Chapter 34 Was the attack sent by Zhao Chengxin?

Zhao Liangxu felt her breathing become heavier.

Meeting the two of them was truly a godsend.

She really couldn't help herself.

Zhao Liangxu rubbed her fingers together, her anxiety concentrated at her fingertips.

I really want to kill them.

Zhao Liangxu suppressed her emotions and whispered to Xiao Chengzi, who was inexplicably shrinking back, "Xiao Chengzi, did you remember the breathing and footsteps of those two people?"

“Eunuch An placed you by my side; your hearing must be quite good.”

Xiao Chengzi shrank his neck and nodded. He had been so energetic just now, but now he couldn't say a word.

With her back to the maid, Zhao Liangxu said again, "Are you really not letting me buy it?"

The two maids exchanged glances, noticing the change in Zhao Liangxu's demeanor, but unsure why.

"Does the young lady have to be so stubborn?"

Zhao Liangxu chuckled softly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Instead of arguing with the two men, she readily replied, "Then I won't buy it, let's go."

If she stayed here any longer, she worried that she wouldn't be able to resist picking up the weapon in front of her and chopping those two people up.

Zhao Liangxu and her group walked out of the weapons shop with ease, brushing past the two burly men.

Whether they are truly at ease or not, only they themselves know the answer.

Aside from the brief glance Zhao Liangxu made when the two entered the store, she had no further contact with them, not even once did she look at them.

She stood at the entrance of the weapons shop and glanced down at her hands.

Her hands were still trembling slightly; her emotions were so intense that her body was moving in uncontrollable sync.

Zhao Liangxu was somewhat confused.

Was it her anger that made her so angry, or was it the original owner's emotions that were affecting her?

The cold winter chill penetrated Zhao Liangxu's thin body, but it couldn't blow away her turbulent emotions.

Zhao Liangxu clenched her fists, trying to suppress her trembling.

Both should be present.

"Let's go, let's keep shopping."

As she said this, Zhao Liangxu put her hand on Xiao Chengzi's shoulder. It was already winter, and everyone was wearing cotton-padded clothes. However, Xiao Chengzi felt Zhao Liangxu's hand pressing on his clothes, and the cold air from the clothes made him shiver with the pressure.

"Xiao Chengzi, you'll help me, right?"

She turned and glanced at the weapons shop: "Listen carefully, see if you hear any movement from those two behind you."

On the bustling street, Xiao Chengzi's ears were exceptionally sharp.

Zhao Liangxu continued to walk casually, occasionally stopping to admire some novel objects, as if the strange behavior she had just displayed was merely the maid's imagination.

After walking for a while, Zhao Liangxu got tired of it and casually pointed to a teahouse, saying, "Places like this are crowded. Let's go there to rest for a while; it won't take up much time."

There are always storytellers in teahouses. The storyteller is telling his story with great intonation and spittle flying everywhere. Many listeners gather around, waving their fans, and listen attentively.

Zhao Liangxu found the first floor too noisy and too ostentatious, so she went to the second floor as usual.

This teahouse was clearly of a higher standard. The maid took out money and booked a private room for Zhao Liangxu. The private room had a fairly large square window that opened, allowing a view of the main hall, but it was quieter.

Xiao Chengzi had never seen such a place before. Ever since he was sold into the palace, he had been serving there. As a servant, he could only live in the noisiest and most chaotic side room. He had seen the magnificent and luxurious halls, but he had only ever served as a slave and had never had the chance to look up at the towering and splendid palaces.

When he was still a healthy person, his family was poor and he never had the opportunity to come to a place like this. Therefore, Xiao Chengzi is the most curious about this place.

Xiao Chengzi didn't forget Zhao Liangxu's instructions. He twitched his ears and leaned closer to the window to listen carefully.

“Princess, I heard those two people come in too.”

The maidservant observed Zhao Liangxu's expression for a long time and caught the fierce look in Zhao Liangxu's eyes after hearing these words.

"Princess Zhao, please tell us what exactly happened."

"Is this matter related to the enemy? If so, we servants can go and capture them directly."

Zhao Liangxu glanced at the two maids who were following her around like shadows, then leaned against the window frame and stuck half her head out.

She casually tossed her hair and said emotionlessly, "No, it's my private matter."

She peeked out the window and looked down to see the two men.

It seems that not only has she recovered her health, but the two refugees who fled have also become plump and strong.

Previously, they were skin and bones from hunger, their eyes gleaming with evil, resembling two dried-up rats transformed into humans. Now, they have somehow gotten a chance and transformed themselves into people who have entered the capital. They have become as big and strong as rats that have entered a rice jar.

It's even more disgusting.

The two noticed Zhao Liangxu's gaze and looked up to search for her.

Zhao Liangxu pulled her head back in time, with only a single strand of hair lingering outside the window for a moment before she quickly closed it.

She blinked slowly and said to the maid in a measured tone, "Want to know what happened?"

Zhao Liangxu didn't hide anything and simply explained where the two mice came from.

"In a way, they were part of the rumors. Without them, why would I be in this situation?"

A fresh, bittersweet fragrance wafted through the private room, making Zhao Liangxu's words sound bitter as well.

The maid was not made of wood; as a woman, she could better appreciate the weight of those simple words.

Zhao Liangxu felt a slight itch on her cheek, and with her fingertips brushing across her cheekbone, she made a gesture that looked very much like she was wiping away tears in sorrow.

But there were no tears in her eyes, only suppressed trembling.

Even the cold expression on one of the maids' faces seemed to crack slightly from Zhao Liangxu's fingertips.

"Let Chun stay here and continue to accompany the princess. I'll go and make a trip."

She was clearly more short-tempered and was swayed by Zhao Liangxu.

Zhao Liangxu asked with concern, "Those are two tall and strong men. It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

Xia scoffed, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Killing them in public would be hard to explain, but with my skills, it'll be no problem to give them a hard time." The two were once refugees, so they're nothing to fear.

She may not have the advantage in strength or numbers when facing someone head-on, but she has the means to teach someone a lesson from the shadows.

She wouldn't be defeated by two fat rats.

Zhao Liangxu turned her gaze to Chunyi, the more composed maid.

She frowned slightly, somewhat disapproving of Xia Yi's impulsiveness, but she neither stopped her nor worried about her.

Both of them were very confident in their abilities.

“Princess, you don’t need to look at me like that. Xia is capable enough. And don’t try to persuade me to go with you. There’s no need to think about how to escape during this opportunity.”

Zhao Liangxu decided to stop pretending and asked Xiao Chengzi, "You can hear what they're doing, right?"

Xiao Chengzi stared wide-eyed and nodded hurriedly: "The two of them have already gone out, and Sister Xia Yi went out with them."

He tugged at his ear, pointing towards the teahouse entrance: "I can still hear footsteps. Sister Xia's footsteps are getting faster."

"Hey, someone's coming up."

He straightened up and pointed outside the door: "Someone walked past the door and stopped."

A shadow, like ripples on water, loomed before the door.

Chun was focused and didn't notice the man's movements at all. Even Xiao Chengzi was too busy watching Xia Yi's movements to notice.

Standing motionless at the door without knocking, he's probably not a servant and has no good intentions.

She quietly approached the door, holding her breath, and with a flick of her right hand, the short blade hidden in her sleeve slid into her palm.

Everyone in the room held their breath.

At this freezing moment, the noise on the first floor suddenly rose. Someone overturned tables and chairs, and the sound of wood hitting and squeezing the ground tore apart the lively and joyful atmosphere. Even the storyteller's exciting and rhythmic voice was abruptly cut off.

There's a commotion downstairs.

Chun frowned; she had already sensed something was wrong.

Just as the first floor was distracting them, the door to the private room on the second floor was suddenly smashed open.

The newcomer carried no weapons and was dressed in the coarse linen clothes of an ordinary person; he was just another ordinary person among the audience listening to stories on the first floor.

But her strength and reflexes were astonishing. Chun was already standing by the door. Even though Chun had been focused and ready to defend herself, she didn't hesitate to thrust out her short blade the moment the person broke down the door. However, the person seemed to have known in advance and dodged the weapon, swinging her arm to knock Chun back several steps.

Upon seeing that Chun had already taken his attack, and that Chun was a woman of short stature, the newcomer changed his mind and decided to deal with Chun first.

Her hands formed blades; her movements weren't particularly skillful, but her brute strength imbued each action with immense weight.

Spring was already thinking hatefully, and Summer had already left. She couldn't handle this barbaric woman on her own.

They look ordinary, yet their strength is terrifying!

If Xia were already here, the two of them would be in perfect harmony, so why are they struggling to hold on now?

The two of them originally intended to restrain Zhao Liangxu and prevent her from escaping, but little did they know they would suddenly encounter this incredibly strong thief!

She even gradually lost her strength...

Spring is already resentful, and that fresh, bittersweet fragrance wafts past my nose again, now mixed with a hint of sweetness.

No! They used a sleeping potion!

Spring had already noticed this, but the intoxicating fragrance had already entered her nostrils.

The man was swift and skillful; seizing the moment when Chun was out of position, he slashed at the back of her neck with his hand blade.

Its strength is so great that it should be able to break a person's spine.

The incident happened in the blink of an eye. Seeing that Chun was about to make her killing move, Zhao Liangxu threw the cup away and said sternly, "Did Zhao Chengxin send you?"

The cup hit the person's arm, and the scalding tea slightly slowed her movements, making the blow lighter, only knocking Chun unconscious.

The ordinary woman, with her hair styled in a married woman's bun, withdrew her fists and palms, and pressed closer to Zhao Liangxu, uttering, "Your Highness, please forgive me."

"I'll go with you, why bother with all this?"

Undeterred, Zhao Liangxu stepped forward and kicked aside the chair in front of her: "How are you going to clean up this mess?"

The woman said solemnly, "Your Highness need not worry."

She didn't say anything more, and although she addressed Zhao Liangxu as "Your Highness" with a respectful tone, her demeanor suggested she was about to capture her.

The intoxicating fragrance had somehow blended into the tea aroma, and the bitter tea scent actually provided a good cover for the intoxicating fragrance.

Zhao Liangxu felt dizzy and her limbs were gradually going weak.

The woman walked up to Zhao Liangxu, crushed a purplish-red incense ball in her palm, and an exceptionally rich fragrance wafted towards Zhao Liangxu's nose.

Holding her breath at this moment was of little use. Zhao Liangxu was dragged out by the woman in a daze, while Xiao Chengzi, who was weak, had already collapsed to the ground due to the intoxicating fragrance.

The noise downstairs continued, and the woman's unusually strong, even pungent, fragrance drew complaints from onlookers: "What kind of family does she come from that uses such cheap perfume?"

Seeing the woman carefully supporting an exceptionally tired young lady, everyone assumed that a servant from a wealthy household had come to fetch a disobedient wife.

But after leaving the house, the maid's expression changed, and she ruthlessly threw Zhao Liangxu into the carriage in the shadows.

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Author's Note: I just realized that Eunuch An was missing for the last two chapters. He'll reappear in the chapter after next!