Beggars' Den

The road ahead was darker as the lantern was not lit up to brightened the area. It was as if the whole city was celebrating the lantern festival, but this part of the city was neglected.

Qin Zhi Hao had to squint his eyes to look clearly. As they approached closer, his nose picked up a certain stench and a deep frown appeared on his face. Qin Zhi Hao turned to look at the Emperor's reaction and saw the displeased look on his face. Swiftly, he looked at Yu Feng with his eyes narrowed dangerously.

If Officer Zhou Ming knew that Yu Feng had led the Emperor and the Prince to this street, he would probably vomit blood. As someone who has been in Capital City for years, of course, Officer Zhou Ming was very familiar with this area.

Qin Zhi Hao and Pei Zi however, has only returned to the Capital a while ago after the Emperor had summoned the prince back. Even though Qin Zhi Hao had studied the maps before, he was not familiar with this area. They would not know that this area was where most beggars had live.

Seeing the old, dilapidated buildings in front of him, Pei Zi tightened his grip on the sword. He knew what kind of people live in this area and how dangerous they can be. They were desperate people who did not have much to lose.

The beggars… once they have set their eyes on a potential target, they would work in a large group to get what they wanted. With their numbers, they will not be afraid of the authorities.

It was perhaps because of this that Yu Feng had said that the guards would not patrol this area.

However… to bring the Emperor over to this kind of place… Pei Zi suddenly had the urge to scold Yu Feng harshly.

At this time, a group of men slowly came out of the darkness and approached the group stealthily.

The guards were proficient in martial arts and had long detected their presence. They moved closer to the Emperor and their hands resting on their weapons, ready to act whenever the others pounce on them.

"Don't pull out your weapons," Yu Feng spoke in a whispering voice. "If they are agitated, things will only turn ugly." She then turned to face the men with a smile on her face. "I promise. Nothing will happen to His Majesty and we all will be able to get out of here safely."

Qin Zhi Hao narrowed his eyes. Before he could ask Yu Feng a question, the person had already spread her arms and skipped happily. His gaze shifted at the way Yu Feng was behaving.

"Uncle Deng!" Yu Feng shouted. She stopped at the center of the road and stood quietly. "It's me."

Gradually, the guards noticed that the malicious intention towards them disappeared. A while later, an old man in shabby clothing appeared with a torch in his hand.

"You…" the man in washout blue clothing walked over to Yu Feng slowly. "Xiao Feng?"

"That's right. It's me."

"Yo! It's really you, Xiao Feng!" The old man waved his hands to the others before he went over to Yu Feng's side. He glanced at the men who were seen walking with Yu Feng earlier and frowned. "Who are those people?" His gaze turned hostile as a thought came to his mind. "Did they threatened you or something?"

"No. No. Uncle Deng, they are with me," Yu Feng said quickly.

"Really?"

"They are my benefactors." Yu Feng turned and glanced at Qin Zhi Hao before she whispered to the elderly man. "See that tall man at the front? He always gives me a hot steamed bun whenever he saw me roaming in the city. He's a good person."

"Really?" Deng Xiao Lin continued eyed the young boy in front of him suspiciously.

"Uncle Deng, why would I lie to you about this?" Yu Feng laughed as she hit the man playfully on the arms.

Seeing that there was nothing wrong with Yu Feng, the elderly man heaved a sigh of relief. It didn't take him too long to figure out that Yu Feng had brought the men over to their territory for something. "Why did you bring outsiders here?"

The smile on Yu Feng's face stretched up. "Uncle Deng, I need your help. My benefactors ran into trouble and I hope that you can help him."

"What can people like us do for people like them?" Deng Xiao Ling eyed the men who were not far away from him and scoffed. Although those men were dressed in a commoner's robe, the aura around them gave him a different feeling.

As someone who has been living in the Capital City for years, how can Deng Xiao Lin not know this? He has met a lot of people and the people he hated most were the nobles. Right now, the group of people that Yu Feng brought home gave him a feeling that they were from the upper class.

"Nothing difficult. Uncle Deng, we just need to let them walk past this area. Then I will lead them back to the palace's gate."

Deng Xiao Lin narrowed his eyes. "That's all?"

Yu Feng nodded. "That's all."

"There are many paths that will lead them to the palace, why do they need to walk past this area?"

Yu Feng heaved a sigh. "Uncle Deng, why do you ask too much question today?"

"You brat! Isn't this is all for everyone's safety? Who knows if those people will try to harm others? Just look at the weapon they were carrying!"

"Alright." Yu Feng raised both hands, surrendering "I will tell you, but you cannot tell the others, or they will be scared. Uncle Deng, you should have heard about the explosion in the Western District."

The old man nodded.

"These men are heading to the palace to send a report to the palace, but they were afraid that someone might intercept their message."

At this time, Yu Feng was admiring her skills in telling lies. Even though her story might sound a little dramatic, she had no other idea but to continue with these lies.

Anyway, even if she had told the truth, no one would believe her. Who would think that the Emperor had shown up at the beggars' den?

Seeing that the old man did not respond, Yu Feng then tugged at the man's arms. "Uncle Deng, please. Help me to help them this once." She inched closer and whispered. "Later, I promise I will give your son an extra lesson and teach him to read."

The expression on his face shifted. "Alright. I will accompany you lest the others would create trouble for you and your guests."

Yu Feng nodded and tugged at the man's arms again as he was about to turn around. "Uncle Deng. There is one more thing..."

"What is it?"

"You know that it's a crime to deceive an officer." Yu Feng cleared her throat. "Those people think that I'm a boy. I hope that you can continue to help me keep this lie."