Starting in Exile: Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Lucky Little Wife

Chapter 152 Rescuing the Tiger Cub

During their time in the village, Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi also observed the villagers making bamboo baskets and weaving straw sandals, learning a lot of knowledge they had never encountered in the palace.

When Xiao Jingchuan urged them to continue on their way, the two children were still reluctant to part.

Xiao Nanyao said to the villagers, "I'll come back next time and play with you all again."

The villagers responded warmly, "Welcome to come again."

Upon learning of their daughter Jia Xiaoyan's pregnancy, Jia Dafu and his wife were filled with both joy and worry. They longed to be by her side immediately, so they packed a few belongings, hired a carriage, and hastily embarked on their journey to Xijing Kingdom.

Along the way, Jia Dafu kept reminding his wife: "This is our daughter's first time giving birth, and she doesn't have any family members around to care for her. I don't know if she's eating well or resting properly."

Madam Jia also looked worried and kept sighing, "Yes, I don't know if Xiaoyan has suffered. I'm so worried about her."

The carriage bumped along the winding road. One day, when it came to the vicinity of a post station, it suddenly heard a commotion ahead.

Jia Dafu lifted the carriage curtain and peered out. He saw a grand procession ahead, a truly impressive sight.

Madam Jia also curiously came over and said, "Whose entourage is this? It's so impressive!"

Just then, their carriage was stopped by the guards. One of the guards stepped forward and asked, "Who are you, and why are you stopping here?"

Jia Dafu quickly put on a smiling face and said, "Sir, we are on our way to Xijing Kingdom to visit our daughter. May I ask whose esteemed group is ahead of us?"

Before the guard could answer, a man stepped out of a lavishly decorated carriage—it was Xiao Jingchuan. He was dressed in magnificent attire, possessed an extraordinary air, and his eyes exuded authority.

Upon seeing this, Jia Dafu and his wife were so frightened that they immediately got off the carriage and knelt down to pay their respects.

Xiao Jingchuan frowned slightly and asked, "Who are you? What brings you to Xijing Kingdom?"

Jia Dafu mustered his courage and said, "Your Excellency, I am Jia Dafu. This is my wife. Our daughter is in Xijing Kingdom. We heard that she is pregnant and we are worried about her, so we wanted to go and see her."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan's heart stirred, and he asked again, "What is your daughter's name?" Jia Dafu replied, "My lord, my daughter's name is Jia Xiaoyan."

Xiao Jingchuan and Gu Liuli exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise. Xiao Jingchuan quickly said, "Please rise, so you are Xiaoyan's parents. I am Emperor Xiao Jingchuan of Nanzhao Kingdom, and this is my wife, Gu Liuli. We are also on our way to Xijing Kingdom to visit Xiaoyan and her newborn child."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dafu and his wife were both surprised and delighted. They knelt down again to express their gratitude: "So it is the Emperor and Empress. We were blind to your greatness and hope you will forgive us."

Xiao Jingchuan stepped forward and personally helped Jia Dafu and his wife up, saying, "No need for formalities. Since you are Xiaoyan's parents, you are family. Your carriage is too simple. Why don't you travel with us? You can look after each other on the road."

Mr. and Mrs. Jia were moved to tears and thanked them repeatedly. So, Mr. and Mrs. Jia got into the carriage arranged by Xiao Jingchuan and traveled with them.

In the carriage, Madam Jia held Gu Liuli's hand and said excitedly, "Your Majesty, thanks to you and the Emperor, we were able to see Xiaoyan so quickly. I wonder how Xiaoyan is doing now, and how well the baby is growing."

Gu Liuli smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, Xiaoyan is very lucky. She and the baby are both fine. You'll be relieved when you see them."

Jia Dafu also said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Xiaoyan is where she is today entirely thanks to your care. As her parents, we have nothing to repay you with, we only ask that you continue to protect Xiaoyan and her child."

During the long journey to Xijing Kingdom, the group stopped to rest in an open area beside a mountain forest.

Sunlight filters through the dense foliage, casting dappled shadows and adding a touch of mystery to this tranquil mountain forest.

Xiao Nanyi and Xiao Nanyao, like two cheerful little deer, hopped and skipped off the carriage, filled with curiosity about everything around them.

Little Nan Yao excitedly pointed to a cluster of flowers not far away and said, "Little brother, look how pretty those flowers are! Let's go take a look!" Little Nan Yi's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly, following Little Nan Yao as they ran towards the flower cluster.

They strolled through the flowerbeds. Little Nanyao gently picked a small flower, tucked it into her hair, and asked Little Nanyi with a smile, "Brother, is it pretty?" Little Nanyi clapped his hands.

He laughed and said, "My little sister is so beautiful, like a flower fairy!"

Just as they were having a great time, they suddenly heard a faint moan. Xiao Nanyi stopped and listened carefully, saying, "Little sister, did you hear that sound? It sounds like a small animal is calling."

Xiao Nanyao stopped what she was doing and listened attentively. "It seems to be coming from the bushes over there." She pointed to a patch of dense grass not far away.

The two exchanged a glance, and curiosity led them to cautiously walk towards the bushes.

When they parted the bushes, the scene before them stunned them.

There was a dirty tiger cub curled up in the grass, its eyes filled with fear and helplessness, and blood was flowing from one of its hind legs, indicating that it was injured.

Xiao Nanyao covered her mouth with heartache and whispered, "How pitiful, it must be in so much pain."

Xiao Nanyi frowned and said, "Sister, we have to help it." With that, he turned and ran back to the resting place to find some clean strips of cloth and ointment.

Xiao Nanyao squatted down next to the tiger cub and said gently, "Little tiger, don't be afraid, we won't hurt you. We're here to help you get better."

The young tiger seemed to understand her words, and its tense body relaxed slightly, but it still looked at her warily.

A moment later, Xiao Nanyi came running back, panting. He handed the strips of cloth and ointment to Xiao Nanyao and said, "Sister, you know how to bandage, why don't you help it?"

Xiao Nanyao took the items and carefully approached the tiger cub. She gently stroked the cub's head to soothe it, and then began to carefully clean its wounds.

Although the tiger cub trembled slightly from the pain, it did not resist, seemingly knowing that the two children were helping it.

While bandaging the wound, Xiao Nanyao said, "Little Tiger, you have to be strong. The pain will subside soon. Once you're healed, you can go back to your mom and dad."

Xiao Nanyi also encouraged him from the side, "That's right, little tiger, we will protect you."

Just then, Xiao Jingchuan and Gu Liuli discovered that the children were missing, so they sent people to search for them.

When they found Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi, they were surprised to see them rescuing a tiger cub. Gu Liuli stepped forward and said gently, "Yaoyao, Yiyi, you did a great job, but tigers are very dangerous animals. It's dangerous for you to get so close to them."

Xiao Nanyao raised her head and said earnestly, "Mother, the little tiger is injured. It's so pitiful. We can't just ignore it."

Xiao Nanyi quickly added, "Father, we have already bandaged its wounds. Once it heals, we will let it go."

Looking into the kind and determined eyes of the two children, Xiao Jingchuan felt very gratified. He nodded and said, "It's good that you have such a kind heart, but if you encounter any dangerous situations in the future, you must tell an adult first."

At this moment, an experienced guard stepped forward, carefully examined the tiger cub's injuries, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, the tiger cub's injuries are not too serious. With proper care, it should recover quickly."

Xiao Jingchuan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's take it with us for now. Once it's healed, we'll find a suitable place to release it back into the mountains."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi jumped up with joy, feeling that they had done something truly remarkable.

During the rest of their journey, Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi would always make time to take care of the tiger cub.

They would bring it fresh food and water, and play with it. The tiger cub gradually became familiar with them, and when it saw them, it no longer looked wary, but would affectionately rub against their hands.

As the days went by, the tiger cub's injuries gradually improved.

Its spirits improved, and its originally dim eyes became bright.

Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi were overjoyed to see the young tiger recover day by day.

Finally, on a sunny day, the team arrived at a dense forest, a suitable place for the tiger cubs to return.

Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi looked at the tiger cub with reluctance. Xiao Nanyao stroked its head and said, "Little tiger, go back now. Take good care of yourself and don't get hurt again."

Xiao Nanyi, with tears in his eyes, said, "Yes, little tiger, we'll miss you."

The tiger cub seemed to sense the children's reluctance to part with it. It lingered around them for a while, then let out a long roar and ran into the forest.

Xiao Nanyao and Xiao Nanyi watched the direction the tiger cub had gone. Although they felt a little reluctant, they were mostly happy that it could return to nature.