Chapter 97 Provocation at the Doorstep Chao Ya slowly stepped forward, stirring up a wisp of foliage...
The people were too close together. Even when Fang Shiyun reacted, he didn't have time to dodge with Lin Zhi. He stood still and slightly shifted his body to catch the attack.
The dagger in Hongyue's hand pierced Fang Shiyun's left shoulder, but he quickly twisted her arm off, leaving her paralyzed on the ground, unable to get up.
"Who sent you!"
Fang Shiyun stepped on her broken arm with a sinister expression, but Hongyue only smiled coldly. After a moment of hesitation, a stream of dark red blood welled up from the corner of her mouth.
"This man committed suicide by poison! He was a death-defying warrior!"
Fang Shiyun removed half of his clothes to apply medicine and bandages, barely daring to breathe as he turned his head to look at Lin Zhi, whose expression was solemn, for fear that someone would disturb this moment of tranquility.
His subordinates, however, failed to understand his signal and hurriedly stepped forward to report.
"An assassin? When did this woman infiltrate? Are you all useless idiots?"
Seeing Lin Zhi take a half step back, Fang Shiyun glared at his subordinates in frustration, finding it utterly pointless to watch them frantically kowtow.
"Fine, take him away and investigate thoroughly to see if there are any other clues."
After the servants had all left, Fang Shiyun looked at Lin Zhi with a somewhat evasive expression.
"You...how could this be...Didn't Pei Lang say you were gone?"
Seeing him cautiously bring up the matter, Lin Zhi couldn't help but laugh inappropriately: "It's a long story, but in short, it was all a misunderstanding."
"Did that scoundrel Pei Lang betray you? I saw it all along! He was your wife before, and now he's a princess. What a philanderer!"
Seeing that his sudden movement almost aggravated his wound, Lin Zhi quickly said, "Don't move!"
Taking advantage of the absence of the nanny who had accompanied her, Lin Zhi hesitated before asking, "If I wanted your help, would you be willing?"
"I want to leave the capital."
Fang Shiyun was incredibly clever; he understood Lin Zhi's meaning in just a few words: "You want to leave Pei Lang?"
"That's right, that kind of philanderer is not good enough for you!"
"But where are you going after you leave the capital?"
Lin Zhi blinked, somewhat confused. If she went back to Pingyi, it would not only cause trouble for her brother and sister-in-law, but she also didn't know how to face Luo Qinzhi.
"Perhaps, I should go back to Jiangnan. My family used to have an ancestral home there, but I don't know if it still exists now."
"But after all, this is where I was born, and I want to go back to see my parents..."
Thinking of her parents who had been buried long ago, Lin Zhi felt a little dazed. So much time had passed that she seemed to have forgotten what her parents looked like.
“Great! It just so happens that the Fang family also has properties and shops in Jiangnan. It’s convenient for me to go there with you, and we can look out for each other.”
Lin Zhi hesitated for a moment: "But Pei Lang... he won't let me go easily."
"Today will probably make him even more vigilant."
Fang Shiyun frowned slightly, "Don't worry, I will definitely find a chance to rescue you. Leave it to me!"
Lin Zhi lowered her head and touched her body, then pulled a piece of jade pendant of excellent quality from her waist and handed it over.
"This quality might be enough to pay some money. Thank you."
Fang Shiyun's expression changed several times before he finally reached out and took it.
"What kind of... love token is this...?"
"Consider this my thank-you gift. If I have the means in the future, I will repay you even more!"
Fang Shiyun's mutterings stopped abruptly, and he smiled, his pale lips curving upwards: "Alright, then I'll accept it."
"Wait for me without worry."
"Is there anything wrong, Madam? I was so worried! If the master finds out, he will surely scold me!"
Back in the carriage at the Pei residence, Lin Zhi felt a pang of pity as she listened to the nanny's self-reproachful tone.
"Don't blame yourself. What happened today was just an accident. Besides, as long as you and I don't say anything, the adults won't know."
The old woman hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave in.
Pei Lang waited at the mansion as soon as he finished court, almost staring the door of the study through it.
When Xingyun strode in, he saw his master frowning and glaring at him, as if his arrival was inappropriate.
"do what?"
Hearing his master's impatient tone, Xingyun scratched his forehead in confusion: "Master, the guards protecting the lady today sent word that she encountered an assassin..."
"What!"
Pei Lang suddenly stood up, nearly overturning the desk. Xingyun quickly continued, "Madam is alright! She was just a little frightened."
"Also, that assassin managed to infiltrate disguised himself as a musician. Luckily, Young Master Fang was there, otherwise..."
Before Xingyun could finish speaking, the two of them vaguely heard the sound of a carriage, and in the blink of an eye, Pei Lang had disappeared from sight.
"How are you? Are you hurt?"
As soon as Lin Zhi lifted the carriage curtain, she saw Pei Lang's handsome face filled with anxiety.
Just thinking of the little tune that Hongyue hummed made Lin Zhi's heart tighten. She withdrew her hand without making a sound and got off the carriage with the help of the nanny.
She bowed politely to him and said, "Thank you for your concern, sir. I am fine."
After saying that, he took the two little girls back to his residence to see Mianmian.
Pei Lang's face was somewhat gloomy as he frowned and looked at the old woman beside him: "Who did she meet today?"
The old woman quickly took out a small booklet she always carried with her: "I have written it all down in this book, which people the lady met at each time. Please take a look, sir."
Pei Lang's already unpleasant expression turned even colder when he saw Fang Shiyun's name.
"How could she go to the Fang family's shop? What did I tell you? She was not allowed to have any contact with these people!"
The old woman's face turned pale and she hurriedly knelt down: "This servant had someone inquire beforehand. Young Master Fang was not originally in the shop, but for some reason, the shopkeeper brought him here as soon as he saw Madam."
"Please forgive me, sir!"
Pei Lang gripped the thin booklet in his hand tightly, his eyes dark and brooding.
"My lord! Someone is requesting an audience, but they don't look like they're from the capital."
The butler hurried past, interrupting his thoughts, and respectfully handed over the waist token in his hand.
Looking at the unique patterns and characters of the Northern Rong people, Pei Lang felt increasingly agitated: "How did they find this place?"
Without even thinking about it, Chao Ya had only been in the capital for a short time, so who else besides the palace could tell her?
Pei Lang casually tossed the Northern Rong waist token back into the steward's hand, glanced back at the direction Lin Zhi had left in, and after thinking for a moment, headed towards the front hall.
"Greetings, Princess Chaoya."
Chao Ya was holding a delicate porcelain vase and looking at it curiously. When she heard the noise, she quickly put down what she was holding and looked over with a smile.
"Lord Pei is indeed here!"
"You've kept me waiting!"
The girl, with a bright smile on her face, walked quickly toward Pei Lang, only to see Pei Lang take a step back slightly.
"Your Highness has been waiting for a long time. May I ask what brings you here?"
"I have not been involved in court affairs for a long time now, so I am afraid I cannot be of any help to the princess."
But Chao Ya's expression didn't change at all; she only revealed a meaningful smile: "This is a favor that you can do, and only Lord Pei can do."
Pei Lang frowned unhappily. Hearing a commotion behind him, he turned around and saw the eunuch beside Xiao Ting.
"Lord Pei, His Majesty has a matter of great importance to discuss in the palace."
Pei Lang stared at the top of his head, which was slightly bent over, and already had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
"With such distinguished guests here, how can I leave?"
But Chao Ya was not polite at all: "Lord Pei, you are too kind. I am not so distant with you. Besides, if I disobey His Majesty's order, I am afraid I will be punished."
But Pei Lang remained resolute, standing there without saying a word, unmoved, as if he wouldn't leave unless Chao Ya did.
Chao Ya's pretty face, which had been smiling, slowly darkened. She exchanged a glance with the eunuch, then composed herself and took her leave.
"Since Lord Pei has other important matters to attend to, then this princess will not disturb you any further."
Watching Chao Ya ride away, Pei Lang then put on his cloak and headed towards the palace.
However, the Northern Rong people simply circled around and ended up at the back gate of the Pei residence.
Chao Ya looked the Pei residence up and down, its carved beams and painted rafters gleaming with amusement: "Are you so wary of me, Princess? Is there something shady going on inside?"
The female slave beside her hesitated: "Princess, Lord Pei doesn't look like someone to be trifled with. Wouldn't it be troublesome if he found out?"
"The Khan said that it is important that you are happy to come to the capital, but the Northern Rong are also waiting for you to gain a foothold in the capital."
Chao Ya smiled lightly: "Now everyone knows that without Pei Lang, the capital is probably in a more difficult situation than without Xiao Ting. If we capture Pei Lang, isn't that the same as gaining a foothold in the capital?"
"If that little emperor weren't still somewhat useful, I wouldn't bother smiling at him."
"Alright, stop nagging. If someone notices, I'll be the first to push you out."
As night fell, Chao Ya lightly leaped into the Pei residence, perched on a servant's shoulder.
She walked for quite a while but didn't see anything unusual, which made her a little curious.
"Madam, this food box is still a bit hot, let me take it..."
Hearing that it was a woman's voice, Chao Ya remained calm and stood quietly in the winding corridor, staring at the figure.
Lin Zhi insisted on carrying it herself: "No need, how can I not carry such a light food box?"
“You have a lot of things in your hands. If you knock them over, Mianmian will have to wait.”
Lin Zhi spotted a figure in the shadows from afar; it appeared to be a woman, though her attire was somewhat strange.
Her heart tightened at the sight, and she quickly frowned and asked, "Who is here?"
Chao Ya emerged from the shadows, casually sizing up the woman before her: beautiful as she was, but too thin, like a lamb on the grassland.
However, it seems that these men in the capital have a particular fondness for women like this.
She chuckled softly, never expecting that Pei Lang, who acted so aloof and arrogant in public, was actually such a vulgar person in private.
"Who are you?! You trespass on my property, don't you know you'll be reported to the authorities!"
Lin Zhi nervously took a half step back, but then belatedly realized that the woman's attire was unusual, and she was covered in rare jewelry, so she didn't seem to be Han Chinese.
"I am Princess Chao Ya of the Northern Rong, young lady, there is no need to be alarmed."
The little girl beside her was a bit nervous and didn't understand what she was saying, but Lin Zhi's face turned pale. The one Hongyue mentioned before she died was this Princess Chaoya!
She gripped the food box tightly in her hand, her palm aching from the handle.
What are you doing here?
But Chao Ya simply picked up a soft flower branch, plucked it, and rubbed it in her palm.
"Of course I came to see what the Pei residence is like as soon as possible. If it doesn't suit my taste, I will think about changing it as soon as possible."
"Even if she is a princess, isn't this going a bit too far?"
Hearing the tremor in Lin Zhi's voice, Chao Ya laughed twice: "Alright, stop pretending in front of me. I won't show you any mercy."
"Once I become the mistress of the Pei family, even if I tear down the entire Pei family, Pei Lang will not dare to say anything."
As for you...
Chao Ya stepped forward slowly, lifted a strand of Lin Zhi's long hair, and casually swayed it: "This princess doesn't care whether you are a concubine or a mistress, but as long as this princess is here, you must obey and not disobey."
"Only in this way can we have a chance to survive, understand?"
Lin Zhi's fingernails dug several purplish-red marks into the soft flesh of her palms. She took a deep breath and urged the person away, saying, "At least not today. Please leave, Princess."
"It's almost time today. Pei Lang must be in the palace receiving the imperial decree for the marriage. It's a marriage alliance between two countries. He must know what's more important."
"This princess is not in a hurry. Whoever is in a hurry knows it in their heart."
Chao Ya vented all the frustration she had felt from being choked by Pei Lang, and left in high spirits.
Only Lin Zhi kept her eyes downcast, her face gloomy.
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