Chapter 234

Fan Xiaoxiao was suddenly startled. Acheng was the name of her deceased brother-in-law!

She looked incredulously at Madam Fan, who was crying so hard she was almost speechless. It was only thanks to Hu San and the others' quick reflexes that they managed to pull their elder sister back, preventing her from rushing onto the platform.

The people on the stage seemed to be startled by her sudden shout. The group that had just been discussing the village chief's farming methods all turned to look at the audience.

General Yu's jaw muscles twitched slightly, his brows furrowed, and he looked at Madam Fan with some confusion.

"Madam, are you perhaps mistaken? My name is Yu, and it is simply 'Shan'."

Ms. Fan froze for a moment, but then tears still streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"No, no, you're A-Cheng! I... I couldn't possibly be mistaken!"

Even as she spoke, she struggled with tremendous force. Despite her wrists being torn red, Madam Fan continued to desperately twist her body towards the platform.

“Acheng, you are Acheng! Acheng, I will take you home. I will take you home.”

A subtle commotion had already begun to stir in the crowd. The villagers who had been standing around Fan Shi immediately distanced themselves from her, afraid that if they were too late, they would be implicated with the seemingly insane Fan Shi.

The soldier who had been bumped into by Fan Xiaoxiao had also sensed something was amiss. He frowned and stepped forward to block them, urgently whispering to Madam Fan, "Madam! Don't cause trouble here! You'll get into trouble!"

But it was too late for him; a seductive and alluring female voice had already come from behind the white curtain.

"What are you all making such a racket about?"

Fan Xiaoxiao froze. Judging from the voice, it was Ren Le!

She almost subconsciously gave Hu San a wink, and the latter, without hesitation, immediately knocked Fan Shi unconscious with a single palm strike.

The crying stopped abruptly, and Fan's body went limp as she lost consciousness.

White curtains fluttered as Renle emerged, wearing a knee-high hat. Several maids still followed her, but the guard who used to be by her side was nowhere to be seen.

"Long live the princess!"

When everyone saw her come out, they all knelt down. Fan Xiaoxiao struggled to support Fan Shi and also lowered her head.

"Hmm... Just now, I heard someone crying inside. General Yu, weren't you talking about donating grain? What... have you gotten yourself into some romantic entanglements?"

When Ren Le said this, there was a hint of a smile in his voice. But even with that smile, Fan Xiaoxiao could still detect a chilling threat in his voice.

This mad princess seems to be somewhat unusual to the general.

Fan Xiaoxiao bit her lower lip, thinking to herself, "Sister, oh sister! We're walking into a trap! Of all people to look like my brother-in-law, why did it have to be this General Yu of all people?! Renle is a madman, and who knows what this woman might do to us when she goes crazy!"

"Why aren't you saying anything? Does General Yu not take me seriously?"

Ren Le's words grew increasingly cold, and Fan Xiaoxiao secretly glanced at the stage. The general in question was, undeniably, a man of considerable stature; despite Ren Le's relentless questioning, he remained head bowed, showing no outward emotional fluctuation.

However, after Ren Le said that he didn't take her seriously, the general's hand twitched slightly.

"This humble general dares not!"

"Dare not? I think you're quite bold!"

As they were talking, Ren Le walked over to Fan Xiaoxiao and the others.

Today, she wasn't wearing that red outfit; instead, she was dressed in a plain-colored dress. Fan Xiaoxiao quickly averted her gaze, not daring to let her notice anything amiss.

But the woman had no intention of letting them go. Instead, she stopped next to the unconscious Ms. Fan.

"General Yu, I favor you. Therefore, I will not punish you. However, tell me, what is your relationship with this woman?"

Almost instantly, goosebumps crawled up Fan Xiaoxiao's arm and up to her ears. An unprecedented sense of crisis swept over her entire body, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Fan Shi's hand.

However, General Yu seemed unaffected by her words. After glancing up to confirm who Renle was referring to, he quickly lowered his head again: "The lady the princess mentioned is someone I've never met before. So, she has no connection to me."

"It's alright... then why did she call you... A-Cheng?"

"I am unaware of this matter."

"Oh? I don't know... Guards, wake this woman up for me."

Fan Xiaoxiao's hand suddenly tightened; it seemed Ren Le was determined to pursue this matter relentlessly. Fan was far too agitated to be interrogated!

She gritted her teeth and looked up at Renle before the maids could knock Fan down.

"Princess, please have mercy!"

Ren Le's hat trembled slightly, as if he had just realized that Fan Xiaoxiao was there.

"So it's you, Lady Xiao. Do you know this woman?"

This was clearly a rhetorical question. Fan Xiaoxiao, supporting Fan Shi with one hand, knelt and bowed to her with the other. It was obvious that she and Fan Shi were acquaintances.

"This is my elder sister. She suddenly remembered my deceased brother-in-law when she saw General Yu, and she has become delirious for a moment, which is why she is like this. Please, Your Highness, have mercy and let my poor sister calm down."

"Oh... I'm having a fit of hysteria..."

Renle gave a long reply, but instead of trying to wake Fan Shi up, he suddenly squatted down in front of Fan Xiaoxiao.

"So you're Lady Xiao's older sister! Come to think of it, I don't seem to know your surname or where you're from."

Fan Xiaoxiao was startled by the woman's swaying hat. Up close, even through the thin veil, her sinister gaze was clearly visible. But now was not the time to be afraid. Fan Xiaoxiao gave Ren Le a slight smile, her voice as calm as ever.

"I am grateful for Your Highness's concern. I am naturally surnamed Wang, following my father's surname, and I am from Xiangcheng."

"Jingchuan... oh, that's quite far from here... do you have the necessary travel documents?"

“Princess, what are you saying? Although my family is poor, we are still a respectable family. However, I have kept the travel documents at home. If Your Highness needs them, I will fetch them now.”

Ren Le clearly didn't believe Fan Xiaoxiao's words and didn't seem to intend to let her off the hook, continuing to ask her all sorts of questions. Fortunately, Fan Xiaoxiao had already explained all the questions she wanted to ask on the way here, including the customs documents, which she had also had the Ghost Doctor forge several copies of.

Moreover, because Aunt Wang's accent was quite strong, Fan Xiaoxiao specially forged a household registration for her in Xiangcheng, a city not far from Jingchuan but somewhat remote. Now, if Renle really wants to investigate her, Fan Xiaoxiao can produce the corresponding documents.

Fortunately, Renle only squinted her eyes after hearing what she said. She didn't actually ask Fan Xiaoxiao to get the things. She stared at Fan Xiaoxiao's eyes for a while, then chuckled softly and stood up again.

"Since you've said so, my lady, I'll believe you this once. After all, I truly love your cooking. Actually, what your surname is doesn't really matter."

"As long as—your family name isn't Fan. That's fine."

(End of this chapter)