Chapter 57 What are you doing here?
The moment the carved wooden door of the private room shattered into wood chips, Pei Zhiwei quickly stood up.
She glanced down at the man who had fallen in; he was curled up in a ball, clutching his stomach tightly, groaning "ouch, ouch."
There was no blood on him, so he seemed to be alright.
The corridor on the third floor of Yuhuchun was already narrow, and it was now packed with people.
Diners from the platform carried wine jugs and squeezed into the private rooms.
Some people tripped over overturned tables and chairs, and before they could even regain their balance, they stepped on a wine glass on the ground and fell completely. But they didn't dare to delay and scrambled over to squeeze in.
Pei Zhiwei pushed through the throng of people, tiptoed forward, and finally managed to squeeze to the front, where she could see what had happened.
Seven or eight men dressed in shorts surrounded a man.
The man was dressed in a light green brocade robe with narrow sleeves and a round neck, embroidered with bamboo patterns of the same color.
These men each held a short knife, but none of them dared to rush forward. They only dared to stay in the center of the group, cautiously waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The surrounded man leaned leisurely against the viewing railing.
He held a white jade wine cup in his left hand, slowly dusted off the cuffs of his brocade robe with his right, and a half-smile played on his lips. He didn't even lift his eyelids.
Behind that group of men stood a man dressed in a fiery red brocade robe, his face and neck so red it looked as if he were about to bleed.
He pointed at the surrounded man, spitting as he spoke: "Where did this blind bastard come from!"
"You dare try to steal my woman? I'll cripple your legs today, or I'm not a Zhang!"
The surrounded man slowly sipped his drink. "Just these few around you?"
They're not even qualified to practice on my bodyguard.
Even if I practice for another hundred years, I'm afraid I still won't be able to even touch the hem of my grandfather's clothes.
These words provoked Zhang Xiao so much that his blood boiled, and he forcefully shoved the man next to him.
"Get them!"
There will be a reward for whoever injures him today.
Kill him and I'll give you a big reward!
But if anyone dares to back down, I'll kill their entire family!
The men looked at each other, gripping their knives even tighter.
They didn't know the other's strength, and when the group rushed forward, they didn't even touch the hem of the other's clothes.
In the blink of an eye, three of his brothers were taken down, and now they dared not make any rash moves.
Seeing his men not moving, Zhang Xiao was about to curse again in anger when a loud shout suddenly rang out: "You wretch! Stop it!"
The sudden shout startled Pei Zhiwei, causing her to shrink back.
Zhang Xuren was seen pushing his way forward through the crowd, veins bulging on his forehead, his face ashen.
He finally managed to squeeze through the crowd and grabbed Zhang Xiao: "You brat! Aren't you coming back with me right now? Stop making a fool of yourself here!"
Zhang Xiao was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he seemed to have found a backer and grabbed Zhang Xuren's arm.
"Father! You've come at the right time! This bastard dares to steal my woman! He must be crippled today!"
"Smack!"
Zhang Xiao covered his face, which had been slapped to the side, his eyes wide with shock.
"Dad? You hit me?"
"I...I'm going to break your legs, you brat!" Zhang Xuren was so angry that his hands were trembling. He pulled him in front of him and whispered a scolding in his ear.
"He is the heir of the Marquis of Ding'an! You dare to touch him? Do you have a death wish?"
Zhang Xiao froze for a moment, then turned back to look at Xie Ji in disbelief.
He was looking at him with a half-smile, and his anger instantly surged to his head.
"What happened to the heir of the Marquis of Ding'an?"
I don't care what kind of prince he is!
This is Yangzhou, not the capital!
"I'm going to kill him today, and I'd like to see who dares to say anything!"
He suddenly snatched the dagger from the man next to him and rushed towards Xie Ji without regard for anything else.
"No matter how good you are at fighting, this is still Yangdu. If I say you're dead, you're dead."
"Zhang Xiao! Stop!"
Zhang Xuren shouted anxiously, trying to stop him, but Zhang Xiao instead pushed him off balance.
Xie Ji looked at Zhang Xiao rushing over, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
He slightly shifted his heel to the side by half an inch, and the blade missed him by a hair's breadth.
At the same time, he reached out and flicked Zhang Xiao's elbow tendon lightly. Zhang Xiao felt his fingers go numb and the short knife in his hand fell to the ground.
He was rushing too fast and couldn't stop himself. He was about to fall over the railing.
Xie Ji hooked his fingertips around the back of Zhang Xiao's collar and gently pulled him back. Zhang Xiao let out a "whoop" and fell flat on his back.
"Tsk tsk tsk," Xie Ji shook his head, "Someone like you shouldn't be holding a knife anymore, go home and embroider."
Zhang Xiao got up, his eyes were frighteningly red, and his breathing became heavy. As if he hadn't heard the mockery, he went to pick up the knife on the ground again.
Looking at him like this, Pei Zhiwei suddenly remembered Shen Chengzhang when he went mad.
At that time, his face was also flushed, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot.
She quietly tugged at Xiao Yunzhan's sleeve and whispered in his ear, "Look at Zhang Xiao's complexion and eyes... doesn't it look like he's taken some kind of cold food powder?"
Xiao Yunzhan had actually noticed it long ago, and nodded.
Where did Zhang Xiao get his Cold Food Powder? Did he get it from Liu's shop before, or is someone reselling it?
"What are you all standing there for? Hold him down!" Zhang Xuren roared at the men.
This time, the men dared not hesitate any longer. Two grabbed Zhang Xiao's arms, and two held down his legs, forcefully subduing him.
Zhang Xiao was still struggling, cursing and swearing. One moment he was yelling that he would kill Xie Ji, and the next he was cursing Zhang Xuren for siding with outsiders and not even protecting his own son.
As he was being carried away, he turned back and shouted frantically, "Xie Ji! You wait! I'll kill you sooner or later!"
Zhang Xuren bowed repeatedly to Xie Ji and Xiao Yunzhan, his face filled with apology: "Your Highness, Your Highness, I am truly sorry!"
This brat is my only son. He's been spoiled since childhood and has never seen much of the world. Please, sirs, be magnanimous and don't take him to heart.
I'll take him back right now and teach him a lesson he'll never forget.
I will definitely visit you in person another day to apologize!
Xiao Yunzhan didn't speak, he just glanced at him indifferently.
Xie Ji took it in stride, waving his hand and saying with a smile, "Alright, Lord Zhang, I haven't suffered any loss. You should go back and check on your son."
After all... if you eat too much, you need to break it up, otherwise you might develop some health problems.
The implication in those words couldn't be clearer.
A flash of malice crossed Zhang Xuren's face, but he quickly suppressed it and replied with a dry laugh, "Yes, yes, Your Highness is right. I'll go back now."
After saying that, he didn't bother to exchange pleasantries with Xiao Yunzhan anymore and hurriedly chased after Zhang Xiao.
The onlookers, seeing there was no more excitement to watch, gradually dispersed. Some were still whispering among themselves, saying that Zhang Xiao was too arrogant and that Xie Ji was bold enough to provoke even the son of the governor of Yangdu.
Xie Ji unceremoniously put his arm around Xiao Yunzhan's shoulder, looked in the direction Zhang Xuren left, and said with a gloating expression: "Hey, did you see that?"
Zhang Xuren's face looked as if he had swallowed a fly.
Hahaha……
He had nine daughters in a row, and after burning incense and praying to Buddha, he finally got a son.
The result was this debt collector; don't you think he brought this trouble on himself?
Xiao Yunzhan's shoulder slumped slightly, and Xie Ji's arm lost its support, causing him to cry out "Ouch!" and almost stumble.
"Why aren't you staying in the capital? What are you doing in Yangzhou?" Xiao Yunzhan's tone was cold.
"It's all your fault!" Xie Ji said with a look that said, "How dare you ask?"
“When you solved the case of the bride hanging herself, my mother said that since it wasn’t a ghost or the girl didn’t like me, it must be my own problem.”
So they started arranging for me to meet potential partners again.
She was supposed to be the granddaughter of a great Confucian scholar from Jiangnan, but after less than half an hour of meeting her, the girl told me, "Young Master, you should find another suitable match."
My mother thought I had offended someone, so she scolded me again.
I couldn't stand it anymore, so I secretly ran away and came to stay with my uncle.
Pei Zhiwei, standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Xie Ji is the only son of the Marquis of Ding'an. He usually acts arrogantly in the capital. The last time I saw him, he was full of grievances.
I never expected that when we met again, he would run away from home because of this. He's quite an interesting person.
Xie Ji then noticed Pei Zhiwei, paused for a moment, and greeted her with a smile: "How have you been, Madam Pei?"
Pei Zhi smiled and curtsied: "Greetings, Prince Xie."
"Just now, did the young master also notice that Zhang Xiao seemed to have taken Cold Food Powder?"
Xie Ji raised an eyebrow: "It's so obvious, it's hard not to notice."
Seeing that he seemed very familiar with the symptoms of Cold Food Powder, Pei Zhiwei asked again, "Is Prince Xie very familiar with Cold Food Powder?"
Xie Ji's Adam's apple bobbed, and he coughed lightly, looking embarrassed: "Well... we've met a few times."
As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and quickly added, "I've never eaten it! I've only seen it!"
Pei Zhiwei didn't understand why he was so embarrassed. "Where have I seen this before? Do many people in the capital also take Cold Food Powder?"
Xie Ji was even more embarrassed and kept giving Xiao Yunzhan meaningful glances, signaling him to quickly smooth things over and prevent Pei Zhiwei from asking any more questions.
Xiao Yunzhan didn't react at first.
It wasn't until he saw that the boy's eyelids were almost cramping from all the winking that he suddenly remembered that this rascal had loved to frequent brothels and gambling dens since he was a child.
Those places are full of people who take Cold Food Powder.
But Lady Pei was a young lady from a respectable family, and he was too embarrassed to mention such sordid matters, so he could only anxiously ask him to save the day.
Xiao Yunzhan rolled his eyes.
Xie Ji hadn't seen how well this young lady had fared in the brothel last time; she was probably just as skilled as him.
But considering their childhood friendship, he still spoke up to defuse the situation: "He's always loved joining in the fun since he was little, and he goes wherever there are lots of people. It's not surprising that he's seen it a few times."
Pei Zhiwei pondered that Zhu Qing had once confessed that Ding Jin would give the Cold Food Powder and the Bewitching Herb to the boatmen to smuggle in loose goods.
The prosperity of the capital city naturally commands a high price, so it's not surprising that Xie Ji had seen all of this.
Xie Ji breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject, "By the way!"
I heard you solved two major cases in Suzhou. I wish I had gone to Suzhou with you!
Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?
Xiao Yunzhan ignored him and turned to leave when he heard two crisp "snap" sounds coming from the direction of the viewing platform on the right side of the street.
Then, with a loud "boom," the entire restaurant seemed to shake twice.
Before anyone could react, a series of heart-wrenching screams erupted from the observation deck.
"Ouch...! Someone's being crushed!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com