Qin Su stood at the door, the wind lifting the hem of his red skirt, like a blooming dahlia. But in Wang Manzhu's eyes, Qin Su looked more like a war god descended from the sky, his whole being radiant.
Kang Lin had saved her in the same way before, but for some reason, it felt very different.
The beautiful war goddess walked towards her and her child with a confident smile, her slender, white hand reaching out to her.
"I've come to pick you up."
The joy in Wang Manzhu's eyes was almost overflowing.
She grabbed Qin Su's hand and led the child toward her.
"Madam, the master has ordered you not to go. Are you going to disobey the master?" The guard who had been knocked away got up from the ground and looked at Qin Su warily.
Qin Su laughed sarcastically, "Husbands and wives should support each other. What? Does your master also advocate treating women as appendages?"
“She is your master’s wife, not a slave.”
Wang Manzhu was deeply moved. She nodded heavily and looked at Qin Su tenderly, "Su Su is right! I'm not his slave, why should I listen to him in everything? He won't let me attend the banquet, could there be some shady business going on?"
"You are the mistress, why bother talking to them?" Qin Su soothed the angry Wang Manzhu, then waved her hand, and the people she brought escorted the group away.
"Don't be afraid, I'll go check on them."
After seeing Wang Manzhu off in the carriage, Qin Su turned around and went to the courtyard.
The entire Qin family practices martial arts, including their servants. The grooms and servants she brought were all top-notch, their moves were straightforward and focused on the essentials, without any fancy tricks.
Back at the courtyard gate, Qin Su asked Lian Tao beside her, "Have you noticed that these people's martial arts styles are a bit strange?"
Lian Tao enjoys practicing martial arts and has a deep understanding of martial arts techniques.
"It doesn't seem to be within the territory of Da'an. But it's unclear whether there are any similar martial arts styles circulating in the martial arts world recently."
Qin Su shook his head, "A batch of secret guards cannot be trained in a short time." Even if there are new martial arts styles, they cannot be cultivated.
Her expression was grave as she asked Lian Tao again, "Are you sure it's not Da'an's martial arts style?"
Lian Tao nodded, "I'm very sure."
"Go and tell them to tie these people up and send them to Prince Chen's residence. Just say that I told them to."
"good."
Now that there was no coachman, Qin Su had to drive the carriage himself.
But she felt very heavy-hearted throughout the journey.
Those were Kang Lin's bodyguards. If she remembered correctly, Kang Lin was born into a family of farmers and scholars; not extremely wealthy, but with a respectable background. A royal investigation couldn't possibly have any problems.
If Kang Lin has a problem, then he's really hiding it well.
Unbeknownst to her, Qin Su was driving the carriage faster and faster, deliberately choosing streets with fewer people.
Wang Manzhu could sense that the speed was getting faster and faster. She thought that she was wasting time and felt embarrassed to ask Qin Su to slow down.
Fortunately, the streets of Kyoto are constantly under maintenance, so the ride isn't particularly bumpy.
Qin Su only calmed herself down when she got close to the princess's residence; she needed to finish what she was doing first.
"We've arrived." Qin Su entered the carriage and took out her makeup and a small mirror.
"Let's tidy it up again."
"Mmm! Susu is so thoughtful."
Qin Su tapped her fingers lightly on the side of the carriage, looking rather absent-minded.
Seemingly sensing that something was wrong with her, Wang Manzhu asked while applying makeup, "Susu, is something on your mind?"
"It's not really a worry, I was just thinking about my younger brother. He has an exam in a few days, I wonder if he'll do well." Qin Su made up a story. She didn't care how Qin Zhi did on the exam; if he didn't do well, he could just come back to practice martial arts, no big deal.
"SuSu has a younger brother? How old is he?" She carefully applied her makeup, not wanting to embarrass Qin Su because of her appearance.
This was also her first time coming into contact with Qin Su's circle.
She's almost ten years old.
"You're so smart, your brother will definitely be fine." Wang Manzhu comforted him while applying her lipstick. "I'm all done."
She gently wiped every cosmetic item clean, including the tools, with meticulous care. This was the complete opposite of Qin Su, who wasn't very meticulous in her work; perhaps this was a common trait among martial artists.
Wang Manzhu was beautiful, and she had dressed up specially for this banquet. Others thought she was the wife of an official, but she was a stranger to them.
However, she appeared slightly reserved, holding Xiao Heng's hand with one hand and standing close to Qin Su.
Even so, they still received a lot of strange looks.
Qin Su noticed this and said gently, "Don't worry, they're watching me."
Wang Manzhu may seem a little uncomfortable, but otherwise there's nothing wrong with her.
"Why? Susu is so pretty, she should be very popular." Her eyes were sincere, and she wasn't lying.
Qin Su said, "Because of my arrogant and domineering personality, my family background, and of course, the fact that I just broke off my engagement, these self-proclaimed noble ladies naturally disdain to associate with me."
Wang Manzhu frowned, not understanding those people's opinions. She comforted Qin Su, "They just have bad eyesight. People like that aren't worth being friends with."
Qin Su wholeheartedly agreed.
Princess Cheng'an's banquet this time didn't have a specific theme, so Qin Su just took Wang Manzhu to sit around and not interact with anyone.
No sooner had Qin Su left than the noblewomen who had been gossiping in the shadows came over to greet Wang Manzhu.
Wang Manzhu simply smiled politely, showing no intention of developing a close relationship with these people.
"May I ask which esteemed family you are, Madam?" A richly dressed woman asked Wang Manzhu with a smile as she tidied up a round fan, making no attempt to conceal her intentions.
Wang Manzhu held the child close, her eyes revealing displeasure at this behavior.
"My husband's family is not worth mentioning. May I ask what business you ladies have with me?" Her voice was cold, and it was easy to tell that she did not welcome these people.
The lady already felt contempt. She was already unfamiliar with the woman, and now, hearing her say such things, she knew her husband's family must be quite unremarkable.
"I only came to remind you out of kindness, seeing you with Qin Su. Don't think that just because Qin Su comes from the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion, she's a good person. Her family used to be bandits. Have you heard of White Tiger Stronghold?"
"They used to burn, kill, loot, and commit all sorts of atrocities. If it weren't for His Majesty's benevolence in granting them amnesty, they would still be bandits today."
"You should stay away from people like that; she's no good."
A woman next to her laughed again, "That's right. If you ask me, it's good that the eldest son of the Duke of Cheng's mansion broke off the engagement! Who would want to marry a bandit? Who knows, she might kill someone if she doesn't like them one day. It's quite scary."
"It's always better to stay away from her."
Wang Manzhu had maintained a cold expression ever since they started talking badly about Qin Su. However, despite her beautiful appearance and captivating eyes, she was not particularly intimidating.
"Thank you ladies for informing me of this. The so-called noble ladies are not worthy of her; she is more suited to be a general who gallops across the battlefield." She spoke very seriously, enunciating each word clearly, as if afraid that these people would not hear her.
Not far away—
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
