EBE Chapter 501 Xie Jingchun's Storyline: A Man in Black
Chapter 501 Xie Jingchun's Storyline: A Man in Black
For the next two weeks.
As always, Nan Nan diligently performed her duties, attending to Qin Jiuwei's daily needs, lighting incense, brewing tea, and keeping accounts, all in an orderly manner without making the slightest mistake.
She just went out much less often.
Even when she needed to retrieve something from the front yard, she would try to ask someone else to do it for her, preferring to take a detour rather than walk through the side alley near the side gate.
That evening, Qin Jiuwei suddenly instructed, "Nannan, go to Ruizhizhai in the South City to pick up something for me. It's something I ordered a few days ago, and it just arrived today."
"It's too slow to have it delivered, you should go yourself."
Nan Nan paused, then hesitated for a moment.
She hasn't left the house for the past two weeks, all because she's worried about that person...
But she had no reason to refuse the princess's orders.
Besides, half a month has already passed.
For the past two weeks, everything has been peaceful and normal; there has been no news of her gambling father.
Besides, she is now a member of the Prince Jing's household. Even if he were to catch her, he might not dare to do what he did back then.
Nan Nan took the token and replied in a low voice, "Yes, this servant will go right away."
The alleyway was completely silent.
The street vendors' cries stopped at the corner, leaving only Nan Nan walking slowly along the cobblestone path.
Ruizhizhai was only a few steps away. She slowed her pace, and the faint unease in her heart gradually subsided.
Just as she was about to turn the corner of the alley, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her.
She turned her head sharply and saw that several burly men had blocked her escape route.
They were all dressed in coarse cloth short jackets, with strong arms and unfriendly eyes.
Nan Nan's heart tightened, and she was about to turn around and retreat from the other end when another person walked in from the alley entrance.
Although the man's clothes were relatively clean, his behavior was sleazy, and he had a greasy, familiar, and ingratiating expression on his face.
Nan Nan froze on the spot.
It's him.
The man approached with a grin, his eyes sweeping over the sachet at her waist and the delicate silver hairpin in her hair, growing more and more satisfied with what he saw.
"Hey, isn't this my daughter? I've finally caught you."
"You're living quite well in the Prince's mansion, dressed smartly and eating and drinking like royalty, while your father suffers outside. You don't even think about coming to take care of your old man?"
Nan Nan gritted her teeth.
"Stop trying to disgust me. I am a servant of Prince Jing's mansion, personally appointed by the Princess Consort. How dare you touch me?"
She straightened up, her figure thin but showing no fear.
His eyes were calm, yet exuded a chilling coldness.
When she mentioned the Prince Jing's Mansion, the man's eyes showed a momentary hesitation, but it vanished in an instant.
He chuckled, a hint of smugness playing on his lips.
"So what if it's a royal residence? You're not a slave, and you haven't signed a death contract. To put it bluntly, you're just someone who does things."
"Your relationship with the Prince's Mansion is one of employment, not business. If you want to leave, you can naturally leave."
He took a step forward, his expression gradually turning cold, but his smile became even more sinister.
“You are now very beautiful and clean-looking. I’ve inquired around outside, and there are plenty of people willing to pay high prices for you.”
"Now, hand over all the money you have so your father can buy a young shill and then sell you!"
"Give me the money now! Otherwise I'll get violent!"
Nan Nan gritted her teeth and pursed her lips, pondering for a while.
Finally, she took out a small bag of loose silver from her sleeve and handed it to him with trembling hands.
The man took the package, opened it, and immediately frowned.
"How can there be so little? You're just trying to fool me with this?"
Nan Nan lowered her head, and her tone suddenly became extremely docile.
"I only came out to help the princess retrieve her things, so I shouldn't be carrying too much silver on me."
She looked up at him, a hint of caution in her eyes.
"If Father doesn't mind, I'll get it for you when I get back to the manor. The Princess Consort has always treated me well, and I have quite a bit of reward money on me. As long as you don't cause trouble, I'll go get it for you."
The man squinted at her, as if he was still weighing the truth of the matter.
Nan Nan's expression was flawless; she even lowered her head and softened her tone.
"I'll take it out obediently, really."
The man breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled twice: "It would have been better if you had done this earlier."
He turned and waved his hand, "Let her go, let her go get the money!"
Several burly men snorted and slowly made way for a narrow path.
Nan Nan lowered her head and walked quickly through the shadowy cobblestone alley.
But as soon as she turned the corner, the man stared at her back, and the smile on his face suddenly froze.
He clicked his tongue, frowned, and muttered a curse under his breath.
"Something's wrong."
"This brat was as slippery as an eel when she was little, incredibly clever, and as stubborn as a bull... She's never been this obedient."
"How could she agree so easily?"
His face darkened, and his gaze turned icy.
"What are you all standing there for? Go after her! If she gets away, we won't get the money!"
The burly men immediately realized what was happening and quickly chased after them towards the alley entrance.
Meanwhile, Nan Nan had already dashed out and turned into the crowd on the main street.
She dared not look back, she just ran as fast as she could, her skirt fluttering wildly in the wind.
Taking advantage of her light body and familiarity with the road to the Prince's Mansion, she managed to squeeze through the gaps in the crowd.
We walked through back alleys selling cloth, tea, and bamboo ware.
Like a startled rabbit, it ran towards the Prince's mansion.
The burly man in hot pursuit was slowed down by his imposing size, as he could only forcefully push through the crowd.
"Don't run! Stop!"
Nan Nan could barely breathe; her chest felt like it was being pounded by a hammer, each blow causing excruciating pain.
As she watched the vermilion gates of the Prince's mansion come into view, a surge of joy filled her heart, and she quickened her pace.
But just as she was about to pass through the last narrow alley, a thick arm suddenly reached out from behind the wall on her left and grabbed her!
"Gotcha!" the burly man shouted.
"You little brat, you dare to play us?!" Another person pounced on her and grabbed her shoulder hard.
Nan Nan struggled desperately, "Let me go! I'm from the Prince Jing's mansion, if you dare lay a hand on me again..."
"The Prince Jing's residence?" the man sneered. "You're on the street now; we have plenty of ways to arrest you."
Before she could even shout, a cold, sharp rebuke suddenly came from the alleyway behind her.
"What are you doing?!"
His voice was deep and cold, carrying a chilling aura like sand pressing down.
The next instant, a dark shadow pounced like the wind.
Xie Jingchun was dressed in black, with a long sword at his waist. His face was ashen, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent and cold anger.
He didn't give the man a chance to react, raising his leg and kicking him hard in the chest.
"Bang" sound.
The man was kicked and sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
He knocked over a bamboo basket, and blood immediately gushed from the corner of his mouth.
The man's face turned deathly pale instantly, and even his voice trembled: "Who...who are you...how dare you..."
Xie Jingchun ignored her and instead looked at the burly men who had grabbed Nan Nan, a chill running down his spine.
"Let go."