Huo Xiaolong has been quite anxious these past few days, as if he were about to receive his exam results. Hearing from Cen's mother that someone else would be coming, the young girl has been having trouble sleeping for several nights, hoping that the person would come and end this matter quickly.
The Zhanchen Tower was ravaged by Zhang Bifeng and her men. They told the outside world that everyone in the tower was seriously injured. Anyway, life is like a play, and it all depends on acting skills.
Cen Ang has been very busy lately, often taking Huo Xiaolong and He Yi back and forth between Beining County and Pingyang.
"Mom, when are those secret guards coming? Will they be any better this time, or just as weak as last time?"
What do you think, Mom?
"Mom~"
The little dumpling kept talking, and He Yi and Cen Ang had gotten used to it. These past few days, the child seemed to be possessed, insisting on seeing the palace's secret guards.
It was all because he let something slip during the secret struggle.
"The palace guards are far more capable than us. Think about it, how could they work in the palace if they weren't capable, right?"
From the day he arrived at the brothel, An Dou no longer had to cover his face with a black cloth every day. To be honest, after wearing a mask for so many years, his face was not the same color at all.
The lower half of his face was very pale, while the upper half was somewhat dark. The little girl, dressed in a lantern-shaped outfit, stared at the man's face and asked...
"Are they like you too? Brother An Dou, your face is all different colors."
"..."
This kid is good at grasping the essentials. An Dou was speechless. It was something that would have been fine after a while, but Huo Xiaolong had to say it out loud.
“They should be the same,” the man said.
"That's really funny," Huo Xiaolong said, clutching his stomach with a laugh.
She used to admire those imperial guards, secret agents, and mysterious figures from the Eastern and Western Depots. The way they wore masks and veils, exuding an air of mystery, seemed so cool to her. But now, seeing the underworld...
Forget it, I don't need it.
"Why does Long'er want them to come so much?"
There was no blame in the woman's words; what child wouldn't be curious?
Long'er is just a bit too bold; she's my own daughter, after all.
"Brother An Dou said that their faces were all different colors."
"..."
He Yi raised an eyebrow, turned her head to the side, and covered her face with her hand.
She knew Cen Ang didn't mind, but as his mother, she felt a little ashamed and embarrassed.
"Really? Mom?"
"What palace guards could possibly survive to reach her?" Cen Ang chuckled.
"I think so."
The mountain road was quiet despite the heat, and the shade of the trees was very refreshing. Ah Cai slowly drove the carriage. It was a good job at the brothel. The owner would pay for you to go out and have fun. When you arrived in Beining, all expenses would be reimbursed by Cen Ang.
His wife had just given birth and was already clamoring to go sell squid right after her postpartum period. She even carried the baby with her. How could Cen Ang allow that? He simply sent the baby to Fu Ping's place to help take care of it, essentially hiring a wet nurse.
“Honey, you’ve just finished your postpartum period, and you still have to take care of the baby. He can’t be without you. Can’t we stop going to work? It’s not like I can’t support you and our son.”
The woman wearing a headband glared at him and said...
"At worst, we can find a reliable wet nurse for the child. She'll earn nearly two qian of silver a day. Why wouldn't we take the money?"
He just doesn't earn as much as his wife, so he doesn't speak with much authority. Men don't dare to argue with her and can only let her have her way. Fortunately, he also works in a brothel, so he can take care of her to some extent.
Ah Cai was feeling drowsy from the swaying of the carriage.
Suddenly, the horse neighed.
Cen Ang's lowered eyes suddenly glared ahead, sharp as swords.
"Ah Cai, get in the carriage."
Her voice was icy, like the biting wind of March in the dead of winter.
"Mother, I'm here!"
Ah Cai didn't know what had come, but Huo Xiaolong was excitedly waving his little arms in the carriage and even wanted to lift the curtain and peek out.
"Oh my lady, please bear with it for a while. If someone rushes in, Madam Huo can take Long'er and leave first. I can hold out for a bit longer."
Huo Xiaolong was still clutching two ice cubes to cool herself down when she raised her little hand and said...
People will die!
People are going to die, why aren't you running away? Why are you letting the two of us go first?
The little dumpling thought that it wasn't a bad thing for everyone to flee when disaster struck. Their brothel, Fengyuelou, hadn't done Ah Cai any favors; it was just an employer-employee relationship.
He works for me, and I pay him a salary; neither of us owes the other anything.
Ah Cai grabbed her wrist and dug the ice cube from her hand, saying...
"Then I'll die before you."
Not for money, but for humanity.
Even if he were gone, Fengyuelou would take good care of his wife and children. Perhaps his wife would be sad for a while after he died, but if he were alive and ran away from the battle, he would despise himself, and his wife would look down on him for the rest of her life.
"Don't worry! My mom is super strong, everything will be fine."
The woman was dressed in a belted dress, which accentuated her curves. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, with two strands of hair at her temples fluttering in the wind. Her phoenix eyes stared at the man in black leading the group in front of her, her eyes filled with disdain.
Thin eyes and thin lips, cold heart and cold emotions.
Her features were so striking that the lead guard took two steps back.
Few people in the palace knew that Cen Ang was skilled in martial arts, but coincidentally, he was one of them. He would never forget the feeling of being kicked off the stage by the phoenix-eyed girl during training.
It is so slender, yet so sharp.
“Cen Ang”.
The head of the guards' voice was muffled. Because his face was covered by a veil, a few drops of sweat seeped from his forehead, whether from the heat or nervousness, it was hard to tell.
"You know me? It seems the Emperor has really gone all out this time."
The woman drew an iron fan from her waist, twirled it in her hand, and spun it twice.
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