Chapter 644: Chapter 644: Courting Death Is Asking for Trouble
The door of an ordinary carriage by the roadside suddenly opened.
The female driver immediately jumped down from the carriage shaft, lowered her head, and extended her hand.
A hand slowly reached out, steadily resting on the back of the female driver’s hand.
It was clearly a woman’s hand, yet it was different from the delicate and soft hands of ordinary women; it was distinct in the joints, slender and dry, with a palm slightly wider, and calluses could be seen on the knuckles.
These hands were not exactly beautiful, but they were very powerful.
A tall woman, wearing a veil and dressed in riding attire, emerged from the carriage and, with the help of the female driver, stepped down from the wooden ladder.
Just standing in front of the carriage, she exuded an irresistible aura of authority. Behind the long-hanging veil, her features were hidden, but from her voice, it could be guessed she was about thirty-five or thirty-six.
Mu Ling was surprised and looked over, "Your Highness?" She hadn’t expected the Princess to come personally.
With one call of "Your Highness," the woman’s identity became clear.
The common folk who had been standing around the carriage suddenly dropped to their knees in fright, and in the blink of an eye, people were bowing around the carriage.
Even Bai He and the people from the Imperial City Department anxiously bent over.
An old man who was in the know saw a few people next to him still standing recklessly and quickly pulled them down, "Kneel down quickly, that’s the Princess!"
Pulled by the hem, Qin Yao and Liu Ji exchanged glances and crouched down with the children. Anyway, they were far away and whether they knelt or not the Princess probably wouldn’t see.
Just peering from afar at the authoritative Princess, Liu Ji was greatly disappointed.
He had thought princesses were all graceful and stunning, but this Princess looked simple and plain. Her aura even somewhat resembled the shrew at his home?
Just thinking like this, Liu Ji shuddered violently and began to sympathize with the Prince Consort he had never met.
Tsk tsk tsk, who knows what kind of life that one is living.
The Princess stood in front of the carriage, saying to Mu Ling with an unreadable tone, "Come over."
Bai He dared not hold Mu Ling anymore and had his men release her.
Mu Ling shot a fierce glare at Bai He and Liu Qian, then quickly walked to the Princess, kneeling on one knee to apologize.
"I failed to do my duty, causing Your Highness to handle matters personally; please punish me, Your Highness!"
The veil on the Princess’s head slightly tilted, as if she glanced at her. Through the veil’s fabric, feeling the gaze of the eyes’ owner, Mu Ling’s throat tightened, swallowing nervously and bowing even lower.
As if much time had passed, yet seemingly only a moment, the tilted veil returned its attention. Mu Ling exhaled half a breath.
"My subordinates have been thoughtless, causing trouble for you all." The Princess apologized gently to Liu Qian and Bai He.
The two were anxious, bowing deeply, Liu Qian quickly responded that they dared not accept.
A laugh came from under the veil, the gaze turning to Bai He, "How is the Crown Prince lately? Have the assassins plotting against the Crown Prince been caught?"
Bai He shook his head, "I thank Your Highness the Princess on behalf of the Crown Prince; His Highness is very well, the assassins have been captured."
She was slightly surprised, "Oh, yesterday I heard that Lord He personally led a chase beyond Nan Lou Pass. Captured so quickly?"
Bai He nodded, speaking a lie with open eyes: "Yes, they have been captured."
"That’s reassuring. With you by the Crown Prince’s side, he is truly fortunate." She laughed again, sounding like an elder sister caring for her brother once she knew he was safe.
"Let’s go, you two continue." The Princess nodded lightly to Bai He and Liu Qian, turned around, and boarded the ordinary carriage.
Mu Ling led her horse, walking beside the carriage, and the group of three soon walked away.
It appeared that the Princess was just passing by and did not get involved in the Zhu Family confiscation.
In reality, her appearance, while leisurely chatting, took a quarter of an hour. Plus, the time Mu Ling had previously created, the Zhu Family women had enough time to pack and prepare.
Moreover, after such an event, the people from the Imperial City Department did not dare to overstep and did not search the jewelry carried by the Zhu Family women.
But the belongings in the Zhu Mansion, even a single stool, were taken away completely. In less than half an hour, the formerly affluent and luxurious Zhu Mansion became an empty house.
Liu Ji watched with eyes wide open, not knowing what he thought, scared himself half to death.
Qin Yao gave him a peculiar look, "What are you doing?"
With the significant figures gone, the common folk stood up again, the spectacle was over, and everyone dispersed to go about their business.
Liu Ji led Si Niang to the side of the street where there were fewer people, passing by the empty Zhu Mansion gate, glancing in with emotion, "How did it become empty in the blink of an eye?"
He turned around to look for Qin Yao, seeing her standing right behind him, feeling reassured, he mumbled:
"Wife, if we offend the powerful in Capital, will we also end up with confiscation and exile?"
Qin Yao shook her head earnestly, "No."
Liu Ji was overjoyed, "Really?"
Qin Yao’s lips curled with a hint of a smile, looked at him with sympathy, and spoke word by word: "Of course, because we would only end up with the entire family’s execution or clan extermination."
Liu Ji’s newly spread smile stiffened, gradually collapsing, looking dejected, no longer wanting to utter a word to her!
"But if we offend Her Highness the Princess, wouldn’t we fall to such a fate?" Yin Le suddenly looked at Ah Wang, asking tentatively in a small voice.
He’s a native of Capital, surely he knows about such things.
Ah Wang glanced at her bizarrely, "Why would you say that?"
Yin Le fiddled with her sleeve, shaking her head, unable to articulate it properly. Seeing the Zhu Family’s confiscation earlier, and the Princess’s personal involvement, she felt like the Princess might not be so tyrannical.
Ah Wang reminded her, "Did you forget about Mr. Gongliang’s leg?"
Yin Le was startled, "What’s Mr. Gongliang’s leg got to do with it?"
She didn’t know how Gongliang Liao’s leg was lost; Ah Wang glanced at Qin Yao and seeing her indifferent expression, whispered a few words into Yin Le’s ear.
Yin Le was shocked, instantly feeling chills, "Mr. Gongliang’s leg, his leg actually..."
Unspoken words were quickly muffled by Ah Wang’s hand over her mouth.
Realizing she almost misspoke, Yin Le clenched her teeth tightly, rushed forward two steps to Qin Yao’s side, grabbed her wrist—Capital is terrifying, Master save me!
Qin Yao glared at Ah Wang annoyedly, seeing how scared he made her.
Ah Wang looked innocent, wasn’t it Madam who instructed him to speak?
Qin Yao sighed softly, patted her disciple’s trembling hand, "Don’t worry, as long as we don’t court death, we won’t die; we are honest and upright citizens."
Yin Le nodded heavily, "Yes, we are honest citizens." As if saying it would keep fear at bay.
Qin Yao chuckled, pulling the soul-lost Liu Ji from the middle of the street, continuing with the family toward South Market.
Unnoticed, in the alley, a pair of eyes beside the supposedly far-off ordinary carriage found them, looking very shocked.
