Jian Yang stopped in her tracks and turned to look behind her. She saw that the people who had been following her had instantly concealed their presence, and at the same time, a scholar-like man carrying a bundle was running from not far away.
Presumably, the assassins hid immediately upon hearing the scholar's shout.
Jian Yang looked at the scholar running towards her and asked in confusion, "What is it?"
The scholar, panting, asked, "Miss, may I ask where the residence of the Prefect of the Capital is?"
Jian Yang frowned, wondering if this person had seen her being followed and wanted to report it to the police.
The scholar quickly replied, "I am a distant cousin of Lord Cai, the Prefect of the Capital. I came from Cangzhou to seek refuge with him. However, this is my first time in the capital, and I don't know the way, so I ended up here. I am by no means a bad person."
I see.
Jian Yang nodded.
She clearly sensed that those who had been following her scattered immediately after hearing the scholar's words.
That makes sense, after all, this person is the nephew of the Prefect of the Capital, so it's best not to offend him if possible.
Since the residence of the Prefect of the Capital happened to be in this area, Jian Yang decided to do a good deed like Lei Feng and nodded to the scholar, saying, "Come with me."
The scholar thanked him repeatedly, saying, "Young lady, you are truly kind-hearted. My name is Cai Lian, and I am from Cangzhou. May I ask how I should address you?"
Jian Yang casually blurted out, "His surname is Wang."
"So it's Miss Wang. You truly have the heart of a bodhisattva. When I meet my uncle later, I will make sure he thanks you properly."
"No need, it was nothing." Jian Yang helped him not to seek credit, but simply because he had indirectly saved her, and she was repaying his kindness.
After that, Cai Lian didn't bother her anymore, but just followed closely behind her, whether he was afraid of losing her or to protect her, it was unclear.
After walking for about the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, the two finally emerged from the alley after many twists and turns. The streets were bustling with pedestrians and vendors.
Jian Yang pointed to the north side of the street and said, "If you keep walking in this direction, you will see the residence of the Prefect of the Capital in a while."
Cai Lian didn't lift his foot. Instead, he scratched the back of his head and said embarrassedly, "May I tell you the truth, young lady?"
Jian Yang looked at him strangely and said, "You lied to me?"
Cai Lian nodded and said, "To tell you the truth, I am not the nephew of the Prefect of the Capital. I just saw a few men following you suspiciously. I was afraid they would do something to you, so I came up with this idea in a moment of inspiration."
Jian Yang suddenly realized.
It must be said that this person is not only intelligent, but also incredibly bold.
If those people aren't intimidated by him and instead attack him, then it would be a real loss.
"Thank you for your kind assistance, Young Master Cai," Jian Yang said, bowing gracefully to him.
Cai Lian smiled shyly: "You're too kind, young lady. By the way, this is the only thing I lied to you about. Everything else, including my name, place of origin, and the fact that I came to seek refuge with my relatives, is true."
Jian Yang found the refined scholar quite amusing and smiled, "Alright, I'll remember that. Since you're going to visit your relatives and friends, I won't bother you any longer."
After saying goodbye, Jian Yang continued to wander the streets, hoping to run into the group of assassins again.
After watching Jian Yang walk away, Cai Lian turned and walked back into the alley.
After a series of twists and turns, he returned to the alley where he had met Jian Yang.
After taking a look around, he knocked on the door of the nearest house.
Soon, the door was pulled open from the inside, and Cai Lian immediately slipped inside.
"How was it? Did you gain her trust?"
The speaker was one of the assassins who had been following Jian Yang earlier.
The other three people were sitting in the main room eating peanuts and drinking wine when they saw Cai Lian return, so they all stopped what they were doing.
Cai Lian smiled and said, "That's for sure."
One of the assassins, though smiling, also revealed a look of disdain, saying, "Women really do like pretty boys like you, but what good are pretty boys? They can't lift a finger, and I don't know what these women are thinking."
Cai Lian was not annoyed when he heard this. Instead, he laughed and said, "Although this pretty boy can't lift a finger, he can still get things done."
"Stop joking around, do you have a plan for the next step?" another assassin asked.
Cai Lian nodded and said, "Brothers, just wait for my good news."
Jian Yang wandered around outside for the afternoon, not encountering a single assassin, but she did eat quite a few snacks.
She ate until sunset, and when she was finally too tired to eat anymore, she headed back towards the inn.
Just as she was about to reach the inn, someone bumped into her shoulder.
The person who hit her showed no intention of apologizing, which infuriated Jian Yang.
"Hey, why don't you apologize after you bumped into someone?" She turned around to look at the person who bumped into her, but found the back view very familiar.
"Cai Lian?" Jian Yang called out tentatively.
Cai Lian turned around upon hearing the sound and immediately revealed a delighted smile.
But the smile aggravated the wound at the corner of his mouth, forcing him to show a pained expression.
"What happened to you?" Jian Yang looked at him in surprise.
In just one afternoon, Cai Lian, who was wearing clean and tidy academy clothes at noon, was now wearing tattered clothes, covered in dirt, and had two bruises on his forehead and the corner of his mouth.
However, the young man was fair-skinned and handsome, and even in his current state of disgrace, his good looks were still undeniable.
Cai Lian said dejectedly, "Miss Wang, to be honest, I was kicked out by my relatives."
"Why?" Jian Yang asked, puzzled. "Even if you weren't welcome, you could have just left. Why did you have to hit you?"
Cai Lian sighed and said, "Alas, this is a long story."
Jian Yang noticed a noodle shop nearby and pointed to it, saying, "I'll treat you to a bowl of noodles, and you can tell me slowly."
Cai Lian nodded.
While waiting for the noodles, Cai Lian poured out his troubles to her.
“My father was originally a medicine merchant in the capital. He went to my mother’s village to collect medicinal herbs and fell in love with my mother at first sight. The two of them secretly pledged their lives to each other and she became pregnant with me. Later, my father said that he had to go back to the capital to discuss the marriage with my grandfather’s family and then go to propose to my mother.”
"Then your father never returned, and your mother gave birth to you and raised you alone. Now you come to seek refuge with your father, only to find that he already has a family and doesn't acknowledge you, so he kicks you out?"
Cai Lian stared at her in astonishment: "How did Miss Wang know about my background?"
Jian Yang smirked: "All scumbags in the world use the same tricks."
"Scumbag?" Cai Lian was unfamiliar with this term.
"It means a faithless man."
Cai Lian nodded: "Miss Wang is right. My father is indeed a heartless man, but I can't blame him entirely. It's mainly because his wife ordered the servants to beat me."
Jian Yang clicked her tongue twice: "Silly child, without your father backing you up, she wouldn't dare to hit you at all."
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