“Wangfei, the servants in Wangye’s courtyard said he still hasn’t woken up.” The servant girl finished combing Ning Wangfei’s hair, her tone filled with concern. “If you let the Jinwu Guards in now, won’t that anger Wangye?”
Ning Wangfei stood up, raising her chin slightly. “Wangye is unconscious, so it’s my duty to take charge of the manor on his behalf. Pass on my command to open the main gate and welcome the Jinwu Guards and officials into the manor to investigate the case.”
“Wangye, there’s news from Wangfei’s yard. Wangfei wants to open the gate to welcome the Jinwu Guards into the manor.” The eunuch stood beside the bed curtain, bowing deeply. The room was filled with a bitter medicinal smell, mixed with wisps of green smoke from the incense burner in the corner.
Ning Wang was reclining at the head of the bed, his face slightly pale, “Make arrangements for those people to leave through the secret passage, using the cover of the night to escape. They must never be captured by the Jinwu guards.”
“As you command.” The eunuch hurriedly withdrew, not daring to delay for even a moment. Fortunately, it was already dark outside, so no one would notice a few people slipping out through the secret passage.
…
As the main gate opened, no one saw inconspicuous three people jump into an abandoned dry well deep in the inner courtyard of Ning Wang Manor.
“Cough, cough, it stinks! How many rats have died in this tunnel? So filthy,” the man leading the group swung his arms, clearing away cobwebs. “Once we get out of here, I’ll make sure to teach those who dare to oppose our Wangye a good lesson.”
“Stop babbling nonsense!” A woman kicked him from behind. “Once we leave the city, we should lie low in the suburbs for a while and not cause trouble for Wangye.”
The last of the trio, a skinny man, pulled out a fire striker from his belt, but just as he was about to light it, the woman slapped him. “Don’t use fire, idiot! Are you trying to get us caught?!”
The skinny man clutched his face, too scared to speak, while the man in front stopped in his tracks. “Be quiet—we’re almost out.” He carefully pushed open the stone slab above him, peeking out to check the surroundings. After confirming no one was around, he pulled the other two out. “Move quickly.”
“Hey there, what are you doing here? Playing hide and seek?”
The three instantly froze, looking up in shock at a young woman who had suddenly appeared on top of the wall. She leaned slightly, head tilted, giving them a sweet, bright smile, as if she was merely curious about what they were doing.
“Big brother,” the skinny man gulped, cold sweat dripping down his back. “What should we do?”
The leader gritted his teeth and pulled out a dagger hidden in his boot. “Only dead men tell no tales.”
“Wow, he’s got a knife!” another head popped up from the wall.
“Where, where? Who has a knife?” Soon, a third head appeared, then a fourth, then a fifth…
In an instant, a long line of people appeared along the wall—all of them famous dandy young masters and young ladies along with their servants, obviously here to watch a good show. The trio suddenly felt like they had become monkeys on stage, performing for the crowd.
“Look, Xiaowu, their expressions are so scary. Do you think they’re planning to kill us?” Fuyi crossed her arms. “Oh my, I’m frightened~”
“Coward,” Fatty Liu puffed as he clambered onto the wall, snorting arrogantly to display his courage. “Wang Yanhe, release the dog!”
…
Upon receiving the report that Ning Wang was unconscious and that the manor refused to open the gates, Sui Tingheng took a written edict from the Emperor and rode out of the palace, heading straight for Ning Wang Manor. As soon as he dismounted, he heard a woman’s scream from the distance.
“A thief! There’s a thief in the clothing shop!”
‘That voice…’
Sui Tingheng jumped back onto his horse, flicked his riding whip, and galloped in the direction of the scream.
“Your Imperial Highness!” The guards and officials who had come to greet the Prince hurried after him.
Sui Tingheng rushed to the clothing shop, jumped off the galloping horse, and kicked open the back door that led to the inner courtyard…
“Fatty Liu, hold them down! Don’t let them escape!”
“Bring the shawl over, wrap it tightly so she can’t escape.”
“Ow, ow, ow, Yun Fuyi, are you blind?! You stepped on This Shizi’s foot!”
“This skinny guy’s trying to run—Blackie, get him! Bite his butt!”
“Woof, woof, woof!”
“Ahh!”
The chaotic sounds of yelling, barking, and wailing filled the air as idlers and scoundrels, dogs and humans, servants and masters all huddled together into one tangled mess. When they heard the heavy sound of the door being kicked open, everyone turned their heads to see Sui Tingheng rush in.
In that instant, the chaotic courtyard fell into dead silence.
Mo Wen, who had been struggling to keep up with his master, finally managed to catch up. The moment he took in the scene, he was so baffled that he didn’t know what to say for a long while.
Over there was Miss Yun, clutching a shawl tightly, with the other end tied to a dirty figure that probably was… a person? It was a bit hard to tell, mainly because Liu Shizi’s chubby body was sitting on top of this figure, more solid than a boulder.
A skinny man lay on the ground, wailing, his buttocks covered in blood. A fierce black dog was holding onto his leg, preventing him from escaping.
The only one who seemed slightly better off was the woman dressed as a peasant, though she was tightly bound all over, even her long black hair was tied to a post. Just looking at it made his scalp hurt.
“Gentlemen, ladies…” The Deputy Minister Justice finally found his voice after a long pause, averting his gaze from the pitiful sight of the three captives. “Are you… exercising?”
The trio, who had barely escaped from Ning Wang Manor when they met this group of lunatics, glared angrily at the deputy minister.
‘Open your eyes and look with your conscience, you idiot! Does this look like exercise to you?!’
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Author’s Note:
Ning Wang: “As long as we wait until it’s dark, there won’t be as many spectators.”
Idler gangs: “Look, he’s talking nonsense again!”
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