Chapter 94: Beneath the Enclosure Walls
Xiao Zhuang looked at the black figures walk off into the distance before turning to see Yu Xiaoxiao staring at them as well.
“They know martial arts,” Xiao Zhuang told her. “I couldn’t see their faces, but their clothes resemble the Zhuri people.”
“They have killer intent,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied.
Xiao Zhuang quickly turned to look at the figures again, who were quickly vanishing into the crowd. “Killer intent? They’re going to murder someone?”
Xiao Wei returned with the roast chicken and asked, “Who are they going to kill?”
Yu Xiaoxiao saw the two chickens in Xiao Wei’s hand and plucked off a drumstick for herself. Xiao Zhuang said, “The princess and I only got one glimpse. Who knows who they’re going to kill?”
Xiao Wei looked at his comrade-in-arms and said, “Could you sense any killer intent?”
Xiao Zhuang fell silent with an internal teardrop. He really had no idea. Yu Xiaoxiao gave Xiao Zhuang a chicken drumstick and said, “How about following them to see?”
“Princess,” Xiao Zhuang replied, “Just because they carry killer intent doesn’t mean they’ll actually murder someone, ah.”
Xiao Wei said, “If the princess wants you to go, then just go.” They were standing in the middle of the swarming streets talking about murder. Was this really alright?
Xiao Zhuang chased after the figures while munching on his chicken. Yu Xiaoxiao had already inhaled two drumsticks of her own during the conversation and saw that Xiao Wei wasn’t eating. “You eat too. If it’s not enough, we’ll buy more.”
Xiao Wei only nodded but didn’t eat. He was afraid that there wouldn’t be enough for his master if he dug in.
Yu Xiaoxiao walked forward and soon saw another vendor selling roasted chestnuts. She suddenly recalled something and said, “Xiao Zhuang took the chestnuts with him.”
Xiao Wei felt helpless. “Then shall this servant buy another batch?”
“We can’t waste them,” Yu Xiaoxiao lectured. “Those who waste food are destined to die an unnatural death.”
Xiao Wei felt stifled at his efforts to communicate with the princess. Yu Xiaoxiao stuffed a chicken wing into Xiao Wei’s mouth. In her eyes, this young guard had the same personality as Gu Xinglang–melancholy and heavyhearted. She fretted for them both: how were they going to ever make babies with some girl one day like this?
Eating roasted chicken while walking through the streets was damaging to a man’s image, but Xiao Wei had no other choice. He couldn’t very well play the refined gentleman while his princess was spoiling her dignity by munching on chicken. Thus, he could only keep her company.
—
Xiao Zhuang chased the black robed figures all the way past two streets until they entered the justice courts. Seeing them flip over the walls, Xiao Zhuang climbed up and watched as they headed for the imperial prisons. He didn’t follow, wondering why a few Zhuri men had decided to run into their Fengtian royal prisons. It didn’t seem like something he could deal with, and he considered yelling for the guards. However, the people of the justice courts were all Zhao Qiuming’s men.
Xiao Zhuang’s brain wasn’t as nimble as Xiao Wei’s, but he had stayed by Xianzong’s side for years and seen his share of court politics. Why would those Zhuri men just happen to pass by his side? Why would they attract his attention in the first place? Why did they enter Zhao Qiuming’s territory? Could this be a plot tailored for the princess? At this thought, Xiao Zhuang jumped off the wall and went back to find the princess.
—
Yu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wei were crouched next to a stand selling while waiting for the vendor to fish them out of her pot. Xiao Wei bit down on half a chicken before he burped and told Yu Xiaoxiao, “Princess, this servant probably won’t be able to eat anything once we go back to Big Bowl Restaurant.”
“What ‘servant,’ ah?” Yu Xiaoxiao said while staring at the radish balls frying at the bottom of the pot. “I don’t need you to be a servant.”
“Then this servant will just use ‘I?'” Xiao Wei asked.
“That’s fine,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “Is half a jin enough to eat?”
Xiao Wei burped again. He felt that even buying two liang1 was enough.
It was then that Xiao Zhuang found the princess. Yu Xiaoxiao looked at him before telling the old granny cooking the radish balls, “Add another half jin.”
Xiao Zhuang knelt down to join them and said in an urgent tone, “Princess, those people went to the justice courts!”
“Let them go if they want,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “Who were they trying to kill?”
“This servant didn’t dare to enter,” Xiao Zhuang said, “That’s Zhao Qiuming’s territory, so this servant was afraid of falling into a trap, ah.”
Yu Xiaoxiao knitted her brows. Why does everywhere have Zhao Qiuming’s business involved?
Xiao Wei seized the chance while Yu Xiaoxiao was distracted to amend their order. “We only want half a jin,” he told the granny.
The old lady wasn’t someone who forced sales and agreed. “Alrighty.”
Xiao Zhuang asked, “Princess, should we go to the justice courts for a look?”
“If you want to, then we’ll take a look,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied.
Xiao Zhuang shook his head. “I don’t want to go.”
Yu Xiaoxiao looked at Xiao Zhuang’s hands. “Where are our roasted chestnuts?”
Xiao Zhuang looked at his empty hands. Damn, I forgot them at the foot of the wall.
Yu Xiaoxiao said, “You ate them all?”
Xiao Zhuang leapt to his feet and began running for the justice courts. “Princess, just wait, I’ll go bring them back.”
Yu Xiaoxiao ate a mouthful of freshly fried radish balls and praised their tastiness in front of the granny before telling Xiao Wei, “Let’s follow along. What if someone takes our chestnuts because we showed up too late?”
Xiao Wei followed behind her while privately wondering who would ever choose to stroll around a gloomy place like the justice courts? Still, for the sake of the princess’s stomach, he felt it was better for her to walk off some of her food. They’d done nothing but eat the whole trip, but there was still a big table of food waiting for them at the restaurant.
—
Xiao Zhuang ran to the wall where he’d been keeping watch and saw his chestnuts scattered all over the ground. A few stray cats were getting ready to eat them when he chased them off and bent down to pick up the scattered items. He felt sorry to the princess for losing a sizable sum already.
Yu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wei caught up just as Xiao Zhuang finished collecting the rest of the chestnuts. She was reassured by the sight of them still there and looked up at the tall gray enclosure walls. “The justice courts are in there?”
“Yes,” Xiao Wei replied.
“Royal Son-in-Law was locked up in here before,” Xiao Zhuang added.
Hm, the place that locked up Gu Xinglang. Yu Xiaoxiao jumped up with one leap and said, “Let’s go in and look around, then.”
Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei could only follow after her.
Yu Xiaoxiao saw the fragmented lanterns scattered around the grounds. Since coming to this world, she’d yet to see what their jails looked like. Was this place full of green trees and plants a park or a prison?
Xiao Wei asked Yu Xiaoxiao, “Those Zhuri men should have succeeded by now, right? Why isn’t there any movement in the justice courts?”
Xiao Zhuang said, “Princess, I feel like this is a trap. We should go back.”
Yu Xiaoxiao swallowed a fried radish ball and said, “Let’s have a look inside.”
两 – Chinese unit of measurement approximately equal to 50g or 1.76oz. Can also be known as a tael, or unit of weight for silver.
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