After Mei Shu left, the eunuch hurriedly cleaned the pavilion in the courtyard, waited for Emperor Mingzheng to take a seat, and went to the carriage to get the tea stove to make tea.
The tea was bubbling with steam, and the eunuch was about to pour the tea when he suddenly heard Meishu's cry for help from outside.
Emperor Mingzheng stood up suddenly and turned to look outside the courtyard.
I saw Meishu leading a girl, and the two of them were running towards the courtyard with staggering steps. Behind them were five or six strong men. Judging from their attire, they should be servants, but I don't know whose family they were from, and they had ferocious faces.
Emperor Mingzheng frowned slightly and raised his hand. The guards in the courtyard quickly ran out of the gate and stopped the men.
Mei Shu brought the girl to Emperor Mingzheng and said without taking a breath, "Master, those people want to arrest us."
Emperor Mingzheng protected Meishu behind him and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I want to see who is so bold!"
The men who were stopped by the guards saw that although Emperor Mingzheng was dressed in casual clothes, he was rich and luxurious, and the jade pendant hanging around his waist was priceless. The leader winked at the others, intending to use courtesy before force, and said, "We have no intention of offending the master, but the woman your wife is protecting is a slave who escaped from our house. We have been ordered to find her and bring this slave back."
The girl hiding behind Meishu said in a trembling voice, "I am not a runaway slave from their house, please save my life!"
Mei Shu tugged at the edge of Emperor Mingzheng's clothes and pleaded softly, "Master, the nun told me that this girl had a miserable experience. Let's help her."
Emperor Mingzheng patted the back of her hand soothingly, and looked at the group of burly men with a dignified expression, "Go back and tell your master that I'm keeping this man."
Hearing this, the leader of the slaves suddenly changed his expression and spoke in a different tone. "I call you my master, so you should not refuse my toast. Do you know who my master is? How dare you speak so arrogantly?"
Emperor Mingzheng had not had his dignity challenged like this for a long time, and he immediately laughed, "Tell me the name of your master, I want to see who is so majestic!"
Seeing that Emperor Mingzheng showed no fear on his face, the leading slave hesitated a little and did not speak immediately. Instead, he looked at Emperor Mingzheng's appearance and confirmed it carefully. He had seen most of the people in the capital who were of higher rank than his master, but he had no impression of the appearance of the person in front of him. He shifted his gaze to Meishu, and had never heard of any lady with such beauty.
Recognizing that the silk gauze on Mei Shu's body was only available in Jiangnan, he could not help but feel relieved. He thought that this man was just a wealthy businessman from outside the province, and there were only three or four followers around him. They would not suffer any loss if they fought. For a moment, he became arrogant and cursed, "Since you are shameless and insist on meddling in other people's business, don't blame us for being rude!"
"Get started!" the man shouted after cursing.
Emperor Mingzheng's face darkened, and he swung his sleeves and said, "Capture him!"
The few people dressed in casual clothes as guards were all secret guards with extraordinary skills. These stubborn slaves were no match for them and were taken down with almost no effort. In a moment, the five or six people were lying on the ground, screaming and groaning.
The eunuch brought out a wooden stool and a small table from the room, wiped them clean, and put a towel on them. He then brought the tea that had just been brewed. After Emperor Mingzheng sat down, he slowly drank a cup of tea before glancing at the people lying on the ground. "Tell me, who is your master?"
Several people cursed, "You are not worthy enough to know who my master is! You dare to ruin my young master's business, I think you don't want to leave the capital alive!"
Emperor Mingzheng raised his hand, and the guards stepped forward and grabbed the leading slave. The man was almost suffocated, his neck was thick and red, his eyes rolled back, and there was a pool of water under his body. He begged for mercy weakly.
The secret guard loosened his hand slightly, and the man gasped quickly, breathing in the air deeply. He didn't dare to be arrogant anymore, and immediately brought up his identity as the master, trying to intimidate him.
"My master's surname is Yang, and he works in the Dali Temple. My young master is a big shot in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
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