Chapter 148 Jiangnan
At the critical moment!
A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the guard leader who had been protecting Xie Sangning like a shadow!
He didn't have time to draw his sword, nor did he have time to think!
In a flash, he took a sudden side step, channeling all his strength into his right leg, and kicked out fiercely!
"Bang!!!"
A muffled thud!
This kick was incredibly precise, striking the charging horse squarely in the chest and side!
The white horse let out a shrill, painful neigh, its massive body instantly losing its balance and crashing violently to the side!
The woman in red on horseback had no time to react. She only had time to let out a short scream before she and her horse tumbled over and crashed heavily onto a roadside grocery stall like a rolling gourd!
Splash!
The wooden frame shattered, and pots, pans, needles, thread, and scraps of cloth were scattered everywhere! It was a complete mess!
The loud noise and the sudden change brought the entire street to an instant silence!
Everyone was terrified!
The Lin family members were still shaken, their hearts pounding as they looked at the collapsed stall and the flying dust!
In that split second just now, if the leader hadn't acted decisively, the old man probably would have...
However, besides the shock on the faces of the onlookers, a hint of pleasure flashed quickly in the eyes of many of them, and they looked at Xie Sangning and his group with pity.
"ah--!"
A piercing scream rang out from the ruins!
The woman in red scrambled to her feet, looking disheveled.
Her carefully styled hair was disheveled, her face was covered in dust, her gorgeous riding clothes were torn in several places, and her arms and forehead seemed to be scraped, with blood seeping out.
She stared intently in the direction the horse was kicked, her gaze like a knife, fiercely piercing the leader who was coldly staring at her, as well as Xie Sangning and the others from the Lin family who were protecting him!
"Which blind bastard dares to kick my horse?! And even injure me?! Are you all tired of living?!"
Her voice was sharp and sarcastic, filled with anger.
Fearing that things would escalate and cause trouble for Xie Sangning, the eldest aunt quickly stepped forward, putting on an apologetic smile, trying to ease the tension:
“Miss, please calm down! We are so sorry! The situation was urgent just now. Your horse was running too fast and was about to hit my elderly relative. The guards were so protective of their master that they… that's why they had no choice but to act! It was our fault for startling your horse! Where are you injured? We'll get you a doctor right away! We will also compensate you for the damage to the horse and the stall! Please calm down…”
The aunt adopted a humble attitude and spoke sincerely, thinking that the other party was a young girl who had fallen in the street and must be in pain and angry. She said a few nice words, paid some compensation, and let the matter be resolved peacefully.
But the woman in red didn't appreciate it at all!
She abruptly flung her hand away, pointed at her aunt Zhao's nose, and launched into a tirade of curses, her voice shrill and piercing:
"Compensate?! Can you afford to compensate?! Open your dog eyes and look carefully! This outfit of mine was specially bought from the Jinxiu Pavilion in the capital! It costs more than a hundred taels of silver! And there's my Ta Xue too!"
She pointed at the white horse that had been kicked and couldn't get up for a long time, her eyes red with heartache. "This is a purebred Western Region steed! Worth a fortune! You bunch of blind country bumpkins! You bumpkins! Do you know who I am?! How dare you hurt me and my horse?! And you even hit an old man? The old man was so old, why didn't he go home to wait for his death, but instead ran out and blocked the way?! He deserved to die! He was blind!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically!
"You! You..."
Zhao was so angry by her barrage of vicious curses that she trembled all over and her face turned pale!
She had lived her whole life upholding traditional virtues, gentle and kind, and had never heard anyone utter such vicious words! Especially since they even cursed Old Master Lin! This was simply intolerable!
The Lin family members were all furious, their faces turning ashen. Lin Ziyuan and Lin Huan clenched their fists so tightly they cracked, wishing they could rush forward, but they were held back by Xie Sangning's men.
Old Master Lin was so angry that his beard stood on end, and he slammed his cane heavily on the ground!
As a veteran official of three dynasties, he taught the previous emperor and the crown prince. Even though the crown prince died and did not ascend the throne, allowing Pei Yan to take the throne, he was highly respected throughout his life, and even Pei Yan did not dare to raise his voice to him!
Seeing that Zhao was too humiliated to retaliate and the rest of the Lin family dared not speak out, the woman in red became even more arrogant and continued to shout shrilly: "And you! Which lowly servant raised this dog! How dare you kick my horse? Who gave you the guts! And you! You lowly woman dressed like a human! Keep your dogs in check! This isn't over! If I don't tear you all apart and feed you to the dogs, I'm not surnamed Gu!"
Xie Sangning had only one feeling at this moment: it's really hard for people to live kindly, because there are so many despicable people in this world.
Xie Sangning stepped forward and gently pulled her aunt, who was trembling with anger, behind her to protect her.
She stood tall and straight, coldly surveying the ferocious-looking woman in red, a mocking smile playing on her lips:
"Riding a horse recklessly in the street, disregarding human life, nearly injuring an elder; uttering foul language and insulting elders. Are the rules of Jiangnan Prefecture meant for a shrew like you to run rampant in the street?"
She sized up the woman in red several times, her gaze carrying a condescending scrutiny, as if she were looking at something filthy, and the mockery in her tone grew even stronger:
"You keep cursing people as lowly servants and constantly refer to yourself as 'this young lady'... Ha, this young lady has never heard of such a lowly young lady. Which family do you belong to? How dare you be so arrogant and lawless? Could it be... that Her Highness the Princess has come to Jiangnan incognito?"
"Tsk...that's not quite right. I happen to know the princess and have attended palace banquets. To be honest, I'm not as ugly as you."
Among the onlookers, some couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly covered their mouths!
The woman in red was speechless, her face turning red and white as she was choked by Xie Sangning's words, which were a mix of sarcasm and barbs!
Her finger, pointing at Xie Sangning, was trembling:
"You...you dare to be so insolent! You dare to mock me?! You just wait! Don't run away if you dare! I'll have my father throw you all in jail! I'll show you what happens when you offend me!"
Just then, a chaotic sound of horses' hooves came from the other end of the street, and several men dressed in uniform, seemingly guards and carrying weapons, finally caught up, panting heavily.
The young man leading the group paled when he saw the woman in red's disheveled state and the fallen white horse: "Miss! Are you alright?!"
Seeing her people arrive, the woman in red regained her courage instantly. Pointing at Xie Sangning and the Lin family members, she shrieked, "Gu Yi! Where have you been?! It's them! These scoundrels! They injured my Taxue! And insulted me! Arrest them all! Don't let a single one escape!"
Upon hearing this, the guard leader named Gu Yi swept his sharp gaze across Xie Sangning and her group, his hand already on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and said in a deep voice, "Dare to injure my young lady? How dare you! Seize her!"
Several guards behind him stepped forward in response, ready to grab him!
The atmosphere instantly became tense!
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