The alley was silent in the middle of the night.
Suddenly, a low roar filled with laughter and slight anger erupted.
"Rogue!"
Moonlight shone into the corner of the wall, vaguely showing the delicate girl lifting her leg and kicking the man in front of her. Then, she quickly ran away, fluttering like a butterfly under the moonlight.
After she left, Yuan Zhaoxu's smile faded, but a black shadow suddenly appeared behind him. The man in black bowed slightly and said in a low voice, "Master … your injury …"
Yuan Zhaoxu raised his hand. In an instant, his fingers were covered in a layer of greenish-grey. His expression was calm as he replied, "It's fine."
Looking up at the direction in which Fuyao had disappeared, Yuan Zhaoxu's expression was displeased. "Guo Pingrong is getting more and more useless. Not only did he use the Brilliance of Heaven and Earth, which can be considered a divine weapon, to deal with a girl, he even added poison to it. Is this also something a disciple of the Ten Emperors would do?"
His back was as straight as bamboo, but his sleeves were fluttering even though there was no wind. The man in black subconsciously took a step back and bowed even more. His master rarely got angry, and he used to think that there was nothing in this world that could make him angry. But judging from the cold aura emanating from his body, Guo Pingrong's actions had actually touched his reverse scale.
After some thought, he laughed bitterly. "Guo Pingrong was born into a bad family after all. The roots of a street gangster are destined to be sinister. But he's a good fighter in battle, just like His Highness King De. He's loyal and brave to the imperial court."
Yuan Zhaoxu smiled but did not reply. After a while, he said, "Send someone to keep an eye on her and protect her as much as possible."
"Yes."
"But as long as she can handle it, let her handle it herself."
"Yes."
"I'll be in seclusion for the next few days. Fang Yimo's Brilliance of Heaven and Earth is no small matter, so I can't let my guard down. You guys handle the matters outside."
"Yes."
Yuan Zhaoxu turned around and looked in the direction in which Fuyao had disappeared. After a while, he smiled and left.
The man in black was left standing there, looking ahead with a complicated expression. He suddenly thought of something his master had said a long time ago.
"I hope to see excellent women grow up freely in the open sea and sky, and fly together with men at the same height, instead of being canaries protected by strong wings, who will never know the thrill of passing through the wind and rain, and who will never understand how to pursue their beliefs."
*****
Meng Fuyao clearly felt that the atmosphere in Prince De's residence was a little strange these few days.
Ever since that night, Guo Pingrong had frequently appeared in the residence. She did not know what he had said to King De, but the latter had ordered people to bring him around the residence a few times, scanning everyone with his long and narrow eyes. Because of this, Zong Yue had requested that Fuyao not go out. Of course, she knew that it was a rare occasion for her to listen to him. Not only did she not go out, but she also specially disguised her body. Now, she was a flat-chested, yellow-faced, skinny boy, not at all eye-catching. The few times Guo Pingrong saw her, he would walk past without looking at her.
One day, Fuyao went to Zong Yue's herb garden to collect some herbs. Along the way, she thought that Guo Pingrong's unwillingness to let things go was as if he was certain that the person who had taken off his pants that night was in the residence. It seemed like she should run away as soon as possible. Sigh, she should have left long ago. Wasn't she just greedy for the free and exquisite accommodation in Prince De's residence?
Actually, there was another reason that Fuyao would not admit to. He had not appeared for a few days, and she was a little afraid that if she ran away, he would not be able to find her. Although she knew that he was very resourceful, and under normal circumstances, such an accident would not happen. But, what if?
Fuyao's mind drifted away as she grabbed the medicinal spatula. Before she could plant the spatula, she suddenly heard a crisp sound of something breaking.
At the same time, a woman's panicked cry rang out from the pavilion in the small garden outside the herb garden.
Through the shade of the flowers, Fuyao saw Qiao Ling, the maidservant from the outer courtyard, squatting on the ground and frantically cleaning up the broken pieces of porcelain on the ground. Above her, Guo Pingrong sat on his high seat with a gloomy expression. Opposite him was Prince De, who scolded, "Clumsy and stupid girl, get out!"
Qiao Ling was so frightened that her whole body trembled and she quickly retreated. Fuyao sighed silently. Guo Pingrong had been in a bad mood lately, and whoever met him would be unlucky. Come to think of it, she had implicated Qiao Ling.
Qiao Ling turned around and quietly wiped away her tears. Her tear-stained face flashed across Fuyao's field of vision. Fuyao looked at her and suddenly froze.
The girl had always been good-looking, with a pair of limpid eyes on her palm-sized face. She did not pay much attention to them, but now that her eyes had been washed away by her tears, they glistened with moisture. For some reason, she found them somewhat familiar.
Before Fuyao could figure out what was familiar, she heard Guo Pingrong say, "Hmm?" He suddenly took a step forward and reached out to grab Qiao Ling's chin, forcefully turning her face to look at him.
He squinted his long and narrow eyes and scanned Qiao Ling from head to toe. When had the sixteen-year-old Qiao Ling ever been so presumptuously looked at by a young man? What's more, Guo Pingrong's body was tall and sturdy, his complexion was like iron, and his pair of slanted eyes always had a hint of evil in them when he looked at people. He could be considered as a charming man. Qiaoling was so shy that even her neck turned red, which added a bit of charm to her.
Looking at Guo Pingrong's gaze, Fuyao recalled Yuan Zhaoxu's "I have an illness" comment. She cursed inwardly. Suddenly, she remembered who Qiao Ling's eyes had looked like. They looked like her! Although the child's eyes were not as bright as hers, when they were slightly teary, they actually had some of her charm. It must have been those eyes that had attracted Guo Pingrong's attention.
Guo Pingrong was indeed staring at Qiao Ling's eyes. That night, when he had looked down from above, the wind from the concealed weapon had blown away the girl's veil. In the darkness, he could not see her face clearly. Only a pair of eyes that were as clear as limpid autumn waters, resplendent and beautiful.
At that moment, he had almost forgotten his anger. All that was left in his mind was shock. At that moment, he, who had dominated Central Province, had given up on his previous plan to dismember Fuyao. Instead, he had begun to seriously consider how to capture this bold and cunning beauty. If her intelligent eyes were only smiling at him, if she were to use her clear and melodious voice to moan under him, if her slender and powerful legs were to wrap around his body … What kind of pleasure would that be?
A man should walk proudly in the world. Did he not want to wield the power of the world and lie on the knees of a beauty when drunk?
As for the man who had caught his concealed weapon and forced him to fall off the wall … Guo Pingrong laughed coldly. Was the Glory of Heaven and Earth that easy to catch? The Southern Border poison had attacked the heart the moment it came into contact with his skin. He was probably a corpse by now, wasn't he? Even if he was lucky enough to survive, he would only end up in an even more unlucky state. As long as he found out who he was, he would definitely dismember him. He would let him know that the disciple of one of the Ten Strongest was not someone any Tom, Dick, or Harry could provoke!
Thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind and his expression became uncertain. The fingers that held Qiao Ling's chin subconsciously tightened, causing Qiao Ling to cry out in pain. Hearing the cry, Guo Pingrong finally let go. He once again looked Qiao Ling up and down lewdly for a while before turning to De Wang and saying, "I didn't expect that in Wangye's fu, even a lowly servant girl could be so beautiful."
Sitting at the head of the table was Prince De. He was tall and had a dignified bearing. Sitting there, he was as tall as a person. His appearance was not bad, but there was a long and narrow scar that ran diagonally across his forehead, disfiguring his appearance. It was said that when Lord Linjiang rebelled, Crown Prince Zhangsun plotted to kill an assassin named Shuying. Shuying's wife and partner, Luan Mei, assassinated the crown prince in order to avenge her husband. It was Prince De who withstood her sword strike that would destroy both jade and common stone. From then on, this eternal scar was left behind. This prince, who was known for his loyalty and bravery in Wuji's court, was currently smiling as he looked at his beloved general. He said nonchalantly, "You're so arrogant. It's rare for you to take a fancy to someone.
"Really?" Guo Pingrong's eyes lit up.
Prince De laughed heartily. "She's just a servant girl. Do you think I can't bear to give her to you?"
"Your Highness, she's just a servant girl, but I think she's a treasure." Guo Pingrong turned to look at Qiao Ling and smiled meaningfully. "It's rare for me to meet someone I like. It's fate. I don't want her to be wronged. I'll bring her back right now and let her be my concubine."
"It's her fortune that you favor her so much. Since that's the case, it won't be good for my residence to neglect General Jianwu's first concubine." Prince De laughed heartily. "Men, bring Miss Qiao Ling away. Tell the princess to prepare Miss Qiao Ling's wedding ceremony and send it to the general's residence in style tomorrow!"
Guo Pingrong smiled in thanks and ordered the surprised and delighted Qiao Ling to be sent away to prepare. Meng Fuyao watched as the child entered the backyard with a dazed expression and punched her palm.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
