"Emperor Han Xibei, Dashan just said that you stole and ate Little Priestess Mingzhu's sweets, is that true?"
The middle-aged uncle spoke, and the imposing aura surrounding him made Han Xibei unable to utter a word.
"Emperor Han Xibei!"
"Uncle Zhang, I, I didn't steal and eat them."
Han Xibei tugged at Han Ye's sleeve and said timidly.
"Han Xibei, you're lying. I only ate a few of those sweets to taste them, and you stole and ate most of the rest."
The tall and sturdy Dashan walked over to Han Xibei, pulled him away from Han Ye, and said angrily.
"I, I didn't eat them!"
"You did."
"I said I didn't steal and eat them."
"Nonsense, you not only ate them, but you also stuffed a lot into your pockets."
After saying that, Dashan tried to search Han Xibei's pockets for the sweets, but Han Xibei resisted fiercely.
Seeing Dashan and Han Xibei quarreling, Han Ye walked between them and cleared his throat gently.
In the next second, the almost rolling Dashan and Han Xibei immediately became obedient, separating from each other.
"Xibei, empty your pockets!"
Hearing Han Ye's gentle voice, Han Xibei wanted to protest, but when he met Han Ye's jet-black eyes, he immediately abandoned the idea of refuting and obediently emptied his pockets.
Lin Zaozao peeked over, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the "small" sweets that fell out of Han Xibei's pockets.
These sweets were really small and pretty.
Lin Zaozao couldn't help but pick up two tiny sweets and look at them closely.
How small were these sweets?
She was now a three or four-year-old little girl, and the size of those sweets was about the same as the nail of her little finger.
Lin Zaozao put one of the sweets into her mouth, and it was sweet. She didn't need to chew because as soon as the sweet touched her saliva, it melted. Instantly, a rich milky aroma filled Lin Zaozao's mouth.
These sweets were so delicious!
Such tiny sweets were obviously made especially for dolls.
Lin Zaozao's eyes sparkled, and she immediately turned her gaze to the small sweets that Han Ye was holding in his hand. Her longing eyes were almost glowing.
"Zhu Zhu, do you like eating these?"
Han Ye held the sweets in front of Lin Zaozao and asked softly.
"I like them, I like them, they're so delicious!"
Lin Zaozao reached out and grabbed a few from Han Ye's hand, hastily stuffing them into her mouth. Focused on eating the sweets, Lin Zaozao didn't notice the glint in Uncle Zhang's eyes.
Uncle Zhang looked at the little girl who was focused on eating the sweets, and he cast a puzzled gaze towards Han Ye.
"Uncle Zhang, she is Little Priestess Mingzhu. Earlier, she, grew up."
After smiling at Uncle Zhang, Han Ye said softly.
"This little girl is the Little Priestess!"
Uncle Zhang threw the spatula in his hand into Dashan's arms, squatted down to meet Lin Zaozao's gaze, and his fierce expression immediately turned into a smile.
"Little girl!"
"Uncle Zhang!"
Lin Zaozao called out in a sweet voice, following Han Ye.
"Oh my! Dear heavens! Our new Little Priestess is so beautiful and well-behaved! Come here, let Uncle give you a hug!"
Uncle Zhang ignored Lin Zaozao's objections and picked her up with one arm, gazing at her affectionately.
"Little girl, are you hungry?"
"I'm hungry."
"Hungry! Well, Uncle has made lots of delicious food, and I won't let those stinky boys eat it. It's all for you."
Uncle Zhang laughed and carried Lin Zaozao toward the kitchen behind him.
Dashan and Han Xibei, who were left behind, were so shocked by Uncle Zhang's quick change of expression that their jaws nearly dropped.
Was this the same resolute General Zhang Qianlou? How did he change his expression so quickly?
Seeing his smiling appearance, the smile on his face seemed too insincere.
Standing between Dashan and Han Xibei, Han Ye glanced at their gaping expressions.
In addition to suppressing his laughter, he reached out and closed their open mouths.
"Xibei, Dashan, let's go eat!"
After speaking, he followed Uncle Zhang.
Watching Han Ye's departing back, Dashan and Han Xibei exchanged a glance, and in just one second, their surprised expressions turned into hostility.
"Han Xibei, you cowardly turtle who dares not admit what you've done, you almost got me killed earlier. The sweets were clearly eaten by you, yet you stubbornly refused to admit it."
"Dashan, you, you are disrespecting your superior. I'll tell my brother about this!"
"You dare to report me to Lord Han Ye? Then I'll tell my uncle. Let's see who is more powerful."
"Humph! Of course, my brother is more powerful than your uncle."
"Tsk! My uncle's martial arts skills are better than Lord Han Ye's."
"My brother is intelligent and can recognize many characters!"
"My uncle not only knows how to fight in wars but also how to cook. Lord Han Ye doesn't know how."
"My brother is of noble status, so he doesn't need to cook. He only needs to know how to eat."
"Tsk! Who doesn't know how to eat? You don't need to brag about that."
"I, my brother can eat those stinky thorny fruits, but your uncle can't."
"Who says he can't? My uncle can even eat things smellier than thorny fruits!"
Dashan shouted loudly with his hands on his hips.
"Humph! My brother can eat poop too!"
Han Xibei raised his feet and boasted loudly.
"I can't!"
"You two brats, neither of you will get to eat today. Go to the thatched hut and eat poop!"
Following Han Ye and Uncle Zhang's angry voices, Dashan and Han Xibei, who were quarreling, each received a solid kick.
Lin Zaozao, who was standing at the door listening to Dashan and Han Xibei's argument, was laughing so hard that she almost lost her voice.
"Hahaha... those two are really too funny!"
Lin Zaozao laughed and held her stomach as she slapped the floor. Oh my goodness! Dashan and Han Xibei arguing were simply hilarious.
How did their argument escalate to such an absurd level?
"Hahaha... I'm dying of laughter! Ouch, my stomach hurts from laughing so hard! Dashan and Han Xibei are total clowns."
"Zhu Zhu, don't laugh anymore."
After exchanging a glance with the fuming Uncle Zhang, Han Ye could only shake his head helplessly and gently pick up the giggling Lin Zaozao who had fallen to the ground.
His brother, Emperor Han Xibei, and Dashan were born adversaries. They either fought or quarreled whenever they were together.
Just like earlier, when everything seemed fine, they still managed to argue so intensely. They argued, and even brought up Han Ye and Uncle Zhang for comparison.
Han Ye was a young man, while Uncle Zhang was a great general defending the country. How could they be compared?
But those idiots Han Xibei and Dashan were simply incompatible by nature. They committed misdeeds together but blamed each other frantically when things went wrong.
"Prince Han Ye, do Han Xibei and Dashan always quarrel like this?"
"They can't stand each other, yet they can't be apart. They quarrel when together but miss each other when separated.
Little Priestess Mingzhu, I'm older than you. If you don't mind, please call me Brother Han Ye!
Han Xibei is my only mischievous and troublesome brother. To be honest, I really wish I had an adorable little sister."
Meeting Han Ye's expectant gaze, Lin Zaozao wiped away her tears of laughter and unconsciously called out, "Brother Han Ye!"
"Ah!"
Han Ye patted Lin Zaozao's head and said firmly, "Little Priestess Mingzhu, since you've called me brother, then for the rest of my life, as long as I'm alive, I will protect you and ensure your safety as you grow up."
"Thank you, Brother Han Ye."
With the soul of an adult, Lin Zaozao shamelessly said, "Little girl, my name is Zhang Qianlou. How about calling me Uncle Zhang?"
"Uncle Zhang!"
"Ah! Little girl. Come, come, let's eat."
Uncle Zhang took Lin Zaozao from Han Ye's embrace and carried her to a low table nearby.
"Little girl, have some snacks first. Uncle Zhang will make you a meal now."
Lin Zaozao took the snack box from Uncle Zhang and sweetly agreed.
Seeing Uncle Zhang leave, Lin Zaozao opened the snack box he had given her. Oh my! Inside were those cute little snacks from earlier.
"Brother Han Ye, have a snack."
"Little Priestess Mingzhu, these snacks are hard to come by, you eat them yourself!"
"Brother Han Ye, are these delicate little snacks difficult to make?"
Lin Zaozao stuffed a snack into her mouth and asked.
"Little Priestess Mingzhu, it's not that the snacks are difficult to make, but the ingredients are extremely precious.
Han Country has just endured a drought unlike any in a hundred years. The royal family and commoners have been starving. These snacks were made with ingredients Uncle Zhang specially procured just for you.
Earlier, Han Xibei and Dashan haven't had anything good to eat for a long time, so they stole your snacks out of craving. Little Priestess Mingzhu, don't blame them, okay?"
Looking into Han Ye's gentle eyes, Lin Zaozao could no longer taste the deliciousness of the snack in her hand.
She had thought that as a prince, Han Xibei must have tasted all sorts of delicacies, yet he and Dashan stole snacks to eat out of hunger.
The reason was, they were starving.
If a prince of the country craved food so much, what about the common people?
What kind of hardship were they enduring in this Han Country? The royal family was this destitute.
Lin Zaozao clutched the exquisite little snack in her hand but could no longer bring herself to eat it.
"Little girl, we're in a bit of a rush, so Uncle is afraid you might be hungry. I've made you a simple meal to tide you over for now."
Uncle Zhang placed a small bowl on the low table beside Lin Zaozao and also gave her a tiny fruit.
Lin Zaozao picked up the blue fruit, smaller than her baby fist. She squeezed it gently, finding it quite hard. But under Uncle Zhang's cheerful smile, Lin Zaozao took a small bite.
That tiny bite brought a rush of sourness straight to her brain, instantly contorting her face into a large bun.
