"Don't you want your ears, or your legs? Why aren't you behaving yourself?"
"Yes, yes, yes, it was...it was those bandits from Sanlitun. I...I accidentally saw them drinking tea, and then..."
"Explain yourself clearly."
Xie Lingqin pointed at Xu Shixun.
"That lured them here, and they tied Xie Danling up, tied him up." Xu Shixun was almost dumbfounded.
"You guys are really smart."
Xie Lingqin suddenly raised her hand, and as Xu Shixun trembled and sweat beaded on his forehead, she gently lowered it again. Her voice was as cold as a blade, but her eyes were smiling. "Also, look, although you are two or three years younger than me, you are not short either, yet you have been beaten and tortured like this by a woman like me. Do you think it would be shameful to tell others?"
"What...what do you want?"
"What do you mean, 'how about it'? Don't you guys want to fight me one-on-one?"
“Of course.” Xu Shixun composed himself, his voice stammering, “Don’t worry, tonight… tonight’s events… we won’t tell anyone. One… one day, we will defeat you.”
"Good girl."
As the two clear and melodious words fell, Xie Lingqin and Zihe disappeared into the distance.
"Sehun, Sehun, that's Xie Danling's older sister, Xie Lingqin. Should we tell Teacher Xu, or tell the dean?"
"What are you suing for? Look at your bruised and swollen faces. Aren't you ashamed? She's just a woman, an older woman than us. Don't we have any shame?"
"Yes, yes, then we'll listen to you."
"Hmph, anyway, we must not tell anyone about what happened today. If Xie Danling comes back alive and testifies against us, we cannot admit it."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
"But……"
Just then, a boy on the other side suddenly looked distressed and said, "Sehun, I...I'm a little scared."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I don't want Xie Danling to die. I want to bully him, I can't stand him, but if he really dies..."
"Yes, that's a human life! I've heard that the bandits in Sanlitun are very cruel..."
Xu Shixun rubbed his bruised face, baring his teeth, "Alright, stop talking. You're making it sound like I want him dead. I just can't stand him. He always has that arrogant, unyielding attitude. But now that things have happened, what can I do?"
For a moment, the several pig-faced people looked at each other in bewilderment, and the room suddenly fell silent.
...
Xie Lingqin was naturally unaware of what was happening behind her.
The only reason she was able to set Xie Danling right was because she wasn't completely stupid. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered with it at all. So, she was already being lenient by sparing the lives of those spoiled, arrogant rich kids.
As for whether they want revenge and cause trouble?
Oh!
That's courting death.
When Xie Lingqin returned to the general's mansion, General Xie had already returned, and dozens of guards had gathered at the gate.
They all looked ready to go.
As expected, Xie Lingqin had just returned to Qingshui Pavilion to change her clothes when Zihe said, "Miss, those people have already set off. It seems they are heading out of the city to find the young master."
Xie Lingqin nodded. "This trip is unlikely to be successful. The bandits in Sanlitun have been entrenched for a very long time, and even the imperial court has been unable to conquer them. This speaks volumes." With that, Xie Lingqin put on her cloak. "Let's go find my father and see what's going on."
"That young lady..."
"Don't worry, he won't notice anything amiss."
"yes."
General Xie was standing outside the door, stroking his brow, looking deeply troubled.
"Father."
Xie Lingqin, looking weak and frail, stepped forward and called out.
General Xie slowly turned around, his tone displeased, "What are you doing out here? Didn't the Emperor tell you to rest and recover properly?"
"I want to know how Danling is doing. Although we don't get along very well, he is still my younger brother and your only son now, Father."
Xie Lingqin said.
General Xie's brows furrowed deeply. After a moment, he sighed and handed a letter to Xie Lingqin.
Xie Lingqin took the box and opened it. Upon looking at it, her expression hardened slightly. "This is..."
"They kidnapped Danling, asking for nothing in return, saying they just wanted Danling to play with them for a few days—"
It's even more terrifying than demanding people or things.
"So, what does Father intend to do?"
"I have already sent men out of the city to Sanlitun to see if we can negotiate." After saying this, General Xie did not intend to say anything more and went straight into the mansion.
Xie Lingqin stood there for a while before crumpling the letter into a ball and returning to Qingshui Pavilion with Zihe.
"Zihe, secretly investigate whether General Xie has any illegitimate children outside, or whether he is keeping someone who is already pregnant."
"ah?"
Zihe was taken aback when Xie Lingqin gave him these instructions. Even with his calm and reserved nature, he was still somewhat bewildered.
We were just worried about the young master, how did we end up talking about this now?!
“Father only had one son, Danling. He is not a saint. He is born with a love for fame and power. He is always scheming and hoping that the General’s Mansion will regain its former glory. But even if he gets these things, he can take them to his coffin after he dies. If he doesn’t want a son to see him off in his final days, what good are they?”
Xie Lingqin frowned, put down her hand, and tossed the letter aside.
"Does Miss think the General is too indifferent to the matter of the young master being captured by bandits?"
"Yes, he used to dote on Xie Danling, but now that Xie Danling's life or death is uncertain, he only sends people to negotiate and doesn't even show up himself."
"Yes, I will investigate as soon as possible."
After Xie Lingqin finished speaking, she summoned Tinghai from the shadows, "Tinghai, we'll leave the city in a bit and head to Sanlitun."
"Miss……"
Xie Lingqin interrupted Zihe, "I'd also like to see just how powerful these bandits of Sanlitun are, that the imperial court has been unable to conquer them for so long."
“But even if Miss and Tinghai manage to win over the guards sent out by the General’s Mansion, it still won’t be enough.”
“How could it not be enough?” Xie Lingqin suddenly smiled. “Isn’t the Fifth Princess going into the city early tomorrow morning? She must already be stationed not far outside the city. So, we can borrow all the Imperial Guards she has.”
Zihe Ming turned around, his eyes lighting up.
"Tridacna clam, guard it well, we'll be right back."
"Miss, be careful." Tridacna had already returned before Xie Lingqin and was now guarding outside the door. When she saw Xie Lingqin dressed as a man and Tinghai and Zihe leaving, a dark red light flashed in her eyes.
---Aside---
Just to clarify, this person isn't in black robes, that's all.
This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not reproduce it!
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