Chapter 9: Encounter with Mountain Bandits

Sitting in the carriage, Ji Ruyan opened the red packet and discovered there was only a little over an ounce of broken silver inside.

Such a trifling amount, Maternal Aunt Qi really had the heart to give this as a parting gift!

Ji Ruyan snickered a few times, Maternal Aunt Qi really didn't favor her, did she?

"Sister Qing, how long will it take to get from the Capital City to Minqing Town?"

Qing Wei, holding the sleeping second young miss tight, thought carefully, "Not very long, just a day's time, we should definitely reach Minqing Town by tomorrow afternoon."

Not until tomorrow afternoon?

It is only dusk now, does that not mean we have to spend a night outdoors?

How can this be?

If Maternal Aunt Qi has left another trick up her sleeve, wouldn't we all be trapped?

While she was thinking, the carriage suddenly came to an abrupt halt, and the coachman outside, panicking, pleaded, "Good sirs, please have mercy, we are but people from a poor household..."

Before he could finish his words, he tumbled off the carriage with a thump and was dead before he hit the ground.

Ji Ruyan lifted the curtain and saw clearly the people outside. There weren't many, but there were about dozens of men, encircling the carriage with no way out.

Her heart skipped a beat. Had this calamity come too suddenly?

Maternal Aunt Qi's methods were indeed cruel. They had just left the outskirts of the Capital City, were about to enter the mountain paths, and already there were people ambushing and killing?

It seemed these people were definitely not after money, but lives!

Damn it!

At that moment, Ji Ruyan truly wished she had an AK47 in her hands to wipe out all these bastards!

Qing Wei sat in the carriage, holding the second young miss in one arm and the bundle in another, her expression full of panic, "Eldest Miss, what shall we do? These, these are mountain bandits who kill without blinking an eye!"

Heh, are they truly mountain bandits?

She thought not!

If they were really mountain bandits, where would they get the courage to kill under the Emperor's nose? This was the territory of the Capital City, overseen for safety by Jingzhao Yin's office. If there truly were mountain bandits roaming, would that official not care for his own official hat?

Besides, mountain bandits usually crave money, not lives.

Where were these people bandits? The moment they encountered others, they killed to silence them, not for money.

They were clearly under someone's orders, here for their lives!

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that the moment they left the city gate, they encountered "mountain bandits"?

"Sister Qing, hold the younger sister in the carriage, do not come out!"

Ji Ruyan instructed, then she lifted the curtain and went to where the coachman had been sitting, confronting those surrounding the carriage and asked calmly, "Do you know who I am?"

No matter whether the other party had accepted money to eliminate a disaster for someone else!

She still needed to make her identity clear. If they showed disdain regardless, that could only mean one thing; these people were sent by Maternal Aunt Qi!

In a moment, those burly men first looked at each other, and then bursting into loud laughter.

A bearded hulk with covetous eyes roamed over her, "This little lass is adorable, even trying to flaunt her status to us men! Brothers, what do you think this little lass would fetch if sold to a brothel?

"Boss, this young lady has tender and delicate skin, she will definitely sell for a good price!" one of his underlings immediately chimed in.

"Good, then we'll do as you say and sell this young lady to a brothel!" the bearded giant exclaimed with glee.

Upon hearing the words, Ji Ruyan frowned, her beautiful face showing not a hint of panic.

Her dark eyes were just calmly staring at the ruffians in front of her.

Her behavior was utterly inconsistent with her age.

A six-year-old child, upon hearing these words, should be trembling with fear, should she not?