Chapter 33 The Shop What did she discover? What did she discover? ...
Zhao Liangxu placed the storybook on the bed, casually picked up a crimson hair ribbon from the table, tied her hair into a low ponytail at the back, and went out to look.
Why did a young eunuch come?
The child was dressed as an ordinary young eunuch, with delicate and youthful features. He looked quite young, about thirteen or fourteen years old, but had grown quite a bit.
He didn't lean all the way in; his dark, bright eyes swept across the courtyard, then turned back to listen to someone speaking, nodding repeatedly.
As Zhao Liangxu walked out, she heard a slightly familiar voice.
"...You shall go with Princess Zhao."
It's Zhang Sheng.
Zhang Sheng stretched out his arm and pushed the door open, then shook himself and walked into the courtyard. The little eunuch hopped and skipped curiously after him.
When he saw that Zhao Liangxu's hair was not even tied up, he was surprised for a moment, but then he decisively bowed his head in greeting.
Zhang Sheng maintained his usual demeanor, and even though Zhao Liangxu was being held captive by An He in such a fit of anger, he didn't show much malice towards her.
However, the angle of his hunched body was smaller, and he appeared more relaxed in front of Zhao Liangxu.
“Princess Zhao, this is a little fire-starter for you from your godfather. He said that once Princess Zhao has recovered her strength, she will go out to take care of important business.”
Zhang Sheng placed his hand on the young eunuch's shoulder, gently pushed him forward, and patted the eunuch's head with a smile: "You can just call him Xiao Chengzi. This little fire-bringer is very clever. With Princess Zhao by his side, he will surely find what his godfather is hoping for soon."
Xiao Chengzi, feeling the force, knelt down and gave a proper salute: "Xiao Chengzi greets Princess Zhao. Princess Zhao, please feel free to order me around."
Zhao Liangxu finally understood that Anhe had sent a young eunuch to follow her closely, in order to help her find Zhao Chengxin as soon as possible.
Then we can kill her quickly.
He really couldn't wait any longer.
I don't know what skills this little eunuch has, that he managed to get such a young man into her side.
Zhao Liangxu didn't refuse; there was no point in refusing at this point.
However, she was still angry. Locking her in the courtyard made her intentions obvious, so she naturally didn't give Zhang Sheng a friendly look and stared at her sternly.
"Then Princess Zhao, why don't you pack up and go out into the street to relax a bit?"
Zhang Sheng wiped away non-existent sweat, his tone urging him on.
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Liangxu made a request to Zhang Sheng: "I wonder if I could trouble Eunuch Zhang with a favor? I will not take the bamboo and wood with me today."
Zhu Mu said anxiously, "Princess, how can this be? What if you encounter danger!"
Zhao Liangxu gave Zhu Mu a reassuring look: "You like stability, so it's best if you don't come out with me, so you won't run into trouble with me."
However, Zhu Mu, who always preferred stability, still refused and stubbornly wanted to follow Zhao Liangxu.
What does Eunuch Zhang think?
Zhang Sheng glanced around and agreed to Zhao Liangxu's request.
He was also afraid that Zhao Liangxu might secretly find a chance to escape, and since Zhu Mu was in Anfu, he could be considered a hostage.
Zhao Liangxu and Zhang Sheng went out, accompanied by a young eunuch named Xiao Chengzi and two cold-faced maids, who were clearly skilled in martial arts.
Anhe approved a carriage from the An family to take Zhao Liangxu to a street she had never visited before.
This place is a bit far from Anfu, and Zhao Liangxu has not yet decided to explore this area. Now, Anhe has been forced to come here.
As soon as Zhao Liangxu got off the carriage, two maids dressed in emerald green were determined to follow her closely, never leaving her side.
Zhao Liangxu tried to get closer to the two men, but they both kept their faces stiff and refused to say anything.
"Princess, you can just stroll around. We two will stay by your side," one of the maids said coldly.
What they mean by "keeping watch over you" is actually "monitoring you."
Zhao Liangxu lost interest in chatting with the two maids and turned her attention to Xiao Chengzi instead.
While Zhao Liangxu was talking to the two maids, Xiao Chengzi had already been listening intently. Now that Zhao Liangxu had turned her attention to Xiao Chengzi, he puffed out his chest confidently like a little duck.
He was dressed as a eunuch when he was in the An family, but now he has changed into a servant's clothes when he came out with Zhao Liangxu. At such a young age, his Adam's apple and beard have not yet grown. Looking at Xiao Chengzi, one cannot tell that he is a young eunuch. He looks more like a clever little page.
Zhao Liangxu found it amusing. Xiao Chengzi's personality suggested he was a lively and energetic person. How could such a child be a servant in the palace?
Following Xiao Chengzi's hopes, she asked, "Xiao Chengzi, what abilities do you have that made Eunuch An send you to my side?"
“Princess Zhao, you’ve come to the right place. We may not have any other skills, but we have exceptionally sharp ears. We’re sure we can help you find what His Majesty wants!”
He followed Zhao Liangxu, incessantly boasting about his skills. When he got excited, he suddenly realized he shouldn't have said so much and immediately fell silent, only occasionally glancing up at Zhao Liangxu.
Zhao Liangxu then pretended not to see it.
Her entourage was rather strange. Beside her was a young eunuch dressed as a servant, who seemed to be very close to her and was quite lively. Behind her were two wooden maids who appeared somewhat stern and impartial.
Walking down this street like this is quite a sight.
This street was more bustling than the one Zhao Liangxu had visited before, with a wider variety of shops. Zhao Liangxu even saw foreigners with heterochromatic eyes wandering around the street.
Merchants displayed many novelties, and some weapon shops even brazenly displayed their wares outside to attract customers.
Zhao Liangxu saw the bright and exquisite plum blossom darts on the stall and curiously picked them up to examine them.
These standard-style darts are indeed beautiful, and Zhao Liangxu looked up at the shop's signboard.
It's an arms shop.
In traditional Chinese novels, the plum blossom dart is a beautiful and elegant weapon that exudes chivalry, but in reality, it's more for show than practical use.
At least that's what Zhao Liangxu thought.
Several young girls swarmed around Zhao Liangxu, chattering and commenting on the darts and knives on the stall.
Zhao Liangxu understood as well. It turned out that this weapon shop was doing two kinds of business. The items on the stall were small, unsharpened trinkets, which were meant for ordinary people to pick out and amuse themselves.
With nothing else to do, she simply strolled around the streets. Zhao Liangxu lifted the hem of her turquoise skirt and stepped into the weapon shop, ready to take a look at some serious items.
The weapon shop was filled with cold iron and ice blades, from axes to swords, and it was quite comprehensive in its selection.
The shopkeeper was quite surprised to see a pretty young woman enter.
But businessmen don't distinguish between men and women. Seeing that Zhao Liangxu was interested in the items in the shop, he put down the short sword he was wiping, dusted off his sleeves, and warmly welcomed the guest.
"Does the young lady have any weapons she fancy? And to whom are they intended as gifts?"
In the shopkeeper's eyes, Zhao Liangxu was a thin and frail girl, and it was impossible for her to be using such large and burly weapons. He was confident that his guess was correct and that these were probably gifts that Zhao Liangxu wanted to buy for her family and relatives.
What do women usually buy when they come here?
Zhao Liangxu stroked the cauldron knife, feeling the chill emanating from the refined iron.
"Is this for your own use, young lady? Our shop has some lightweight weapons that you may wish to take a look at."
The shopkeeper misjudged Zhao Liangxu's intentions, but smiled shrewdly and immediately began recommending light knives and thin swords.
The two maids following behind her exchanged bewildered glances, not expecting that Zhao Liangxu had come in to buy weapons. Wasn't this a blatant threat?
A maid stepped forward and whispered to Zhao Liangxu, "Young lady...you should know that His Highness would never allow you to buy any of these things."
Zhao Liangxu appeared surprised, but in the shopkeeper's eyes, she was just a spoiled young lady acting arrogantly, showing dissatisfaction towards the maid whom her family had instructed.
"If he doesn't let me buy it, am I just supposed to face the danger nakedly like this?"
The maid was unmoved by these words and said distantly, "We will protect you, young lady."
Xiao Chengzi couldn't get a word in edgewise. He had sharp ears and was immediately drawn to the heavy footsteps at the door, unconsciously looking towards the entrance.
Two tall men entered the weapons shop.
These two seem to be bigger customers than Zhao Liangxu.
Seeing Zhao Liangxu arguing with two maids, the shopkeeper thought for a moment and naturally chose someone else.
The shopkeeper called over an apprentice to properly entertain Zhao Liangxu, smiled apologetically at Zhao Liangxu, and then turned to attend to the two newly arrived guests.
Zhao Liangxu's thoughts, which were entangled with the maid, froze for a moment when she saw the two burly men enter.
She gave a feigned angry snort to the two maids, then turned back to look at the other weapons hanging on the wall, her words sharp: "They said we couldn't buy them, but they didn't say we couldn't look at them, did they?"
She had her back to the two maids and the two burly men.
"Xiao Chengzi, come here."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chengzi quickly moved closer to Zhao Liangxu.
"What's wrong, young lady...?"
Before he could finish the word "了", Xiao Chengzi saw Zhao Liangxu's profile as she looked up.
He was so frightened that he fell silent.
The arrogant expression that Jiang had just worn, with furrowed brows and speechless, was now covered by frost. Zhao Liangxu seemed to have been chilled to the bone by the cold winter, exuding a menacing aura that made people ache.
Since being locked up by Anhe, Zhao Liangxu had been harboring resentment, so naturally she didn't give the two cold-faced maids sent by Anhe a friendly look.
Now she finds nothing about Anhe or anything related to him agreeable.
Sometimes she was really angry at herself for not being assertive enough, for her previous thoughts had been drawn away by Anhe, and she wondered what was so good about this unpredictable eunuch.
In addition, the maids used Anhe's reputation to restrict her, which energized her to bicker with the two maids.
Originally intended as a way to pass the time, she found it interesting to pretend to be a domineering young lady, which she found novel. However, Xiao Chengzi turned around and led her to look curiously at the scene as well.
That one glance was extraordinary.
She recognized the two rough and uncouth newcomers at a glance.
They were the two people she and Xiao Liu'er met when they left Zuihua Fang.
That wasn't the main point; she felt the two looked very familiar that day, but she wasn't quite sure she recognized them.
This is simply because the two people's clothing and body shape have changed significantly.
Upon seeing them today, they were still dressed in simple yet exquisite clothes, but those two faces made Zhao Liangxu certain and reassured.
Zhao Liangxu stood slender before the sharp weapons, her pale eyes etched with clear lines that trembled and contracted with her shock and anger.
Who else could they be?
It was on the very day she took this body's place that those two ragged, lecherous villains appeared!
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