Tao Wanniang was far from the Prince Rui's residence, but she was unwilling to leave like that, so she paced back and forth, thinking she would wait for the rabbit to come to her in ambush!
When Tao Wanniang saw the two riding horses to Prince Rui's mansion, her eyes lit up. Wasn't that the one who had a craving for food?
"Hey, Brother Qian, the eldest brother surnamed Qian!" Tao Wanniang called out, walking quickly forward.
Ling Yunzhou looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall, slender woman walking over. Her face seemed somewhat familiar, but he was certain he didn't recognize her.
"Qian Feng, is he looking for you?" Ling Yunzhou asked in a low voice.
"Oh, right, it's looking for me." Qian Feng looked closely and then again before recognizing Tao Wanniang.
"I'll go in first, you can come in after you've finished." After saying that, Ling Yunzhou stepped into the Prince Rui's residence.
"Big sister, what are you doing here... to ambush me?" Qian Feng looked Tao Wanniang up and down. She looked completely different from the one in the mountains. Her dress accentuated her slender waist, her face was clean, and her eyes were bright. She looked very dashing.
Tao Wanniang chuckled dryly and denied it directly, saying, "Brother, you're overthinking it."
"Hehe, big sister, just kidding. What's up? Did you need something?" Qian Feng immediately laughed to ease the awkwardness.
"You want to go to Prince Rui's residence, right? Will you be able to see the young master?" Tao Wanniang asked. "Could you please pass on a message to the young master for me?"
Qian Feng looked at Tao Wanniang in surprise, but then he remembered that it was she who had told him that the three princes were being pursued by the government.
"Big sister, do you know the young master?" Qian Feng asked tentatively.
“Brother Qian, please go in and tell the young master that Tao Wanniang from Shanhai Prefecture has arrived, and it’s time to fulfill our promise!” Tao Wanniang said calmly. “Our family is staying at Laifu Inn.”
Qian Feng was taken aback by these abrupt words. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Okay, big sister, I'll pass on the message for you."
"Thank you!" Tao Wanniang replied and turned to leave.
Inside the Prince Rui's mansion, General Ling Yunzhou was discussing the case of the Mountain and Sea Prefecture with his son, Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi was poisoned in the Shan Hai Mansion and was pursued by Li Jianghai. After returning to the capital, he fell seriously ill, and only recently has he recovered somewhat.
“If Zhang Shicheng didn’t have powerful backers, he would never dare to act so recklessly. Your Highness, rest assured, now that I have taken over this matter, I will definitely uproot every single vine!” Ling Yunzhou said solemnly.
"General Ling, thank you for your trouble," Xiao Yi said, then went on to talk about what he had found out in Shanhai Prefecture.
After Qian Feng entered, he couldn't get a word in edgewise for a while. Finally, he waited until Ling Yunzhou and Xiao Yi finished talking.
"Your Highness, just now outside the Prince's residence, an elder sister asked me to pass on a few words."
“Qian Feng, the young master is unwell, and it’s not appropriate to discuss such private matters between men and women right now,” Ling Yunzhou interrupted. The woman was mature and charming; what important matters could she possibly discuss with the young master?
"General, I think you've misunderstood. I'm a man who's cursed to be unlucky in marriage, and I no longer concern myself with matters of love and romance," Xiao Yi said with a self-deprecating laugh. "Qian Feng, what kind of woman is this 'eldest sister' you're talking about?" Xiao Yi thought to himself that Tao Wanniang and her entourage should be arriving in the capital by now.
"That lady is tall and thin, and her skin isn't very fair. She's probably around thirty years old, and quite pretty," Qian Feng chuckled.
"This doesn't seem to be Tao Wan's daughter," Xiao Yi frowned slightly. "Did she say anything?"
"She said she was from Tao... something from Shanhai Prefecture, and her family lived at Laifu Inn. Young Master, do you owe her something? She said you should keep your promise."
Qian Feng forgot the person's name and gave an awkward laugh.
A smile appeared on Xiao Yi's face as he called out to Cheng Feng.
"Cheng Feng, send over the prepared items!"
"Alright, Your Highness, this family has actually arrived. It's not easy for them!" Cheng Feng said jokingly, taking out the things Xiao Yi had prepared long ago.
"Also, please take the trouble to investigate that person surnamed Huang!" Xiao Yi added.
Seeing this, Ling Yunzhou couldn't help but ask curiously, "Does this woman surnamed Tao have a past with the young master?"
"I know what the general is thinking. It must be fate!" Xiao Yi briefly recounted his repeated encounters with Tao Wanniang's family and how he was eventually saved by Tao Wanniang.
"But General, don't think about anything else. This Tao family is quite old, and she already has children and grandchildren. Don't try to think anything of me."
Ling Yunzhou was surprised. The woman he saw outside the Prince's mansion looked to be only in her early thirties, yet she already had a grandson?
"Your Highness, you can't blame me. In the capital, you are a man that women flock to!" Ling Yunzhou sighed.
"So, Tao actually lied to me!" Qian Feng exclaimed, and he also told him about his encounter with Tao Wanniang and her family in the woods.
"Tao is a very interesting person. She is also courageous. Without her help, I would not have been able to leave Shanhai Prefecture alive. Oh, by the way, she is also a very good at making wontons. I wonder if she will open a wonton shop after she comes to the capital." Xiao Yi said with a smile. Those few days in the stone cave were the most special experience of his life.
"If Your Highness truly misses her cooking skills, why not invite her to work as a cook in the manor?" Cheng Feng suggested.
"No, with the money I, the young master, give them, their family should be able to live a good life. Someone as unconventional as her would never want to come to the Prince's mansion," Xiao Yi said.
"Her cooking skills are really good. I was attracted by the aroma of the food that day, and even now, I still crave that spicy crab!" Qian Feng said with admiration.
Ling Yunzhou frowned slightly. He wasn't particularly curious about this woman, but he felt like he'd seen her somewhere before.
"Cheng Feng, go ahead. Don't let them think that I, the young master, am ungrateful," Xiao Yi instructed.
Cheng Feng immediately accepted the order and withdrew.
After leaving Prince Rui's mansion, Tao Wanniang walked to the main street, hailed a carriage, and returned to Laifu Inn.
"Mother, how is it? Have you seen him?" The Ling family members asked anxiously as they stepped forward. If the young master kept his promise, they would be rich!
"No, no one was able to get in," Tao Wanniang said casually.
"Mother, you're not going to deny it, are you? We commoners can't fight against royalty!" Ling Dapeng said dejectedly.
“Sister Tao, that young master shouldn’t be that kind of person. He’s so handsome, I think he must be a good person.” Bai Yumei said blankly, as she still wanted to find Master Huang to seek justice.
"Ha, Yu Mei, that's a funny thing to say. Does being pretty mean you're cunning?" Tao Wan Niang laughed. "But let's wait a bit. I ran into an acquaintance and asked someone to speak to him. We should have a result soon!"
Could there really be acquaintances in the capital? The Ling family members all expressed disbelief.
"Sir, someone's looking for you!" the innkeeper said, knocking on the door. His voice was filled with excitement. "It's someone from Prince Rui's mansion! Sir, you must be someone important!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com