Luo Sheng laughed lightly. “It’s not criticism—just speaking the truth.”

“Enough, stop with your silver tongue.” Wei Wen didn’t intend to let Luo Sheng continue speaking and shouted loudly, “Smash this black-hearted shop for me!”

The guards from Prince Pingnan’s residence received their orders and surged forward.

Smash the shop?

The crowd watching the excitement stirred with agitation.

Ever since the soldiers had strengthened patrols in the Qingxing Street area, it had been a long time since they’d seen such a thrilling major event as shop-smashing.

“Smash the shop? Who’s smashing the shop?” A burly man rushed out from the wine house wielding an axe.

Following close behind was Luosai Huzi carrying a cleaver.

The two quickly engaged in combat with the charging guards.

Shi Yan effortlessly kicked away the nearest guard, then grabbed a guard holding a long staff, seized the staff from his hands, and used it to strike the man’s buttocks.

The kicked guard staggered forward to someone’s front. Seeing that person’s face clearly, he was immediately confused: Huh, wasn’t this the person who just kicked him away?

Shi Yan expressionlessly raised his foot and kicked the guard back toward Third Brother.

Hong Dou practically charged into the pile of guards with a cheer. Kou’er anxiously called from behind, “Hong Dou, charging in so recklessly won’t work—you’ll suffer! How can you rush toward where there are many people? Pick the isolated ones to beat!”

To the side, the female proprietor clutched her iron abacus, trembling all over.

Too terrifying—how could such a frightening thing as shop-smashing happen?

The one smashing the shop was even Prince Pingnan’s residence’s young commandery princess. If they resisted, they’d be held accountable later, wouldn’t they?

While she was panicking, a prince’s residence guard who had been kicked in the lower back staggered toward her direction.

The female proprietor was so frightened her face turned deathly pale. She raised the iron abacus and struck the man on the head.

The prince’s residence guard’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply before the female proprietor.

The female proprietor continued trembling while clutching her iron abacus.

Too, too terrifying!

Amid all the chaos, only Luo Sheng and Wei Wen made no moves.

Luo Sheng watched everything coldly, her face calm and unruffled.

Wei Wen’s expression, however, grew increasingly dark.

She had brought quite a few guards, yet watching this, they seemed to be at a disadvantage.

In the crowd, Wei Qiang stood quietly in plain clothes, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the young woman wearing the blue cloak.

Seeing her again after all these days, he had expected to see a panicked and helpless young woman. Instead, what he saw was a white plum blossom braving the cold, a tall and upright pine tree, a spine that could not be bent.

This reminded him again of Luo’er.

Time and again he denied the similarities between the two, determining they were completely unrelated individuals, yet time and again he couldn’t help connecting them.

She wasn’t Luo’er, yet she was the solace he most desired now.

Unfortunately, as long as Miss Luo remained the daughter of the Jinlin Guard’s Commander for even one day, she couldn’t be connected with him, the Crown Prince. Only if Grand Commander Luo, that great tree, fell and Miss Luo became a rootless drifting weed could he have his wish fulfilled.

For this, he didn’t hesitate to mobilize his years of operations in the southern territories to eliminate Grand Commander Luo.

It was still too slow—he was already anxious from waiting.

Wei Qiang’s gaze lingered long on the young woman’s face, tender and affectionate.

Luo Sheng sensed that burning gaze and instinctively looked over.

Across the crowd, she saw half a face.

Though most of it was blocked, she instantly recognized who it was.

That face—even if it turned to ash, she would recognize it.

The tremendous shock in her heart wasn’t revealed at all. Luo Sheng nonchalantly shifted her gaze away.

She wasn’t certain of Wei Qiang’s purpose for appearing here, so she simply waited for the other party to make the first move.

“Proprietor, how should we handle these people?” Shi Yan rubbed his hands together, his face neither red nor breathless as he asked.

The battle just now was merely a warm-up for him.

Luo Sheng didn’t respond, looking at Wei Wen with a half-smile.

The fallen guards groaned in pain, their cries of pain like loud slaps across Wei Wen’s face.

“Useless!” Wei Wen gritted her teeth and spat out two words, her expression extremely ugly.

“What happened here?”

A squad of soldiers arrived belatedly.

Wei Wen said coldly, “You’ve come at the right time. I am Prince Pingnan’s residence’s young commandery princess. Yesterday my elder brother got food poisoning at this wine house. Today I came to seek an explanation from them, but who would have thought they would dare to lay hands on me despite their lower status…”

The lead soldier’s expression immediately became solemn upon hearing this. He waved his hand. “Take away the troublemakers!”

To dare offend Prince Pingnan’s residence’s young commandery princess—how outrageous.

As for Miss Luo, heh, in the past when encountering such matters, he would have found it difficult, not daring to offend either side. Now it was different.

Grand Commander Luo had committed crimes. This wine house that Miss Luo opened, which was expensive enough to kill and could make people crave food to death without compensation, was bound to have problems sooner or later in his view. It was already remarkable that trouble only came today.

Taking the people from You Jian Wine House away would sell Prince Pingnan’s residence a favor. Later, Miss Luo would use lots of silver to redeem them back—truly killing two birds with one stone.

Wei Wen looked at Luo Sheng with eyes full of contempt, goading her. “Does Miss Luo dare to resist the authorities?”

The authorities specifically maintaining peace and order in this area represented law and the court. Even if ten of them together couldn’t beat one person from You Jian Wine House, once they laid hands on the authorities, the nature would be different.

Putting it seriously, this was rebellion.

A county magistrate could ruin families, a provincial governor could wipe out clans. To deal with people without backing often only required a pretext.

Of course, there were noble young masters who acted rashly and beat authorities, but with family protection, it was naturally different.

Luo Sheng’s expression remained composed.

She was waiting for someone.

From when Sheng Sanlang ran into the wine house to tell her Wei Wen had brought people to cause trouble, she had sent someone to report to Pingli.

Grand Commander Luo had been imprisoned, but the Jinlin Guard was still under Pingli’s management.

Pingli was Grand Commander Luo’s adopted son. At such a time, he should be doing his utmost to protect the old, weak, women and children who had lost Grand Commander Luo’s protection.

But he hadn’t come.

Luo Sheng didn’t count on Pingli to rescue her—it was just one more test.

“I naturally won’t resist the authorities.” Luo Sheng looked toward the lead soldier, her tone calm. “All the wine house’s people are here. Officer, take away whomever you want. Oh, do you need to take me away too?”

The lead soldier, who had been waiting for Luo Sheng to resist so he could angrily rebuke her, nearly choked.

This was somewhat different from what he’d expected!

He had been responsible for this area’s security for more than just a day or two and had long heard of Miss Luo’s arrogance.

Miss Luo suddenly acting like this made one feel very uneasy.

There was something fishy—definitely something fishy!

Right, everyone said Prince Kaiyang treated Miss Luo differently. Could it be that Prince Kaiyang was the man standing behind Miss Luo?

Hiss—if so, he would be even more formidable than Grand Commander Luo and not to be provoked.

The lead soldier grew more anxious the more he thought about it. Maintaining a stern face, he said, “Take away those who took action just now!”

Leave people some leeway so you can meet again in the future.

“Only take away those who took action?”

“Ah, yes.” The lead soldier hastily nodded.

Wei Wen narrowed her eyes, extremely annoyed.

Just now this lapdog had been fierce-faced toward that wench surnamed Luo. How had he become spineless again?

Luo Sheng thought for a moment, raised her hand and slapped Wei Wen across the face, then smiled slightly at the lead soldier. “Alright, I’ve taken action now.”