Chapter 1121: Princess Chun'an was led astray by the storybook 2
"What's the reputation of the Yuan family and the Ren family?" Xiao Keyan couldn't help but inquire.
Dong Jingyi thought for a moment and said, "General Yuan is a strict commander of the army. My father often speaks of him with admiration. As for Lord Ren, he only took over as the Governor of Xiliang last year. I haven't heard my father mention him much."
Xiao Keyan nodded, without asking any more questions, and continued to go shopping at the fair with Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin. After Dong Zhenghua came over, the three of them bought a lot of things and went back to the city happily.
In the next few days, Xiao Keyan, accompanied by Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin, not only toured the area around Ganzhou City, but also inspected her own terraced fields and pastures.
By mid-June, there were more and more people in Ganzhou City.
On the bustling street, Xiao Keyan, Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin, dressed as men, were strolling on the street, each holding a folding fan. Their elegant and handsome appearance attracted the attention of people on the street.
"What a handsome young man!"
Hearing this, Xiao Keyan covered her face with a folding fan, chuckled softly, and looked at Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin jokingly: "You two should be careful, don't make a girl fall in love with you just by strolling around the street."
Dong Jingyi rolled her eyes in an indecent manner: "It's you who should be paying attention to. Don't drag Lan Xin and me into this. Others are looking at you, Master Xiao!"
Xiao Keyan smiled: "Don't tell me, with the looks of my brother and my younger brother, if I were really a man, I guarantee that I would be bewitched by you two."
Dong Jingyi was about to speak when she heard Sun Lanxin exclaim, "Huh?" and pointed to the fabric shop across the street. "Isn't that Xiliang's most beautiful woman?"
Xiao Keyan and Dong Jingyi hurriedly looked in the direction of Sun Lanxin's finger, and sure enough, they saw Ren Yaning, whom they had met at the rally square a few days ago, and several of her followers.
Ren Yaning is indeed good-looking, but what is most attractive about her is her delicate temperament, which is very different from that of most Xiliang women.
She was panting slightly, tears in her eyes, and her every move was so pitiful that people couldn't help but want to protect her.
As soon as she did, someone started fighting for her.
In the clothing shop, Yuan Yonghao was holding a piece of red gauze from the Western Regions in his hand, looking at the young man in brocade clothes who was holding the other end of the red gauze with a mocking look in his eyes.
"Cao Xingwu, I saw this red gauze first. Don't you understand first come first served?"
Cao Xingwu looked arrogant. Others might be afraid of him, Yuan Yonghao, but he wasn't. He increased the force of his pull and snorted, "Have you paid the money? If not, then I am also eligible to buy it."
Ren Yaning stood between the two of them, looking at one and then at the other, feeling anxious and at a loss.
On the street, Xiao Keyan saw that there was a good show to watch and naturally would not miss it. She and Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin followed the crowd to the door of the clothing store and watched the competition inside the store with great interest.
Xiao Keyan asked Dong Jingyi in a low voice: "Do you know the person who is competing with Master Yuan?"
Dong Jingyi nodded. "I know him. He's Cao Xingwu, the son of the Commander-in-Chief. This Mr. Cao is very good at studying. He passed the imperial examination right after he came of age. My father said he's a talented scholar and a martial artist, and he's very much liked by Lord Cao."
Xiao Keyan looked at Yuan Yonghao and Cao Xingwu, who were tugging at a piece of red gauze, and said with a low laugh, "I often see girls getting jealous over a certain gentleman, but today I saw two men fighting to please a beautiful woman. It was quite novel and interesting."
The onlookers were watching with great interest, but Ren Yaning in the shop was so anxious that she was about to cry: "Stop fighting, I don't want this piece of red yarn anymore."
Cao Xingwu immediately said, "Yaning, don't worry, I will definitely buy this piece of red yarn and give it to you."
Yuan Yonghao didn't say anything, but he proved with his actions that he would not give up this piece of red gauze.
Yuan Yonghao and Cao Xingwu used more and more force in their hands, and suddenly, with a "rip" sound, the red gauze was torn into two pieces in the middle.
The red veil was ruined, and not only Ren Yaning, but also the onlookers looked regretful.
Xiao Keyan's attention was not on the red gauze, but on the person.
The red gauze was torn apart, but Master Yuan remained motionless. However, Master Cao staggered.
It can be seen that in terms of martial arts, Master Yuan is still superior to Master Cao.
The red gauze was ruined, and a trace of annoyance flashed across Yuan Yonghao's eyes. He threw the half piece of red gauze in his hand to the ground and snorted coldly: "Bad luck!"
Today he was out for a stroll and happened to see the red yarn in this shop.
Somehow, the image of the girl in red that I saw at the rally square that day came to my mind. I thought she must be very beautiful in the red gauze, and I couldn't help but want to buy it.
As for the fact that he doesn't even know who the girl is now, it is not within his consideration.
Unexpectedly, just as he got the red gauze, Cao Xingwu and Ren Yaning came. As soon as they arrived, Cao Xingwu wanted to snatch the red gauze from him.
Can he agree to this?
On the other side, Cao Xingwu was comforting Ren Yaning: "Yaning, don't be sad, I will immediately ask the boss to order you a new piece of exactly the same red yarn."
The red gauze was ruined, and Yuan Yonghao didn't want to stay in the shop anymore. He asked his followers to leave half of the silver for buying the red gauze, and then strode out of the clothing store.
As soon as he stepped out of the store, Yuan Yonghao saw Xiao Keyan smiling in the crowd. At a glance, he recognized her as the girl in red he saw at the rally, even though she was dressed as a man at this time.
Xiao Keyan was talking in a low voice with Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin when she suddenly realized someone was looking at her. When she looked up, she saw Yuan Yonghao staring at her with a sharp gaze.
The light in his eyes made her heart beat faster.
Xiao Keyan looked around, and this time she was sure that Master Yuan, who had just been competing with others for a woman, was now looking at her with such a bold lustful attitude. She immediately glared at him fiercely.
When the beauty glared at him, Yuan Yonghao's expression suddenly brightened up. He walked over to chat with her, but the beauty turned around and pulled the people around her away.
Yuan Yonghao is not the kind of person who gives up easily, and he immediately wanted to chase after her. However, Ren Yaning and Cao Xingwu came out at this time, and Ren Yaning blocked his way with an apologetic look on his face.
"Brother Yuan, today's incident is all my fault. If I hadn't fallen for that piece of red gauze, you and Brother Cao wouldn't have had any conflict. Please, for my sake, reconcile with Brother Cao, okay?"
Yuan Yonghao was anxious to catch up with the person, and waved his hand perfunctorily, "I, Yuan Yonghao, am not such a petty person." After that, he walked past Ren Yaning and went to the street. However, the crowd was surging, and there was no sign of the beauty at this time.
"Playboy!"
Xiao Keyan thought about the look in Yuan Yonghao's eyes and became angrier and angrier, cursing inwardly.
Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin didn't hear clearly and were a little confused.
Sun Lanxin: "Why, do you want to eat radish?"
Xiao Keyan: “.”
Dong Jingyi smiled and said, "The radish soup at Ganzhou Restaurant is delicious. How about we go there for lunch?"
Xiao Keyan was at a loss for words and nodded helplessly, "Okay!"
Just as Xiao Keyan and the other two entered the private room on the second floor of Ganzhou Restaurant, Yuan Yonghao and his two good friends also met them in front of the restaurant.
As soon as they met, Yuan Yonghao's two friends began to joke: "Yonghao, it's great. I heard that you openly competed with Cao Xingwu for a piece of red yarn in order to win the favor of Miss Ren. Is that true?"
Yuan Yonghao was speechless and said unhappily, "Who is talking nonsense? I just had my eye on a piece of red gauze, but it has nothing to do with Miss Ren."
The two friends just thought Yuan Yonghao was embarrassed, winked at each other, and then gave Yuan Yonghao a look that said "they understand".
Yuan Yonghao laughed angrily: "It's up to you whether you believe it or not!" Then he walked into the restaurant.
In the private room on the second floor, Xiao Keyan and the other two, who were hungry after shopping, had already started eating.
"How is it? Do you like the food in this restaurant?" Dong Jingyi asked with a smile.
Xiao Keyan nodded: "Not bad." Then she picked up a glutinous rice and radish meatball and took a big bite.
Just as the three of them were enjoying their meal, they heard noises of commotion and fighting coming from downstairs.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Keyan was sitting by the window. When she stood up, she saw a group of soldiers appearing on the street and running into the restaurant quickly.
"Something happened!"
Xiao Keyan walked quickly to the door, opened it a crack, and prepared to check the situation in the restaurant.
As the officers and soldiers entered, the fighting in the restaurant became more intense.
As soon as Xiao Keyan stuck her head out, she saw three people walking out of the private room next door. When she saw the face of the leader clearly, she was slightly stunned.
A playboy!
Yuan Yonghao also saw Xiao Keyan, but before he could be happy, he saw several Western merchants with knives running up to the second floor. Without saying a word, they chopped down a fence with their hands, raised wooden sticks and hit those people.
"What happened?"
Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin came to Xiao Keyan nervously.
Xiao Keyan closed the door before speaking: "Some merchants from the Western Regions are causing trouble!"
Hearing this, Dong Jingyi's face suddenly became angry. "It must be those Western merchants who don't want to pay customs duties. Since Ganzhou opened up to trade, there are always some Western merchants who are unwilling to pay customs duties and sneak into the country every year. This has caused my father a lot of headaches."
Xiao Keyan frowned, "We need to strengthen the management of the trade market. Merchants from the Western Regions not only evade taxes, but also dare to openly hurt people. It seems that we are too gentle with them!"
At this moment, a roar came from downstairs: "Don't come over here, or I'll kill her!"
"Let her go! If you dare to hurt even a hair on her head, you will all be killed."
Xiao Keyan opened the door again. Because of Yuan Yonghao's obstruction, no Western merchants came up from the second floor. At this time, everyone opened their doors and looked at the situation downstairs.
"Someone's being held hostage!"
"It's Miss Ren, the most beautiful girl in Xiliang!"
Hearing this, Dong Jingyi's face changed. She stood by the door and looked at the situation downstairs. Seeing that Ren Yaning was indeed kidnapped, she said anxiously, "If something happens to Miss Ren in Ganzhou, my father will definitely be held accountable by Lord Ren."
Xiao Keyan looked at the situation downstairs, pondered for a moment, reached out and took the slingshot at his waist, walked out of the room and stood in front of the fence.
Downstairs, Yuan Yonghao and Cao Xingwu stood on either side of the Western Region merchant who was holding Ren Yaning hostage, with soldiers in the middle.
The situation was tense and deadlocked.
"Let us go, or we'll kill her!"
When Cao Xingwu saw the Western merchant's dagger against Ren Yaning's neck, he quickly signaled the officers and soldiers to open the gate.
"Go, prepare a carriage for us!"
"hurry up!"
The two Western merchants who held Ren Yaning hostage slowly moved towards the gate.
Upstairs, Xiao Keyan silently calculated the speed of his slingshot, decisively took out a muscle-softening pill, and shot it directly at the Western Region merchant who was holding Ren Yaning hostage.
"ah!"
The sudden attack scared the Western Region merchant so much that he loosened the grip of the dagger in his hand.
At this moment, Yuan Yonghao saw the opportunity, rushed over quickly, and kicked the man several meters away with a side kick. He then pulled Ren Yaning over and threw him to Cao Xingwu.
When he was about to attack the second Western Region merchant, a white pill suddenly flashed across his sight and hit the Western Region merchant's philtrum accurately.
Then, the Western Region merchants fell down like a deflated ball.
Yuan Yonghao turned around suddenly and just saw Xiao Keyan retracting the slingshot.
It's her!
What an amazing accuracy!
Yuan Yonghao showed appreciation on his face and gave Xiao Keyan a thumbs up with a smile.
Xiao Keyan snorted and ignored him. Seeing that the soldiers had already controlled all the Western Region merchants, she turned around and went back to the private room.
Yuan Yonghao was stunned for a moment, touched his chin, and looked a little puzzled.
This is the third time he has been ignored by a beautiful woman!
Is his handsome face no longer attractive?
In the private room on the second floor, Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin were looking at Xiao Keyan's slingshot, and said that they would prepare one next time.
Xiao Keyan smiled and said, "It's useless to just be prepared. You also need a high hit rate."
Dong Jingyi: "Ke Yan, how come you're so accurate?"
Xiao Keyan: "Just practice more."
The three of them waited for a while, and when they saw the soldiers escorting the Western Region merchants away, they also prepared to leave.
As the three of them stepped out of the room, they saw Yuan Yonghao standing outside with a smile.
"Thank you for your help just now, young lady!"
Xiao Keyan glanced at him, ignored him, and walked straight past him and went downstairs.
Yuan Yonghao was silent for a moment, then quickly chased after her: "Miss, I have no ill intentions, I just want to express my gratitude."
Hearing this, Xiao Keyan stopped and turned to look at Yuan Yonghao: "I saved Miss Ren, what does this have to do with you? Do I need you to thank me?"
Yuan Yonghao: “.” His tone was so aggressive. Did he offend her?
Dong Jingyi and Sun Lanxin looked at Yuan Yonghao and quickly went after Xiao Keyan.
"Who are you looking at?"
Yuan Yonghao's two friends came over and looked downstairs, following Yuan Yonghao's gaze. One of them exclaimed, "Isn't that Miss Dong?"
When Yuan Yonghao heard this, he quickly pulled him back and asked, "Do you know those three girls?"
The friend laughed and said, "Of course I don't recognize her. She's the daughter of Magistrate Dong. I've seen her several times."
Yuan Yonghao's eyes lit up: "So she's the daughter of Mr. Dong's family. No wonder she has such a unique personality."
His father often mentioned Magistrate Dong, and his words were full of admiration for him. Thinking of his parents' vague proposal before, Yuan Yonghao's heart began to beat fast.
Because of the hijacking of the Western Region merchants, Old Madam Dong did not dare to let Xiao Keyan and Dong Jingyi continue to run away, so the two could only stay in the mansion to pass the time.
It was fine for a day or two, but after a long time, Xiao Keyan got bored. When Dong Jingyi saw this, she thought about it and asked the maid to go out and find out some gossip about Ganzhou and tell them back.
That afternoon, the maid excitedly told the two of them about the latest events of the past two days.
"Miss Ren was kidnapped and fell ill from shock that day. When Madam Ren learned about it, she personally rushed to Ganzhou City. This morning, Madam Ren took Miss Ren to the Yuan family's mansion in Ganzhou City, bringing a generous gift of gratitude, saying she wanted to thank Master Yuan for saving her life."
Dong Jingyi glanced at Xiao Keyan and said, "The one Miss Ren should really thank is you."
Xiao Keyan smiled nonchalantly: "Do I need someone to thank?"
Dong Jingyi smiled and held Xiao Keyan's hand.
Xiao Keyan shuddered at her smile and quickly pulled her hand back: "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't touch me. It's not respectful."
Dong Jingyi was amused. "I wanted to thank you. If anything happened to Miss Ren, my father would have a hard time explaining it to Master Ren."
Xiao Keyan waved her hand casually: "Oh, there's no need to be so polite between us." Then she looked at the maid and said, "Go on."
Maid: "It is said that when Madam Ren and Miss Ren left, their faces were full of smiles. There are rumors that the Ren and Yuan families are interested in forming a marriage."
"Don't say it, Mr. Yuan is brave and powerful, and Miss Ren is gentle and beautiful. They are really a perfect match."
Hearing this, Xiao Keyan felt a little unhappy for no reason: "Brave and powerful? How could I not see that? With his appearance, my father, my brother, my younger brother, any one of them would be a hundred times or a thousand times stronger than him."
Seeing Xiao Keyan suddenly angry, Dong Jingyi and the maid were confused and looked at her stupidly.
(End of this chapter)
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