Chapter 164

Upon seeing the Imperial Guards arrive, Ning's mother immediately clenched her teeth.

Why did they have to come right when someone died because of this? How could they pick such a bad time!

Ning's mother cursed inwardly, but still forced a smile and went to greet them: "Gentlemen, what brings you here at this hour? You must be tired from your journey. Would you like to come upstairs and have a cup of tea?"

The commander of the Imperial Guards was named Li Ze. He was around thirty years old and had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. His features were sharp and cold. He was wearing light armor and stood there like a small mountain. His imposing presence made people almost afraid to look him in the eye.

Li Ze glanced at her, his gaze sharp as a knife; "Have you thought this through, offering bribes in broad daylight?"

His cold-heartedness left Ning's mother speechless for a moment.

The next moment, Li Ze took a step forward and walked past her upstairs.

He was a martial artist, and his steps were nimble. He quickly went upstairs and glanced at Zhou Yongliang, who was in a disheveled state.

When Zhou Yongliang met Li Ze's gaze, his heart tightened immediately.

To outsiders, he was indeed a man of high rank and great power, but Li Ze was the emperor's personal bodyguard. Sometimes, a single word from Li Ze could be enough to kill a person.

He wouldn't dare mess with him.

Fortunately, Li Ze only glanced at him before looking at the person lying on the ground.

The woman had pale skin, and a large bruise was conspicuously visible on her neck.

She lay on the ground, her breathing barely audible.

Li Ze clicked his tongue and said, "If the Drunken Flower Pavilion is this lively in broad daylight, wouldn't it be piled high with corpses at night?"

Ning's mother, who followed, chuckled twice and quickly said, "You're really joking. Our Drunken Flower Pavilion doesn't do murder and robbery. Your joke sounds really creepy!"

Li Ze sneered.

The fate of the people on the ground was unknown, while Zhou Yongliang across the street was burned beyond recognition. This was more chaotic than any place where murder and robbery had taken place.

He looked down at Yunxi: "Is she one of yours?"

"Exactly!"

"Bring me your roster and this woman's contract of sale," Li Ze said coldly.

Ning's mother couldn't help but feel guilty.

The girl's arrival was unfortunate; she happened to run into Zhou Yongliang, so she hadn't had a chance to sign a contract with her yet. Therefore, strictly speaking, the girl wasn't a member of the Drunken Flower Pavilion.

Seeing the strange look on Ning's mother's face, Li Ze raised an eyebrow: "Manager Ning is getting better and better at business. Now she's even forcing good women into prostitution?"

Ning's mother waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no!"

“Since this woman did not sign a contract with your Drunken Flower Pavilion, we need to investigate her identity thoroughly. I’m taking her with me now.” With that, Li Ze squatted down and hoisted Yun Xi onto his shoulder.

The woman's body was naturally supple, and now that she was unconscious, she was more obedient than a sack of potatoes, and he carried her without any effort.

Li Ze turned and left. Ning's mother was in the wrong, and no matter how unwilling she was, she didn't dare to argue with him. Seeing that even Zhou Yongliang didn't dare to say a word, she had no choice but to step aside and let Li Ze go.

After Li Ze left, Zhou Yongliang suddenly realized: "Ning Yuren, isn't that girl one of the girls in your building?!"

Madam Ning sighed inwardly and quickly said, "How could that be, Lord Zhou? I did indeed buy that girl with real money, but I was in such a hurry to serve you that I didn't have time to sign a contract!"

"real?"

"Really, really!" said Madam Ning. "Lord Zhou, your house burned down today too. How about this, I'll arrange for you to take a bath first, and have the most clever girl serve you. Then you can have a good meal and drinks, all on the house. What do you think?"

Ning's mother's arrangement was flawless, so Zhou Yongliang stopped worrying and left with a flick of his sleeve.

——

Meanwhile, Li Ze carried Yun Xi out of the Drunken Flower Pavilion and into a small alley.

At this moment, a horse-drawn carriage was parked in the simple alley.