Chapter 139: He Is No Simple Man

What the Empress had done was already clear to everyone present. Although Qingyun’s words sounded harsh, they were the absolute truth.

Yuan Zaichun’s mouth twitched into a faint smirk. "Don't worry, Mother won't dare to act recklessly for a while."

With that, he smiled with unfathomable mystery, a smile that inexplicably sent a shiver down Qingyun's spine.

After the recent assassination attempt, Yuan Zaichun had immediately dispatched a message back, informing the Empress that he, too, had been injured in the attack, and had argued forcefully with her.

Never had he expected that his words would be so severe, literally shocking the Empress into falling ill with rage. One could only imagine how cruel Yuan Zaichun's words must have been.

"Oh? Now that is a rarity."

Too lazy to dwell on it, Qingyun cast a glance around and laughed it off.

A carriage was waiting at the palace gates. Once they boarded, it wasn't long before they passed through the city gates and entered the capital proper.

Perhaps because it was night, various merchants had hung out small lanterns. By this time, the streets were already brightly lit, presenting a completely unique and charming atmosphere!

"Wow! Why didn't I notice this before?"

Acting like a child, Qingyun peered here and there inside the carriage. The deep pampering in Yuan Zaichun's eyes was almost enough to drown her.

"County Princess, please don't move. Have you forgotten what you promised your subordinate before leaving?"

Zhong Shi was scared out of his wits by Qingyun's movements. If she tore her wounds open again on the way, they would definitely have to be stitched up anew.

Scolded by Zhong Shi, Qingyun pouted like a wronged little kitten, slowly loosening her grip on the carriage curtain and leaning aggrievedly toward Hongying. "Look at your brother."

"Hehe, County Princess, you can't pin this on me. I've been afraid of him since I was little."

Hongying immediately distanced herself, leaving Qingyun to face Zhong Shi all alone.

The poor little thing was left completely isolated and helpless. She stared into Zhong Shi's eyes for a long while before finally settling down considerably.

"Why scold her? If she ends up crying later, you'll get what's coming to you."

Yuan Zaichun retorted without hesitation. Zhong Shi sneered, "That's still better than someone pushing the County Princess and nearly causing her to lose her life."

"You!"

Rebuffed by Zhong Shi several times in a row, Yuan Zaichun was powerless to retort because every word he spoke was the absolute truth.

In the past, he really had almost caused Qingyun's death.

"Oh, alright, didn't you say you were taking me out to play? The two of you bickering back and forth is so boring!"

The young woman shot them both a disdainful glance, stuck out her tongue, restrained her movements slightly, and continued looking outside.

Before long, they reached a small alley. Liufu jumped down from the carriage first, glanced around, and called into the carriage, "Your Highness, we have arrived."

"Good."

With that, Yuan Zaichun stepped down first and instinctively turned to help Qingyun, but Zhong Shi beat him to it, extending a hand to steady Qingyun as she carefully descended.

As for Hongying...

"Brother! You just left me behind like this!"

Hongying stood on the carriage step and sighed helplessly, then nimbly hopped down and ran over toward the other four.

Various snacks lined both sides of the street, instantly capturing Qingyun's attention. She looked left and right, but since her left arm couldn't move, she could only watch with eager eyes.

Stopping in front of a vendor selling spun-sugar bananas, Qingyun halted. Her eyes sparkled brightly as she turned to look at Zhong Shi. "I want to eat..."

"Alright."

Zhong Shi nodded like a block of wood and agreed, reaching out to fish for some silver. The next instant, another hand extended right in front of him.

Yuan Zaichun casually tossed a piece of silver to the vendor. "Five portions."

"Right away."

Zhong Shi turned his head to lock eyes with Yuan Zaichun, and sparks of gunpowder ignited in the air once again.

With five portions packed to-go—one for each of them—Qingyun still couldn't sit still, leaving Zhong Shi with no choice but to follow closely behind her.

Who would have thought that after winding through several turns, they would arrive right at the entrance of the Qinyin Pavilion.

"Qingyun County Princess?"

The guard at the door recognized Qingyun at a glance, hurried over with a beaming smile, bowed deeply, and fawned, "Here to see Master Jianli again? He has been waiting for you for a long time. Please, come right in."

Qingyun: ......

Turning her head to glance at the men following behind her, Hongying immediately stepped up and asked nervously, "County Princess, you surely don't intend to spirit this zither master back into the palace, do you?"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the muscles of the two men trailing behind stiffened simultaneously, crushing the spun-sugar bananas in their grips into tiny bits.

They were terrified that Qingyun might actually agree.

Fortunately...

"What nonsense are you babbling!" Qingyun feigned anger. "I merely find this Master Jianli very mysterious and want to interact with him out of curiosity. Let's go, let's go."

With that, she waved at the group behind her and strode swiftly toward the interior.

Jianli, who had been playing, hurried out to welcome her upon hearing that Qingyun had arrived at the entrance, only to be surprised by the large group accompanying her.

"County Princess."

Jianli cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Qingyun. The young woman waved her hand dismissively and said casually, "No need for formalities. Drop the 'County Princess' title, just call me whatever you like. Let's go, let's go."

Jianli's face flushed slightly as he nodded, gesturing with his finger to lead the group into a private parlor.

"Please take a seat. Some precious mountain tea was shipped from out of town today; I hope you all enjoy it."

Jianli wore a dark-colored robe with long sleeves that reached past his knees, and the Y-shaped collar perfectly framed his delicate collarbones.

His head of silver hair was left completely unadorned, draped softly over his shoulders, making it even harder for anyone to look away.

"How long has Master Jianli been here?"

Qingyun inquired with genuine interest. Just as she instinctively reached for her teacup with her left hand, the sharp pain from her wound caused her to gasp softly. Jianli started, "What's wrong? Is the County Princess injured?"

"It's nothing. I just got targeted by someone after leaving your place the other day and accidentally got hurt."

"What?"

Jianli's pupils constricted, while Zhong Shi was the first to step forward and check Qingyun's wound. "Did you make too sudden a movement just now?"

The young woman's eyes reddened from the pain as she nodded aggrievedly. "Don't scold me yet. Wait until my wound heals."

"Hmph..."

The intimate interaction between the two drew the quiet displeasure of both Yuan Zaichun and Jianli, dropping the temperature in the room by a good four or five degrees as if two human-shaped air conditioners had been turned on.

"Someone come."

Jianli's gentle voice drifted outward, and a servant immediately pushed the door open. Jianli's face turned icy.

"The County Princess was attacked after leaving here a few days ago?"

The servant paused in surprise, thought for a moment, lowered his eyes, and replied, "Yes."

Having received confirmation, Jianli narrowed his eyes. Combined with his silver hair, a dangerous aura permeated the air. "And none of you stepped forward to help?"

"Master, it's because..."

"Slap!"

Without another word, Jianli struck the servant across the face, sending the man staggering before he managed to steady himself and stand upright.

"If anything like this ever happens again, none of you need to stay here."

"Understood."

It was the first time Qingyun had witnessed Jianli looking so stern and severe, which only served to reinforce her inner suspicions.

Master Jianli was far from a simple person.