Chapter 91 Chapter 91 [VIP]

Chapter 91

How can I not be afraid?

She had been robbed twice. The time when she first arrived in Yangzhou was one thing, as they didn't know her identity and it could be said to be a coincidence. But today, in the street, with the prefectural government office right next to her, they knew her identity, yet they still dared to rob her.

He is so arrogant and bold, he must be a desperado.

When people are scared, tears will fall uncontrollably. Song Yunzhao held a cloth in his hand and kept wiping his blurred vision. Seeing that he was sitting far away like last time and was not rude to him, doubts arose in his heart and he could not tell whether he was a good person or a bad person.

She didn't know what time it was outside. He said someone would come pick her up, but he didn't let her go. She didn't dare run, so she asked cautiously, "You, who are you?"

Last time he said he was a hunter, which was obviously a lie.

"Duan Yuanjin." He turned around, not hiding his identity at all. "A bandit from the mountain stronghold."

Song Yunzhao was stunned.

After a moment's reaction, she quickly covered her eyes, "I didn't, I didn't see your face..." She stammered incoherently, "I've always had a bad memory, especially of people's faces. Even if I see them, I quickly forget them..."

Duan Yuanjin didn't mean to scare her, but she thought too much.

Duan Yuanjin was helpless and stopped talking, turning his head to look outside the house.

After hearing no sound for a long time, Song Yunzhao put down his hand and opened his eyes. He saw that he was still sitting quietly on the bamboo chair, facing the window. It was obvious that he had no intention of killing him to silence him.

Is he waiting for someone to pick her up?

She had just heard the old man mention the young lady of the Qian family. Unsure if it was Qian Tong, she tentatively asked, "Do you know my sister-in-law?"

"Yes, I know him." Duan Yuanjin glanced sideways.

This is very good. Song Yunzhao finally breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "I will give you the silver."

The door was not closed, and the lights from the village outside shone in, reflected on the window where he was. When he turned around, the corners of his lips seemed to smile under the halo, but he did not answer.

Song Yunzhao knew that he had broken his promise once. No matter how many promises he made, they would all be empty words before he gave anything concrete.

The cloth in her hand was warm from her kneading it, and she wanted to return it to him, but she felt that it was soiled by her, and it would not be nice to give it to him like this. Just as she was hesitating, Duan Yuanjin stood up.

He tried to take a step closer to her. Seeing that she didn't shrink back, he continued to move forward. When he reached the bed, he reached out to take the cloth and asked, "Are you not crying anymore?"

Song Yunzhao was stunned.

She was crying because she was scared. As long as he didn't hurt her, she wouldn't cry.

He shook his head quickly.

Duan Yuanjin leaned over and took the cloth from her hand, walked to the washbasin, wrung out the water, washed it, and put it back on the wooden rack.

Seeing that he was so familiar with the room, Song Yunzhao realized that she should be in his room. It was not appropriate for her to sit on the couch like this, but both of her boots were gone. One was placed in front of the bed after he brought it in, and the other was kicked off by her and fell two steps away from him.

Not sure if he would allow him to move around freely, and fearing to annoy him, Song Yunzhao decided to ask quietly before taking action: "Can I put on my boots first?"

Duan Yuanjin didn't say yes or no, but he bent down, picked up the boot closest to him, and walked to the bed.

That's fine.

Song Yunzhao hurriedly moved to the edge of the bed and was about to get out to pick up the boot in front of the bed, but a hand in front of her reached it before her, and then the foot standing in front of her also took a step forward and sat on the bed with her.

Faced with the sudden approach, Song Yunzhao subconsciously shrank back, but his ankle was grabbed.

Song Yunzhao didn't dare to move at first, until the soles of his feet in stockings were pinched in his palms, then he began to struggle. Thinking of what he had just said to the old man, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he told him: "I, I can't marry you, and you can't force me to marry you. I'm already engaged and have a fiancé."

The hand holding the sole of her foot paused slightly, and her struggle just now accidentally lifted up his sleeve. There was a hideous scar on his forearm, five fingers away from the back of his hand.

When Song Yunzhao saw this, he was also frightened and dared not move.

Duan Yuanjin continued to help her put on her boots and reminded her, "Your elbow is injured."

Song Yunzhao was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously raised his forearm. His wide sleeves slid to her elbow in an instant, revealing two obvious red marks on her smooth and white skin.

When she was abducted and brought up the mountain, she accidentally brushed against it while struggling.

The fear tonight overwhelmed the pain, and she didn't notice it at all. It was only after he reminded her that she felt a slight stinging pain in the wound. After just one look, Song Yunzhao hurriedly covered his sleeves.

Duan Yuanjin seemed not to notice and never raised his eyes. After putting on her boots, he stood up and walked away, explaining, "Don't worry, Madam Song. What I just said to the old man was just a temporary solution. I hope you won't blame me if my words were offensive."

, 7 believed that he was a good person.

The man got down from the bed and said, "Young Master, you saved me twice. I didn't know you were such a good man."

Duan Yuanjin smiled when he heard this, "Have you ever seen a bandit who is a good person?"

It was her first time meeting the bandit, and she had also seen his true appearance. She was lying if she said she didn't remember his face. She said, "I don't think this is the right way for a young master."

Duan Yuanjin turned around, his eyes meeting hers through the dim light beneath his mask. Before he could speak, a woman's voice rang out from the village below, "Duan Yuanjin, get out here!"

——

The person who came was Qian Tong.

Holding a torch, he stood in the center of the village.

After the shout, Song Yunzhao was the first to come out. She recognized Qian Tong's voice and quickly ran out of the house. After seeing Qian Tong, she ran towards her excitedly, "Sister-in-law..."

Duan Yuanjin followed her slowly.

Qian Tong was worried all the way and started to inquire about Song Yunzhao from afar. Seeing that her face was calm and her clothes were intact, only her hair was a little messy, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Song Yunzhao was fine originally, but when he saw someone coming to rescue him, he remembered what happened that night and walked up to Qian Tong. He threw himself into Qian Tong's arms and sobbed, "Sister-in-law..."

Qian Tong's face turned cold, and he glared at Duan Yuanjin behind her and asked Song Yunzhao in a low voice, "Did he bully you?"

Song Yunzhao shook his head and nodded.

"It's okay." Qian Tong patted her back and comforted her for a while, then ordered Fu Yin to help her onto the horse. He then walked up to Duan Yuanjin, glanced at him, raised his hand and slapped him.

After the call, he lowered his voice and said, "Song Yunzhi is here."

Song Yunzhao was about to mount her horse when she heard the sound of the slap. She turned back in shock. She had not expected Qian Tong to hit Master Duan. She hurried over to explain, "Sister-in-law, he didn't bully me..."

Duan Yuanjin turned his face to the side after being hit by the slap, and he didn't turn around for a long time.

Song Yunzhao felt guilty, tugged at Qian Tong's sleeve, pulled her aside, and looked apologetically at the young bandit leader in front of him, "Sister-in-law didn't know about this, Master Duan, I'm sorry..."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of earth-shaking horse hooves from the woods behind him. Soon, the light of torches came from behind, illuminating the village as bright as day.

Everyone in the village was alarmed and rushed out of their houses, holding knives and guns, and on high alert.

Song Yunzhi's horse walked in front, followed by Chen Che.

When they received the news that Song Yunzhao had disappeared, the three of them had just finished discussing matters. At first, Chen Che thought he had misheard. The young princess of the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion was actually kidnapped?

It was in an alley less than ten miles away from the prefectural government.

If you think about it carefully, there is nothing to be surprised about. Yangzhou is a place full of talented people and there are many people who are not afraid of death. Didn’t the lady of the Qian family trap the queen’s nephew and the eldest princess’s son in sacks?

The three of them got up and immediately went to look for someone.

After receiving the news from Qian Tong, Song Yunzhi rode his horse straight to the stronghold without saying a word.

Chen Che followed him all the way. He had been sent by the evildoers as a servant of the Qian family to the mountains to transport goods for more than a month. He had heard of the reputation of Young Master Duan a long time ago. The thugs of the Qian family would panic and flee as soon as they heard the name of Young Master Duan.

It's really terrifying.

Not only were they afraid themselves, but they also forced him to be afraid.

Hearing that Song Yunzhi was going up the mountain, Chen Che followed without hesitation. He also wanted to see what kind of person that Young Master Duan was to scare that group of people like that.

Song Yunzhi came here once. When his horse arrived in front of the village, he dismounted and walked in.

As soon as I entered, I saw three people in the center of the village.

Song Yunzhi first glanced at Qian Tong, then moved his gaze to Song Yunzhao. Noticing her messy hair, his eyes suddenly became sharp. Seeing that she was too close to Duan Yuanjin, he said coldly, "Come here."

Song Yunzhao knew his brother's character. He was upright and incorruptible and could not tolerate any evil forces. Now that he knew that she had been captured by bandits and taken to their lair, he might raze the place tonight.

The bandits should indeed be eliminated, but...

Song Yunzhao glanced at Duan Yuanjin, who had just been slapped and was in a desperate situation. He thought that he could kill himself after tonight and erase the evidence, but he didn't. He stayed with her until his brother came to find him.

Just now he had the opportunity to hold her hostage and try to escape.

He still didn't.

Song Yunzhao didn't know how bad the bandits were, but she felt that the man in front of her was not a bad person. Therefore, she mustered up the courage to beg her brother to spare his life, "Brother, Master Duan is a good man. He didn't hurt me. Please don't make things difficult for him..."

Before he could finish his words, Song Yunzhi cast a cold glance at him. His gaze was serious and scrutinizing, just like his father's. Song Yunzhao's neck shrank, and he swallowed the second half of his sentence in fear.

Song Yunzhi ordered the secret guards: "Take the princess to the horse."

After Song Yunzhao and An Gan left, Song Yunzhi looked at the masked young man in front of him and said solemnly, "Young Master Duan, do you want to come with me on your own, or wait until I flatten this place and then take you away?"

Duan Yuanjin was slapped, but he couldn't take it for nothing, so he kept silent and waited for Madam Qian, who had slapped him, to help him solve the problem.

Chen Che also arrived at this time, holding a sword in his hand, full of fighting spirit, and asked loudly: "Who is Young Master Duan..."

When the man approached, Qian Tong suddenly rushed over and cleverly blocked him behind him. He put his arm around Song Yunzhi's arm and laughed twice, easing the tense atmosphere. "Didn't the prince ask me to ask Young Master Duan to come out so we can meet and have a good talk?"

Song Yunzhi twisted his eyes and turned his head to look at her.

The people of the Duan family were able to kidnap the little princess of the Marquis' Mansion, his own sister, right under his nose. They acted so arrogantly and lawlessly. Could it be that she still wanted to keep this village?

Qian Tong pretended not to see his cold eyes and reminded him, "Have you forgotten, Prince? The last time the Prince was surrounded by the Third Madam at the dock, it was Young Master Duan who sent someone to rescue him..."

"What do you mean by rescue? Bandits are bandits, stop talking nonsense, who is Young Master Duan? I haven't exercised for a long time, and my hands are itching to do something..." Shen Che was stopped by Qian Tong and was stopped behind. He was confused and changed direction. When he was about to join the team to suppress the bandits, he was blocked by Qian Tong's body.

hiss--

Shen Che took a breath, what did she mean?

Before he could get angry, Qian Tong turned around and bared his teeth at him, "Don't add fuel to the fire, go to the back..."

Chen Che: ...

Chen Che: "You..."

Qian Tong raised his eyebrows and pointed at Prince Song with a warning look in his eyes.

Chen Che didn't manage to curse her out loud.

Without anyone to add fuel to the fire, Qian Tong continued to talk to Song Yunzhi, "Sister Zhao said it wasn't Young Master Duan's doing, and the Crown Prince just heard it. Sister Zhao is grateful to Young Master Duan. What exactly happened tonight? It's not too late to find out before making a decision..."

Song Yunzhi remained silent.

She had another plan in mind. Since Duan Yuanjin was her man, she had tricked him here because she really intended to use Young Master Duan to kill him...

Does she still need to protect it now?

There was a sudden slight pain in my heart.

The palm of my hand was gently scratched by a few fingers: "Prince..."

After a while, Song Yunzhi raised his eyes and said, "Then please trouble Young Master Duan to go with me and explain to me what happened tonight." He gave him the opportunity to explain and would not touch a single cent of his stronghold. This was his bottom line.

Qian Tong knew that this matter would not end so easily.

Song Yunzhao is his biological sister and the only princess of the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion. She was abducted to the village for no reason. Both the reputation of the Marquis's Mansion and Sister Zhao's innocence will be affected.

He was understandably angry.

Whether it was hitting her or Duan Yuanjin, she would accept it. Qian Tong nodded slightly to Duan Yuanjin.

This trip was inevitable. Duan Yuanjin bowed to Song Yunzhi and said, "Your Highness is kind and magnanimous. I am willing to accompany you on this journey." He turned around and waved to the bandits behind him who were ready to fight to the death. "Everyone, retreat. Take good care of the old man."

——

After Song Yunzhao was brought back to the prefectural government, Song Yunzhi assigned two secret guards to guard her.

After knowing that his brother did not strangle the bandit nest, Song Yunzhao breathed a sigh of relief. After bathing, he accidentally heard the news from the maid, "Young Master Duan has been locked up."

Song Yunzhao was stunned. He is here too?

Brother won’t kill him, right?

Song Yunzhao hurried to look for Qian Tong, but Qian Tong was no longer in the prefectural government and had returned to the Qian family.

When he came back tonight, Qian Tong apologized to Song Yunzhi.

He started from the moment Duan Yuanjin was born, recounting all the good deeds he had done in his life. He promised Song Yunzhi, "This will never happen again. Didn't Duan Yuanjin say it was Old Man Duan who kidnapped Zhao Jie'er? Old Man Duan was very old and was crazy about having a grandson. His eyes were dim, and he actually fell in love with Zhao Jie'er. His ambition was higher than the sky, and he wanted to kidnap her to be his daughter-in-law, and by the way, he wanted to punish me, fearing that I would betray them... Duan Yuanjin has already stopped it and promised us to lock up the old man and prevent him from getting involved in the affairs of the mountain stronghold again. He is also willing to accept punishment. Thirty lashes are enough to prove his innocence..."

Song Yunzhi didn't find it moving at all. "Since he's so sincere, why doesn't he accept the offer of amnesty?"

"Recruit them, and then what?" Qian Tong asked, "How much food did I use to support a village? If it weren't for Duan Yuanjin, I would have died countless times over the years. The prince just said "recruit them" and took them away..."

Song Yunzhi couldn't deny that Duan Yuanjin had helped her a lot, including that he himself had received support from him, but that was in the past. With him in her future, she would not be in danger. "You and I are about to get married. You are the princess of the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion. Your safety will be taken care of by my mansion." She no longer needed bandits to protect her.

He tried to advise calmly: "If you try to get the skin of a tiger, you will be bitten back. Money and copper..."

Qian Tong smiled and interrupted, "Can the prince protect me all the time? Can he protect me forever? And what's the point of trying to get the skin of a tiger? In this world, what business isn't tied to profit? Whether there's backlash or not depends on whether you've given the other party enough..."

Song Yunzhi opened his mouth, "You..."

Qian Tong questioned, "If the Crown Prince can employ secret guards, why can't I employ a few of my own?"

Song Yunzhi: "If you want a secret guard, I can..."

"Can it be the same?" Qian Tong said to him, "Your Highness can call Meng Qing out now and ask him in person, if one of us must die, what will he choose?"

Song Yunzhi was stunned, not understanding what was going on in her mind. He frowned and said, "Why are you and I opposed to each other? You and I are one as husband and wife..."

"Okay, I got it..." Qian Tong was a little impatient. He couldn't make his point with him. Suddenly, he felt a little regretful. He shouldn't have told him about the counterfeit in the first place.

Seeing her attitude, Song Yunzhi's breathing became unstable. He put down the wolf hair brush in his hand, looked at her solemnly, and made full preparations. He vowed to figure out the right and wrong with her tonight.

Qian Tong spoke up first, "If you think that by marrying me, you'll have the final say over everything I do, and I'll just have to stay in the backyard, be fed, and protected by you, then I advise you to give up on that idea as soon as possible." Qian Tong said, "I learned to be self-reliant at a young age. I like to earn my own food and never beg for anything."

It is impossible to give up money and copper.

What was the foundation of a merchant family? Even if she married him, and one day they turned against each other, he could turn around and wipe out the Qian family.

At critical moments, aren't it these connections that save your life?

Song Yunzhi was so angry that his chest felt sore and swollen, and he said in a hoarse voice: "Qian Tong, I never thought of deciding your life..." Just for Duan Yuanjin, she cared so much?

Qian Tong drooped his eyes.

Song Yunzhi continued, "I'm analyzing with you the pros and cons of keeping bandits captive. Bandits have always been bad..."

The village was going to be destroyed anyway. Qian Tong didn't want to listen to his big talk and suddenly said self-deprecatingly, "I told you, we're not suitable to live together. It would be better for us to be lovers and part ways amicably. But the prince insisted on this marriage..." She really didn't like quarrels and was fed up with the atmosphere. She hugged her head and scratched it, "Is it fun now?"

Song Yunzhi's heart suddenly tightened and his face turned pale.

Despite this, he still suppressed his heartache and explained to her, "When two people live together, there will be disagreements. As long as there is love..." Song Yunzhi suddenly couldn't continue.

Before getting married, she told him that her slight affection for him was not enough to make her marry him.

When Qian Tong saw that he had shut up, he knew that he had made him angry.

She didn't want to argue with him. If they continued, they would probably argue all night. It would be best for both of them to calm down first. She stood up and said, "The prince has been busy these days, I'll go back to live first."

She was afraid that he would kill Duan Yuanjin in a fit of rage while she was away, so she made an agreement with him in advance: "I will not give Duan Yuanjin to you. If anything happens to him, you, Song Yun, and I will never reconcile."

After saying this, Qian Tong walked out.

The footsteps gradually disappeared at the door, and the person had completely disappeared. The dizzy feeling in Song Yunzhi's head slowly subsided. His fist was clenched too close, and his fingertips had pierced his palm without him knowing when.

Song Yunzhao didn't know what had happened. When he rushed over, he only saw Song Yunzhi sitting on the futon. He saw that his eyes were slightly lowered, staring blankly at the empty windows. Curious about what he was looking at, he asked, "Brother, where is my sister-in-law..."

Meng Qing came in just in time to stop her, "Mrs. Qian has returned to the Qian family tonight. If you have anything to say, please come back tomorrow."

Song Yunzhao also noticed something was wrong and saw that his brother seemed to be shaking all over.

She had rarely seen him so angry before in the Marquis' Mansion. What else could have made him so angry at this moment? This matter was caused by her. Song Yunzhao didn't dare to offend her again. She hurriedly retreated and found Wang Zhao, asking him, "Where is Young Master Duan being held?"

——

Because he was not imprisoned, Duan Yuanjin, like King Pingchang, was only locked up in the house, and guards were sent outside to guard him.

Song Yunzhao was not able to visit him at night, so the next morning, while his brother was still asleep, he went to knock on the door with his food box. He could not get in, and despite all the good and bad words he said, the guards refused to let him in. He had no choice but to knock on the window and call out to the person inside, "Master Duan..."

After calling three times, he heard footsteps slowly approaching the window. Although he didn't make a sound for a long time, Song Yunzhao knew that he was there and could hear him. "Open the window."

After hearing nothing for a while, Song Yunzhao said, "I made a bowl of sweet soup myself to thank Master Duan for saving my life."

Not long after he finished speaking, the mullioned window in front of him finally moved, slowly opening a gap.

Song Yunzhao hurriedly took out a porcelain bowl from the food box and handed it in carefully.

A hand reached out in his sight. Song Yunzhao was unsure if he had a firm grip on it, so he asked softly, "Master Duan, did you catch it?"

Duan Yuanjin: "Well, thank you, Madam Song."

Song Yunzhao shook his head through the window, his delicate silhouette clearly imprinted on the window paper by a ray of early sunlight. He saw her pull out a purse from her sleeve and handed it in again. "I promised you, sir, that I would thank you when you rescued me. I don't know if it is enough for your kindness, but please don't despise it."

Inside was a silver note worth one thousand taels, given to her by her sister-in-law.

The purse was her own, with a blooming lotus embroidered on each side, and two snow-white tassels hanging from it.

She held it up for a while, her hands nearly numb, and then she felt her purse lighten as the other party took it with a slight effort. "Madam Song has repaid your kindness in this matter."

Song Yunzhao nodded, "Yeah."

——

Qian Tong returned to the Qian family last night, thinking that he would suffer from insomnia after the quarrel, but he fell asleep as soon as he touched the bed, and woke up the next morning.

When Mrs. Qian knew she was back, she happened to have something to talk to her about.

Have someone bring the nearly finished wedding dress over to try on the size first.

Qian Tong felt a headache when he saw this. If they knew that she had quarreled with Prince Song last night and she had made Prince Song so angry that he was about to smoke, she wondered if they would still be so active.

Seeing her gloomy face, Madam Qian said unhappily, "You, I don't know what you are busy with all day long. You are not as careful as the prince. Isn't the prince busy? Others have come to check the wedding dress twice, fearing that there are any mistakes. Unlike you..."

Qian Tong was stunned.

The prince also came to see the wedding dress? How come she didn't know when he came...

After a good night's sleep and her emotions subsided, Qian Tong felt a little guilty and regretted that she should not have treated the prince like that. However, she could not go back and apologize and admit defeat now.

If she admits defeat, Duan Yuanjin will be recruited.

She would either be assigned to the prefect of Yangzhou or be sent to the Eastern Capital. From then on, she would be completely isolated and helpless.