Chapter 31 Seeking refuge
Soon, he noticed a group of people chasing after her.
Having met her that morning, Zhang Cheng naturally recognized her.
Tao Tao ran up to him, then immediately hid behind him, clutching his clothes at the waist with both hands. She was sweating profusely, her cheeks flushed, looking both timid and scared.
"My lord, please help me!"
The servants saw the iconic building of the Privy Council from afar and immediately stopped in their tracks.
Their faces were filled with fear. Seeing the young woman who was chasing them and the official being so intimate, they didn't dare to move, let alone go forward.
Yan Qiao, who was a step behind, caught up and saw them standing there like idiots, and immediately became furious.
"What are you doing here?! Go and catch them!"
"Sister Yanqiao, you...you should look ahead..."
Someone reminded her, her face showing distress, worry, and fear.
Yan Qiao disagreed. In her opinion, who could this poor young lady find to help her? Who would dare to oppose the Chen family!
She smiled dismissively, and was about to invoke the name of the Chen family, the Vice Minister of Works, when her eyes widened suddenly as she looked over, her expression filled with obvious disbelief.
Even if she didn't know who those two men were, she should at least recognize the Privy Council and their clothing.
Those were not ordinary Privy Council guards; they were officers with ranks.
Not to mention them, even the Chen family might not be able to afford to offend them.
He originally thought that dealing with a young woman, especially one in his own residence, wouldn't be a big problem, but now he never expected that she would escape, and that she was actually a member of the Privy Council!
How should we explain this to the First Madam?
When Yan Qiao thought of Qiu Zhaolan's ruthless methods, she trembled instantly, her face turned extremely pale, and her eyes were filled with fear and worry.
"What should we do, Sister Yan Qiao?"
"Those are people from the Privy Council!"
Chen Jinghe frowned and turned to look at Tao Tao, who was hiding behind him with a pale face.
"Did you offend someone? Who are those people in front of you?!"
Zhang Cheng squinted at it, then sneered, "These people are really bold, daring to come to the Privy Council and cause trouble."
"I'll go take a look."
As he spoke, he walked forward.
The servants were terrified when they saw this, and before Yan Qiao could give any orders, they immediately turned and scattered like birds and beasts.
He'll still have a life if he's punished by the Chen family, but if he falls into the hands of the Privy Council, he might not even survive tonight.
Yan Qiao looked around and immediately became furious, thinking to herself, "These cowards are so afraid of death! When I get back to the manor, I'll definitely have Steward Lin teach them a lesson."
But when she saw the man with a long knife at his waist, expressionless yet exuding a murderous aura, walking towards her, she was so frightened that she turned around and scrambled away.
Seeing this, Zhang Cheng stopped and scoffed disdainfully.
Tao Tao finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that everyone had run away, but her heart jumped again the moment she heard the question.
She quickly looked left and right to see if the evil spirit was nearby.
After realizing that it was just the two of them and that Duan Gan was not there, they finally calmed down and their tense nerves relaxed a lot.
"Those are people from the Chen family. To be honest, I really don't know where I offended them. It has nothing to do with me. I'm just trying to make a living!"
She was full of resentment when she talked about it. She never imagined that dealing in the dead could lead to her death, and now she couldn't even go home.
Zhenzhen'er made her want to curse out loud.
"Someone from the Chen family? The Vice Minister of Works?"
Chen Jinghe frowned. Just yesterday, he had told the Fourth Master that Chen Youhui's death was not simple, and they also knew that the Dali Temple had only dealt with a concubine and an insignificant servant.
"Could I borrow your place to hide for a couple of days?"
She spoke cautiously.
When Zhang Cheng returned and heard this, he found it amusing: "Young lady, do you not know where you are?"
"Of course I know him, it's not like I don't know him."
“I was here just a few days ago! You've forgotten, I'm the funeral director who handles your bodies.”
"We've been colleagues for a few days, so please, sirs, have mercy and let me stay for a couple of days. Besides, your chief magistrate is to be buried in three days!"
He kept referring to the former envoy as being buried, and Chen Jinghe's face instantly turned cold: "What are you saying! That was the former envoy, do you even know who the former envoy is!"
"Our Grand Councilor is now the Fourth Prince! If you continue to speak so disrespectfully, do you believe I'll lock you up in the Privy Council's private dungeon?"
"ah?!"
Tao Tao stared wide-eyed in surprise, then immediately cupped her hands in greeting: "Congratulations! Congratulations on having such a handsome and unparalleled envoy in your Privy Council. You are good people, and your master is a good person too."
"So, could I stay for two days? You just saw it, I'm afraid they'll come looking for my house."
While saying congratulations, he couldn't help but think to himself, "Duan Gan is really something. Chief Envoy Qiu died in front of him, and he was promoted in the blink of an eye."
This shows how much the old emperor trusted him.
This compliment just sounds so uncomfortable.
Chen Jinghe's lips twitched as he glanced at her, thinking to himself that this young woman was truly worthy of her profession; she was quite bold and knew how to bend and stretch.
Zhang Cheng couldn't help but chuckle, rubbing his forehead: "I say, young lady..."
"Stop, guys, my name is Tao Tao. You can just call me by my name. We've met three times already, so we're all friends. Don't be shy."
He looked at her, then nodded, both amused and exasperated: "Alright, alright, Tao Tao, I can only tell you that the Privy Council doesn't accept outsiders. The only people who can stay are prisoners. If you don't mind, you can stay in the prison."
This young lady certainly knows how to take the initiative.
An ordinary person would definitely back down upon hearing this. They didn't mean to keep her there. The Privy Council never allows outsiders to stay overnight, no one is an exception. The Fourth Prince doesn't like it, and those who can stay are all in prison.
To their surprise, what she said the next second left the two of them speechless.
"I don't mind, but... will I still be able to come out? Will I be able to move around freely?"
"I'm truly impressed by you!"
Chen Jinghe crossed his arms, speechless and choked with emotion.
Zhang Cheng turned his head, and the two looked at each other, both seeing the other's speechless yet barely suppressed amusement.
He coughed and said, "Alright then, but don't wander off. If you run into Fourth Master, we won't be able to protect you."
"Don't worry, don't worry, I definitely won't cause you any trouble. I'll just come out for some fresh air."
The two stepped up the stairs and went inside, followed by a young woman dressed in a light green coarse cloth dress. Some people recognized her as the person who had come to attend the funeral that day.
Aside from some curiosity, they weren't very surprised, probably assuming they were there to handle funeral matters.
Tao Tao intended to make the Chen family believe that she was truly connected with the Privy Council in order to escape a deadly situation. However, this life-saving talisman could save her life if used well, but if used poorly, it would only lead to an even faster death.
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