His unusual attitude made Jiang Wan frown.
Judging by the time, Biluo, who went to pick up Aunt Ru, should be back soon, and perhaps the Imperial Guards are on their way as well.
But the man from Donglai in front of her ate his apple slowly and deliberately, occasionally giving her an interesting smile, without showing the slightest sense of urgency.
At least for the time being, there was no intention to harm anyone, which made Jiang Wan feel much more relaxed.
"You are from Donglai," she asked tentatively. "What does Donglai need an imperial edict for?"
"Nothing much, just something to play with." The man grinned. "I'll be happy just thinking about the interesting look on Your Majesty's face when the Great Yong sacred artifact is taken by Donglai.
Jiang Wan remained silent for a moment.
Donglai is a thousand miles away from the capital, and even at the fastest horse, it would take more than a month to reach it, while the matter of the iron certificate has only been brewing for half a month.
The people of Donglai couldn't possibly be after the imperial edict; they must have other motives. Perhaps they had been lurking near the capital for a long time, and just happened to hear about the imperial edict, so they thought of interfering and making trouble for Emperor Jingyuan.
The fact that the sacred artifact of Dayong fell into the hands of the Donglai people is undoubtedly a great disgrace.
As Jiang Wan was thinking, footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
It is Biluo that has returned after leaving.
The servants guarding outside had already been drugged by the Donglai man. As soon as Biluo entered the courtyard, she noticed something was wrong. While sending someone to call for Shen Ci, she called out, "Madam, are you inside?"
Footsteps echoed hurriedly in the courtyard, mingled with Aunt Ru's exclamations and Song Zhao's frightened cries.
Jiang Wan knew something was wrong.
The people of Donglai were not determined to obtain the imperial edict; as long as she could stall until the Imperial Guards arrived, they would surely back down.
But if a fight were to break out right now... regardless of whether this Donglai man has any helpers, the fact that he dared to venture into the backyard alone means he must be quite skilled in martial arts. There are many maids and servants in the backyard, and Aunt Ru and Song Zhao would be unable to protect themselves. If they were taken hostage, they would be instantly put on the defensive.
Moreover, this person has not yet shown any aggression.
It would be a bad idea to rashly start a conflict with him.
At this moment, Shen Ci and A Si had arrived outside the courtyard and were calling for people to surround Xingzhi Courtyard when Jiang Wan's voice suddenly came from inside the house.
"I'm fine. You all stay outside the courtyard and don't make any rash moves."
He paused for a moment, then sheathed his longsword.
Ah Si, who was standing to the side with a tense and sullen face, still obeyed the woman's clear voice and immediately signaled his men to stop.
The man from Donglai inside the house suddenly chuckled and gave Jiang Wan an appreciative look.
"Madam Jiang is very intelligent and even more adept at managing her subordinates."
Being intelligent means being able to make the right judgments based on the situation; such people are rare.
What's even more remarkable is the loyalty and trust her subordinates have in her.
He could tell from the footsteps that there were at least three experts outside, especially the guard dressed in the uniform of the Eastern Palace guard, whose skills were even more remarkable.
The Eastern Palace's secret guards only obeyed Pei Xuan's orders, and each of them was arrogant and haughty. It was quite surprising that this man was willing to listen to Jiang Wan.
"but."
The man from Donglai abruptly changed the subject and stood up.
He was incredibly fast, moving like a leopard, and in an instant, he leaped behind Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan's body tensed up immediately, only to see that he was just picking something up from the ground behind her.
"Madam Jiang is too careless; she didn't even notice that she had dropped something."
It was that token from Donglai; perhaps it was accidentally dropped on the ground when Jiang Wan was searching for hidden weapons.
The man glanced at it, casually toyed with the token a couple of times, and tossed it back onto the table.
Jiang Wan thought he would ask some questions, or take away the token.
Meeting her questioning gaze, he smiled and said, "After today, it will be useless."
…It's useless, what does that mean?
Just as Jiang Wan was about to speak, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the courtyard.
The Imperial Guards arrived, bringing with them several hundred archers dispatched from the palace.
The man from Donglai naturally heard it too. With a gust of wind from his palm, the carved door collapsed with a crash. He then flashed behind the screen and restrained Jiang Wan in front of him.
Even though Jiang Wan had seen many masters in the Linglong Pavilion, she couldn't help but be surprised by his internal strength.
"Madam Jiang!"
The man from Donglai suddenly raised his voice, his powerful inner strength carrying his words throughout the entire courtyard.
"I know the imperial edict is on you. If you don't hand it over, don't blame me for being impolite!"
As the door fell down, the people in the courtyard saw the situation inside the house. Ah Si immediately exclaimed, "Tuoba Hui!"
The second prince of Donglai, Tuoba Hui.
After the Donglai people's attack on the capital failed, Song Yu once saved the life of the second prince of Donglai by chance. It turned out that this person was Tuoba Hui, who had given Song Yu the Donglai token!
Something suddenly flashed through Jiang Wan's mind. She glanced at Tuoba Hui quickly and whispered.
"In the southwest corner of the courtyard, behind the weeds, there is a small door that is half the height of a person."
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Hui laughed heartily and said, "Madam Jiang is quick-witted."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he held a curved blade to Jiang Wan's neck and demanded, "Tell me, where is the imperial edict?"
"Madam!" Biluo exclaimed.
Shen Ci and A Si tensed up, gripping their sword hilts tightly.
The Imperial Guard leader standing to the side looked even worse.
Emperor Jingyuan sent the Imperial Guards to aid the General's Mansion. If Tuoba Hui were to seize the imperial edict in front of him, it would be a dereliction of duty on his part.
He was terrified, but had no way to help.
Jiang Wan was, after all, a woman confined to the inner quarters, rather timid and weak. How could she withstand such coercion and fright?
If the sacred artifact of the Great Yong Dynasty is lost, and the emperor is enraged, he will be the scapegoat and lose his head.
Thinking of this, his face paled even more, and his eyes involuntarily fixed on what was in front of him.
Tuoba Hui, holding a curved sword, was talking to Jiang Wan, but they were too far apart for him to hear clearly.
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