BERW - Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Yu San listened to the sounds of the enemies outside, crouched low, and gripped her dagger tight, ready to cut her way out.
She could tell there were only two of them outside. An inn like this, at most, would not hold more than a dozen people. If there were any martial experts among them, they would be genuinely troublesome, but one extremely unfortunate fact for the people running this criminal inn was that not a single one of them could beat Yu San in a fight.
Yu San did not want to bring danger to Shen Yuyao's doorstep, so she meant to strike first.
But before she could move, Shen Yuyao stopped her.
"Shh! Don't make a sound. I want to see what they really want."
Shen Yuyao remembered that when they had been choosing rooms, the innkeeper had only shown a strange reaction after seeing the Shi clan's registration information.
She did not know what the innkeeper had been thinking at the time, but she was certain this matter was not aimed at her.
Sure enough, the conversation that followed between the innkeeper and the waiter confirmed her guess.
"Damn it, what rotten luck. We only meant to deal with that Shi wench, and now two more show up. Leave those two alone. The fabric and jewelry on them are top-grade, nothing the Shi family could produce. They're probably some rich relatives."
"Huh? Boss, why not grab them all together?"
The waiter was clearly blinded by greed, bold enough to want to pull off something big.
Then the innkeeper cuffed him on the back of the head. "Idiot! Isn't offending one Shi family enough? You want to offend other great families too? Are you that eager to die young? Besides, going after the Shi family, we can claim it's revenge for our benefactor. Go after anyone else, and we lose our footing."
"We're bandits. We never had any footing to stand on to begin with." The waiter muttered under his breath. Apparently the innkeeper glared at him, because he hurried off to work. "Boss, you wait here. I'll go downstairs and get the rope. First thing's first, let's tie up that Shi girl."
Then came the sound of someone running downstairs, and only the innkeeper's breathing remained in the corridor.
Shen Yuyao propped her chin on her hand and pondered. Who was this benefactor?
As Minister of Justice, Shi Bingsheng had offended countless people, and naturally countless people wanted revenge on him. But most still had some bottom line, knowing that trouble should not extend to family. And young ladies of great houses always traveled with a crowd of guards, so it was hard to get at them.
Only this time, coming to Yudu Town, they could not openly bring dozens of people, so most of the guards were hidden in the shadows.
"Have the Shi family guards noticed something's off?" Shen Yuyao asked Yu San beside her.
In the darkness, Yu San's eyes were like the night itself; even moonlight could not reach into them. She gave Shen Yuyao a thoughtful glance and said, "Reporting to the Princess, this servant already notified them a moment ago."
They were all guards hiding to protect their noble charges. Outsiders could not spot them, but among themselves they certainly knew each other well.
Shen Yuyao nodded. "Then it's simple. Knock out the innkeeper and tie him up first. Once there are enough of us, we'll come in directly and wipe out all the thieves at once."
Yu San wanted to say that no more people were needed; she alone could handle it.
But she was not the type to boast in front of others. She clasped her hands in assent, and her figure became like a ghost. Even with eyes as sharp as Shen Yuyao's, she could only catch the afterimage of her movement.
In novels, Shen Yuyao had always come across the saying that in all the martial arts under heaven, only speed is unbreakable. She used to think that no wonder firearms were so powerful, because they were fast enough.
Now, seeing Yu San move, Shen Yuyao finally understood what true speed meant.
Was this something a human body could do? A fired bullet was no faster.
Shen Yuyao even suspected Yu San could dodge bullets.
Before, Shen Yuyao had always thought this world was a fairly ordinary version of the ancient past. Now she suddenly was not so sure. With martial arts of this caliber, this world did not seem normal at all.
Could this be some kind of wuxia novel world, a low-martial setting?
Shen Yuyao suddenly thought of the Crown Prince's various extremely romance-brained displays, and the idea that this world might be a novel took deep root in her mind.
But no matter what the truth of this world was, Shen Yuyao was alive here, and so this world was real to her.
While Shen Yuyao sat lost in thought, the door that had just been opened was pushed open again from outside.
Then came the sound of something heavy hitting the floor.
Shen Yuyao looked up and saw the innkeeper rolling twice across the floor.
With the counter blocking her view before, Shen Yuyao really had not noticed how round this innkeeper was. He looked like he would roll well.
"Princess, it's all been handled."
"Huh?" Shen Yuyao did not quite understand. What did "all been handled" mean?
There was only a faint smell of blood on Yu San. Not a single hair on her head was out of place. She stood there motionless, waiting for Shen Yuyao's next order.
Like a killing machine devoid of feeling.
Shen Yuyao swallowed. She suddenly felt the pressure of a top-tier assassin, and Yu San ranked third among the Shadow Guard, meaning there were two more ahead of her.
Probably one at the Emperor's side, one at the Crown Prince's.
Terrifying. What kind of human cannons were these?
"Th-thanks for your hard work. Sit for a while. I'll go next door to check on the Senior Consort."
Though she could not see how Yu San could be tired, Shen Yuyao firmly believed she must be exhausted.
"Princess, this servant must stay with the Princess at all times, to protect the Princess closely."
Since this place was not safe, the previous method of protection would not do.
Yu San insisted, so Shen Yuyao did not refuse again. This was a guard's duty, and if something happened to her, there would be serious trouble.
Qin Shujun was sleeping soundly in the room. The night's commotion had not affected her at all. Perhaps she had breathed in some of the sleep-incense too, because when Shen Yuyao knocked and entered, she could still hear her soft snoring.
The door bolt had been opened from the outside by the waiter, which was why Shen Yuyao could push the door open so easily.
Looking at the door bolt on the floor, Shen Yuyao's expression darkened.
The innkeeper did not want trouble, but it seemed his subordinate did not listen to him. The waiter was not going to back off.
Footsteps came from downstairs, many of them, but most were very light. There was also the sound of something heavy being dragged. Shen Yuyao guessed the other Imperial Guards were cleaning up the scene.
"Princess?"
Seeing Shen Yuyao standing still, lost in thought, Yu San quietly prompted her.
"It's late. Perhaps the Princess should rest first."
"Mm. You must clean this place up properly. Do not disturb the other guests at the inn. If possible, it's best to keep it from the Senior Consort too. We've finally gotten out of the palace to enjoy ourselves these two days; don't ruin the mood."
Hearing this, Yu San showed some surprise.
She had thought that after facing a bandit threat, Shen Yuyao would make a fuss about returning to the palace. After all, this princess was like a songbird raised in the palace, who had never seen the storms of the outside world.
But unexpectedly, Shen Yuyao had been perfectly calm from beginning to end. Forget being frightened; she even had the presence of mind to keep playing tomorrow!
Yu San recalled how, earlier, while listening to the corridor's movements in the room, Shen Yuyao had clearly been able to hear the whole thing.
But Shen Yuyao was a princess. Why did she have such keen hearing?
"Also, check on that Shi family lady for me. Take everyone to Qianyin Temple and tell Imperial Grandmother. Ask her to help me interrogate them. I'm very interested in this 'benefactor' they mentioned."
"Yes!"
Yu San obeyed dutifully, and she worked fast. In less than half an hour, the inn had returned to complete quiet. Shen Yuyao slept at ease. When she went downstairs in the morning, she saw the waiter and the innkeeper cleaning.
Usually the morning and evening shifts had different staff, so with new faces, most of the guests were not surprised.
That was just because Yudu Town saw so many strangers passing through every day. In a more closed-off small town, it would have been really hard to manage.
Shen Yuyao guessed they might have even worked through the night making a mask or something?
In any case, that would be the moment for the Eastern black arts, makeup and disguise, to show their true power.
"Yuyang, why are you so late coming down? I had the kitchen make you white fungus porridge. It's very sweet. Come eat."
Qin Shujun was already downstairs eating breakfast. Shen Yuyao had thought she would eat in her room, since there were so many people outside, and it was so chaotic.
But Qin Shujun took well to the noisy surroundings and had come down specifically to eat.
Shen Yuyao looked around and did not see Shi Caiwen.
Not seeing her, she asked directly.
Qin Shujun frowned slightly with some displeasure. "She's still not up. I went to check this morning; she's sleeping soundly. Probably she's injured and needs to rest and recover."
Even as she said it, Qin Shujun did not believe it herself. Shi Caiwen was no good at martial arts, but she could sure take a beating. What kind of minor flesh wound would need bedrest?
Shen Yuyao, who knew the truth was that she had inhaled some sleep-incense, smiled without a word. In any case, the incense was harmless to the body; one good sleep and she would be fine.
"Maybe she was too scared to sleep well last night. It's getting late, so why don't we head to the polo grounds and wait there? Let's give her some time to think things through."
Accept reality, and brace for the storm from your elder sister!
After saying this, Shen Yuyao felt she was truly a thoughtful little clever-clogs.
The still-slumbering Shi Caiwen had no idea someone was being so considerate of her!
Qin Shujun thought about it and felt Shen Yuyao had a point. The real thing was to have fun today first. Everything else could wait.
So after breakfast, Shen Yuyao followed Qin Shujun and met her old friends.
Besides Shi Caiwen's elder sister Shi Caiwei, there was Qi Jia, eldest daughter of Minister of Works Qi Tianle, and Yu Xiangxue, daughter of Vice Minister of Revenue Yu Shu.
The four were of similar age, all of the dignified and elegant type in appearance, and spoke with poise and courtesy. Shen Yuyao liked these four beautiful elder sisters very much.
It was just that their attire was rather staid, mostly dark colors. Though they were only in their early twenties, they dressed as if they were around thirty.
Shen Yuyao sat mixed in among them without speaking, like a well-behaved backdrop. The three were a bit reserved at first, but as they talked, they nearly forgot all about Shen Yuyao.
Because all three were already mothers, when talking with Qin Shujun, they always brought up their own children.
Shen Yuyao sat and listened for a while, and began to feel somewhat suffocated.
The smile on Qin Shujun's face diminished considerably too.
-_-!
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