Sure enough, upon hearing the report, Qi Yucheng hurriedly rode over. He had been sleepless these past few nights, racking his brains over all the places Xiao Chang'an might be. Logically, Xiao Chang'an knew he was working in He County, and if he were in trouble, he would surely have sent him a message. The only two exceptions were: first, that the boy had truly run into trouble; and second, that He County was unsafe and he couldn't risk it.
So Qi Yuchen didn't sit idle either. He used the Qi family's secret guards to thoroughly investigate the network of relationships in He County, and actually managed to figure out some of the intricacies.
Aside from the fact that the owner of Chen's shop had intricate connections with Jingzhou, including having spies within the government offices, he was completely baffled as to why Xiao Yangui would come to He County.
He County! There must be some untold secrets!
Xie Yuyan's heart skipped a beat. Through the small window of the carriage, she saw a handsome young man in his twenties. His moon-white robe embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns was not to be underestimated. Moreover, he was accompanied by a group of soldiers. Had the yamen officials been alerted?
Knowing that the Prince of Zhennan had come incognito, she knew he didn't want anyone to know. If she exposed his whereabouts, she would have no chance at all! This was absolutely unacceptable!
Xie Yuyan clenched her fists, trying to calm herself down. Her voice, no longer the same as before, became melodious and sweet, like a nightingale's song, "Sir, these beggars disturbed my lady's carriage and were utterly disrespectful, even getting into a quarrel with my maid. I never expected to alarm you, sir! They truly deserve to die! I apologize to you here!"
Qi Yuchen smiled faintly, "I'm sorry to have startled you, Miss! I was just thinking that the security in He County has always been quite good. When did it come to the point of obstructing traffic? Oh, I see. Alright, you beggars, hurry up and leave. Don't block the way here. If a distinguished person visiting incognito sees so many people coming from the north and south, they'll think something terrible has happened in He County!"
Xiao Cui raised her head triumphantly and looked at the beggars with an expression that said, "Why don't you get out of here?"
Qi Yuchen was certain once again that this group of people were from out of town. Which servant in the county wouldn't recognize him? They couldn't possibly be unaware that his official position was Minister of Agriculture, and such matters of maintaining order were not under his jurisdiction! Moreover, the maid's expression clearly paused after she mentioned the word "noble person," which might be related to Xiao Zigui. However, her attire was even inferior to that of a second-class maid in her own household! And the woman in the carriage was shadowy and indistinct. Although she knew that noble ladies generally shouldn't show their faces in public, how could she allow her servants to fight in the street without daring to even show her face? This was not in accordance with the upbringing of a noble lady! She seemed more like the daughter of a nouveau riche.
Could they be Xiao Zigui's maids? That's possible, after all, that guy is always dressed flamboyantly, so it's not impossible for maids to travel by carriage...
While guessing what was going on, Qi Yuchen turned his horse around to clear a path.
The beggars had already helped each other away. As soon as Wang Erlang heard that they could get away, he immediately picked up his son and followed the boy out of the crowd.
He's the leader of the Little Beggars' Gang. Don't let his young age fool you; he's ruthless!
However, Wang Erlang was completely baffled as to why he came to save the father and son.
Alright, let's go out first! He's penniless now, there's absolutely nothing to squeeze out of him!
With their own thoughts, the group reached a safe area. The young man had his follower take the two to a dilapidated temple, their base of operations. He still needed to find Qin San Niang to ask for money.
Fortunately, the woman was still waiting in the same spot. Seeing the mother and son hidden in the shadows, the boy couldn't help but sneer, "What cowards!"
Upon seeing him approach, Da Wa felt somewhat embarrassed. He hadn't expected him to be so shrewd. According to his mother's analysis, he was deliberately stalling Xiao Cui to buy time. At the same time, he sent someone to the yamen to fetch Qi Sinong.
The choice of this character is also reasonable. Only the hot-blooded and meddlesome Qi Yuchen would save them from their predicament. Presumably, this young man has been paying close attention to the situation at the yamen.
“You child, how could you take such a risky move? What if you don’t find the person you’re looking for, or if Qi Sinong is unwilling to get involved? Are you going to just take the beating? Although that master is a woman, she’s the most ruthless woman, do you understand?” Qin San Niang said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.
The boy's eyes widened almost imperceptibly for a moment. He hadn't expected this timid woman to be able to see through his scheme. This was really bad! Had he regressed, or was this woman just too formidable?
However, the concern in her eyes seemed genuine, and the young man was slightly touched, but it was fleeting and didn't last long enough for him to catch it. He still said fiercely, "You woman, why do you care so much! Have you prepared the money?"
"My mother is just worried about you, how can you be so rude?" Da Wa couldn't stand his arrogant and haughty attitude. Couldn't he just talk things out properly? It was like someone owed him a fortune.
"Hmph, what right do children have to interrupt when adults are talking?" The boy turned his head and held out his palm to Qin San Niang, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Qin San Niang smiled, reassured the eldest child, and said to the boy, "I don't have that much money on me either. Why don't you come with me to the shop to get some?"
The young man sneered, "You woman, why are you pretending to be a sucker if you don't have money? Do you think you can get away with it? Let me tell you, no one on this street can escape my eyes! If you go back on your word, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Qin Sanniang laughed heartily, "What a naive young man! But judging from his serious tone just now, if we can recruit such a talent, it wouldn't be a bad thing."
So he patiently said, "Little kid, who goes out carrying such large denomination banknotes? Come with me, I own a shop. My shop isn't far from here, so I'm sure I won't run away."
After saying that, he waved for him to follow.
The young man glanced behind him and saw that Qin San Niang and the others were walking on the main street, so he calmly followed.
When they arrived at Ruyi Tavern, the boy was momentarily confused. How could he not know that this was now the largest tavern on the streets of He County, and that they had even received candy from them when it opened!
"Come on, why don't you come in?" The eldest child turned around and saw that the boy's previous arrogance had disappeared, and he was hesitating whether to follow him in.
"The shop you're talking about is this tavern? You wouldn't happen to be the owner of this tavern, would you?"
Qin San Niang shook her head, "No."
The boy instantly understood, with an "I knew it" expression. This tavern was making a fortune every day. Although the woman was quite good-looking, her cotton clothes seemed out of place in this grand tavern.
"Boss, what brings you here?"
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