On the thirtieth of March, Song Chuyi led people in a simple procession to Zhiyuan Escort Agency located in Badeng Lane. Sure enough, using Jiang Er as bait, they drew out the escort agency’s second chief escort, Qi Shengyuan.
Qi Shengyuan had been an escort for several decades and had practiced his martial arts quite solidly. Dealing with him took considerable effort.
Fortunately, those following Song Chuyi were all martial artists specially selected by Old Master Song. Seven or eight people taking on one finally managed to pin him to the ground.
Jiang Er trembled all over, having been kicked by Qi Shengyuan until he couldn’t stand. With a mournful face, he supported himself against a tree to rise.
The other people from the escort agency were quite easy to deal with. Lin Hai stepped forward and said something unknown to them, quickly persuading these people who had been holding weapons ready for a major fight to return.
Song Chuyi watched them through her veiled hat for a while, then turned and led people out the door.
“Steward Lin.” Upon exiting, Song Chuyi called out to him, frowning: “Have some people rent a horse carriage and take Jiang Er and Qi Shengyuan through Vermillion Bird Avenue back to the residence.”
Lin Hai didn’t react immediately and asked somewhat hesitantly: “Then what about you?”
“I’ll naturally take the original route.” Song Chuyi glanced at the vermillion-tasseled canopied carriage bearing their mark, then turned back to Lin Hai: “However, those who know martial arts must follow me.”
Since Zhiyuan Escort Agency served as a contact point, how could only Qi Shengyuan be Prince Duan’s man? And since they would so easily watch Qi Shengyuan be taken away, they naturally had other preparations.
Given Prince Duan’s nature, upon hearing of this matter, he would certainly not hesitate to destroy everything together.
In the end, this Qi Shengyuan would become the scapegoat who took the blame, framed with a charge of having an illicit affair with Fifth Madam.
By then, Changning Earl Residence would inevitably suffer criticism, and might even be swarmed by censors finding many other charges against them.
When Lin Hai came out, he had already been instructed by Song Chengru to follow the Sixth Miss’s arrangements. Naturally, he no longer objected. He nodded and left six people to escort Song Chuyi, then brought three or four people to escort Jiang Er and Qi Shengyuan, circling around the alley and ducking into a small lane.
Qing Tao helped Song Chuyi into the carriage and had already vaguely sensed something was amiss: “Miss, will there be something happening soon…” She was quite clever and knew Song Chuyi couldn’t have pointlessly told Lin Hai to escort the men via a different route. Moreover, they had abandoned the vermillion-tasseled canopied carriage ahead and instead rode in this blue-curtained oil carriage that was obviously a grade lower.
Song Chuyi reached out to lift a corner of the curtain, watching as the carriage gradually passed Li’s Sugar Shop and the Jewel Inlay Pavilion, beginning to slowly calculate the time in her mind.
Soon Song Chuyi saw the surrounding crowds begin to scatter and flee. Some street vendors didn’t even have time to pack up their stalls before running away.
Panicked shouts arose from all around. Faintly, someone could be heard calling out about a mad horse.
As expected, even now this Prince Duan still hadn’t changed his bad habit from the previous life—he liked having mad horses crash into people’s sedan chairs.
Song Chuyi’s lips curved into a cold smile, then she heard a tremendous collision sound.
The driver of the blue-curtained oil carriage they were riding in fortunately had skilled technique. He desperately reined in the horses just in time, preventing their carriage from also crashing into the vermillion-tasseled canopied carriage ahead that was already almost completely shattered.
Qing Tao had both hands gripping the handrail, yet even so, her nose still got bumped. The pain brought tears to her eyes.
“Miss, are you alright?” Several martial arts-skilled household guards around the carriage quickly gathered beside her carriage, inquiring about her condition.
Fortunately, they had prepared in advance. The walls around the carriage were all wrapped with thick soft felt. Song Chuyi straightened her somewhat disheveled hair and calmly shook her head: “I’m fine. Uncle Qin, please go ahead and see what happened.”
The sturdy man she called Uncle Qin indeed went forward to investigate, then returned with a somewhat poor complexion to tell Song Chuyi: “A mad horse ran out. Our carriage couldn’t dodge in time and crashed right into it…”
“Go see if the driver is alright and how seriously he’s injured. First take him to a nearby medical clinic for treatment.” Song Chuyi felt somewhat apologetic in her heart, then suddenly turned cold in voice: “Send someone back home to report. We’ll wait here for people from the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office to arrive.”
Qin Chuan found this young girl’s reaction somewhat strange, thinking her composure was rather excessive. However, he knew this handling method was beyond reproach. He respectfully agreed, had someone take the driver to a medical clinic, sent another to report home, and himself stayed with one remaining person guarding beside her carriage.
The surrounding crowd that had originally been fleeing in panic gradually gathered, preparing to watch the excitement.
The people from the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office arrived quite quickly this time, saying they needed to take both the people and the horse back to the government office.
Qin Chuan stepped forward to reveal his identity, but the people from the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office wouldn’t budge an inch, saying that since something had happened, they still needed to investigate thoroughly and would take both parties together for questioning.
They said “both parties,” yet the other party consisted only of a mad horse.
The people from the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office were truly so diligent and dedicated this time that it was somewhat astonishing. Qin Chuan sensed something wrong and stubbornly refused to yield, guarding beside Song Chuyi’s carriage waiting for people from the Earl Residence to arrive.
The forceful attitude of the people from the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office clearly indicated something fishy. Knowing that inside was the Sixth Miss of the Earl Residence, their superior’s in-law, they still dared to be so unscrupulous.
Sure enough, the people from the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office grew impatient with continuing to entangle with Qin Chuan and actually wanted to directly seize the person.
The Earl Residence’s people still hadn’t arrived.
Qing Tao was greatly alarmed and couldn’t help but panic as she stepped forward to block in front of Song Chuyi, trembling as she watched the carriage curtain ahead.
“Who goes there?!”
“How dare you! The Five City Military Commissioner’s Office is executing official duties—who dares obstruct us?!”
Outside, a commotion had clearly broken out. Song Chuyi thought people from the Earl Residence had arrived. She reached out to lift a corner, but in the distance only saw a glimpse of frost-colored robes.
Qin Chuan struggled free from the people of the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office and still guarded in front of Song Chuyi’s carriage. He scratched his head somewhat perplexed: “Miss, it seems someone has come… someone who appears to be a young Daoist priest of no small background.”
A young Daoist priest?!
Song Chuyi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately laughed aloud.
Where in the entire capital could one find such a bold Daoist priest who dared obstruct the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office’s official business?
This Crown Prince’s Heir was truly interesting—he actually dressed as a Daoist priest?
A moment later, outside rang out uniform voices of greeting: “Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince’s Heir.”
Zhou Weizhao frowned from horseback, staring at the Deputy Commander of the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office for some time, then glanced at the blue-curtained oil carriage over there. He turned back somewhat puzzled: “Isn’t it said that inside is a young lady from the Earl Residence? Do you think it appropriate to have her go to the Five City Military Commissioner’s Office’s administrative office?”
The Deputy Commander’s face showed difficulty.
Qing Tao breathed a sigh of relief and happily turned back to look at Song Chuyi: “Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince’s Heir is truly a reasonable person.”
Only, she didn’t know whether he had truly happened to pass by and come to someone’s aid, or had prepared in advance?
The smile on Song Chuyi’s face suddenly vanished. She nodded thoughtfully.