Chapter 353 Hitting Someone in the Face

Princess Ping'an withdrew her gaze and looked at Mingzhu's almond-shaped eyes, which were filled with worry and confusion. She knew that her loss of composure just now had frightened her.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the turbulent thoughts in her heart, put on a gentle smile again, and patted Mingzhu's hand lightly.

"Silly girl, what could possibly happen? The Emperor is a man of great talent and ambition, ruling the central government with peace and prosperity throughout the land." Her tone was light, as if the previous solemnity was just an illusion.

"Perhaps you're just tired from the long boat ride and overthinking. Don't make wild guesses. Just stay in the palace, stop being naughty, and don't cause trouble for the Emperor and Empress, understand?"

Mingzhu was still a little skeptical, but seeing that Princess Ping'an's expression had returned to normal, she felt a little relieved and muttered, "Oh, okay, cousin, you scared me to death."

Princess Ping'an comforted her a few more times, then excused herself, saying she was tired from the journey and needed to rest, and left first.

After parting ways with Princess Ping'an, Mingzhu's unease did not dissipate; instead, it snowballed and grew larger.

She boarded the carriage back home, her mind heavy with worries, and didn't even have the heart to look at her favorite street food.

The carriage slowed down when it reached a relatively quiet street.

Mingzhu idly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain to look outside, when she was suddenly drawn to two figures not far from the alley entrance.

One of the figures was very familiar to her; it was Shen Yi.

The other was tall and wore clothing that was distinctly different from that of the people of the Central Plains. He had deep-set eyes, a high nose, and a fierce demeanor. He also carried a strangely shaped curved sword at his waist. He was clearly not a citizen of the Great Liang.

The two were standing at the alley entrance, talking in hushed tones. Shen Yi still wore that nonchalant smile, but his eyes were sharper than usual.

The foreign man had a serious expression and nodded from time to time.

Mingzhu's heart skipped a beat.

How could Shen Yi be in private contact with people of a different race? And in such a remote place?

Could he be the most deeply hidden supervillain?!

Recalling Princess Ping'an's worried expression just now, a terrible thought instantly rushed into her mind, making her hands and feet turn ice cold.

Her heart pounded, and she suddenly felt as if she had discovered a shocking secret.

"Stop the car," Mingzhu whispered.

The carriage stopped silently in the shadows by the roadside. Mingzhu took a deep breath, signaled the driver and guards to wait where they were, and then lifted her skirt and tiptoed off the carriage.

Using the clutter on the street as cover, she quietly approached the alley, wanting to hear more clearly.

Unfortunately, it was still quite far away, and I could only vaguely hear a few indistinct words.

"...the border...supplies...the royal court..."

This is outrageous!

Just as Mingzhu held her breath and tried to hear more, a lazy voice sounded above her head.

"Is the princess playing hide-and-seek? May I join in?"

Mingzhu was so startled she almost jumped up. When she looked up, she met Shen Yi's smiling eyes.

He was leisurely fanning himself, unaware that he had already spotted her, while the foreign man had long since vanished.

Oh no, we've been found out! Will Shen Yi kill her to silence her?

Mingzhu felt a chill run down her spine, her mind racing.

She took a step back, covered her chest with both hands, and looked aggrieved, her eyes reddening easily.

"I was just passing by and saw you here, so I wanted to say hello. You suddenly appeared out of nowhere, were you trying to scare me to death?!"

As she spoke, she quickly glanced around out of the corner of her eye, searching for the direction of her guards.

She cannot bow down to evil forces; she must shoulder the responsibilities of a princess!

Shen Yi was taken aback by her counterattack, then chuckled and tapped her forehead with his fan.

"So you're the one who's accusing me first? You were the one sneaking around here, but now it's my fault?"

But before he could finish speaking, Mingzhu took advantage of his distraction, suddenly raised her hand, and swung it forcefully in the direction where her guards were hiding.

The guards, who had noticed the situation earlier, sprang out of the shadows without hesitation, raised the wooden sticks they had prepared, and struck Shen Yi precisely on the back of the neck.

Shen Yi thought Mingzhu was just a child and wasn't on guard. Suddenly faced with this calamity, the smile on his face froze instantly. He looked at Mingzhu in disbelief, then everything went black before he collapsed softly, without even having time to utter a sound.

Mingzhu looked at Shen Yi lying on the ground, patted her chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately gave orders to the guards.

"Quickly, tie him up tightly, put him in a sack, gag him, and come with me to the palace! I want to see my royal uncle in person!"

The guards moved swiftly, quickly packing the unconscious Shen Yi into a human-shaped dumpling and stuffing him into the carriage.

They sped into the palace, and Mingzhu didn't even wait for the announcement. She had Shenyi carried into the imperial study.

"Uncle! Uncle! Something terrible has happened! I've caught the traitor!"

Mingzhu started shouting as soon as she entered the door, her little face flushed red with excitement and nervousness.

Huo Lin was reviewing memorials when the sudden commotion startled him so much that his pen paused, and a drop of ink fell onto the memorial.

He looked up, frowning at the loud and boisterous Mingzhu, and the sack that the guards had thrown down behind her.

"It's not Dragon Boat Festival yet, why are you making zongzi?"

Mingzhu rushed to the imperial desk, panting, and pointed to the sacks on the ground.

"Royal Uncle! This is Shen Yi! I saw him with my own eyes meeting with a suspicious-looking foreigner in a secluded alley! They were talking about the border, supplies, and the royal court! They're definitely plotting to betray the country and collude with the enemy!"

Huo Lin: ...

He looked at the lifeless human-shaped dumpling on the ground, then at his niece who was pleading for praise, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

Shen Yi is a traitor? Shen Yi has almost sold himself to him, how could he have time to be a traitor?

Meeting a girl like Mingzhu, who has a rich imagination and is full of action, is probably a tribulation he was destined to encounter.

He sighed and waved to the guard beside him, "What are you all standing there for? Untie me."

The guards rushed forward and hurriedly untied the sack and ropes.

The sack was removed, revealing Shen Yi's somewhat disheveled face, with a red mark on the back of his neck, his eyes closed, still unconscious.

Looking at his friend's miserable state, and then recalling his friend's usual dashing and resourceful demeanor, Huo Lin thought about how Huo Lin was used to it.

I'm sorry, the contrast is just too great, it's really hard to suppress that smile.

He struggled to suppress his laughter, and his shoulders twitched almost imperceptibly.

However, Mingzhu deserves praise. In critical moments, although he was a bit reckless, he did show some quick wit and courage.

That was a bit too ruthless, *sigh*...

"Cough cough!"

He cleared his throat, striving to maintain his imperial dignity, and said to Mingzhu, who was still eagerly awaiting his reaction, "I know about this matter. You are very vigilant..."

Upon hearing this, Mingzhu's eyes lit up, and she prepared herself for praise.

Then Huo Lin changed the subject: "However, Shen Yi is not colluding with the enemy. He is carrying out my secret decree to contact spies from the Western Regions and gather intelligence."

Mingzhu's smug expression froze instantly, turning into astonishment.

W-what? The Imperial Uncle's decree?

Then...didn't she knock out the minister that the Imperial Uncle had sent on a secret mission, tie him up like a dumpling, and send him to the palace?

Oh no, I didn't even get to make a name for myself, and now I've run into bad luck!