Chapter 86 A flurry of chaotic sounds...

Chapter 86 A flurry of chaotic sounds...

A flurry of hurried, chaotic footsteps accompanied by loud shouts: "Make way! Make way, the authorities are arresting people!"

A group of more than ten constables dressed in black uniforms and carrying weapons such as knives, clubs, and chains came running quickly from the side of the road. The leader was a dark-skinned, tall, and fierce-looking middle-aged man.

Upon arriving at the scene, the constables were visibly taken aback when they saw Boss Li, who had lost an arm, and the thugs who looked like spineless quails.

This sudden change stunned everyone present.

But the squad leader quickly realized what was going on. He sneered, "As expected, it's you bunch of murderers again. Zhao Gouzi, how long are you going to keep up this 'forcing a good woman into prostitution' act?"

Seeing Li Da Lao's miserable state, the squad leader felt no sympathy whatsoever. Instead, a grin spread across his dark face, revealing a row of conspicuous white teeth: "Oh ho, you've really bitten off more than you can chew this time. Serves you right!"

Ignoring the explanations and pleas for mercy from Boss Li and the others, the squad leader waved his hand and shouted, "Forgery of documents, setting up a scam, repeated offenses and no change of heart—take them all down!"

The constables, obeying orders, pounced forward like wolves and tigers, skillfully pinning down the brother and sister who were cowering to one side, as well as the group of thugs, and chaining them all.

Then, amidst Li Laoda's cries of innocence and his wailing, "We didn't do anything! That kid hurt me for no reason! He cut off my hand!" the foreman turned his gaze to the righteous-looking young man with blood still on his sword, and the well-armed caravan members on the other side: "Fighting and causing injury, you're all coming with us to the yamen."

Lin Feng, who had just swiftly chopped off Boss Li's hand and then angrily accused the caravan of refusing to help, was now completely dumbfounded. If he still didn't understand what had just happened, he would be a fool.

Seeing two constables coming to tie him up, Lin Feng's face turned pale and then red. When he glanced at the brother and sister squatting with the thugs, his face turned from pale to black, with a blush of shame and anger.

He sheathed his sword and first clasped his hands in a fist salute to the constables who came to kidnap people: "I injured these people; it has nothing to do with the caravan."

Then, with a look of shame, he clasped his hands behind his back, bowed deeply to the caravan, and said in an embarrassed and apologetic tone, "I was blind and misunderstood you all. Please forgive my offensive words just now..."

Lin Feng's gaze fell on the most heavily guarded area. He bowed deeply to Qin Ji, his head bowed low, his attitude quite sincere: "Please forgive me, sir."

"You just used such foul language, and now you're just going to let it go with a casual 'please forgive me'?"

"Yes, yes, we businessmen are unfairly branded as cold-blooded and heartless. How can we do business with others in the future?"

Someone in the crowd spoke first, which immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng felt even more ashamed and immediately bowed again to apologize: "Master, it was all my fault for being rash and impetuous. Although I am not very talented, I have learned some martial arts. I am willing to escort the caravan all the way to atone for my previous offense."

Although this person had been reckless before, his words revealed a straightforwardness and sense of responsibility characteristic of people from the martial arts world.

"No need, our guards are enough. This hero should take care of his own business first." Qin Ji replied somewhat coldly, gave Wei Sa a look to indicate that he should arrange the rest, and then went back to the carriage with Xiao Yan.

"How boring. I thought there would be some interesting scenes, but this is all?" As soon as he got into the carriage, Qin Ji put his arm around Xiao Yan and leaned back against the cushioned side of the carriage, looking utterly dejected.

“It is indeed boring.” Xiao Yan nodded in agreement.

She had previously suggested a bet with Qin Ji, but the bet never went through because they were completely in agreement. Even the subsequent events unfolded exactly as predicted.

If everyone present had superhuman hearing, they would have been able to hear Qin Ji and Xiao Yan's conversation as the entire incident unfolded, as if they had supernatural vision.

"It's about time these swindlers' identities were exposed." Xiao Yan had barely finished speaking when the constables appeared.

"This person's attitude has changed." Qin Ji had just finished speaking when Lin Feng bowed repeatedly in front of him, sincerely apologizing.

“He almost got an assist.” Just a few minutes after Xiao Yan finished speaking, controversy arose in the crowd, with people pointing out that Lin Feng’s apology was just words and not sincere enough.

"He should be looking to latch onto us soon," Qin Ji said immediately afterward. Then, as expected, Lin Feng offered to escort the caravan together.

What just happened was so logically excessive.

First, swindlers block the road and put on a show, then a chivalrous hero appears. Whether it's accusing the caravan of being cold-blooded, the swindlers being exposed by the government, or the hero's final act of guilt leading him to request an escort, this series of events is interconnected, with a completely logical and reasonable development.

"I guess we'll run into Lin Feng again in a few days to apologize, and he'll insist on escorting us," Xiao Yan predicted.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yan's prediction did not come true this time. Four days later, their group changed course and reunited with the group carrying the banner of Prince Cheng. Until this group entered the capital region, the journey was smooth and there were no more accidents.

Even days later, she was still talking to Qin Ji about it: "How could I have guessed wrong? Could Lin Feng really just be a hothead who appears out of nowhere? But the timing of his appearance is really suspicious, especially the things that were being said in the crowd. They sounded reasonable at first glance, but they were actually helping Lin Feng get close to us."

While Xiao Yan was racking her brains trying to figure it out, little did she know that someone in their large group had secretly left and then secretly returned.

At the Fifth Prince's residence, Li Sheng frowned as he looked at his subordinate kneeling below him.

"Lin Feng is dead?"

"Yes, Your Highness, Lin Feng and the five men he brought with him all perished in the wilderness. And it wasn't just them..."

The subordinate tried to keep his voice steady, but his words still trembled slightly: "The people we arranged to go to Sanniu Gorge, Fengmao Ferry, and Dongchang City all retreated safely after the infiltration failed. However, they have all lost contact now. I'm afraid... they're all like Lin Feng."

"Understood, you may leave." Li Sheng's face remained expressionless.

After everyone left, he hurriedly picked up the teacup beside him. With a slight clinking of the cup and saucer, Li Sheng drank the already somewhat cold tea in one gulp.

The Fifth Prince forced himself to calm down. He had misjudged the situation; the strength of the Sixth Prince's men far exceeded his expectations.

But what truly sent a chill down his spine was the ruthlessness with which Lao Liu acted.

It should be noted that of the groups of people sent out to probe, only those from Sanniu Gorge were ordered to assassinate when the opportunity arose; the others were sent to infiltrate, spy, or sow discord.

But Lao Liu's response was to kill them all. And he killed them after they realized things were hopeless and retreated. This meant that as long as something was amiss, Lao Liu's men would track them down until they were found and eliminated.

His relentless and ruthless style of doing things is truly astounding!

At this moment, the Fifth Prince was even somewhat relieved, as the entire capital region was now under the old man's control. They, the princes, could engage in minor squabbles, but none dared to escalate the situation, let alone commit murder.

Otherwise, with the second and sixth brothers being more insidious and ruthless than the other, he would truly have no sleep at night.

But nowadays, matters of the court should ultimately be handled through court methods.

After cheering himself up and comforting himself once again, the Fifth Prince quickly pulled out a few sheets of paper and began writing a letter.

Considering the generous gifts from the sixth brother, he felt he should reciprocate properly; otherwise, his younger brother, who was about to arrive in the capital, might blame him, the fifth brother, for being impolite.

......

“Once we arrive in the capital, the emperor probably won’t so easily formally bestow upon you the title of princess. However, he is the emperor after all, and he can’t do anything personally against you. Even if he were to force you, it would be against me. You don’t need to worry about this; I will handle it myself. The more troublesome thing for you is that you might encounter some targeting and struggles from other women.”

As they approached the capital, Qin Ji grew increasingly worried about what would happen if Yan Hui couldn't handle the situation there. After all, she hadn't been officially appointed, and the old man's attitude was what it was; there were bound to be some tactless people who would try to provoke her.

"Let them target me, I'm not going to take this lying down." Xiao Yan replied that she wasn't too worried. After all, she knew some spoilers. Although the specific events might have been affected by the butterfly effect, the overall atmosphere should still be in line with the novel.

In the upper-class social circles depicted in the novel, various struggles do occur frequently, but they all seem to tacitly agree to maintain a superficial peace and follow proper etiquette.

Often, they employ a sophisticated form of palace intrigue. Simply put, they speak indirectly, rarely resorting to open mockery; they prefer subtle sarcasm.

A more escalating form of struggle involves spreading rumors to damage one's reputation, or resorting to underhanded tactics. They might appear friendly on the surface, but secretly send out a cat or dog to cause someone disfigurement or miscarriage. An even more sophisticated approach would involve using some secret medicine.

However, openly advocating for war and violence is unacceptable. For noble ladies, that would be too vulgar, too inelegant, and too beneath their dignity.

That's why Xiao Yan Hui didn't find these people difficult to deal with.

Most importantly, she was the only mistress of the Chengjun Prince's Mansion, which reduced more than 80% of the conflicts, and she was the one who made the decisions at home.

Secondly, even if she wasn't officially bestowed a title, she was indeed married through proper channels. As long as Qin Ji acknowledged her status, her position as a princess would still be highly prestigious.

Her status can shield her from a lot of trouble. After all, it's not easy for someone in a lower position to cause trouble for someone in a higher position, and she can choose whether or not to go to places where trouble is frequent.

Those concubines of higher status than her were originally the ones who posed the greatest threat to her.

After all, if they used their status to pressure her, summoned her to the palace, and then found some excuse to make her kneel for half a day or give her a dozen or twenty beatings, she would be crippled.

However, precisely because these people are all elegant and well-mannered, there is no need to worry about the biggest threat. After all, none of them are her actual mother-in-law, so even if they want to make things difficult, it will be limited.

In the palace nowadays, apart from the Empress, it would be considered impolite for any of them to summon her.