Chapter 285 Is this the first day you've met me?
Although he was somewhat acquainted with Madam Wang, their relationship was merely that of a shopkeeper and a customer; there was no way they could openly exchange secrets.
Just as Jiang Zhi was thinking about how to get closer to them, an opportunity suddenly appeared before her.
That night, as usual, she and Lu Yuan sat in front of Wang Niangzi's stall until she packed up, and Lu Yuan even helped her pack up her things.
As they were saying goodbye to Wang Niangzi and leaving, five masked black figures suddenly appeared and attacked her without saying a word.
It was already late at night, and there were few pedestrians nearby.
Madam Wang screamed in agony, barely managing to dodge the knife thanks to her years of hard work. The knife landed on the table behind her and cleaved in two with a crack.
"Help!--"
Lady Wang's pupils trembled violently as she saw another knife coming at her, and she covered her head, dodging and weaving.
Seeing that they couldn't succeed immediately, two of the men in black slashed at Wang Niangzi's daughter, who had come to help her pack up her stall.
Madam Wang didn't care about anything else and rushed forward to hug the man in black around the waist, shouting, "A-Yue, run! Mother will hold them off!!"
This was the first time Ah Yue had encountered something like this. After a moment of stunned silence, he grabbed a nearby stool and smashed it over the head of the man in black.
"I'll teach you to bully my mother! I'll teach you to bully my mother!"
The man in black was beaten so badly that he dropped his knife and fled in panic.
Lu Yuan led Jiang Zhi to a safe place before turning around and joining the battle.
With Lu Yuan's help, the situation immediately reversed. Even the five men in black working together were no match for him, and they were defeated in just a few moments.
If Lu Yuan hadn't been without a knife, he would probably have died on the spot.
Seeing the five injured people leave, Jiang Zhi stepped forward and helped Wang Niangzi, who was slumped on the ground, to her feet. "Are you alright?"
Lady Wang was still in shock and didn't come to her senses. "Thank you so much for saving me. I'm alright."
Her daughter, A-Yue, stepped forward worriedly, "Mother, who are these people? What have we done to offend them?"
"I don't know either." Madam Wang's face turned pale.
Lu Yuan walked to the side, kicked up the knife that the man in black had dropped, and examined it in his palm.
"They're actually from the Prince of Xiang's residence." Even his lowered voice couldn't hide his surprise.
Upon hearing the words "Prince Xiang's Mansion," Lady Wang trembled, her face turning even paler. She stammered, "How...how could this be...impossible..."
"Mother, what exactly happened?" A-Yue was also completely bewildered. "How could we have offended the people of the Prince of Xiang's mansion?"
"Shut up!" Madam Wang hurriedly covered her lips. "Don't talk nonsense!"
She curtsied to Jiang Zhi and Lu Yuan, "Thank you both for saving us today, but we are just ordinary people and have no influence. How could we be related to the Prince of Xiang's mansion? You must have misunderstood."
"Is that so?" Lu Yuan's expression was cold and sharp, and the pressure from his long-held high position was unleashed without reservation. "So you plan to just go back like this and face their next wave of assassinations?"
Aunt Wang looked at her daughter.
No, A-Yue is about to get married. Her life is just beginning. How can she lose her life because of her past mistakes?
She made a decision immediately.
"Ah Yue, let's go back and pack our things. We'll leave Jing County tonight."
"Why? We finally managed to settle down." A-Yue asked in surprise.
Before Wang Da Niang could speak, Lu Yuan stopped her, saying, "No, the Prince of Xiang's mansion is even capable of colluding with foreign powers. Once they target you, even if you escape to the ends of the earth, they will still hunt you down. The three of you are unarmed, how can you fight them?"
The matter of the Crown Prince of Xiang colluding with the Northern Di has caused a great uproar.
Aunt Wang also understood this principle.
She had been so careful all these years and hadn't revealed a single thing, so why did she have to expose herself right before A-Yue's wedding?
"What should we do? We can't win at all. Are we just going to wait here to die?" Aunt Wang cried in despair.
Jiang Zhi felt a little reluctant.
She hadn't expected Xiao Yunheng to act so quickly.
She'd barely gotten a lead when he came knocking on her door.
But Shen Ci'an said he was too busy to take care of himself, yet he still had the energy to send someone to find Hongxuan?
Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "I do have a plan, but I don't know what you all think."
As if grasping at a straw, Aunt Wang asked anxiously, "What method?"
"To be honest, Madam Wang, my wife and I are from the capital, and I know quite a few members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If you trust me, I'll find you a place to stay tonight, and then I'll have the Embroidered Uniform Guard protect you and escort you to a safe place. How does that sound?"
"This..." Aunt Wang hesitated, "Would the officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard care about such a trivial matter?"
Lu Yuan chuckled, "After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is currently looking for evidence that the Prince of Xiang's heir is a traitor. If Aunt Wang can produce something that interests the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I think they will be happy to serve you."
“Something that interests me…” Aunt Wang fell into deep thought.
"Of course, this is just a suggestion of mine, and the specifics will depend on what Aunt Wang thinks."
"I'll find you a place to stay tonight. We can discuss the rest with the Imperial Guards tomorrow after you've decided."
Lu Yuan sent people to accompany Madam Wang and A Yue to pick up Uncle Wang, and then found an inn for them to stay temporarily, with someone to look after the family of three.
After calming down, Aunt Wang did not answer A Yue's question, but frowned and fell into a long silence.
Lu Yuan and Jiang Zhi returned to the inn.
Lu Yuan's other room had already been vacated, and he was staying with Jiang Zhi instead.
After finally finishing washing up, he was about to hug Jiang Zhi tenderly when Jiang Zhi pushed him away.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yuan was still savoring the memory of their last encounter, ignoring her petty temper. He pulled her onto his lap, poured her a cup of hot tea, and fed her.
Jiang Zhi didn't take it, but frowned at him. "You arranged for the men in black today, didn't you?"
Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile, "As expected, I still couldn't hide it from A-Zhi."
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is indeed ruthless and decisive in its actions," Jiang Zhi couldn't help but snort.
At first, she did think it was Xiao Yunheng who did it, but she soon realized something was wrong.
The timing of the assassination attempt by the men in black was too perfect. They didn't come earlier or later, but only after the men had arrived in Jing County and become familiar with Lady Wang.
And from what Lu Yuan and Lady Wang were saying, they knew that it had been prepared long ago.
She also knew that Lu Yuan's method was the most effective and fastest way to get Lady Wang to talk.
But then he felt a pang of guilt, thinking it was inappropriate to scare two unarmed women like that.
"Is this the first day you've met me?" Lu Yuan pinched her cheek, but his gaze turned cold.
“Ah Zhi, I’ve said before that your safety is the most important thing. The sooner we get rid of Xiao Yunheng, the less danger you will be in. As for the others, I only consider the efficiency of the task and have no time to care about their feelings.”
“Besides, I have already shown mercy,” Lu Yuan’s voice trailed off, “If it weren’t for your involvement, they would be in the prison of my Northern Garrison right now, not in an inn.”
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