Chapter 200: Stealing People
Zhao Xingbang rushed to the back door like a gust of wind and saw a donkey cart for delivering goods tied to the foot of the wall. The old man driving the cart was squatting beside it and smoking a pipe.
He didn't care about anything else. He rushed over and untied the donkey's reins. He ignored the old man's cries of "Hey, hey", grabbed the donkey's mane and climbed over.
He thought it was no different from riding a horse, but as soon as he got on, the donkey went crazy and ran away.
While Zhao Xingbang was still shouting "Ah", the donkey had already run several feet away.
Zhao Xingbang had no idea that a donkey was so difficult to ride. He kept steady and didn't fall off while cursing Wei Mingzhen.
"Wei Mingzhen, this beast! Why did he have to hit me when he was walking right in front of me? I ah ah ah ah——"
After running about half a street, I finally saw an ebony carriage in front of me.
Zhao Xingbang's eyes lit up, and he slapped the donkey's butt hard. The donkey let out a loud "ang" and rushed forward.
The secret guards on the roof looked at each other and were about to take action when they saw a donkey carrying a person rushing up, kicking its hoof and throwing the person in front of the carriage, and then ran away.
"Wait." The secret guard held down the arm of the person next to him, "Let's see first."
The driver was so frightened that he quickly pulled the reins and almost ran over Zhao Xingbang.
Wei Mingzhen was shaken a bit in the car. He patted Jiang Fei's shoulder to comfort her and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?"
Before the driver could answer, Zhao Xingbang rubbed his butt and climbed up with a grin on his face, "Wei Mingzhen, it's me."
A corner of the carriage curtain was lifted, and Wei Mingzhen poked his head out with a cold expression, "Zhao Xingbang?"
"It's me, it's me." Zhao Xingbang breathed a sigh of relief. He finally caught up and saved his life.
Wei Mingzhen frowned, "What's the matter?"
"Hehe." Zhao Xingbang laughed dryly. "It's nothing serious. I just happened to fall right in front of you. Look, my donkey has run away. How about giving me a ride? I haven't visited the Marquis' Mansion for a long time. I thought I'd go for a walk with you and have a cup of tea."
Wei Mingzhen said coldly, "I'm afraid you can't afford the tea from my mansion. Get out of the way!"
"It's just a cup of tea. It won't take you long."
Wei Mingzhen was in a hurry to leave when he didn't expect such a fool to suddenly jump out. He just wanted him to get out of the way quickly and not block the way.
"I have something else to do today. If you really want to have tea, let's make an appointment another day."
"No, it's better to do it today than to wait for a day. There are so many teahouses along the Jinlu River, we can just find one."
As Zhao Xingbang was speaking, he caught a glimpse of the servant leading some men to catch up with him. He immediately gained some courage, walked over and reached out to lift the curtain of the carriage.
He suddenly pulled open the curtain and was shocked by the scene inside.
Jiang Rufei was indeed inside, being pressed against Wei Mingzhen's side, with her head tilted and resting on Wei Mingzhen's legs, and a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth.
"Wei Mingzhen, how dare you steal someone! Don't worry, Miss Jiang Er, I'm here to save you—Ouch!"
Before he could finish his words, Wei Mingzhen kicked him off the carriage in the chest.
"Here! Here!" Zhao Xingbang climbed up and shouted at the servant. He picked up a stone from the roadside and threw it at him, shouting, "Send someone to tell Prince Zhaoning that Wei Mingzhen has kidnapped someone!"
All the capable masters around Wei Mingzhen were used to restrain Wen Zhu, leaving only two or three servants with him. Although the servants brought by Zhao Xingbang did not have much skills, they also rushed forward relying on their numbers.
For a moment, the muffled sound of fists and kicks, shouting, and the braying of donkeys mixed together, and the whole street became a mess, attracting people from the surrounding shops to come out from the back door to watch.
Wei Mingzhen glanced at the fighting crowd and then looked at Jiang Rufei on his legs.
Looking into the distance, I could vaguely see soldiers patrolling the streets looking over here. If this matter were brought to the attention of the authorities, it would only make matters more difficult.
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Wei Mingzhen's eyes, but he finally suppressed it. He looked at Jiang Fei and whispered, "I won't give up."
Then he jumped out of the other door and said, "Let's go!"
Zhao Xingbang was also hit a few times and grimaced in pain. Seeing Wei Mingzhen running away, he quickly climbed onto the carriage and took the handkerchief out of Jiang Fei's mouth.
"Don't worry, Miss Jiang Er. I'll take you back right away."
Jiang Fei felt weak all over and nodded slightly while lying on the car seat.
Zhao Xingbang ordered the carriages to be driven away. Those who were fighting, chasing, and running away in the carriages disappeared in an instant.
Only then did the onlookers dare to gather together, chatting and savoring the excitement that had just occurred.
"What the hell is going on? It looks like a boxing match."
The proprietress of the cloth shop next door stood at the back door. "It looks to me like a robbery! I heard someone yelling 'Second Miss Jiang'. Could it be that Miss Jiang has been kidnapped again?"
"That's right," a scholar replied, "I also heard them talking about Zhao Xingbang and Wei Mingzhen. Aren't those the sons of the prime minister and the marquis?"
"Hey, the Prime Minister's son and the Marquis' son are fighting over the Second Miss Jiang. Who wins?"
"It seems to be Zhao Xingbang."
…
Zhao Xingbang didn't even dare to get on the carriage himself. He sent the person to the side door of the palace and stood at the door waiting.
He suffered a lot today. Not only was he kicked by Wei Mingzhen, but he was also hit several times. He even suspected that some of the hits were deliberately inflicted by his own people.
He has become so miserable that he naturally has to take credit in front of King Zhaoning. He can't let his hard work be in vain. When he sees King Zhaoning, he must fully describe his heroic deeds today.
Finally, the sound of hurried horse hooves was heard in the alley.
Zhao Xingbang's eyes lit up, and he hurried to greet him, "Your Majesty, you are finally back!"
There was a thin layer of sweat on Pei Jing's forehead, obviously he had been running all the way here. He didn't even look at Zhao Xingbang, and his eyes swept past Zhao Xingbang towards the carriage.
"Miss, it's okay! Don't worry, Your Majesty!"
Pei Jing dismounted, and without stopping, he asked in a deep voice, "Where is she?"
"In the car." Zhao Xingbang replied.
Pei Jing took a few steps to the carriage, and his hands were shaking slightly as he lifted the curtain.
The curtain was lifted, and Jiang Fei was curled up in the car seat, her face pale, her long eyelashes drooping, and her breathing shallow.
"What happened to her?" Pei Jing's voice trembled.
Zhao Xingbang said hurriedly: "Miss, you're fine. You said a few words to me earlier. Maybe you fell asleep because you were tired."
Pei Jing's heart suddenly tightened, and all the dangers he had imagined on the road just now turned into overwhelming fear.
He bent down and entered the carriage, reached out and touched her cheek, then carefully picked her up sideways. Jiang Fei frowned slightly, but did not wake up.
Zhao Xingbang hurriedly said, "Wei Mingzhen drugged the young lady, so she must be sleeping soundly."
"Your Highness, you didn't see it," Zhao Xingbang said with a hint of pride on his bruised face. "That scene just now was very dangerous. Wei Mingzhen was so cruel. Fortunately, I, Zhao Xingbang, risked my life to protect the young lady and didn't let her suffer any injustice. I—"
"Shut up!" Pei Jing said in a deep voice.
Zhao Xingbang immediately fell silent.
Pei Jing got off the carriage holding Jiang Fei, nodded to Zhao Xingbang, turned around and walked towards the palace.
Zhao Xingbang touched his nose and muttered, "What kind of thing is this? I haven't even finished talking about my contributions, and you haven't even invited me in to sit down."
Duan Jiu patted Zhao Xingbang on the shoulder and said, "The prince has always been clear about rewards and punishments. You protected the young lady today, and this credit is indispensable to you. However, the prince's heart is all on the young lady right now, and he can't care about anything else. In the future, you will definitely be rewarded."
In the past, Zhao Xingbang didn't dare to say a word when he saw Duan Jiu, but now he can get a few good words from him, and he feels very comfortable.
"The benefits are secondary," Zhao Xingbang rubbed his chest, which was painful from being kicked, and said with a grin, "Look at how ruthless Wei Mingzhen was. My arm was also hit, and it's still numb."
"Okay, stop playing the victim." Duan Jiu said.
"Then you can't let Wei Mingzhen go."
Duan Jiu smiled coldly, "It's natural that the prince will not let him go."
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