“Miss, are you planning to go out?” Xiayu asked as she saw Fuyi pacing back and forth near the main gate of the Yun Manor several times. “Are Miss Lin and the others waiting for you?”
“My dear Xiayu, you sure do know me well.” Fuyi crouched by the wall of the compound with a pitiful puppy-like gaze, “If I don’t watch the misfortune of my enemies, I will definitely not be able to sleep tonight.”
“Isn’t that because you slept too much during the day?” Xiayu covered her mouth and chuckled. “Madam said that Miss can go out, but you must take this servant with you.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Quick, quick, let’s go.” Fuyi stood up and pulled Xiayu as they exited the main gate. They walked along the wall for quite a distance and eventually found Lin Xiaowu and the usual gang squatting around a corner, waiting for her.
“Boss, you finally came!” Yang Erlang rubbed his legs, which had become numb, as he leaned against the wall to get up. “I sent someone to inquire just now. This morning, the Jinwu Guards surrounded Ning Wang Manor, but they stopped at the gate. Around an hour ago, both the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review also sent people there, too.”
“We need to hurry. We can’t miss such a big scene!” Cao Sanlang led his buddies into a carriage. They all sat in one, while two more carriages followed behind, carrying their servants.
“Are we going too far with this?” Lin Xiaowu lifted the curtain, slightly worried. Her family was related to Ning Wang’s maternal clan, so if it was found out that she was joining the crowd to watch his misfortune, it would be quite embarrassing.
“Don’t worry, Fatty Liu is there too.” Fuyi took some dried meat out of her pouch and handed it to Lin Xiaowu. “With him around, no one will notice you.”
Because the famous Liu Shizi was very conspicuous—both in size and presence.
“His information is even faster than us?” Yang Erlang was surprised.
“I told him.” Fuyi’s smile radiated warmth and gentleness. “Watching a show is only fun when we have a big crowd.”
Yang Erlang: “…”
“Fuyi, the assassin who tried to kill you, was it really that Ning Wang bas—…” Cao Sanlang remembered Lin Xiaowu and Ning Wang were relatives and swallowed the rest of his words. “I heard last night that the Court of Judicial Review, Ministry of Justice, and even the prince were involved?”
“He’s definitely connected to it.” Lin Xiaowu showed no mercy to her relatives. “The assassin who tried to kill Fuyi used to work at Xiangkun Palace.”
“Too despicable!” Cao Sanlang’s face darkened. Back then, as soon as the Noble Consort demoted Fuyi’s family to Chongzhou, she immediately rushed to find a suitable wife for Ning Wang. Besides this, there was one thing they didn’t dare tell Fuyi, for fear of evoking some unpleasant memory—when the news of her falling off a cliff during the assassination attempt reached the capital, they went to Ning Wang, hoping he would send someone to search for her for the sake of their past connection, but they never even got to see him in person.
“There’s a restaurant diagonally across from Ning Wang Manor, owned by the family of Shun Wangfei. Anying has already reserved a room with a view of the street for us. We can have a big meal with a show.” Yang Erlang gritted his teeth. By tomorrow morning, he would make sure the entire capital knew of Ning Wang’s disgrace!
As soon as Fuyi and her group entered the restaurant, they saw that the ground floor was already packed with people, all craning their necks to get a glimpse of Ning Wang Manor. Upon reaching the second floor, they recognized many of the faces standing outside the private rooms—servants belonged to various families in their circles.
“Fuyi, doesn’t that guy look like someone from the Grand Preceptor Du’s household?” Lin Xiaowu pointed to a young servant hiding in a corner.
Just then, the door of the private room opened, and the figure of the up-and-coming scholar Young Master Du emerged.
Both sides met each other’s eyes. After a brief, silent pause, Young Master Du quietly retreated into his room, shutting the door with a stiff expression.
Fuyi: “…”
‘No matter how entertaining composing poetry and writing essays may be, seems like it still can’t compare to watching someone else’s misfortune!’
“Guys, you’re finally here!” Sui Anying emerged from a room and waved to them. “Over here! I got us the best room with the best view!”
Fuyi entered the room, walked to the window, and casually glanced outside. The magnificent manors neighboring Ning Wang’s all belonged to imperial relatives, which now were crowded with… people hanging over the walls?
’Goodness, half the noble dignitaries of the East Street are joining the spectacle too!’
Ning Wang Manor had its gates tightly shut, with its chief steward standing at the entrance, facing off against the Jinwu Guards. “Please excuse me, gentlemen, but our Wangye is His Majesty’s most beloved youngest brother. Without an imperial edict, this servant cannot allow you to enter.”
“The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Metropolitan Magistrate are jointly handling the case. According to the laws of our dynasty, no imperial edict is required. Moreover, His Majesty is concerned about Ning Wangye’s safety and specifically ordered the Jinwu Guards to protect him from potential dangers. It was such a great grace, why would you reject His Majesty’s goodwill?” The Deputy Minister of Justice frowned. “Or are you suggesting that the people of Ning Wang Manor intend to disobey His Majesty’s order?”
“Please show some leniency, sir. Our Wangye was injured last night. Since returning from the Magistrate Office today, he has been feverish and currently unconscious. I beg you to wait until Wangye regains consciousness before proceeding.” The chief steward bowed repeatedly. “I am just a humble servant and dare not make decisions. Please, sir, do not make things difficult for me.”
Fuyi watched the standoff with great interest. Ning Wang had gone to the magistrate office earlier that morning, and shortly after, the Prince issued an order to surround his manor. Now, with people from the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Metropolitan Magistrate all present, what could the steward do? Even if he managed to stall them for a while, it would not last long.
‘Is he trying to buy time?’
Fuyi’s gaze swept around the surroundings of Ning Wang Manor before settling on a clothing shop nearby. “Anying, who owns that clothing shop?”
“Clothing shop?” Sui Anying stared at the shop Fuyi had pointed out, pondering. “That shop has been open for almost two years, but business has never been good. I don’t know who owns it.”
Most of the residents of East Street were noble dignitaries who had personal tailors for their clothing needs. Even if they ordered garments from outside, they would have them specifically made to order and wouldn’t patronize a ready-made clothing shop. What kind of ‘merchant’ would open a business in such a prime location where every inch of land costs a fortune, despite knowing it will not generate profits?
“It’s rare to see a clothing shop on East Street. Let’s take a look.” Fuyi stood up. “Come on, let’s go together.”
“Huh?” Yang Erlang, who was munching on a pastry, was baffled. “It’s almost dark, and you want to browse a clothing shop?”
“There might be a surprise,” Fuyi said, lifting the hem of her skirt and quickly running downstairs.
…
When Fatty Liu watched Fuyi dash past him, he was stunned for a moment. “We at least are watching from the restaurant to maintain some pretense. Is she planning to just squat outside Ning Wang’s gate?”
How dare Yun Fuyi be even bolder than him? He wouldn’t stand for it!
“Whatever Yun Fuyi dares to do, This Shizi dares too! Guys, follow her! We must see what she’s up to!”
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