicion inherent to someone of imperial blood. No matter what her true purpose was, she would eventually leave some clues along the way.

Meanwhile, in a large manor within the town, Shangguan Bai stood in the courtyard holding an oil lamp with a cold face. His expression was terrifyingly dark, and the bump on the back of his head was still throbbing with pain.

“Come help. Bury all of these things.” Shangguan Ruoyu commanded while using a shovel to dig into the soil beneath a tree.

“Mother, wouldn't it be more convenient to take these treasures directly to a pawnshop to exchange them for banknotes?” Shangguan Bai asked with a frown. “We need to set off as soon as possible to find my younger sister and bring her back.” And then, give her a proper lesson. This Shangguan Ling actually dared to knock him unconscious while he wasn't looking. Hmph, if she wasn't given a profound lesson, she wouldn't know that the eldest brother acts as the father!

“What do you know?” Shangguan Ruoyu gave him a sidelong glance. “Silver is depreciating right now, but commodities are appreciating, do you understand? If we bury them in the ground, we might make a fortune when we return. Besides, if you think the two of us can catch up to a carriage on foot, you're mistaken. By the time we get back, who knows how many years will have passed.”