Chapter 20: Fighting without bloodshed
"You came just in time! This woman nearly gouged my eyes out. Why exile such a troublemaker? Just beat her to death with clubs!"
Seeing Wang Gang coming with the officers, Li Yi immediately started to complain in a domineering manner, saying that they were all exiles, so it didn't matter if one or two of them were missing.
"We'll teach him a lesson later. Sir Li, why did you come here without even saying hello? Is the Second Prince in good health?"
Wang Gang and several officers exchanged a glance, and without asking why Li Yi was almost stabbed, they greeted the owner of the fiefdom instead.
They had conducted an investigation before arriving and found out that the owner of the fiefdom was a brother of the emperor. Although it was unclear what their relationship was, they were apparently related to the Qinghe Palace.
Even though they usually acted arrogantly, they were still small officials after all, so they had no intention of getting involved in this.
"The Second Prince is in good health, so he sent me here with supplies to check on him. I didn't expect such a troublemaker to appear in the exile group. It would be better to kill him..."
Li Yi was obviously unwilling to give up. He probably thought Cheng Weiyao was Wen Liyu's personal maid, and kept calling for her to be beaten and killed.
Seeing Wang Gang and the others trying to smooth things over with a smile, Cheng Weiyao came to her senses.
This Lord Li? Perhaps he's the prince's subordinate, and he's carrying supplies, so the officials are giving him some leeway?
The persuasion of the officials was effective. Li Yi went downstairs with a scowl and sat in the middle of the lobby of the inn waiting for Cheng Weiyao to apologize.
Most of the people were sitting at a table in groups of three or four to rest. They could vaguely hear some of the noises in the wing room, but they just kept silent tacitly.
"Cheng Weiyao, come here and apologize. This matter will be over."
Wang Gang winked at Cheng Weiyao, signaling her to give in. If it were the Prince of Qinghe, they wouldn't dare ask him to give in, but for a woman, bending her knees wouldn't be a big deal...
"You're not afraid of getting stye for peeping at a woman bathing. You're so arrogant that you're licking her face and then blaming her. Luckily, I reacted quickly and didn't let you succeed. Otherwise, I would have hanged myself in front of you right now to apologize for dirtying your eyes, don't you agree?"
Cheng Weiyao walked forward with a smile on her face, but the ideal servility did not appear. Instead, she started to mock and sneer.
Everyone gasped, especially the men, who almost subconsciously clenched the women's hands. After all, they had a chance to clean themselves up, so the women had basically washed up...
"You, with your sharp tongue, slander me with empty words. I will punish you..."
Li Yi slammed the table and stood up, his finger pointing at Cheng Wei Yao trembling constantly, and his nose was almost crooked with anger.
"Before you punish me, could you please give me the supplies the prince asked you to bring? I'm just talking nonsense, and you're trying to get something for nothing! You come here with nothing to show for it, and you expect everyone to flatter you? Who's spoiling you..."
Cheng Weiyao nonchalantly waved away the hand that was pointing at her nose, with a defiant look on her face.
The main purpose of entering the city was for supplies, and the officials were also looking for the replenishment of supplies, so their attitude towards Li Yi was relatively mild.
"You! I see you've gone too far. I usually don't hit women, but today I'll make an exception for you!"
Li Yi was so angry that his face turned red as liver and his palm was raised high.
"Changing the subject? Did you steal the supplies, sir?"
Cheng Weiyao took a step back and shifted the focus of the topic to the interests of everyone.
The matter concerns their own interests, and the officials cannot just sit back and watch. What's more, every word Cheng Weiyao said makes sense and has aroused the suspicion of the officials.
"I'm going to teach you a lesson today, and I'll have the supplies delivered to you later!"
Li Yi's words were skillful. The supplies that should have been distributed normally had an additional prerequisite: they could only be given after the enemy was defeated.
"If you want to hit me, I'll stand right here. Hit me if you dare. It's just a matter of a white silk thread. You humiliated me today. When my husband returns, your whole family will pay for my life!"
Cheng Weiyao didn't hide either. She stood there with her arms folded across her chest, a sneer on her face.
She was waging a psychological warfare. Even if the person was an exile, as long as the emperor didn't kill him, it meant that he didn't want to kill him yet, and he might return to the capital at any time.
Cheng Weiyao was betting on local officials, as he was unwilling to offend people coming from the capital. What's more, the Qinghe Palace belonged to the royal family and had been in a high position of power for a long time. Although it had lost power temporarily, it still had a certain foundation and a high chance of recovery.
"I'm not an unreasonable person, stop trying to scare me..."
Li Yi was frightened by Cheng Weiyao's decisive tone. He slowly withdrew his hand and put it behind his back, but his eyes were actually asking questions to the officers.
"My husband is the Prince of Qinghe. Sir Li, could you not guess this?"
Cheng Weiyao admitted it openly. This move of taking advantage of the situation made it clear to her that she was playing the game, and the situation was suddenly turned from being at a disadvantage to being in her favor.
"Ma'am? What happened?"
Wen Chengyun appeared at the right time. He had already washed and dressed, and as he walked down the stairs, his every move and gesture revealed an unusual temperament, noble and elegant.
Li Yi looked up at Wen Chengyun's appearance and his eyebrows jumped violently.
People born into the royal family seemed to have a natural tendency to suppress officials. The aura of this superior made him feel like he was facing his own prince...
"It's okay. Lord Li said he would only distribute supplies to us if I died. My husband, you can now look for a new wife. Just don't forget to burn incense for me during the holidays..."
As soon as Cheng Weiyao saw Wen Chengyun appear, her face immediately changed to a gentle and weak one, completely different from her previous sharp-tongued appearance.
"Master Li..."
Wen Chengyun's face was calm without any emotion. He had seen the list of officials in advance. This Lord Li was at best a small official under the prince, a small-time figure who changed his attitude according to the situation.
"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. The supplies will be delivered right away, and there will be plenty."
Li Yi waved his hands repeatedly with a fawning smile on his face, which was a habit he developed after being exposed to the officialdom for a long time.
"Then my apology..." Cheng Weiyao frowned in some confusion.
"I paid out of my own pocket to buy some supplies for the Qinghe Palace. I hope you will not bear grudge against me..."
Li Yi nodded and bowed, his eyes still sharp. Although he couldn't put it into words, the Qinghe King in front of him should not be simple...
Li Yi's men worked very efficiently, and boxes of supplies were quickly carried to the inn where everyone was staying.
Everyone watched in amazement as Cheng Weiyao successfully seized a batch of supplies. Was this bloodless act really just the result of a wealthy young lady who never left her house?
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