Chapter 126: What She Meant
“Captain.”
The officer leader cautiously stepped forward.
“Everyone in the shop is here. We’ve checked, and none are missing. The owner is Sun Cheng, who lives in West City. Someone has already gone to fetch him—no, arrest him…”
Another officer added from the side: “We haven’t gone into the bookstore to check yet. We followed Miss Yang’s instructions and didn’t enter or disturb the scene.”
With Captain Wei Jiao’s arrival, the officers had no more doubts and fully believed what this young lady from Duke Ding’an’s Mansion said.
They immediately indicated to Captain Wei Jiao that they would no longer intervene.
Captain Wei Jiao ignored them and looked at Miss Yang standing in front of the horse.
Miss Yang seemed eager to prove she was telling the truth and hurriedly beckoned to the maidservant: “A Sheng, come here quickly.”
The maidservant, who had been standing to the side looking frightened and dazed, was snapped back to her senses by the call and walked over slowly at first, then hurriedly.
“Quickly tell the captain, wasn’t it very strange at the time?” Mo Zheng said, pulling her arm.
Yang Luo nodded with a pale face: “Yes, after we went in, we were arguing with them when suddenly the building started shaking… The shaking was very eerie, and there was no earthquake. Why would a perfectly fine building collapse? Miss…”
She tightly grabbed Mo Zheng’s arm again.
“It must have been sabotaged by someone. It certainly was.”
As she spoke, she started sobbing again.
“Sister Tao Hua got injured for my sake.”
“Fortunately, Miss didn’t come. Miss had books to deliver to Mister Liu and the others, or she definitely would have come here to buy books.”
Mo Zheng patted and soothed the frightened maidservant: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. It was just those Sun clan remnants from last time, coming for revenge against us…”
As she spoke, she gave Captain Wei Jiao a meaningful look.
“With the captain here, there’s no need to fear. The captain has always been on guard against them, protecting us.”
Captain Wei Jiao was too lazy to watch this master and servant put on a show.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it.
Last time, the young lady pretending to be a guard got injured much worse than this.
This time, the maidservant was just putting on a show of being frightened. Compared to last time, it was too perfunctory.
The officers clearly hadn’t seen much of the world and were now intimidated by this master and servant. Sure enough, it was related to the Sun clan remnants causing trouble late at night last time. They didn’t dare get involved at all.
“Captain, you can take over anytime.” He hurriedly said.
Captain Wei Jiao’s gaze turned to Miss Yang.
Seeing him look over, Miss Yang had a face full of expectation and a pleading expression.
“They said this bookstore has been here for decades.”
“It didn’t collapse for decades, but it collapses today?”
“It didn’t collapse early or late— it collapsed just as my maidservant went in?”
“Captain, do you think there’s such a coincidence in the world?”
Because it involved a major case, the officers were temporarily sent away by Miss Yang, leaving only her to speak privately with Captain Wei Jiao.
Captain Wei Jiao looked at the collapsed small building: “I indeed don’t believe in coincidences in the world. Every accident must have human involvement.”
With that, he looked at Mo Zheng again.
“For example, Miss Yang, you specially called me here, so you must have other intentions.”
Mo Zheng nodded: “Yes, the captain is right. I wanted to call out for the captain more often so those people would be deterred, and I could live a bit longer.”
Captain Wei Jiao nodded: “Your method is indeed not bad. Everyone fears me. Seeing me by your side, they would hesitate.”
After saying that, he slightly leaned forward and smiled at Mo Zheng.
“But aren’t you afraid I’ll make a move on you?”
Captain Wei Jiao often had a smile on his face, grinning at everyone, but his eyes didn’t smile, making him look especially eerie.
Mo Zheng didn’t fearfully look away but continued staring at him.
“I’ve said it before,” she said. “I’d rather die by the captain’s hand.”
Oh, it was when she had changed back into women’s clothing, stood in Duke Ding’an’s Mansion, and spouted nonsense with a fabricated identity. Captain Wei Jiao thought, then heard her continue.
“At least the captain is a clean and pure person.”
She’d changed her words again today. It was the first time he’d heard someone describe him this way—clean and pure. How amusing.
Captain Wei Jiao couldn’t help but laugh heartily: “Me?”
“Yes, to me.” Mo Zheng said, looking at Captain Wei Jiao. “Captain Wei has no connection to me.”
Her gaze fell on Captain Wei Jiao’s hand holding the reins.
“If these hands kill me, I’ll die a little happier.”
Captain Wei Jiao understood her meaning. This scoundrel pretended to be mad all day, but she actually had guesses in her heart about who wanted her dead.
Just like she’d said, she didn’t believe Duke Ding’an.
She didn’t believe her own family.
She suspected her own family.
She feared dying at her family’s hands.
Dying at her family’s hands would certainly be very painful.
Better to die at the hands of someone unrelated like him.
She smiled with bright eyes, staring tightly at his hand, as if she’d seen a treasure…
He suddenly felt like she might pounce forward and bite his hand any moment.
The thought flashed through, and Captain Wei Jiao felt a pain at the back of his neck…
There was still this matter he hadn’t asked this scoundrel about.
The smile faded from his face, and he said coldly: “Fine. When it’s time for you to die, I’ll do it personally.”
Mo Zheng lifted her head and smiled brilliantly: “Thank you, Captain.”
Captain Wei Jiao looked away. Had no one noticed that this scoundrel was even crazier than him?
……
…….
“Miss Yang, have some tea.”
A gentle voice said, while a cup of warm tea was placed in her hand.
Whether from the sudden touch or startled by the teacup, Yang Luo abruptly lifted her head and saw Sister Tao Hua with bandages wrapped around her forehead.
Sister Tao Hua seemed startled by her too and stepped back.
Someone nearby took a step forward but didn’t approach further.
“Are you alright?” Mo Zheng asked softly.
Yang Luo looked at her, then glanced around. She could hear Liu Chan, Father Liu, and Senior Brother talking next door. She let out a gentle sigh, as if realizing where she was at this moment.
Whether she truly believed it or not, since they’d come and Captain Wei Jiao had taken over the collapsed bookstore, taking charge of the shop assistant, shopkeeper, owner, and others, inquiring about the injured customers, they had been released and come back.
Back.
Yang Luo looked down at the tea in her hand, then lifted it and took a sip.
The tea was warm but not sweet; it carried a bitterness.
“It’s medicinal tea.” Mo Zheng said softly. “To calm the mind.”
She paused here. After all, they’d just gone through such a terrifying event, and they were obviously hiding some things from her. Would she still dare to drink something they handed her?
“If it’s not to your taste, then…”
Before Mo Zheng finished, Yang Luo held up the teacup and drank it down in big gulps, then let out a long breath.
“You scared me to death.” She said.
“I got Miss into danger.” Mo Zheng bowed and said, then stood and bowed again. “Thank you, Miss, for saving our lives.”
Sister Tao Hua and Zhang Sheng You also bowed twice from the side.
Yang Luo held the teacup, looking at the young girl bowing in respect. Hearing this, she finally felt her soul return to her body.
Her soul had been left at the moment she stepped into the bookstore.
Everything that happened afterward felt like a dream; what she did or said seemed unreal.
It was real, not a dream.
She looked at the person before her. Though it was dusk and the light was dim, making the young girl’s face even more blurred—and usually, because of the makeup powder, the young girl’s face always looked somewhat blurry at a glance.
But this blurry face was already very familiar to her.
It slowly merged with the youth in the portrait the old man had shown.
She took a deep breath, exhaled, and said: “A Sheng, even as a mountain bandit, you have enemies.”
Mo Zheng couldn’t help but laugh.
“Isn’t that right? Sigh, mountain bandits fighting over territory inevitably make enemies.”
As she spoke, she sat down beside Yang Luo and smiled at her.
“But I’m not a hunter, nor a mountain bandit, and my name isn’t A Sheng.”
Yang Luo was stunned. A Sheng was fake too.
“It seems after this incident, you know my character even better and know I won’t be scared off.” She squeezed out a smile. “Finally, you’re going to tell me more of the truth.”
Earlier, when they had mutually confessed, Yang Luo had said those understanding words about hiding things from each other: “We’ve come this far, I know your character. Tell me the truth now, and I won’t find you frightening.”
Now, it hadn’t been long since their last mutual confession, and she was confessing again.
Mo Zheng laughed too.
“A Sheng is the alias I’ve used these past two years.” She said. “My father’s surname is Mo. My birth mother was a palace consort who played the zither, so I was named Mo Zheng.”
“Mo Zheng.” Yang Luo repeated. “Mo…”
“Mo of the Great Zhou imperial family.” Mo Zheng said. “My father is Emperor Ai.”
Yang Luo was stunned, then abruptly stood up. What?
Mo Zheng also stood and bowed to Yang Luo.
“Miss Yang, let me reintroduce myself. I am the last prince of the previous dynasty, Mo Zheng.”
Yang Luo looked at her, her mind a sudden whirl for an instant, as if there were many things to say, but it all converged into one sentence.
So, that wasn’t some mountain bandit treason; it was a previous dynasty prince attempting restoration.
This chapter has fewer words, so some plot might be unclear, but a few more chapters will explain it. Reading along is like this—it’s hard work, so thank you everyone for reading. (A couple of details from the previous chapter have minor changes; refresh to reread.)
