If he really has a daughter, she must be wandering among the common folk, suffering right now!
Emperor Yongning felt a pang of heartache at this thought.
He must find his ill-fated daughter and cherish her well.
"Investigate, Xiao Lizi, immediately issue a proclamation for me, spare no expense in the search."
"My precious daughter has been lost among the people, I want to bring her back and let her enjoy wealth and prosperity."
"Anyone who can help me find my daughter will be promoted to the rank of a first-class official."
"What if the princess’s mother is still alive? Should she be brought back too?" Xiao Lizi questioned.
"Bring her back together, and make her Empress, no no no..." Suddenly thinking of something, Emperor Yongning regretfully said, "The Empress is still alive, can’t confer her directly as Empress, just make her an Imperial Concubine instead!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Xiao Lizi went to make the arrangements.
Following this, officials from various places posted proclamations, helping the Emperor find his daughter.
Some reckless souls, seeing Emperor Yongning’s urgent desire to find his daughter, audaciously brought random girls, claiming them to be the princess and sent them to the palace.
Once discovered, not only was the impostor sentenced to death, all responsible officials involved in the search were also sentenced to death without exception.
Emperor Yongning executed a batch of people as a warning to others.
Those who did not accomplish tasks properly were finally more restrained, not daring to send random people into the palace, but began to earnestly search for the princess’s whereabouts.
However, as days passed by from winter to summer, there was still no news of the princess.
Emperor Yongning, worried about his unfortunate daughter lost outside, became listless and thinner, surviving on medicinal soups.
...
Cold Palace.
A woman with good looks was rolling up her sleeves, working in the field, followed by a little boy around two or three years old, dark and thin, dressed as a boy, playing idly with mud.
Excitedly playing, he murmured, "This mud is so fun."
The woman, named Qiong Hua, was extraordinarily beautiful. Even though living in the Cold Palace in coarse clothes, her stunning face was not hidden.
Hearing the little boy speak, she looked toward his direction, "Yi Yi, help mother bring the hoe beside you over?"
The little boy called Yi Yi seemed unfamiliar with his current name, as he didn’t immediately react when called.
He continued joyfully playing with the mud.
"Yi Yi? Help mother bring the hoe over, did you hear?" Qiong Hua’s voice became slightly louder.
Finally, Yi Yi responded, "...Oh, mother, I’ll help you bring it right away."
The small boy puffed and panted as he carried the hoe to Qiong Hua’s side, wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Mother, here’s the hoe for you."
Having received the hoe, Qiong Hua continued weeding while saying, "Yi Yi, after a while, the vegetables mother plants will be ready to eat. By then, mother will make delicious food for you, and we won’t have to eat those cold and hard corn buns people bring anymore."
Yi Yi touched his shriveled little belly and asked gloomily, "How long will that be?"
"Probably one to two months," Qiong Hua answered gently.
"Two months???"
Yi Yi’s eyes immediately widened like copper bells; he looked both aggrieved and pitiful.
"Whimper, whimper, might as well starve me to death."
For a foodie like him, eating was his greatest joy. Yet now, he and his mother ate nothing but cold and hard corn buns, or gruel as thin as water every meal.
Damn it, cursed time travel.