Chapter 210 Suicide
Suddenly, the door opened from the outside in. Guan Niang, with seductive eyes, stepped onto the threshold, revealing her fair and smooth thigh. Behind her, a dozen tall and burly thugs formed a human wall, blocking the way out completely.
Qi Yuxuan stood there, silent.
Seeing her expression, Zheng Yanling immediately realized that she had been tricked!
Not only that, but they also dragged Yu Xuan into the mess!
She turned her head in annoyance, only to see that Qi Yuxuan was not anxious at all, but rather seemed quite confident.
"If you're looking for me, you could have sent a letter to the Lin residence first thing tomorrow morning, and I might have come. Why go through all this trouble?"
It wasn't that Qi Yuxuan wasn't afraid, but the dozen or so people outside the door were unarmed, and each of them had a calm demeanor and resolute eyes. They didn't have the murderous aura of someone who would kill without blinking an eye, so she knew that they didn't want her dead.
Guan Niang swayed in, and seeing that the legendary Princess Chang Le remained unmoved, her tone held a hint of appreciation:
"Princess, please don't be offended. It's just that the young man under your command is too clever. I'm afraid it would be too late to invite you tomorrow, so I'm taking the liberty of inviting you over tonight."
Her gaze swept over the stunned younger members of the Lin family, and the thugs behind her immediately stepped forward, covered their mouths, and tied them up.
Guan Niang placed her slender hand on Qi Yuxuan's shoulder: "It's not appropriate to discuss this in detail here. Why don't you come upstairs to the tea room with me, esteemed guest?"
Qi Yuxuan: "Before that, release the five of them, and I'll go with you."
Lady Guan smiled and said, "Don't worry, we will take good care of the young masters and ladies of the Lin family, as well as this Miss Zheng. Please rest assured, Princess."
Zheng Yanling wanted to stop Qi Yuxuan, but she had already nodded and followed Guan Niang out. With more than a dozen big men blocking the door, there was no chance for them to leave.
"Yu Xuan!"
Qi Yuxuan turned around and said, "They have no ability to hurt me. Don't be impatient."
These words were so certain that Guan Niang glanced at the few people remaining in the private room with a strange expression.
Once they were seated in an elegant tea room, Guan Niang personally poured tea for her.
"Princess, please try this. It's a special Dragon God Tea from Longxi."
Qi Yuxuan lowered her eyes, reached out and picked up the small, exquisite teacup, observed it for a couple of breaths, the tea soup was greenish-blue, and the aroma of the tea was lingering and long-lasting.
"The tea is good, but drinking strong tea at night is not good for your health. If you have the chance during the day, I'd like to have another cup."
First, they tricked her into coming to the auction, then there was the mermaid silk. Even if she couldn't tell there was anything wrong with the tea, she wouldn't drink it.
"If the princess refuses to drink, then she's still angry with us because of what happened today."
Qi Yuxuan stared intently into Guan Niang's eyes, not missing a single change in her expression:
"I don't even know who you are, so how can I be angry? I just regret accepting the invitation from the younger generation of the Lin family to go out. If it weren't for them, and it was only Sister Zheng who invited me, I might not have come."
She wasn't curious about the auction, much less would she go out at night just to watch an auction in an unfamiliar city.
As expected, Guan Niang's lips twitched for a moment after hearing this, but quickly returned to normal.
“Princess, we also have our own unavoidable difficulties… As long as you agree not to investigate the abandoned mine anymore, the proceeds from today’s auction will be immediately sent to the Lin residence where you are staying. In addition, we are willing to offer you the poison-avoiding pill with both hands.”
Qi Yuxuan's expression remained unchanged: "You keep talking about 'us,' but who exactly is behind that abandoned mine and this auction?"
Guan Niang's smile faded: "Does the princess not want to agree when she asks this?"
Qi Yuxuan: "No, it is precisely because I am tempted and want to agree that I need to find out who instructed me. If we meet again in the future, I will give way to them for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and the priceless poison-avoiding pill."
Her tone was too indifferent; it didn't sound like she was interested at all, but rather like a sarcastic mockery.
Guan Niang was a little unsure. This princess had suddenly appeared a few months ago. Not to mention that the people of Lancheng didn't know her personality, even those in the capital who didn't pay attention to gossip didn't know what kind of person Princess Chang Le was.
Unsure whether Princess Chang Le was genuinely interested or just being sarcastic, she decided to play the victim:
“Your Highness, you may not know this, but my father was one of the miners who were buried when the mine collapsed. At that time, the officials in Lancheng were corrupt and protected each other. We, the families of the hundreds of soldiers and miners who died in the mine collapse, have not received a single copper coin in compensation.”
Guan Niang tucked her eyes with a handkerchief and carefully observed Qi Yuxuan's reaction: "If it weren't for the kindness of our master, who was willing to take us in and work for him, how could we, a group of over a hundred people, have survived until now? Our master is kind and unassuming, and he only does business in the Longxi area. How could he possibly obstruct the princess's path? We hope that the princess can be magnanimous and give us a way out."
"After the princess leaves Longxi in a month, we will have another generous gift to offer. Does the princess really not want to consider it?"
Qi Yuxuan's expression remained unchanged, neither appearing to believe nor disbelieve. Guan Niang had seen all sorts of customers in the world of pleasure, but she had never seen a young girl of this age so composed.
After a long pause, Qi Yuxuan finally spoke:
"So, the silver mine wasn't abandoned, and you're mining it illegally?"
It was a question, but the tone was certain.
Guan Niang lowered her hand holding the handkerchief: "Princess, be careful what you say. If these words get out, you could lose your head."
Seeing that she was unyielding, Guan Niang lost her patience:
"Princess, would you rather take the silver and go back to be the Princess of Peace, or do you insist on going against our master and courting death? You should think carefully."
Qi Yuxuan smiled and said, "Guan Niang still needs to work on her temper. She gets angry at the slightest disagreement, which is not the way to talk things out with others. Besides, I haven't settled accounts with you yet, since you invited me here tonight."
Unable to get the answer she wanted, her smile vanished, and her tone turned cold and sharp: "Guards!"
Upon hearing the noise, a lean figure burst through the door, and in an instant, a cold blade fell to Guan Niang's throat, still carrying a strong smell of blood.
"?!"
Startled, Guan Niang dodged backward and glanced to the side, only to see that the dozen or so burly men guarding the door had silently fallen to the ground, each one bleeding profusely.
"You've been stalling for time!!"
She finally realized why the princess had remained calm and composed, showing no signs of urgency—she had brought her assassin with her long ago!
It's infuriating that this person's skills have improved so much since three months ago. The information given by our master was wrong, and they've wasted their time today!
In an instant, she had thought of many things, and without hesitation, she moved her jaw, preparing to bite through the poison hidden in her mouth.
"She's going to commit suicide!"
Qi Yuxuan's eyes widened, and she shouted quickly.
Ren Shun also noticed Guan Niang's movements. Before she could succeed, he used his other hand to grab the lower half of Guan Niang's face with lightning speed, dislocating her jaw. Then, using his hand as a knife, he knocked Guan Niang unconscious.
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