Her guards

Chapter 126 What she said
"Captain."

The head of the officials stepped forward cautiously.

"Everyone in the shop is here. We've checked, and no one's missing. The owner is Sun Cheng, who lives in the western part of the city. We've already sent someone to invite him... no, we've arrested him..."

Another officer added, "We haven't gone inside to check the bookstore yet. We followed Miss Yang's instructions and didn't go in to check or disturb the scene."

The officials had no further doubts about Wei Jiao's arrival and completely believed what the young lady from the Duke of Ding'an's mansion had said.

Immediately inform Wei Jiao that he will no longer interfere.

Wei Jiao ignored them and looked at Miss Yang standing in front of the horse.

Miss Yang, seemingly to prove that she was telling the truth, hurriedly beckoned to her maid, "Ah Sheng, come here quickly."

The maid, who had been standing to the side seemingly startled and disoriented, was brought back to her senses by the shout and slowly but hurriedly walked over.

"Tell the captain quickly, wasn't it strange at the time?" Mo Zheng said, pulling her arm.

Yang Luo nodded, her face pale: "Yes, after we went in, we were arguing with them when suddenly the building started shaking... The shaking was very strange, there was no earthquake, how could a perfectly good building collapse, Miss..."

She gripped Mo Zheng's arm tightly again.

"It must have been damaged by someone, it must have been."

She started crying again as she spoke.

"Sister-in-law Peach Blossom got injured because of me."

"It's a good thing Miss didn't come. She has books to give to Mr. Liu and the others, otherwise she would definitely have come here to buy books."

Mo Zheng patted the panicked maid: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's just those remnants of the Sun family coming to take revenge on us..."

As he spoke, he winked at Wei Jiao.

"With the captain here, there's nothing to fear. He's always on guard against them and protecting us."

Wei Jiao was too lazy to watch the two of them put on an act.

It's not like it's the first time I've seen it.

The last time the young lady who was dressed as a bodyguard was injured, it was much worse than this.

This time, the maid only pretended to be frightened, which was far too perfunctory compared to last time.

The official was clearly inexperienced and was frightened by the master and servant. Sure enough, it was related to the remnants of the Sun family causing trouble in the middle of the night last time. He dared not get involved in anything.

“Captain, you are ready to take over at any time,” he said hurriedly.

Wei Jiao looked at Miss Yang.

Seeing him look at her, Miss Yang had an expectant look on her face and a pleading expression.

"They said this bookstore has been here for decades."

"It hadn't collapsed for decades, but it collapsed today?"

"Why did it collapse so soon, or so late, just as my maid went in?"

"Captain, do you think such a coincidence exists in the world?"

Because it involved an important case, Miss Yang temporarily dismissed the officials, leaving her alone to have a private talk with Wei Jiao.

Wei Jiao looked at the collapsed building: "I really don't believe in coincidences. Every accident must have been caused by someone."

After saying that, he looked at Mo Zheng again.

"For example, Miss Yang, you must have other motives for calling me here."

Mo Zheng nodded: "Yes, the captain is right. I was thinking that if I call the captain a few more times, those people will be intimidated, and I can live a little longer."

Wei Jiao nodded: "Your idea is indeed good. Everyone is afraid of me. They will be wary if they see me around."

After he finished speaking, he leaned down slightly and smiled at Mo Zheng.

"But aren't you afraid I'll attack you?"

Wei Jiao is actually always smiling, always grinning at everyone, but his eyes don't smile, which makes him look particularly strange.

Mo Zheng did not look away in fear, and continued to look at him.

“I said it before,” she said, “I would rather die at the hands of the captain.”

Oh, yes, when she changed back into women's clothing and stood in the Duke of Ding'an's mansion spouting nonsense under a fabricated identity, Wei Jiao thought, and then heard her continue.

"At least the captain is a clean person."

He changed his tune again today. It's the first time he's heard someone say that about him. So clean and innocent, it's hilarious.

Wei Jiao couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Me?"

“Yes, to me,” Mo Zheng said, looking at Wei Jiao, “Wei Duwei has nothing to do with me.”

Her gaze fell on Wei Jiao's hand holding the horse's reins.

"If you kill me with these hands, I'll die a happier death."

Wei Jiao knew what she meant. This bastard pretended to be crazy all day long, but in fact, she had a guess about who wanted to kill her.

Just as she said, she did not believe in Duke Ding'an.

She doesn't trust her family.

She suspected her family.

She feared she would die at the hands of her loved ones. To die at the hands of loved ones would, of course, be very painful.

It would be better to die at the hands of someone who is no one in the family.

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, staring intently at his hand as if she were seeing a treasure…

He had a feeling that she was about to pounce on him and bite his hand at any moment.

The thought flashed through Wei Jiao's mind, and then she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck...

There's still this bastard I haven't asked him about.

His smile vanished, and he said coldly, "Fine, when it's your turn to die, I'll do it myself."

Mo Zheng looked up and smiled brightly: "Thank you, Commandant."

Wei Jiao looked away. Had anyone noticed that this bastard was even crazier than him?
……

.......
"Miss Yang, have some tea."

A gentle voice spoke, as a warm cup of tea was placed in her hand.

Whether it was from the sudden touch or being startled by the teacup, Yang Luo abruptly raised his head and saw Tao Hua with a bandage wrapped around her forehead.

Peach Blossom seemed startled by her and took a step back.

Someone stepped forward, but did not get any closer.

"Are you alright?" Mo Zheng asked softly.

Yang Luo looked at her, then glanced around. She could hear Liu Chan and her father and senior brother talking next door. She breathed a sigh of relief, as if trying to figure out where she was at this moment.

Whether he genuinely believed it or had already come all this way, Wei Jiao took over the collapsed bookstore, took charge of the shop assistants, manager, and owner, questioned the injured customers, and then they were released.

came back.

Yang Luo looked down at the tea in his hand, then picked it up and took a sip.

The tea was warm, but not sweet; instead, it had a bitter taste.

"I brewed some herbal tea," Mo Zheng said softly, "to calm the nerves."

She paused here, after all, she had just experienced such a terrible thing, and they were obviously hiding something from her. Would she still dare to touch anything they offered?

"If you don't like it, then..."

Before Mo Zheng could finish speaking, Yang Luo picked up the teacup, took a big gulp, and then let out a long sigh.

“That scared me to death,” she said.

"I've caused Miss to be in such a dangerous situation." Mo Zheng bowed, then stood up and bowed again. "Thank you so much for saving my life, Miss."

Peach Blossom and Zhang Shengyou also bowed twice.

Yang Luo held his teacup, looking at the girl who was bowing. Hearing those words, he felt as if his soul had finally returned to its place.

Her soul remained in the moment she stepped into the bookstore.

What happened afterward felt like a dream; everything she did and said seemed unreal.

It's real, not a dream.

She looked at what was in front of her. Although it was dusk and her vision was dim, the girl's face was even more blurry. In fact, usually, because of the makeup, the girl's face was always a little blurry at first glance.

But the blurry face was already very familiar to her.

Slowly, he merged with the boy in the portrait that the old man had taken out.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, saying, "Ah Sheng, even bandits have enemies."

Mo Zheng couldn't help but laugh.

"That's right. Alas, when bandits fight for territory, it's inevitable that they'll make enemies."

She sat down next to Yang Luo and smiled at him.

“But I am neither a hunter nor a bandit, and my name is not Ah Sheng.”

Yang Luo was stunned for a moment. Ah Sheng, so it was fake too.

"It seems that after this incident, you know my character better and that I won't be intimidated." She forced a smile. "Now you're finally going to tell me more of the truth."

They had been honest with each other before, and Yang Luo said the words that showed understanding of each other's concealment: "We've been together all along, I know your character, and even if you tell me the truth, I don't think you're scary."

It seems like only yesterday that everyone was being honest with each other, and now she's about to confess again.

Mo Zheng smiled too.

“Asheng is the pseudonym I’ve been using for the past two years,” she said. “My father’s surname is Mo, and my birth mother was a palace maid who played the zither, so I named myself Mo Zheng.”

"Mo Zheng," Yang Luo repeated, "Mo..."

“The Great Zhou royal family is Mo,” Mo Zheng said. “My father is Emperor Ai.”

Yang Luo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up. What?
Mo Zheng also stood up and bowed to Yang Luo.

"Miss Yang, let me introduce myself again. I am Mo Zheng, the last prince of the previous dynasty."

Yang Luo looked at her, his mind a jumble of thoughts for a moment, as if he had a lot to say, but in the end, it all came down to one sentence.

It turns out that it wasn't some bandit rebellion, but rather the restoration of the former dynasty by a prince.

　A chapter may be short, and some plot points might be unclear at first, but they will be explained in a few more chapters. Following along is quite a task, so thank you all very much for reading. (A sentence or two of detail from the previous chapter have been revised; you can refresh the page to review.)
　　(End of this chapter)