CHAPTER 6

The carriage of the Fifth Prince, Zong Zheng Ming, slowly made its way toward Fahua Temple.

This trip was due to his maternal aunt. He was going to pick up his little cousin, Mo Wan Qing, on his way back and send her home. Zong Zheng Ming's maternal aunt was the sister of the deceased consort Dong Xian1. It happened that his aunt took her younger daughter to the hot spring villa outside of Qingzhou to stay for a while. Zong Zheng Ming's mother passed away early, and as a result, he shifted his affection to his maternal family.

When consort Xian was alive, Zong Zheng Ming's maternal aunt would often bring his two cousins into the palace to keep his consort-mother company. Each time, they would bring books and picture albums that he was fond of specially for him. Therefore, Zong Zheng Ming was quite familiar with his two cousins. The elder cousin had far-married into Huizhou two years ago. Usually, they only exchanged correspondence to inquire about each other's well-being. It had been a long time since they had seen each other. The younger cousin, on the other hand, was not yet engaged. Since his uncle had taken up a post outside the capital, they rarely met.

Now that he had arrived in Qingzhou and finally met his maternal aunt and little cousin, it was only natural that he would take good care of Mo Wan Qing. Today, she went to Fahua Temple to redeem a vow2. Coincidentally, he was nearby, so he might as well take her back with him on his to the city. Therefore, he took a carriage and headed over there.

He contemplated that it should be the time. Suddenly, the carriage jolted. Zong Zheng Ming didn't watch out and spilled tea in his hand. Outside was also in chaos, and scolding voices suddenly arose. When the carriage came to a top, Zong Zheng Ming pushed the curtain aside and saw a shrewd-looking middle-aged man sitting disheveled on the ground a few feet ahead of him. He was clearly the culprit who had startled the horses. At the moment, his arm was twisted by an unusually fierce-looking man in coarse woolen clothes.

Although the two knew they had caused trouble, neither was unwilling to drop the matter. They were still pulling at each other. Zong Zheng Ming frowned and ordered the guards to go over and mediate their dispute. Who would have thought that instead of resolving the matter, the two actually started to fight each other?

"If you don't settle your debts today, I, your lord, will break both of your legs!" The big man's expression was menacing, and he had an air of banditry about him. The middle-aged man was equally nasty and shouted, "Brat, I dare you! Just try to touch me and see how your lord Kun3 will pluck your head!" After his words fell, he took advantage of his sitting position and kicked the big man. While the big man was groaning in pain, he broke free from his hold and climbed up. He immediately started to run without even looking back. Unexpectedly, the big man reacted very quickly and threw himself at him. Again, the two sparred with each other, exchanging blows. At this point, more and more people had gathered to watch and gossip.

Zong Zheng Ming looked on coldly and ordered his guards to take the two away. Upon seeing that the newcomers who were about to use force wear plain clothes, the big man ignored them completely and even threatened them not to meddle in their affairs. The middle-aged man was even worse, showing no gratitude whatsoever. As if struck by enlightenment, he simply blamed the accident on others and shouted loudly that he had been hit by the carriage, his whole body was in pain and he needed to be treated by a physician. He then pointed at the guards and said to the big man, "Make him pay, and I will clear your debt."

The onlookers burst into laughter as this spectacle became more entertaining. Even the big man turned to look at the guards beside him. At this point, Zong Zheng Ming was fully aware that they had encountered rascals. He couldn't be bothered to think about whether the middle-aged man was trying to swindle money or if the two were accomplices from the beginning.

Taking into consideration the errand he still had to run, it would be wise to hush it up. As a result, he ordered his people to cease talking and directly pull apart the two hoodlums, dragging them away. Subsequently, he dispersed the onlookers who were gathered around and tidied up the chassis before continuing forward. At the time, Zong Zheng Ming did not realize that this short time, this delay, was not just a 'simple moment'.

Unfortunately, since Zong Zheng Ming believed he had only encountered two itinerant hoodlums, he didn't think much of it. This played right into Mu Xi Yao's cunning plan and made things progress exceptionally smoothly. This was why Zhao Qing had a strange expression on his face when he originally listened to Mu Xi Yao's command.

Mistress had told him to 'be professional', 'love the profession he takes up', and 'not be nervous and act like himself'. It made Zhao Qing think that the Second Miss had a better understanding of the hoodlum profession than people of three religions and nine schools4. It was very, uhm....'professional'.

On Mu Xi Yao's side, the guards quickly returned and reported that there were some people harassing womenfolks and obstructing the road ahead.

Mu Xi Yao frowned and had her people follow her to the scene. There, she saw three well-dressed young men with seven or eight servants and attendants intercepting two women. Their appearance was debauched and their language vulgar. One of them had sharp eyes and after he saw Mu Xi Yao and her party, he fixed his gaze firmly on the girl guarded in the center and stared at them without blinking. His appearance was indisputably distasteful.

Seeing their Miss being offended by that man, Hui Lan, and Mo Lan were about to chide him, but he spoke first: "Young Miss, did you just redeem a vow at the temple? It's getting dark soon…." As he spoke, he got closer to them. His eyes were focused on Mu Xi Yao, scrutinizing her openly without any restraint. This content belongs to thehlifestyle.com, if you see this translation elsewhere, it's been stolen!

Mu Xi Yao had previously decided to save beauties, but before she had a chance to fully display her skills, she unexpectedly drew all the hatred toward herself. After hearing that cheeky pickup line, she was left feeling repulsed for a moment.

Alright, this woman was completely unaware that she had been offended. She only felt that this guy's cheeky pickup line lowered her standards.

The other two turned their heads upon hearing the commotion and started sizing up the group of ten or so people that had just arrived. What a sight it was! The Young Miss in the center was very beautiful, with an elegant and dignified appearance, and dressed in fancy clothes. Her entire bearing was something that ordinary young ladies could not compare to. Even her maids and guards possessed impressive appearances. They were well-dressed and very disciplined.

He felt uneasy in his heart. He thought that he might have encountered someone important whom he couldn't afford to offend. He was anxious to pull back that ignorant guy and promptly apologize for their behavior, so they could leave as soon as possible. But then he heard that moron start talking again: "This Young Miss is so good-looking, with fair skin and a beautiful face. I'm afraid that those with ill intentions won't be able to keep their minds off you. Why don't you join me and we can travel together, protecting and assisting each other?" He approached Mu Xi Yao as he spoke.

"Insolent!"

"Presumptuous!"

The chiding voices of Hui Lan and Mo Lan sounded at the same time. The guards rushed to the front to block the libertine and protect the womenfolk. The pair of orchids5 trembled with anger. They had been following their mistress for years, but it was the first time they had encountered such an outrageous incident. They were worried that their Mistress might be frightened, so they quickly looked toward her.

To their surprise, their Mistress was not paying any attention to what was happening on their side at all. There was no trace of fear on her face. Instead, she stared intently ahead at the two women, and it was unclear whether she had heard the filthy words that were not fit to be heard.

"Are the Lady and the Young Miss ahead of us also heading down the mountain? If so, we can travel together."

The clear and melodious female voice completely ignored the pestering man, and instead, all of her focus was placed on the mother and daughter who were in front of her.

Right now, there was no one who didn't know that Mu Xi Yao wanted to protect the two of them. They heard her command the guard on the left, "Zhao Qing, go and invite the Lady and Young Miss over here." A tall and young guard then stepped forward with steady footsteps and a solemn expression on his face. The two men in the back were unsure of their identity and remained silent. The two men in the back were unsure of their identity and remained silent. Since their masters hadn't given them any orders, the nearby servants also didn't make any moves.

The rakehell realized that the beauty not only ignored him but was also distracted by caring for those insignificant people. Having had enough, he shouted: "Beauty,…"

Before the words were finished, the "beauty" first nodded to the mother and daughter who came to her, comforted them a little, and then turned her head to command: "Zhao Qing, order people to send this gentleman back to Qingzhou and hand him to the magistracy. If the other two gentlemen are also interested, invite them both to Qingzhou prefectural magistracy to enjoy some tea." Her expression was cold and her words sharp.

The latter two were scared and quickly apologized. They took their people and fearfully turned around to run, leaving their companion behind. Before he had time to pull himself together, he was already taken down.

Mu Xi Yao was able to relax now, and she reverted to her sweet-tempered self. She greeted the two women and exchanged pleasantries with them, as well as introduced their respective families.

As expected, the two women were relatives of Di Wu Yi Zhao. His wife, Lady Wen together with daughter Di Wu Yu Ying hastened to express their thanks. Their attitude was sincere, deeply grateful to her. When Mu Xi Yao suggested that they travel together, they accepted, understanding that it was an act of consideration on her part, and expressed their gratitude once again.

As Mu Xi Yao took a step forward, she noticed that the hem of Di Wu Yu Ying's fine muslin celestial trailing long skirt6 was torn. She assumed that it was accidentally ripped by grass and trees, so she ordered Hui Lan to fetch a long cloak. After the adjustments were made, the group set off.

At the foot of the mountain, Mu Xi Yao saw the two off to their carriage and assigned two guards to escort them. Afterward, she turned around and left.

As she made two steps, she saw a man stepping out of a nearby carriage. It was actually the Fifth Prince, Zong Zheng Ming!

Mu Xi Yao was inwardly surprised, but her face showed nothing. She turned slightly to talk with Mo Lan. Unexpectedly, a girl with quick steps walked up from behind. She complained to Zong Zheng Ming with a sweet voice, her tone filled with grievances: "Elder cousin, you've finally arrived!"

It turned out to be her! 'Mo Wan Qing'.

When Mu Xi Yao recalled her, her mood turned gloomy. There was nothing wrong with Mo Wan Qing, but she had a close friend who was Mu Xi Yao's archenemy! In a previous life, she had caused Mu Xi Yao to miscarry a male fetus. The culprit was Jiang Cefei, Pin Ting of the Jiang clan, who had just turned fifteen!

Very well. These people who were waiting for her to settle matters with them, she wouldn't let any of them get away.

Mu Xi Yao climbed into the carriage and started scheming. Since Mo Wan Qing was in Qingzhou, was there any chance for her to plant someone by her side? After all, she was going to be Zong Zheng Ming's Cefei, so she was still very useful. If there was unrest in the inner yard, in critical situations, it could be a matter of life and death. Uhm, this needed to be done as soon as possible, Mu Xi Yao began to seriously plan.