Seeing that Nuannuan also wanted to follow, Wei Qinghan quickly reached out and pulled her into her arms. “Be good, Nuannuan. You must not cause trouble for your aunt.”
However, Nuannuan wiggled her small body and looked at her mother with a serious expression.
“Mommy, bad guys! Nuannuan help Auntie hit bad guys!”
“Nuannuan tell Brother Chen!”
Xiao Yunshu laughed heartily upon hearing this, reaching out to scoop Nuannuan into her arms and holding her steady.
She gave Wei Qinghan a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Sister-in-law. Nuannuan is very well-behaved. She’s been a huge help to me these past two days!”
“Sister-in-law, I’ll tell you all about it later.” She turned to look at Zhu Yue, who was standing by. “Zhu Yue, you stay behind and take good care of Sister-in-law.”
Wei Qinghan shook her head helplessly but didn’t stop them again.
Xiao Yunshu then carried Nuannuan, walking with long strides toward the manor gates.
Duan Chenlang had brought a significant entourage. A crowd of passersby had already gathered outside the gates of the Wu’an Wangfu, pointing and whispering.
Duan Chenlang, dressed in a brocade robe and waving a folding fan, stood at the bottom of the steps, pretending to be suave.
Behind him followed four attendants carrying gift boxes; his face showed not a hint of a sincere apology.
Rather than an apology, it looked more like a marriage proposal.
This Duan Chenlang was Su Wanying’s maternal cousin. Over the years, relying on the influence of the Zuoxiang, he had become notorious throughout the capital.
He had committed many acts of seizing farmland and bullying men and women alike.
Whenever he caused trouble, his good uncle-in-law would step in to settle things, which only made him more reckless and overbearing.
“Yunshu Junzhu is finally willing to come out and see me,” Duan Chenlang said as he saw Xiao Yunshu emerge with the child. A glint of calculation flashed in his eyes as he deliberately raised his voice. “The day before yesterday, I lost my manners after drinking and offended the Junzhu. I hope the Junzhu will be magnanimous and forgive me.”
His words were vague, deliberately meant to invite speculation, as if there were truly some scandalous secret affair between him and Xiao Yunshu.
Nuannuan didn’t understand what Duan Chenlang meant, but she knew he was a big bad guy.
She stuck out a small finger and used all her strength to point at him, shouting, “Big bad guy! Bad guy! Tell Brother Chen!”
The child’s crisp and loud accusation caused the smile on Duan Chenlang’s face to freeze for a moment.
This wretched girl dared to humiliate him in public.
Just as Duan Chenlang was feeling embarrassed and enraged, the purple dragon egg in Nuannuan’s mind suddenly flickered very weakly.
“Nuannuan, be careful! Danger! Hide!”
Nuannuan hurriedly used her small body to push Xiao Yunshu. “Auntie run! Run fast! Bad guy!”
Xiao Yunshu was already wary of Duan Chenlang. Hearing Nuannuan’s sudden warning, she instinctively took a step back.
At the same time, a grey-clad attendant standing behind Duan Chenlang, who had been keeping his head low, suddenly lunged forward.
He flipped over the gift box in his hands, revealing a foot-long short blade, and charged straight at Xiao Yunshu.
But his target was not Xiao Yunshu; he was aiming straight for Nuannuan in her arms.
“Presumptuous!”
With Nuannuan’s warning, Xiao Yunshu was already prepared.
The moment the opponent moved, she shifted her body to the side to avoid the blade’s edge. Simultaneously, she delivered a side kick aimed directly at the opponent’s wrist.
But the assassin’s skills far exceeded her expectations.
He neither dodged nor retreated. With a flick of his wrist, he used his forearm bone to forcefully block Xiao Yunshu’s kick.
This person was a tough nut to crack.
Xiao Yunshu’s heart went cold. She quickly protected the pale-faced Nuannuan while thrusting her right elbow toward the opponent’s throat.
The guards of the Wu’an Wangfu reacted quickly, moving forward to surround Duan Chenlang and his group.
The short blade in the grey-clad servant’s hand didn’t lose its momentum, still lunging toward Nuannuan.
“You dare, you rat!” A figure pounced forward from outside the crowd, delivering a mid-air kick that slammed into the assassin’s ribs.
With a loud “crack,” the assassin spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying.
“How is Nuannuan? How is Yunshu?” Xiao Qingcang had just returned from outside and happened to witness this heart-stopping scene. How could he not be furious?
“Father! We are fine!”
Xiao Qingcang nodded. When he turned his gaze back to Duan Chenlang, his eyes were boiling with killing intent.
Without even looking at the fallen assassin, he stepped in front of the dumbstruck Duan Chenlang. He easily grabbed him by the front of his robes and lifted him off the ground.
His voice sounded as if it came from the depths of the underworld. “Duan Chenlang, in broad daylight, at the foot of the Imperial City, you dare to attempt an assassination on a Junzhu in front of my Wu’an Wangfu?”
“No… it’s not… it wasn’t me.” Duan Chenlang struggled to breathe, his feet kicking wildly as he shook his head desperately. “Wangye, spare me! It wasn’t me! I don’t know anything! I really don’t know!”
At this moment, he was truly scared out of his wits.
He had only followed his aunt’s instructions, intending to ruin Xiao Yunshu’s reputation and force a marriage. How would he dare to commit assassination in public?
Xiao Qingcang laughed from extreme anger. “Good, ‘don’t know’ indeed. This Prince will escort you to see the Emperor right now. I want to ask clearly whether your current arrogance relies on the power of your Duan family or the power of the Zuoxiang Fu.”
Xiao Qingcang’s voice was like a resonant bell, making Duan Chenlang’s ears ring.
Seeing the bad guy caught by her grandfather, Nuannuan immediately waved her small fists and cheered in a milky voice, “Grandfather is great! Hit the bad guy! Auntie is great! Beat the bad guy away!”
Fufeng stepped forward and lowered his voice beside Xiao Yunshu. “Junzhu, Miss Su is waiting in the side hall.”
Xiao Qingcang’s ears were sharp. Hearing this, his gaze swept over the deathly pale Duan Chenlang. “Oh? Miss Su? It seems the power you are relying on is that of the Zuoxiang Fu.”
The question was devastating. Duan Chenlang trembled all over and nearly fainted.
How would he dare admit he was relying on the Zuoxiang Fu?
If the crime of the Zuoxiang Fu assassinating a Junzhu was proven, his uncle-in-law would be the first to not let him off.
Left with no choice, he could only shake his head while covered in tears and snot. “No, no, your nephew wouldn’t dare, your nephew wouldn’t dare.”
Xiao Yunshu calmed down and gave a cold snort. “Father, Su Wanying sent a formal visit request, saying she came to visit Sister-in-law. I will go meet her.”
“Very well. Leave this place to your father.” Xiao Qingcang hauled the limp Duan Chenlang away, walking toward the Wangfu guards who had rushed over.
Xiao Yunshu, still holding Nuannuan, turned and walked toward the side hall within the manor.
She wanted to see what kind of play Su Wanying was going to put on today.
Inside the side hall, Su Wanying was sitting upright, looking leisurely and comfortable.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up, a faint smile touching the corners of her mouth. “Yunshu Junzhu certainly made this humble girl wait.”
Seeing there was no one else in the hall, Su Wanying didn’t bother to pretend anymore. She let out a sigh and feigned regret. “Junzhu, why must you suffer so?”
“My cousin may be a bit reckless in his actions, but he is truly devoted to you. His family background is prominent; he is a good match for you.”
As she spoke, she looked around the side hall. “The Wu’an Wangfu is in such a state now. Why do you still put on the airs of a Junzhu? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just fulfill a beautiful match with my cousin?”
Her words were gentle, yet every word was like a poisoned needle.
Before Xiao Yunshu could speak, Nuannuan in her arms was already red-faced with anger. “Bad person! Bad woman!”
Xiao Yunshu gently patted Nuannuan’s back to soothe her.
Her gaze, however, turned cold as she looked at Su Wanying. “Miss Su, your information is far too outdated. That dear cousin of yours just publicly attempted to assassinate this Junzhu. He has been apprehended by my father and will be reported to the Emperor immediately.”
“If Miss Su has the leisure to act as a matchmaker here, you’d better hurry and find a way to fish him out of the Tianlao!”
“I’m afraid this time… even the Zuoxiang’s face might not be enough.”