Whose little lady is so crazy?

Chapter 699: Being rude first
“I noticed that Miss Hong and her companions are all carrying weapons, so their skills must be quite good. Miss Hong, this is a rare opportunity. How about we have a friendly spar and you give us some pointers?” A guard in his thirties stepped forward and said.

"Deng Feng," Yu Rui called out in a low voice, his face darkening.

Several of his colleagues in the Water Conservancy Department couldn't help but feel annoyed by Hong Xiaoduo and her group's attitude. Unexpectedly, the head of the department's guards also jumped out.

At this moment, Yu Rui was in a bad mood.

On the way here, he had thought that even if people were to ask Hong Xiaoniangzi for help in solving their problems, they might still have doubts and disbelief.

However, at least we should consider his behavior over the years as the imperial son-in-law. He has never done anything unreliable. Even if he doesn't value Miss Hong, he should at least maintain a certain level of decorum in front of her.

I never expected that, just after arriving, one, two, three people would stand up and cause trouble. This is a slap in the face to Yu Rui!

"Prince Consort." Hong Xiaoduo didn't wait for the guard's response. She glanced at the man and called out "Prince Consort," giving him a look that said, "Take it easy."

The expressions of those present varied. Some were there to watch the spectacle, some were resigned, and a few, judging from the expressions of their own people, seemed less than approving.

Hong Xiaoduo showed no anger on her face and turned to wave to the people of all ages still standing by the carriage.

Quan Jinghuai and Fei Yan immediately came over with seven children. Fei Yan and the children hadn't heard the conversation clearly, but they could still glean some information from their expressions.

Quan Jinghuai, who had excellent hearing, heard every word. As he walked over, he thought to himself that he would never get the chance to make a move, but he wondered which disciple would be lucky.

"Mother, why did you call us here?" Tian Shu asked after standing beside Hong Xiaoduo.

Mother? This young lady Hong is married? And has such a grown son?
The person Yu Rui sent earlier only said that a young woman was coming to help, without going into any other details.

Who are the other children? Surely they can't all be her kids? That's impossible!
Oh, the princess from the Prince Consort's family is here too? Then the others are probably children from the Prince Yi's residence, who came along to play?
Is the man who followed her her husband?
After hearing Tian Shu call out "Mother," everyone's curious gazes darted back and forth across Quan Jinghuai and the others on the mountain. After calling out "Little Princess" in unison, they continued to whisper among themselves.

Yu Rui gritted his teeth, and he couldn't believe that his colleagues, with whom he had worked for many years, could act like gossipy old women in the marketplace. It was so embarrassing!

Seeing Hong Xiaoduo's expression and reaction, he decided to remain silent.

They were the ones who looked down on people and were rude first. They deserve to be taught a lesson later!

"The guards from the Water Conservancy Bureau saw that we were martial artists and said they wanted to spar with us and ask us for some pointers. But the Prince Consort and I have important business to attend to and can't go in person, so we called you over," Hong Xiaoduo said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tian Shu and the other six's eyes immediately lit up, and they moved closer to Hong Xiaoduo, their faces clearly saying, "Choose me, choose me!"

Hong Xiaoduo didn't rush to name people, but instead looked at the one named Deng Feng: "Are you alone? Are there any other people?"

"Boss, I'm here too," a guard said with a grin from behind.

This fiefdom is more peaceful than other places. The water conservancy office is simple, and there are no petty thieves on weekdays. Life here is really too boring.

Today is a good opportunity to have a little fun and practice with someone.

"The two of us," Deng Feng said, glancing at his other subordinates. When no one else spoke, he replied.

He figured that besides this young lady, there might also be the man with the sword at his waist fighting over there. He should choose that man as his opponent; otherwise, it wouldn't be honorable to win against a young lady.

Two? Hong Xiaoduo nodded, looking at the six children in front of her who were staring longingly.

"Tianji, Tianquan, you two go first." After scanning the expectant eyes of the six children, the first and last children were chosen.

"Thank you, Mother." The two children stepped forward excitedly, while the four who were not chosen looked on with disappointment and envy at the two lucky ones.

Deng Feng and his subordinate were taken aback when they saw the two teenagers walking towards them.

“Young Lady Hong, if you disdain sparring with us, just say so. Why send two immature children to humiliate us?” Deng Feng questioned, suppressing his anger. Hong Xiaoduo looked at him, not annoyed but smiling instead: “You’re wronging me. I really didn’t mean it that way. If I had intended to humiliate you two, I wouldn’t have sent them.”

I would choose either of these.

As she spoke, she pointed her finger at Yuheng, whose little face was tense, and Yaoguang, whose little mouth was pouting.

"That's right, it's not to save face for you that we were sent up." Upon hearing this, Miss Yuheng and Miss Yaoguang raised their chins and looked over with a provocative expression.

"Young Lady Hong, aren't you being a bit too arrogant? Arranging for two children to spar with us, if we really start fighting and lose control, it would be bad if we injured or crippled them." Deng Feng said threateningly, but his eyes were not malicious.

"It's okay, they're not my biological children anyway," Hong Xiaoduo shrugged, saying nonchalantly.

"Mother, at least give us a standard for this sparring match," Tianji said with a hint of resentment after hearing Hong Xiaoduo's words.

Although what she said was true, and although I knew she was just saying it on purpose to annoy the other person, it still made me feel uncomfortable!

Hmph, I'll teach those two a lesson later, all because of them!

Hong Xiaoduo pretended to think seriously for a moment and said, "Well, just don't cripple them. After all, they still have to perform their duties and protect the officials of the Water Conservancy Department."

After saying that, he glanced at Quan Jinghuai.

Quan Jinghuai naturally understood what she meant, thinking to himself, "Do I need you to remind me?"
Hmph, they're not your biological sons, but they are my personally accepted disciples. If those two were truly at a disadvantage, how could their master just stand by and watch them get hurt?
"I would be grateful if Your Highness could personally explain the issue of the dike to me," Hong Xiaoduo said to the prince consort.

Yu Rui glanced at the two adults and two children who were ready to make their move, and was surprised that she didn't even intend to stay and watch.

"Okay, come in with me first," Yu Rui replied, gesturing for them to enter.

Hong Xiaoduo followed the prince consort into the courtyard of the Water Conservancy Department. The other officials outside looked around, but the leaders did not seem to intend to follow them in.

"Mr. Pang, is it inappropriate for us not to go?" the man, who was nearly fifty years old, said in a somewhat embarrassed voice.

"Old Xiao, we people from the Water Conservancy Department aren't like those officials in the capital, all cautious and sycophantic. We're here to do the hard work and get things done. As long as we do our job well, that's enough."

Besides, Chief Envoy Yu isn't the kind of person who would hold a grudge against us or make things difficult for us because of this.

"This young lady Hong is a guest of Prince Yi's residence, and she is the princess's uncle. Naturally, Chief Envoy Yu couldn't refuse her outright; he had no choice," said the powerful man.

“That’s right, Lao Xiao, if you think it’s inappropriate, why don’t you go in?” someone else chimed in.

After being criticized by his two colleagues, Lao Xiao hesitated for a moment, but still turned around and walked into the courtyard.

"Lord Xiao, wait for me." Another man in his forties stepped forward and chased after him.

"Meng Sheng, you're here too?" Old Xiao called out to his colleague.

“My grandfather once said that you can’t judge a book by its cover, and that true masters are often found among ordinary people. Although that young lady Hong is young, she doesn’t seem like the type to speak carelessly out of youthful exuberance,” Meng Sheng said.

"Well, putting everything else aside, just look at our age. Aren't our leaders mature and composed?" Lord Xiao agreed in a low voice.

As they spoke, the two entered the room in the very center, where they saw Prince Consort Yu Rui pointing to a series of sketches they had drawn after surveying the area on the wall, explaining them to Hong Xiaoduo. The speaker was thorough, and the listener was very attentive.

Xiao and Meng instinctively stood to the side, listening quietly, afraid of disturbing the two.

However, seeing Hong Xiaoduo's serious expression, Lords Xiao and Meng had a thought: perhaps this young lady Hong could really bring about a turning point in their insurmountable problem!
She is young, but wasn't it said that she knows someone who is an expert in this field...?