eurekapd Chapter 225: Escape
Chapter 225: Escape
Fang Xiaoxiao breathed a deep sigh of relief, and the extremely tense expression on her face finally eased a little.
If those robbers hadn't suddenly left, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Keep in mind, those robbers were ruthless, cold-blooded criminals armed with melee weapons.
Once everything had calmed down, she quickly instructed her staff to lead everyone away from the area.
Jiangnan Province, Beihang Street.
Inside the Lingxi Pavilion.
It was late at night, and all was quiet outside; you could hear a pin drop.
"These days have been far too dangerous." Fang Xiaoxiao shook her head gently, sighing deeply, her gaze falling on her husbands gathered together in front of her.
Having gone through a life-or-death ordeal recently, she couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions.
It turns out that human life is so fragile, like an insignificant ant, whose life can be easily taken away by others.
Sitting at the square table, apart from Ouyang Tuoba, even Pei Yan, the eldest son who usually misses family gatherings, unexpectedly appeared at the scene.
Fang Xiaoxiao glanced at everyone, her slightly unpleasant expression replaced by a forced smile. She gently rubbed her cheeks, trying to put on a smiling mask.
"Today is a time for our family to get together."
She glanced at the varied expressions on the faces of the people around her, and then continued.
"Besides Ouyang Tuoba..."
"My lady, where exactly did Brother Tuoba go? Ever since you went to provide disaster relief last time, he followed you out the door."
Directly opposite, Long Jinyan was slurping noodles from a bowl, asking indistinctly.
He remembered that a few days ago, his wife mentioned that she wanted to do something very meaningful: to provide disaster relief.
He had originally planned to go along as well, but just as he made the decision, he encountered a group of Imperial Guards from the palace.
These Imperial Guards were loyal to the Emperor. Back when he was falsely accused of treason, it was these Imperial Guards who came to arrest him.
Logically speaking, these people should not be his match, but the other side had the advantage of numbers.
He could handle five or six, but fifty or sixty was a real challenge for Long Jinyan. Fortunately, he managed to escape and avoid the Imperial Guards.
But he couldn't understand why the Imperial Guards would appear in Jiangnan Province and why they were searching for him everywhere.
Thinking of this, Long Jinyan still maintained the expression of enjoying his noodles.
Just then, there was a knock on the shop door.
"Dong dong!"
At this moment, Li Renyi stood up.
"My lady, shall I go open the door and see who it is?"
"Why are you out buying things so late at night instead of sleeping? I wonder if there's an emergency at home!"
Ever since Fang Xiaoxiao left with Pei Yan, people have been knocking on the door of the shop late at night to buy pills and other items.
As the weather gets colder, many people have unfortunately caught a cold.
After discussing it with Zhou Wenjian, Li Renyi decided to arrange for people to watch the shop in shifts at night. In this way, they could earn more money for the shop when business was slow, and also help those who were sick. It was a win-win situation.
Arriving at the door, I opened the door.
The wind and snow suddenly rushed into the house, and everyone couldn't help but tighten their fur robes.
"Phew, it's so cold." Li Renyi asked the person buying medicine in front of him with a smile, as usual.
Because it was too dark, he could only make out the outline of the person in front of him by the dim light of the oil lamp.
This person looks somewhat familiar, but I can't quite place who it is.
"Young Master, we've finally found you!"
An old man, dressed in a fur robe, with a haggard face, his face covered with a few specks of white, and a thin build.
His lips trembled uncontrollably, whether from the cold or from the excitement of seeing his young master who hadn't returned home in a long time.
When the old man called out those words, Li Renyi finally looked closely and saw who it was.
This man was the steward from the Jingwang Mansion when he left. He still had the same kind appearance as before, but his face showed more signs of vicissitude.
The old man was Zhang Bo, the steward of Li Renyi's household. Despite his small stature, he was a man of extraordinary skill.
From childhood to adulthood, Uncle Zhang had always taken care of Li Renyi and raised him.
Although Zhang Bo was highly skilled in martial arts, he did not teach Li Renyi any martial arts skills. Instead, he taught him the ways of business. Li Renyi and Zhang Bo could be described as both teacher and friend.
Hearing Uncle Zhang's call, Li Renyi finally snapped out of his reverie. He turned to look at the people behind him and, seeing that no one was looking in his direction, breathed a sigh of relief. He then quickly lowered his head and whispered to Uncle Zhang in front of him.
"Uncle Zhang, what brings you here? Let's go outside and talk."
In fact, he knew very well what Zhang Bo's presence here meant.
But he still wanted to talk to Uncle Zhang and beg him to let him stay instead of returning to the capital to marry the woman he had never met.
He had always resisted arranged marriages since childhood, let alone the situation where he had to prepare for a wedding without ever having met the other person.
In ancient times, some bad habits did exist, especially the system of arranged marriages by parents, which was truly frightening.
Li Renyi's greatest wish is for the two of them to develop feelings for each other, gradually enter each other's hearts, and eventually walk down the aisle.
Just like now, he already has someone he likes.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn around and glance at his wife, who was lying face down on the table.
Unfortunately, Fang Xiaoxiao was still thinking about getting a good night's sleep.
Li Renyi sighed helplessly, noticing that no one was looking in his direction.
"Hey, Uncle Zhang, do you need to buy some medicine? In this extreme winter, it's easy to catch a cold. Our store has recently launched some special medicines for preventing and treating colds."
As he spoke, he took out a small ceramic bottle from his pocket and handed it to Uncle Zhang.
Li Renyi led Uncle Zhang out of the shop and into a quiet corner.
"Uncle Zhang, why did you come in person?" Li Renyi asked anxiously.
Zhang Bo looked solemn.
"Young Master, the Marquis has ordered me to bring you back at all times. This marriage cannot be allowed to fail. She is the daughter of a high-ranking official, a perfect match, and crucial to the future of the Marquis's mansion."
Li Renyi frowned deeply.
“Uncle Zhang, you know what I’m thinking. I don’t want to marry a woman I have no feelings for. I already have someone I like in Jiangnan Province, and I can’t just go back like this.”
Uncle Zhang sighed.
“Young Master, you are well aware of the Marquis’s situation. We need to use this marriage to consolidate our position. If you insist on refusing, the Marquis will surely be furious, and the consequences will be unimaginable.”
Li Renyi was silent for a moment, then said firmly.
“Uncle Zhang, my mind is made up. I cannot sacrifice my own happiness for the benefit of the Marquis’s mansion. Please go back and tell my father that I will not go back.”
Uncle Zhang shook his head helplessly.
"Young master, you are making things difficult for this old servant."
At this moment, Fang Xiaoxiao and the others in the store also noticed Li Renyi's unusual behavior.
"I'll go see why Li Renyi hasn't come back yet."
As Zhou Wenjian spoke, he got up and walked towards the door.
When he saw Li Renyi and Uncle Zhang talking in the corner, a sense of doubt arose in his heart.
"Li Renyi, what happened?" Zhou Wenjian stepped forward and asked.