Chapter 92 The Emperor Arrives
Tianxiang Pavilion.
In the central hall on the third floor, Mu Hongling glanced out through the gap in the curtains with a worried look on her face.
"Boss, even the Imperial Guards have come to maintain order. From what they say, this matter has alarmed the Emperor, and his arrival is imminent. What should we do?"
Yun Qingqing always seemed to be confident, so Mu Hongling didn't think too much about it and just did whatever she said.
But the matter became more and more serious, and now even the emperor had to step in to intervene.
Yun Qingqing called downstairs to find those guards. Although each of them had great martial arts skills, they could never defeat hundreds of imperial guards.
Mu Hongling looked at Yun Qingqing, who still looked unconcerned. She produced a sword with a green glow from somewhere in her hand and drew incomprehensible patterns on the ground. She gritted her teeth and stepped forward to grab Yun Qingqing.
"Boss, please leave through the back door quickly, otherwise when the emperor arrives, the imperial guards will definitely rush in to arrest you!" Mu Hongling said anxiously.
"No, we can't let her go!" a delicate voice rang out.
Mu Hongling turned around and saw that it was the girls in the pavilion, at least half of them had come.
Her face darkened:
"Didn't we say that no one is allowed to leave the room today? Who asked you to come?"
The girl in the pink skirt who had just spoken took the lead and said:
"Sister Hong Ling, are you trying to kill us all? The front and back doors are blocked now, there's no way she can escape. If she gets caught, won't it implicate all the sisters in the building?"
Mu Hongling's face turned cold:
"Lan Ying, what do you mean?"
The girl named Lan Ying said:
"If today's incident hadn't caused such a big stir, we wouldn't have known that she was the current Regent Princess!"
"She has the regent's protection. Even if she's caught, the most she'll suffer is a ruined reputation, or at worst, a loss of favor. She won't lose her life for this matter. But have you ever thought about what will happen to us sisters?"
After she said this, several people behind her echoed:
"Sister Lan Ying is right. Harboring the Princess Regent has brought shame upon the royal family. How can we possibly survive?"
"The only solution now is to hand her over. All of us sisters should speak in unison and sever ties with her, so we won't be implicated!"
"Shut up!" Mu Hongling cried angrily. "When the princess promised to help you become good citizens within a year, you were so grateful. Have you forgotten so quickly? You're actually pushing your benefactor away to prevent disaster in this critical moment?"
Many people immediately shut up with a look of shame on their faces.
Only a few people including Lan Ying looked indignant and said coldly:
"She'll have to live long enough to be reinstated. After what happened today, she might even kill us. What's the point of saying good things about her?"
"That's right, maybe this whole thing is a conspiracy, and everything she promised was just sweet talk to trick us into working for her!"
"You..." Mu Hongling pointed at several people angrily, but was interrupted by Yun Qingqing's calm voice.
"Okay, no need to argue."
Yun Qingqing looked at the girls and said calmly:
"I'll only say this once, and you guys make your own decisions. As for today's matter, just go back to your rooms and wait. I'll make sure everyone in the pavilion is safe."
"If you don't believe me, feel free to leave through the back door now. You can hide or go and tell on me."
"However, I will have Hong Ling hand over the indentures to the government offices for those who withdraw, and they will have nothing to do with this place from now on."
"You only have this one chance. Once you make a decision, don't come begging me again even if you regret it."
The women looked at each other, most of them hesitant.
They were all slaves, forced to fall into prostitution, but everyone knew that the former owner of Tianxiang Pavilion, Mu Hongling, was kind-hearted, and their lives here were much better than in other brothels.
Once the indenture is returned to the government office, it will inevitably be sold again. If one is unlucky, one may even fall into hell on earth.
Even if you are luckier, at most you will be bought by a noble man as a plaything, enjoying his youth for a few years, and finally become old and ugly. You still can't expect a good ending.
And if they stayed, the princess promised to keep everyone safe.
They will also help them restore their status as good citizens within a year... This is really worth a gamble.
While everyone was hesitating, Yun Qingqing said calmly:
"If you want to believe me, go back to your room, close the doors and windows tightly, and don't come out for an hour. If you don't believe me, please do as you please. If you want to go out and report me, I won't stop you, but you will bear the consequences at your own risk."
The women hesitated for a moment, and someone whispered:
"I will trust the princess and will return to my room to wait."
The girl who spoke bowed and turned away.
Once someone took the lead, the rest of the people quickly made up their minds, bowed to Yun Qingqing, and left.
Lan Ying's expression changed again and again. She bit her lip and turned away.
Mu Hongling whispered worriedly:
"Princess, people's hearts are hidden. Even though they won't say it, what if someone goes out and tells on us?"
Yun Qingqing smiled calmly:
"That requires you to be able to get through this door."
Mu Hongling's beautiful eyes widened slightly, somewhat confused.
But she soon understood.
Yun Qingqing brought her to the outer corridor, where she could just see the spiral staircase and most of the first-floor lobby.
The girls' rooms were on the second and third floors, but at this moment three people appeared on the stairs from the first floor to the second floor and were walking down. The one in front was Lan Ying.
Obviously decided to leave.
However, just as the three of them went down the stairs and took a few steps forward, they saw a faint light flash across the ground on the first floor, and the figures of the three girls disappeared out of thin air!
"This..." Mu Hongling was startled and turned to look at Yun Qingqing in surprise.
"Don't worry, they're just temporarily trapped in the formation. We'll release them once this is over." Yun Qingqing's eyes were slightly cold. "Since they already understand the consequences, there's nothing wrong with them prioritizing self-preservation. Let's prepare the indentures for these people."
Mu Hongling sighed slightly.
This was not the first time she had witnessed Yun Qingqing's methods, especially the scene just now. She was already certain that everything was under Yun Qingqing's control.
She said she would keep everyone safe and nothing would happen today.
It's a pity that Lan Ying and the others were short-sighted and missed the great opportunity to restore their status as good citizens. I wonder if they will regret it later.
Yun Qingqing returned to the third floor hall again and happened to hear loud singing coming from outside the window. It was obviously the shrill voice of the eunuchs in the palace:
"His Majesty has arrived—"
She walked over, lifted the curtains a little, and looked at the situation outside.
Wow, not only did I see the emperor’s dragon chariot.
There is also the queen's phoenix chariot.
Behind it is the Regent's sedan chair.
Following closely behind were Prime Minister Su and other important court officials, as well as a bunch of censors.
And those who had been waiting in front of the Tianxiang Pavilion for a long time included not only Chen Guojiu, who had three broken legs.
There are actually Xiao Zirui and Yun Bailian.
When Yun Bailian saw the emperor appear, she rushed over with a panicked look on her face and knelt down, saying in a mournful voice:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. My sister must have had her own reasons for doing this! Please be lenient with her and give her a chance to redeem herself!"
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