Chapter 105 Such professional instinct is really bad!
Zhong Min was almost aesthetically fatigued by everything at the banquet.
For the past few days, fearing a recurrence of the near-death experience in the palace, Xiao Mingzheng had her accompany him at every banquet, large and small, to prevent her from risking her life alone. She had experienced many of these extravagant and lively banquets, and they were all largely the same. The spectacle, the singing and dancing, and the boring topics all left her with little interest.
Xiao Mingzheng wasn't much better, sitting there in a quiet and cold manner, feeling somewhat out of tune with the lively atmosphere of those people and things. Occasionally, someone would toast him or exchange a few words with him, but he would always deal with it in the most concise way possible, the most concise way possible.
Ning Zhiyuan was naturally among the invited guests. Although he was not a member of the royal family, due to his current official rank and influence in the court, Prince Xiao obviously treated him very courteously and regarded him as a first-class guest. He sat in the front group of people, right opposite Xiao Mingzheng.
Compared with Xiao Mingzheng, Ning Zhiyuan seemed much more easy-going and smooth. Not only did he get along very harmoniously with the princes and dignitaries around him, but he also retained his own unique reserve and demeanor, which was in no way inferior to any prince present, and even surpassed them.
For a moment, the entire banquet was filled with a stark contrast between Ning Zhiyuan and Xiao Mingzheng, yet at the same time, they were strikingly similar. These two, one cold and the other warm, each exuded an innate air of nobility, drawing everyone's attention, discussion, and comparisons.
Zhong Min naturally noticed this, but she didn't care at all about what those people below thought or said. Since the person involved, Xiao Mingzheng, didn't care, she naturally wouldn't be bored enough to care about it.
However, what made her feel a little uncomfortable was that Ning Zhiyuan would always look at her intentionally or unintentionally, and he always had a gentle smile on his face, which made her feel numb all over and had goose bumps.
It was really strange. I didn't know what was wrong with Ning Zhiyuan. He acted so concerned and interested in a little person like her all day long. He even played the game of "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix" in front of so many people, and said it so bluntly, as if he was afraid that others would not understand what he meant.
This world is truly bizarre. Aren't these powerful people obsessed with status and prestige, and are they the most discriminating between high and low? Ning Zhiyuan is, after all, the Right Prime Minister. What kind of woman hasn't he seen, what kind of woman hasn't he been unable to get? Why would he lower himself to show such attention and affection to a servant like her?
It had been like this since their first meeting. Ning Zhiyuan's actions and intentions were truly incomprehensible to Zhong Min. She was no child; how could she have believed his talk of a neighbor's girl? Even if that were true, Ning Zhiyuan, with his current abilities, should have tracked down the neighbor's girl long ago. Even if he hadn't found her for various reasons, he would have been able to completely confirm that she had no connection to his sister.
Everything made Zhong Min feel that Ning Zhiyuan was just talking nonsense, but she couldn't figure out why he was talking nonsense and was so ambiguous with her.
She turned her head away in annoyance, ignoring Ning Zhiyuan's gaze, and glanced elsewhere seemingly casually. Ning Zhiyuan smiled slightly, not showing any displeasure at Zhong Min's dislike. He also saw Xiao Mingzheng staring at him, obviously having seen him sizing up Zhong Min just now.
Seeing this, he raised the wine glass in his hand, made a toast to Xiao Mingzheng, and then drank it all in one gulp. Seeing this, Xiao Mingzheng also raised his glass and drank a little symbolically in return before looking away.
After a moment, Zhong Min frowned slightly. She didn't know why, but she felt the urge to go to the bathroom after such a short while. In the past, whether in modern society or now, she generally controlled her water intake during missions, as danger could strike the moment she left the bathroom.
As if noticing something strange about Zhong Min, Xiao Mingzheng glanced at her. Although he didn't say anything, his questioning intent was obvious. Seeing this, Zhong Min couldn't help but pretend. She lowered her head slightly and whispered to Xiao Mingzheng, "Your Highness, I need to go to the bathroom urgently."
"Go." Xiao Mingzheng responded in a low voice, indicating that Zhong Min didn't need to worry about this side and just retreat for the time being.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Min nodded quickly and quietly retreated. As soon as she left the room, she saw Xiao Mingzheng's secret guards following her closely. She couldn't help but think that although Xiao Mingzheng appeared aloof, he was actually quite attentive. Ever since the incident in the palace, whenever she had to leave for a moment, there would be a secret guard watching over her.
After asking the palace maids, Zhong Min quickly found the nearest toilet. After finishing her work, she felt incredibly relieved. On her way back to the banquet hall, she saw several palace servants escorting a dashing woman in red toward the banquet hall.
The woman in red was very beautiful, and her heroic aura made her look particularly unique. What was most special was that she was carrying a sword in her hand, which complemented her perfectly, giving her a sense of chivalrous and proud spirit.
But Zhong Min knew that except for the guards of the Prince's Mansion, no one, no matter who they were, even someone of Xiao Mingzheng's status, was allowed to bring weapons. But this woman actually carried a sword openly and went to the banquet hall under the escort of the servants of the Prince's Mansion. This really made Zhong Min curious.
"Huh? Who is this person? Why is he carrying a sword?" Zhong Min casually asked a passing maid, "Does the palace allow unauthorized people to bring weapons into the palace?"
Seeing that Zhong Min's attire wasn't like that of the other maids in the palace, the maid guessed she was brought in by one of the distinguished guests today. So, she replied, "Young lady, you might not know, but this is the most popular courtesan in the capital these past two months. She's highly sought after by dignitaries for her excellent sword skills. Today, our prince is hosting a banquet, and he's specially invited her to perform with him to liven up the atmosphere."
"Oh! No wonder." Zhong Min looked as if he had suddenly realized something. Then he thanked the maid and walked quickly towards the banquet room.
Back to that time, as soon as I entered the door, I saw Prince Xiao enthusiastically introducing the red-dressed prostitute who had been standing in front of everyone. His words were quite praiseworthy, and the dignitaries below were all staring at the prostitute as if they couldn't wait to see her. It was obvious that very few people present had not heard of her name.
After standing beside Xiao Mingzheng, Zhong Min immediately felt Xiao Mingzheng's gaze. Seeing her nod slightly to indicate that everything was normal, he looked away.
At this moment, the red-dressed courtesan had already begun to wield a sword. The moment she unleashed her sword, her extraordinary heroic spirit was truly eye-catching, and even Zhong Min was delighted. These men were so used to seeing all sorts of charming and delicate women that the sight of such a unique, charming, and individual courtesan was naturally a refreshing experience. It was no surprise that she was so popular.
Not to mention other people, this time, even Ning Zhiyuan and Xiao Mingzheng were watching very seriously. Obviously, this entertaining program was undoubtedly the most exciting highlight of tonight's dinner.
Zhong Min couldn't help nodding as she watched. Every move of the red-dressed prostitute was soft yet strong, perfectly integrating dance and swordsmanship, exuding a unique power and beauty. Compared with the average female sword dance, her performance was much more professional, and compared with the average male sword dance, her performance was much more beautiful.
The crowd burst into cheers from time to time, and the sword moves performed by the red-robed prostitute became more and more difficult, making it almost impossible to take your eyes off them.
Suddenly, the young man in red jumped up and his eyes fixed on Xiao Mingzheng who was standing beside him. At this moment, Zhong Min felt something was wrong, but before he could say a word, he saw the young man in red raised his sword and stabbed towards Xiao Mingzheng at an astonishing speed.
The speed of the red-clothed prostitute's sword was so fast that few people could see her intention clearly. Zhong Min's innate ability to foresee danger only enabled her to act a few seconds earlier this time. By the time she reacted, she saw that the sword was already heading straight for Xiao Mingzheng, and she had no time to warn him.
"Be careful!" At the critical moment, Zhong Min had no time to think about anything. He just instinctively rushed towards Xiao Mingzheng and pushed him away.
As soon as the voice fell, Xiao Mingzheng fell to the ground, pushed aside by Zhong Min. At that moment, the sword in the red-dressed woman's hand instantly pierced Zhong Min's body. With a dull friction sound, the sword directly pierced Zhong Min's left shoulder. The sound was so creepy that it made people's hair stand on end.
Damn it, I've been hit! Feeling the sharp pain in her left shoulder, Zhong Min felt helpless. This professional habit and instinct were really not good at all. Whether in modern times or ancient times, she had been injured many times in order to protect her targets, and this time she was in big trouble.
"There's an assassin!" At this moment, everyone finally reacted, and then someone shouted in panic, "Come quickly, catch the assassin!"
The prostitute in red naturally did not expect that her assassination plan would be disrupted by a maid who suddenly rushed out. Seeing this, she pulled the sword out of Zhong Min's body without hesitation, and stabbed Xiao Mingzheng, who was lying beside Zhong Min and was about to get up, with another sword.
Just as the sword was about to hit Xiao Mingzheng, the secret guard who rushed over from behind Xiao Mingzheng broke the sword with a palm, and then attacked the prostitute in red again, forcing her back and protecting Xiao Mingzheng and Zhong Min.
"Min'er!" Seeing Zhong Min bleeding, Xiao Mingzheng didn't care about anything else. He stood up and hugged her who was lying on the ground. He quickly pressed the blood to stop the bleeding, and tore off the cloth on his outer robe to cover the wound.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
