Chapter147

When she saw Haochen, Elara felt more than just surprise. A mix of unspeakable emotion and anger surged in her chest.

Old Master had entrusted both of his grandsons to her. After asking Oswyn to check them, Elara had kept her distance to avoid letting them grow too dependent on her. She had also been too busy to notice anything unusual through the insects. So she only made sure to drip her blood on the pills Oswyn had made for them every night and didn't interfere in anything else.

After Elara rejected his attempt to get close to her on the road, Haochen began appearing and disappearing mysteriously every day.

Elara had never raised children before. She thought the boy had grown up wild and even survived a brothel in a wolf den, so he should be fine now that he was in the city.

But in the end... he was being beaten up by a group of kids?

Elara took a light breath. As she walked, she told Uno behind her,

"Except for Haochen, freeze them all."

Uno acted immediately. Before Elara's words even faded, all the children were frozen in place.

All except Haochen, who had curled himself into a small ball in the middle, still clutching something tightly in his arms.

Elara stepped forward and picked him up from under the punches and kicks of the older boys. She didn't care how dirty he was. After hugging him, she took out a cloth and gently wiped his messy face and hands.

Haochen, suddenly pulled into a warm embrace from a beating, froze.

He felt the soft cloth brushing his face. Lifting his head, he saw the girl cleaning him with a serious expression, lips pressed together. The tight grip he had on the object in his arms loosened. A smile bloomed on the half-cleaned face. His beautiful eyes curved, and despite the bruises on his skinny arms, he raised them and wrapped them around Elara's neck. Just like when he had first been rescued from the cage, he clung to her.

"Sis..."

This was the first time Elara had heard his voice. Back when she rescued him from the cage, he hadn't said a single word.

After being rejected by her, he also ran off without a word. Elara had even wondered if his childhood trauma had left him unable to speak.

But now, the way he called her sis was clear and crisp, well spoken, even pleasant to hear.

Elara glanced at the thing that had fallen from his arms. It was an herb.

Thanks to Oswyn checking her pulse and forcing medicine on her every day, Elara had learned to recognize many herbs. So she immediately knew it was a rare herb that grew deep in the mountains, and it had aged well. It would sell for a good price at a pharmacy.

So the older kids beat him up because of this? Not for food or toys or money, but for a rare herb?

Elara could understand Haochen recognizing herbs, since he had taken so many medicines in the past.

But these older kids also knew it? And beat him up for it?

Elara picked up the herb from the ground and asked,

"Did you pick this?"

Haochen glanced at the herb and then buried himself back in Elara's arms. It was like he wasn't the same kid who had just refused to let go of it even under a beating.

"Yes, sis. My body feels awful when I'm not near you, so I had to go to the mountain and find something to eat. It was the only way to suppress the urge to come close to you."

...That little rascal. Even after being beaten, he still had the mind to say this. He was clearly blaming her for pushing him away.

But seeing the boy's bruised and battered body, Elara couldn't say anything harsh.

She kept wiping the visible dirt off him with her cloth. Then she took out the ointment Oswyn had given her and gently applied it to his worst wounds. Only then did she sit down with him in her arms and look toward the frozen older boys.

"Uno, release their mute point."

As soon as the mute point was released, before Elara could say anything, the two oldest boys shouted,

"He's a thief!"

"Don't believe him! He stole that herb!"

"Yeah! He stole it! We came to get it back from him!"

The two older boys kept yelling. Soon the other kids joined in, accusing Haochen of stealing.

Elara met the gazes of the two oldest boys, but they suddenly dropped their heads and looked away. Still, they kept shouting that Haochen had stolen.

She looked down at the boy in her arms, who was now comfortably rubbing against her. Sensing her gaze, Haochen looked up at her too. But his face showed no panic from being called a thief, no fear of being wronged. He simply leaned into her and smiled.

"Do you think I'm lying too, sis?"

That expression... Elara couldn't help but mutter inside, this little schemer really looked the part. She raised her eyes toward the children again.

"If you're saying he stole the herb, then tell me what kind of herb it is."

The kids who had just been shouting all went silent. They looked at each other, opened their mouths, but said nothing.

After a while, the two oldest boys stiffly said, "We don't know what kind of herb it is. But he did steal it! We saw it with our own eyes! So we chased him!"

Elara nodded. The kids thought she believed them, but then she added,

"Then tell me which pharmacy you saw him steal from. I'll take him there right now to ask."

The two boys who were about to smile froze again. The kids behind them also started stammering and couldn't form a single sentence.

With their behavior, what else was there to guess?

These bullies were clearly lying.

Elara's expression turned colder. Holding Haochen, she walked over to the frozen children and stared down at them.

"In Marigold, no robbing is allowed. No group beatings. And definitely no ganging up on someone weaker. According to the new laws, anyone who breaks this rule will be locked up and whipped for months. And after that, dragged through the streets tied to a punishment cart and whipped dozens more times. Their body will be beaten like rotten meat. Haven't you heard the adults talk about this?"

"Even if you're just kids, chasing down another child on the street and trying to rob him breaks the law. You'll be punished the same! Do you really want to be locked up, whipped every day, and tied to a cart like rotten meat?"

The children, still young, turned pale at her words. Even the two older ones began trembling.

They wanted to argue, but fear and guilt made it impossible to say a full sentence.

Elara hadn't said all that just to scare them. Should children be forgiven just because they're young? Then who would speak up for those who suffered for no reason?

She turned to Uno and said,

"Go call the patrol guards and their captain."

"Yes."

Uno moved quickly. In just a few minutes, a large group of patrol guards came rushing over.

Their captain had been grabbed by the neck by Uno and dropped right in front of Elara.

When Uno went to get the guards, the whole team and their captain already had a bad feeling. Now, seeing Elara's cold expression, the captain almost dropped to his knees. He was ready to beg first and ask questions later.

But Elara didn't even look at him. She kept her eyes on the frightened children and said coldly,

"I'll give you one last chance. Tell me clearly, who told you to come chase and rob him?"

Even if the kids didn't speak, Elara had already guessed the truth.

If it were just those kids by themselves, they wouldn't even know what herbs were. Why would they gang up and attack Haochen?

Someone must have recognized that the herbs Haochen was carrying were valuable and wanted to take them. But because of the new laws, they didn't dare to do it themselves and used the excuse of "theft" to get a group of kids to surround and stop him.

Tch, disgusting scheme.

As expected, when Elara questioned them again, the patrolling guards who usually walked around the city showing off their blades and acting tough all knelt down before her. A few of the kids, too scared to hold on anymore, started crying and spilled the truth.

"W-we didn't actually see him steal anything. We lied. But someone told us he stole herbs from his house and told us to stop him. If we could grab the herbs back, he'd give each of us ten coins..."

Ten coins... that's only 0.01 tael of silver, just enough to buy two buns. And these kids were willing to chase down another kid for that.

There were a lot of problems behind this. Elara stayed quiet for a moment, then looked at the kids and asked,

"Where are your parents?"

The kids, their faces filled with fear, froze. They hadn't expected Elara to ask that. They all silently shook their heads.

Even the two oldest kids lowered their heads.

"We don't have parents."

Elara was silent again. "Then who told you to rob him?"

"It was... the shop assistant from the He Ren Herb Shop on East Street."

Elara turned to look at the tense patrol leader.

She didn't have to say anything. The patrol leader immediately sent someone to arrest the assistant from the He Ren Herb Shop.

Then Elara looked back at the trembling kids. "As for you, since you weren't the masterminds and confessed, I won't have the guards whip you. But you did gang up and rob the child in my arms. So while you won't be sentenced to death, you won't get off scot-free either."

The kids started shaking even more, biting their lips and staring at her in fear.

Elara gave a short laugh. "Afraid now? If you're scared, then don't do these things again. Remember, even if you're children, if you do something wrong, you have to pay the price."

"This time, I'll go easy on you since you were tricked. But you'll still need to spend some time in jail to learn your lesson."

After saying that, Elara didn't look at their terrified faces anymore. She turned to the patrol leader. "Lock up these kids. Take them to the jail and keep them there for five days."

A few guards stepped forward with handcuffs right away.

The kids saw this and burst into tears. Even the two oldest boys looked terrified and full of regret. They hadn't thought their actions would lead to something like this.

Even though the cold metal cuffs scared them, they didn't try to run. Their instincts told them that running would only make things worse.

Once the patrol guards had cuffed them all, Elara spoke to them again.

"This time it's only five days. It's just to let you feel what it's like to face the consequences of a crime. You won't be tortured. But if you dare to commit another crime in the future, it won't be this simple."

The kids nodded while crying, promising over and over that they wouldn't dare do it again.

The guards took the kids away.

Elara watched their backs for a while, then suddenly turned to Kristof, who had silently watched the whole scene.

"How many kids without families are there in Marigold?"

Kristof tapped his chin lightly with his fan. "At least... a few hundred. Not counting the ones who've already died."

"What kind of lives are they living now?"

"If they have relatives willing to take them in, then they stay with them. If not, they're on their own."

On their own... for children only seven or eight, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, how could they survive alone?

They didn't even have the strength to work in factories. Most could only beg on the streets.

No wonder they'd agree to help someone for just ten coins.

Elara lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then looked back up at Kristof. "When you get back today, talk to Scholar Fu. Draft a plan for something called the 'Youth Home.' Its purpose will be to take in and raise kids without relatives. Teach them what they should learn and make sure they at least learn one skill that can help them survive in Marigold."

"If someone shows talent, have the craftsmen consider taking them as apprentices."

"In short, from now on, all orphans in Marigold will be taken in and educated by the Youth Home."

"As for the money and construction, talk to the Ministry of Works. You and Scholar Fu are managing the finances now. Handle it yourselves."

Kristof blinked, clearly surprised by what Elara had just said.

In these troubled times, human life was often the cheapest thing.

Even adult laborers couldn't always find shelter, let alone useless children.

But Elara's words clearly touched him.

He had seen countless orphans growing up. Even he had begged on the streets as a child.

If someone had offered him shelter and education back then, maybe he wouldn't have suffered so much. Maybe his siblings wouldn't have died.

Maybe there wouldn't be so many tiny corpses in dark corners. Maybe not so many children would've grown up stealing or gone missing.

Thinking this, Kristof let out a sigh.

Elara looked at him curiously. Then he bowed deeply to her.

"Having a princess like you is the blessing of everyone in Marigold. Don't worry, I'll talk to Brother Fu tonight. Before those kids get out of jail, we'll have the Youth Home ready."

Elara nodded, then turned back to the patrol leader and reminded him, "Those kids, just scare them a bit. No real punishment unless they absolutely refuse to change."

"Yes."

"And starting tomorrow, issue a new criminal order. Every household must read it. From now on, if a child commits a crime, their parents will be punished as if they committed it. The children will also bear half the responsibility. They must understand the consequences of their actions."

"Yes, Princess."

Once the patrol leader confirmed there were no more orders, he quietly left.

Elara looked at the child still clinging tightly to her. "Haochen, are you satisfied now?"

The child, who was rubbing his cheek against her neck with a sleepy smile, slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. "Satisfied with what, Sister?"

Still pretending... Elara didn't want to argue with him. But seeing all the bruises on him, she sighed. "I'll take you back and treat your wounds. Those kids only attacked you because the shop assistant tricked them. That assistant will be sentenced, whipped in public, and humiliated worse than you were hurt."

"As for those kids, spending a few days in jail will be enough. That should count as revenge for you. Satisfied now?"

This child was too sharp. Elara never treated him like a regular kid.

But seeing him beaten like this, she felt responsible.

Handling everything in front of him was also her way of letting him vent.

But after she asked, the child just kept looking at her quietly.

After a while, he smiled and said, "Sister, you believed me without even confronting that assistant."

Elara glanced down at him. "Do I need to confront him? Or are you trying to say you actually stole the herbs?"

His smile deepened, and the small arm around her neck tightened. He pressed even closer to her.

"Of course I didn't steal them. If you trust me, then you can't trust anyone else." As he spoke, he nestled his chin into her neck.

Elara chuckled softly and didn't say anything.

That herb was indeed valuable and very old. But its roots were badly damaged, clearly pulled out roughly.

If it had really come from a herb shop, they'd never treat it so carelessly.

Plus, it was covered in dirt, and this kid was also covered in mud and bruises. Given that, it made more sense to believe he dug it up himself.

Still, remembering how he smiled and asked if she believed him, Elara lightly patted his butt. "If it wasn't you, just say so next time."

Why make her guess? She was only his guardian. Did he want her to prove how much she trusted him?

Children with deep thoughts were always more troublesome. If she guessed wrong on a bad day, he might run off or cause trouble.

That kind of outcome wouldn't be good for anyone.

Haochen was startled for a second after being patted. A few moments later, he smiled and adjusted his position, nestling comfortably into her arms.

He pressed his face to her skin and moved his hand behind her neck. Quietly, he took back a small amount of white powder.

He had already scattered that poison powder on those people while they were beating him.

If Elara had arrived just a little later, those people would've died silently tonight, leaving no trace.

But since Elara came and even held him herself, he'd let them live for now.

Getting Elara to come was already enough use for their worthless lives.

Next time they cross paths, he'll deal with them then.