"Alright, I'll go listen to it tonight." The second brother mostly believed Qiao Qiu's words, but could he really give up this place?
"Young Master Meng, if this is true, what solution do you have for us?" the third brother asked.
"If you accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty, I will bribe people within the court to have you all work in my shop and earn wages every month, so you can support yourselves." Qiao Qiu said coldly, "Please remember, Honghua has been more than kind to you. She has no obligation to support you indefinitely. Don't pick on the weak, or don't blame me for being impolite."
"Husband!" Although Yu Honghua was very touched that Meng Yuanqing was protecting her so much, she had a responsibility to protect her fellow villagers. How could he say such a thing?
"Once you marry me, you're mine, and you have to listen to me," Qiao Qiu declared domineeringly. In ancient times, the husband was considered the most important person in the household, and she suddenly thought this wasn't so bad—provided, of course, that she was the husband.
"But……"
"No buts!" Qiao Qiu said decisively. There are many people in this village who are greedy and insatiable. There is no need to support such people.
"Meng Yuanqing, what gives you the right to order our chieftain around?! Don't forget, you married into our village." The second brother couldn't stand seeing Yu Honghua being wronged and said gruffly.
Qiao Qiu knew that the second son was not very bright, so she didn't bother to argue with him. She took Yu Honghua's hand and said, "Madam, let's go."
The third brother grabbed the second brother, "Second brother, you're such an idiot. Shouldn't you be happy? The eldest brother has finally found someone who truly loves her. Meng Yuanqing's words just now were all in defense of the eldest brother, but you, you fool, didn't understand a word of it."
"What does he mean? It's like he's afraid we'll let him support us," the second son said angrily.
“Wasn’t this our original plan? Second brother, don’t you think about it? He’s the richest man in the country. If you could just do whatever you want with him, how could he have built such a large business? He doesn’t hesitate to offend people he should and shouldn’t. Second brother, listen to me, let’s go with him tonight. If what he says is true, we’ll listen to him.”
"Second brother, listen to the third brother," said an old man with a gray beard in the crowd.
"Yes, clan leader." Although the second son was slow-witted, he wasn't completely clueless.
...
Before nightfall, Qiao Qiu led her second and third sons down the mountain.
This time, Qiao Qiu used her lightness skill. As for the second and third brothers, their lightness skills were too poor, so she specially sent four bodyguards to carry them on their journey.
They arrived in Nanyang just as darkness fell.
When the second and third children were put down, they were still in shock; they had never experienced such speed before.
"The prince is staying at Tongxing Inn. Please follow me."
Qiao Qiu led the way, while the second and third brothers, as usual, looked around warily and followed behind her.
The guards who had accompanied them earlier had long since hidden themselves, and now only the three of them were walking on the street.
There are no night markets in Nanyang; only the guesthouses are still open, and there are hardly any pedestrians on the streets.
Qiao Qiu walked ahead and said, "When you walk down the street, stand tall. Almost no one in Nanyang will recognize you. Don't try to hide your secrets and expose yourselves."
The second and third brothers then realized how conspicuous their actions were. They coughed twice, pretending to be people out for a walk, moving their arms and legs as if they were just strolling around.
The three arrived at Tongxing Inn, but Qiao Qiu led them in through the back door.
The waiter was there to greet them. After Qiao Qiu led the group inside, they were immediately led to the backyard. Then the waiter went to the front to find the manager.
Qiao Qiu led the second and third brothers behind the boulder and hid them. He stroked his chin and casually pressed their pressure points, rendering them unable to move or speak.
The second and third brothers glared angrily at Qiao Qiu, but Qiao Qiu remained unmoved, calmly sitting down and looking at the pitch-black sky.
A short while later, footsteps and voices could be heard.
"Sixth Prince, rest assured, this is my private place, and no one will be here."
"Young Master Murong, it's best to be careful."
"The Sixth Prince is right. Men, search this place thoroughly, then stand guard outside the courtyard and don't let a single bird in."
"Yes," a dozen or so people replied.
The second and third brothers were extremely anxious; if they were discovered, they would be in big trouble.
Meng Yuanqing! Release my acupoints!
The two men kept cursing Meng Yuanqing in their hearts, but he remained unmoved.
As they heard footsteps coming from behind the boulder, growing closer and closer, the second and third brothers felt increasingly desperate.
They closed their eyes and awaited their fate, praying in their hearts that they would not walk behind the large rock.
Finally, a foot appeared, and a man dressed as a servant walked to their side.
The second and third brothers were sweating profusely and looking quite disheveled from the intense pressure on their acupoints, but unfortunately, they couldn't undo the pressure points that Meng Yuan had applied.
"Young master, there is no one here."
Um???
The second and third sons opened their eyes in surprise, only to see the servants glance at them disdainfully before leaving.
Holy crap, what's going on?!
"Sixth Prince, can you rest easy now?" Murong Wenfeng asked.
"That's fine," said the Sixth Prince.
"I wonder what important matter the Sixth Prince has summoned me for?" Murong Wenfeng asked.
"I wish to cooperate with Young Master Murong."
"Oh? I'm all ears." Murong Wenfeng became somewhat curious.
"I don't need you to do too much. Just create public opinion and confirm that the recent murders and arson were all done by the people of Feihong Mountain," said the Sixth Prince. "After it's done, I will give you a South China Sea luminous pearl."
"Your Highness is truly generous. I wonder what deep-seated grudge Your Highness has against Fei Hong Mountain that compels you to kill them?" Murong Wenfeng asked.
"You don't need to worry about that. Just do as I say."
Murong Wenfeng didn't expect him to say anything. "In that case, Your Highness, we still need to draw up a written agreement so that I can proceed with the matter with peace of mind, right?"
The Sixth Prince didn't think too much about it, assuming it was really as Murong Wenfeng had said. He asked for pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and immediately wrote a note and affixed his personal seal.
Murong Wenfeng was finally satisfied. He accepted the document as if it were a treasure, kept it close to his body, and then talked with the Sixth Prince for a while before the two left the courtyard.
After Qiao Qiu and the others left, they released the pressure points on the second and third brothers.
The two men breathed a sigh of relief. They had been terrified and furious just now, never expecting that the imperial court would actually have such shameless people who insisted on killing them.
"I'm sorry, I had no choice but to resort to this in order to avoid being exposed. The people guarding the courtyard are all my men. I forgot to tell you when I came." Qiao Qiu jumped off the boulder and said apologetically, but there was no sincerity on her face.
The second and third brothers were very nervous, so they jumped down as well.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
