Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

The next day, Zong Xian sent someone to deliver the travel permits and travel expenses, and also prepared a more comfortable and spacious carriage for them.

But the person who arranged all of this has not shown up.

The person who arrived was a rather young boy, dressed in a dark blue cross-collar narrow-sleeved short shirt, a black coarse cloth belt, and a dagger hanging at his waist, looking like a servant who had been practicing martial arts for many years.

"I am a servant, and I am here on your orders to escort you back to Qingzhou. If you encounter any trouble along the way, please feel free to give me your instructions."

When Chang Sui spoke with his hands clasped in greeting, his gaze remained fixed on the woman's lotus-colored skirt, daring not to offend her in the slightest.

Mingyi quietly observed him for a while, then asked, "Do you know martial arts?"

Hearing her question, Chang Sui raised her eyes slightly. The woman's pink cheeks were adorned with dewdrops that fluttered in the wind, and her thick, black hair made her skin appear even more like solidified cream.

Chang Sui hurriedly lowered his eyes, his ear tips turning slightly red, and replied, "Yes, I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child, and I have been following Second Master since I was seven years old. I just turned sixteen this year."

He is more than a year younger than her.

Mingyi asked with slight surprise, "You started learning martial arts at the age of seven, you must have suffered a lot. Did your elders send you here?"

No one had ever said these words to him before. Chang Sui was moved and bitter. He said, "Chang Sui has no family or elders. He has been making a living in the brokerage business since he was a child. Because he was too thin and small, no one wanted him. The broker thought he was useless and wanted to beat him to death in the street."

"It was Second Master who happened to be passing by and bought me from the slave trader, which saved my life. Second Master is my second parent."

Upon hearing this, Mingyi's eyes showed even more pity, and she cursed this damned feudal society in her heart, saying that human traffickers should be torn to pieces.

I couldn't help but be surprised that Zong Xian, who was so indifferent to everything and thought himself the only one who mattered, had actually helped a stranger. It was unbelievable.

According to Chang Sui, he was Zong Xian's personal bodyguard and usually went out on missions, so he rarely appeared in the mansion. No wonder they had never seen him before.

Little did she know, she and Chang Sui had crossed paths long ago.

At that time, Mingyi had only been in Kyoto for a short time, and it was a gloomy day.

He was often injured while on a mission. Dragging his badly injured left arm, he sat down under a shed outside a noodle shop. The shopkeeper recognized him and did not chase him away.

Like a wolf cub, he habitually licked his wounds alone.

Pedestrians hurried to and fro on the street, all wanting to get home before the rain started. Only a few scattered customers remained in the noodle shop. Suddenly, a steaming bowl of noodles was placed in front of me.

He was slightly surprised. The shop assistant said that a kind-hearted girl had treated him to the food, and then put down a bottle of hemostatic medicine.

Chang Sui looked up, but the girl had already boarded the carriage with the help of her maid. He only had time to see her slender back and delicate white neck.

As the carriage drove away, Chang Sui looked down at himself and, after a moment's thought, realized that the other party had mistaken him for a beggar who couldn't even afford a bowl of noodles.

He took it to heart, and the image of her lingered in his mind.

For several days afterward, whenever I passed by that place, I would stop and sit for a while, just to see her again and get a clear look at her face.

He was lucky; he met her on the third day and recognized her at first glance as the woman from that day.

Chang Sui didn't approach to disturb her, but simply sat at a distance that wasn't too close or too far, silently observing. She didn't recognize him.

Later, Chang casually learned about her identity and discovered that she was already engaged to a childhood sweetheart.

Although Chang Sui had no romantic feelings for her, he inexplicably felt a sense of disappointment.

At this moment, he stood in front of Mingyi, but she still didn't recognize him, and Chang Sui didn't intend to mention that chance encounter.

Mingyi didn't say anything more. With Yuegui's help, he stepped onto the carriage shaft and climbed into the carriage.

He would often sit outside the carriage.

On this trip to Qingzhou, he wanted to see what kind of person her fiancé was, that she was so obsessed with him.

"Miss Ji!"

Manager Fan chased after them. She and her son saw Mingyi off and handed a small bundle to Yuegui.

Inside was Fan Jing's first dividend for her, and there would be a steady stream of income coming in the future.

Mingyi lifted the curtain and spoke a few words to her gently as always.

Because there were outsiders present, the two tacitly refrained from mentioning their private business dealings.

"Remember to write to me when you get to Qingzhou. Take care on your journey!" Fan Jing said reluctantly.

Mingyi nodded to her and said solemnly, "Take care of yourself too."

They exchanged a glance, and Mingyi lowered the curtain before instructing the driver to set off immediately, eager to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

With the driver cracking the whip, the carriage slowly drove toward the city gate.

Fan Jing watched the carriage disappear into the distance with a complicated expression.

She never imagined that Ji Mingyi would have any connection with the Zong family.

The Zong family was one of the most powerful and influential families in the capital.

Master Zong's reputation was legendary, often compared to that powerful prime minister, and he could be called the Vice Prime Minister.

He was only one step away from being second only to the emperor, which shows how prestigious his status was.

It's unbelievable that such a powerful figure could have a secret affair with a married woman.

Nobody would believe it if I told them!

After Fan Jing returned, she immediately summoned everyone and gave them a stern warning: if anyone inquired about that person in private, no one was allowed to say a word.

The remaining staff were all trusted by Fan Jing and followed her orders without question. Moreover, everyone understood the implications and readily agreed.

Sure enough, that very evening a customer dressed in fine clothes inquired about what had happened the previous day from the waiter.

The waiter's answer was watertight, only saying that someone in the nobleman's family was curious about Baixianglou's new dishes, so he generously hired Baixianglou's chefs, without mentioning Ji Mingyi at all.

However, the visitor was no ordinary person and could not be fooled. After asking several of the waiters, their answers were exactly the same, and it was clear that something was amiss.

This deliberate attempt to cover it up is definitely suspicious!

Although this person was a man, his skin was whiter than a woman's, as if he had applied a layer of makeup, and his eyes and brows revealed a hint of femininity.

His gaze swept around the bustling hall before finally settling on a child quietly eating candied hawthorns in a corner.

He had just learned from the waiter that the child was their young master, and perhaps he could get some information out of the kid.

A short while later, the servant led the boy to the man.

As a result, it only took a few words to get the truth out of him: Zong Xian hadn't ordered any food yesterday!

The man's lips curled into a smile. He was in a good mood after getting what he wanted. He rewarded the boy with a gold leaf, then left a table full of delicious food and strode away.

"Sanjin! Where have you been? Your mother has been looking everywhere for you!"

Fan Jing finally found her son and gave him a light pat on the bottom.

Sanjin raised her hand and said innocently, "Mother, look, golden leaves."

Fan Jing was momentarily blinded by a flash of gold.

Her gaze fell on her son's palm, and her expression changed.

Gold leaves! She had only ever seen such things on nobles from the palace!

Fan Jing hurriedly asked her son, "Sanjin, who gave you this? Did that person ask you anything?"

Sanjin answered honestly, and Fan Jing secretly realized that something was wrong; even the best plans can have a flaw!

Fearing trouble, Fan Jing found out that Zong Xian was currently at the Fuding Restaurant, and immediately decided to go there herself...