Chapter 540 Shen Yao's True Identity
Seeing that Yang Guaizi had escaped from prison, Jiang Fenghua quickly hid with the others and said in a deep voice, "Licheng is the capital of the Southern Kingdom. To dare to rob so brazenly in broad daylight, it's probably not just pirates. Yang Guaizi said he had someone backing him, but he escaped as soon as he arrived in Licheng. It seems his backer is quite powerful."
At this moment, the soldiers heard the commotion and rushed over. The bandits were too fierce. The soldiers used crossbows to shoot at the bandits, but the bandits took gunpowder and detonated it directly. They were clearly prepared. The soldiers were also blown up and fled in all directions.
A moment later, Wu Sanye was also taken out by the man and woman from before. He was so scared that he almost wet his pants and begged for mercy: "Please let me go. I have elderly parents and young children to support. I'm too old and useless."
Yang Guaizi slapped Wu Sanye across the face. "Just because of your reputation in the South, you're more useful than others. You should thank your good skills for saving your life, otherwise you'd end up like them."
After he finished speaking, he arrested an ordinary citizen and killed him on the spot. The citizen didn't even catch his breath before lying in a pool of blood.
Shen Bingxuan trembled with fear, "Third Uncle."
Jiang Fenghua, afraid that she would make a noise, tightly covered her mouth and whispered, "If you want to live, don't make a sound. These people kill without blinking an eye."
Yang Guaizi seemed to be looking for someone. He led his men to search everywhere, saying, "You must find this person for me."
Jiang Fenghua thought back to when Yang Guaizi was captured by Shen Yao and shouted that he would seek revenge. Could Yang Guaizi be looking for Shen Yao and her?
Bai Yuhan was also terrified. She grabbed Lin Yu's arm desperately. She shouldn't have run away with Lin Yu. "What do we do now?"
Jiang Fenghua said softly, "We can't go back to the inn. That guy surnamed Yang will definitely be looking for us everywhere."
Given the enemy's strength and their own weakness, they will not engage in a direct confrontation.
Lin Yu said, "Come with me, there's only one place that's safe for now."
"Miss Chen, are you going back to the Yun Prince's Mansion first?" Lin Yu asked her.
“I want to go back. I’ll take you to my house. These thugs probably just want to rob us. After all, my house is a royal residence. They wouldn’t dare to enter a royal residence to kill someone,” Shen Bingxuan said.
Bai Yuhan said, "We're unfamiliar with this place, so it might be safer for us to stay at the Prince's residence for now."
Jiang Fenghua shook her head, "At this time, it may be unsafe anywhere in the Southern Kingdom. Miss Bingxuan may also be in danger if she goes home now. You have to tell me who Shen Yao is and who the person who took him away just now is. If he is really your brother, your brother may also be in danger right now."
Shen Bingxuan kept her mouth shut. Every time Yao-gege left the palace, he used the Shen family's identity: "He won't be in danger. Those people are protecting him."
Jiang Fenghua felt that Shen Yao had indeed taken good care of them over the past twenty-odd days. She said earnestly, "The man who just killed someone is looking for your brother. If your brother falls into his hands, he might be skinned alive. You should go and tell your brother!"
"How did you know?" Shen Bingxuan had not yet noticed the strangeness in the South.
Lin Yu said to Jiang Fenghua, "We are just merchants from the Great Zhou Dynasty. We came here to do jade business. We didn't expect to encounter bandits running rampant. Let's not meddle in other people's business."
Jiang Fenghua said, "Let's leave here first, or it will be too late."
At this moment, Yang Guaizi was searching for their whereabouts. The information he received was that a man surnamed Shen had brought three girls into the exhibition hall.
Jiang Fenghua took Shen Bingxuan away as well. Yang Guaizi has escaped, so the Yunwang Mansion may not be safe now either.
Soon, Lin Yu took them back to the small courtyard they used to rent in the South.
Jiang Fenghua felt a sense of familiarity upon entering the place, but she couldn't recall when she had been there before.
Lin Yu knocked on the door before saying, "Aruan, we used to stay here every time we came to the South."
Just then, an elderly woman in her seventies opened the door and saw them. She looked them over carefully for a while before saying, "Are you Miss Lin and Young Master Ruan?"
Lin Yu said, "Grandma Mao, it's us. It's been a long time."
Grandma Mao's eyes filled with tears. "It's been several years since we last met. My sons, Xiao Tang and A Xian, often talk about you. Didn't your eldest son come with you this time?"
Lin Yu quickly changed the subject, "Aren't your two grandsons home?"
"She went to collect jade with them, she'll probably be back soon!" Grandma Mao was unaware of the big event that had occurred outside.
Jiang Fenghua had no recollection of Granny Mao at all. Granny Mao simply grasped her hand and said happily, "Young Master Ruan, please come in!"
She silently followed Granny Mao into the courtyard. Who was the eldest son she was talking about?
Jiang Fenghua asked, "Won't we bother Grandma Mao by coming here?" She was thinking about whether it would cause trouble for Grandma Mao.
Grandma Mao said, "Young Master Ruan, what are you saying? Every time you came before, you stayed at my house. You not only brought money and gifts, but you also taught my little Tang and Ah Xian to read and write. You brought them many good things from the Great Zhou. They have read the books you left for them over and over again. Thanks to you, they have been very happy all these years."
Lin Yu quickly explained, "A-Ruan hit her head and doesn't remember many things."
Grandma Mao asked, "How did you manage to hit your head? Are you alright?"
Lin Yu said, "She just lost her previous memories, but nothing else. I'll explain it to A-Ruan slowly later, and she'll remember."
Once inside, Grandma Mao quickly poured them water. "I never expected that after not seeing Young Master Ruan for so many years, she wouldn't even remember us. My two little devils have been thinking about her all this time!"
Grandma Mao knew that Jiang Fenghua was a woman disguised as a man, since she had always lived here. It's just that she always wore men's clothes when she was out, and she was used to calling him Young Master Ruan.
Bai Yuhan couldn't understand what they were saying, but she felt that the courtyard was clean and tidy, with many beautiful flowers and plants, and the air was filled with fragrance. Compared with the hustle and bustle outside, it was like two different worlds.
Shen Bingxuan had never been to an ordinary family's home before. It was clearly not a wealthy family; there was only an old woman there. The old woman was sincere and kind, and she cared so much about the people from the Great Zhou Kingdom.
Jiang Fenghua then asked her, "Is Miss Shen still unwilling to reveal Shen Yao's true identity? We ran all the way from the jade shop here. Do you know why this area is relatively safe?"
Shen Bingxuan asked, "Why?"
"Because this place is clearly not where the rich live, and poor people like Granny Mao are not the targets of bandits. I guess they want to rob the rich, and there are traitors within your Southern Kingdom's court."
"What do you mean?" Shen Bingxuan wondered who she really was.
Jiang Fenghua explained, "There were clearly many guards and officials protecting the entrance of the jade shop. They didn't clear out any suspicious people beforehand, and in the end, the bandits rushed in and robbed the shop. It's possible that these guards and officials had already been bribed."
Shen Bingxuan thought it made sense. The exhibition hall was usually very strict, so why was it so lax today?
Jiang Fenghua was just analyzing the situation, because Lin Yu had led them safely all the way to this area, and she knew that the people living here were not wealthy.
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