Xie Yuancheng came over and pinched my chin, catching me off guard, and I followed him out like an idiot.
"Wait, how did I end up following you out? Did you do something to me just now?" I only realized what was happening after following him down the corridor.
"Ying'er, how could I do anything to you? Even if I did, it would be a good thing. Look how anxious you are, your eyes are wide open."
"My little Chengcheng, let's go for a walk~" I asked while he was in a good mood.
"No rush, the city is still changing, you can stay in the manor for now."
Just as Xie Yuancheng was about to tell me something, the steward rushed over and said that the government office had discovered some outsiders, but they kept saying they wanted to see Li Ruowei.
"How do they know my sister?" Xie Yuancheng probably never imagined that one day Li Ruowei would be more popular than him.
"My lord, I don't know either. They know the eldest young lady's name, and they can even say the Ninth Prince's name."
Do you know what they look like?
"I don't know. Lord Ling said that everyone in the city has been cleared out. These people were found in a beggar's den. They were arguing when they went to court. Lord Lu has already gone there."
"Go and tell your sister not to go out for the time being, to increase security in the manor, and to send all the children to a safe place."
"Yes." The butler said and left. Xie Yuancheng pulled me back to the courtyard. Was he going to lock me up in the courtyard?
As soon as I entered the courtyard, Xie Yuancheng found me men's clothing and even helped me change into it himself: "Ying'er, you're lucky today. Come out with me, so you won't feel bored in the mansion."
"You're so wonderful~" I hugged his head and kissed him, and Xie Yuancheng actually blushed bright red. I held him even tighter, saying, "Even the Marquis gets shy, you don't seem like someone who's been married for several years at all~"
"It's all because of you, you suddenly rushed over." Xie Yuancheng just wouldn't admit that he liked me, so I changed my clothes and followed him out.
He's in charge now, so I'd better not get into a conflict with him. Xie Yuancheng kept telling me the whole way that I absolutely mustn't provoke him, and that we should just watch from the back of the courtroom.
"No way! You were the one holding me last time. With such a wonderful man in my arms, how could I possibly remain unmoved?"
"You're such a smooth talker." Xie Yuancheng lifted me onto the horse. I looked at the door; it was definitely a side door, and the inconspicuous kind at that.
"Wouldn't it be too conspicuous if we went over now?" I asked quickly as I saw him mount his horse.
"Logically, if Ying'er didn't show up, she wouldn't stand out. But now that you've come out with me, it's impossible for you not to!"
Xie Yuancheng gave me a special reminder, and I readily agreed. It's just about being well-behaved around him, why make it sound so formal, like I'm teasing him every day?
We entered from the back of the government office. Before we even reached the courtroom, we heard Lu Fengjun's voice. He's a real two-faced guy. In private, he's like a refined gentleman, but when it comes to official business, he's more serious than anyone else.
I held Xie Yuancheng's hand and followed behind. The government office was really different from the mansion. The place we were in was a bit simple, but we could see what it looked like inside.
These people were indeed dressed as beggars. We were behind Lu Fengjun, and in front of us was a simple screen without any decorations. From our angle, we could see what was inside, but the people inside couldn't see us.
Xie Yuancheng pulled me down to sit. He carefully observed these people, then whispered something to the constable beside him. Lu Fengjun was interrogating people inside; it had probably only just begun, and they had only interrogated the second person.
"You say that the Ninth Prince is your master, so why have you only appeared after all these years?" Lu Fengjun slammed the gavel. I was terrified, and the people kneeling must have been even more frightened.
"My lord, we really did escape from the Ninth Prince's mansion. We now know that the Ninth Prince's youngest son, Marquis Anle, has been granted the title of Prince in Linyang. We came here specifically to seek refuge with him, but little did we know that we had run out of money on the way."
Fortunately, we were lucky; we managed to beg for food along the way, and that's how we arrived in Linyang City.
These people are lying, aren't they? Xie Yuancheng is the son of the Ninth Prince. Everyone who has seen the notice knows this, so it doesn't prove anything.
Lu Fengjun called the witnesses over, and I saw Meng Anshi and an old man come in from outside. They identified themselves one by one, and then directly denied everything.
"Sir, this young man is too young, and this old man is too old. It's normal that he doesn't recognize us."
The crowd below was in complete chaos, kneeling and wailing. Several women had children with them, all around a few years old, the oldest no more than eleven or twelve. The children joined in the wailing, and only when the constables went in and sounded the official drum did they dare to stop the noise.
"My lord, they are not from the Ninth Prince's residence, I'm certain of it." Meng Anshi proved reliable in crucial moments; he asked them a few questions, and they all answered incorrectly.
“We fled too quickly back then. We burned incense and paper money for the Ninth Prince during festivals. You young man, you can’t just dismiss us with your words.”
"Yes, although we are a bit poor, it is because the Ninth Prince's eldest princess was kind to us in the past, otherwise how would we know their names?"
"Big brother, what my father said is true." A soft, sweet voice came from behind me. I looked up and saw a little girl kneeling and walking forward. "Although I am young, I often pour wine into cups to worship the Ninth Prince."
Our family has always been very poor, but we have a lot of backbone and know what we can and cannot do. We came to Linyang because we want to settle down here. We don't want to go to a nobleman's mansion; we just want to work outside and support ourselves.
I checked her age, maybe four or five. She's so talkative, I wonder if an adult taught her that.
"Ying'er, you're being too close, someone will see you." Xie Yuancheng came over and pulled me closer. He was worried and held me tightly so I wouldn't move.
"Yuancheng, let me take a look at them. Based on my experience, I can deduce what's going on." I whispered in his ear, but he just shook his head. I had no choice but to sit down next to him.
"What's your name? How old are you?" Lu Fengjun asked Meng Anshi to leave first. He spoke slowly and deliberately, truly the makings of an official.
"My lord, my name is Chunhua. I am four and a half years old and not yet married." Chunhua smiled at Lu Fengjun, revealing her slightly dark teeth.
I can't see people very clearly from here, which might be because of the screen, making it look a bit dark.
When Xie Yuancheng saw that I was about to go over, he pulled me back and said, "Ying'er, you're just curious. I won't bring you out next time."
"No, I just want to see if it matches my reasoning." I leaned into his arms; of course, I was very curious about what had happened today.
Seeing that I wasn't moving, Xie Yuancheng removed his hand from my ear, and I could hear what they were saying again.
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