Chapter 384: Smart!

Except for Qiao Mai, they were all seeing Heizi act for the first time.

My god, that's truly incredible; otherwise the Old Emperor wouldn't have spoken coarse words.

Heizi opened his massive blood‑filled mouth, taking one bite after another, each dying from a snapped neck—clean and swift.

The black‑clad men didn't know what was happening, and they were almost entirely annihilated.

Qiao Mai extended a hand and sucked, and the black‑clad men trying to flee from a distance were pulled into her demonic claw.

She didn't utter a word, directly harvested his memory, then flicked her hand, sending the projectile flying, which Heizi bit dead.

Then Qiao Mai gave Yuan Jiaqi a strange look, watching his hair stand on end.

"My lady, you look at me that way; could they be related to me?"

"Smart!"

"It's likely, since profit outweighs everything—a mere daughter who keeps a kept lover."

"What a shame, but the gift the lady sent that day, my Rong Family really liked—it's hard to buy for a thousand gold."

"They really got a bargain, mother; I'm in pain."

"Are we still afraid of them?"

"If this princess wanted to run this business, she would have done it already; now it's their turn? They're overreaching, and the drug issue hasn't even been settled with them yet."

Everyone took their seats and introduced themselves to one another.

"Haha, a meeting is already a guest; sit, sit, don't stand."

"Hehe, mother‑in‑law, you're formidable; I'm scared of you."

"Now that this has happened, I wonder whether the Rong Family head will come at noon."

The four sipped tea while listening to the innkeeper recount outside events; Yuan Jiaqi happily tipped him, letting him leave.

"What happened last night?"

"Rich families' daughters are spoiled; many end up not marrying but keeping kept lovers. Princess Ti snatches husbands, and even the Emperor's daughter isn't without such incidents."

"I heard from my son that you met that day; this lady brought fine tea—might you share some for us to taste?"

"My daughter will certainly not let them off; that man, my daughter must also get."

"Forget it, you're not without handsome young men; why bother?"

"Father, because we lost face, we must regain it; my daughter guesses that those four were responsible."

When asked, Miss Rong suddenly widened her eyes, "My daughter fell for a man, sent someone to seize him, but that person vanished for a long time without returning; shortly after, my daughter fainted. What exactly happened?"

"Mother has already applied medicine to that area; it will heal soon. It's just the heat; if it were cold, you'd be dead."

"No, my daughter fell for him; if he consents, she'll marry him, and this life will have only him as a man."

"That means a master dragged you away."

They were so frightened they grabbed their trousers and ran, only to be found by patrolling soldiers.

"Hmph! Nonsense."

"Hmm, she took a liking to my husband, sent people to snatch him away."

The Empress, both angry and amused, "She treats herself as a princess, actually snatching other families' husbands?"

"Do you still remember that Miss Rong?"

"If they're making friends this way, they must have set their eyes on what we have in hand."

The Old Emperor chuckled, "Those are old stories; I once consulted your husband's opinion, and since he didn't agree, I didn't force it."

Speaking of this, Qiao Mai's face darkened, she took a sip of juice and let out a cold snort.

Yuan Jiaqi shook his head, "I don't recall; in my husband's eyes there is only you, no other woman can fit, not even a celestial."

"You're welcome, we're merely travelers, not worthy of such attention."

At this moment, the Rong Mansion's head, Madam Rong, and the Rong Family's matriarch stood by Miss Rong's bedside; soon after, Miss Rong awoke.

Outside, Heizi, after receiving the master's orders, threw all the corpses into the Rong Mansion.

"Do you think they're foolish? Since they dared to strike you, they're not afraid of us; you'd better stay obedient and stop causing trouble."

"Who's so bold? Women will go settle accounts with them."

"They're heading to Miss Rong; she'll meet a terrible fate tonight."

"Return to the inn; it's getting late, go rest."

"I don't know; if she doesn't change, tomorrow I'll hang her on the city gate tower for the whole city to see, shameless thing. If she still shows no shame, I'll throw her onto her father's bed; a son's fault is not a parent's, not a pet, I'll let him cherish her properly."

"I don't know where the next stop leads."

"It's not us, it's the tea and ice the mother‑in‑law has."

"You're welcome; we originally brought it for our own travel, but seeing you like it, we sent the ice cart out, otherwise it would have melted."

The Rong Family head ordered someone to wrap her in clothing and carry her home, then summoned a famous Daifu from Luzhou City to treat her, finally saving a life.

At noon, on Tianxing's top floor, the Emperor's party arrived on time; at that moment the heads of the five families and their young masters were also getting up.

"They were stripped and thrown onto the street with the most brothels; she loves men, so let her enjoy it."

"From Luzhou head southeast, then to Eastern Pass, then north down to Beiguan, circling to admire the Great Ming Dynasty's splendid rivers and mountains."

"It's probably more painful than death."

"Ah?"

"Sigh—she's bringing this on herself; whose man isn't worth fighting for? Snatching the mother‑in‑law's man is courting death."

Qiao Mai's figure vanished in an instant; the Empress patted her chest, "Where did mother‑in‑law go?"

The carriage kept rolling; half an hour later, Qiao Mai returned.

"Since Miss Rong behaves so courteously, it would be impolite not to return the favor; you wander, I'll be back soon."

The Emperor was stunned then burst into hearty laughter, "He doesn't remember, but I do—Rong's son's legitimate younger sister."

Amitabha!

"You, you were stripped last night, and those clients took advantage of you?"

"I heard those clients, once they see such a ready, beautiful girl, why would they spend money on prostitution?"

"They lined up, one after another; all night Miss Rong never stopped with men, until dawn, someone realized she was the Rong family's eldest daughter."

"Never mind, to let you rest well, I, the queen consort, have placed several talismans on that house's roof; they are unaware of the blessings while in them."

"Fortunately you didn't force him; otherwise the Great Ming Dynasty wouldn't bear the surname Li."

"I didn't bring it today, nor the ice,"

The three of them shivered all over at once, "A woman like that probably doesn't mind, right?"

The Empress opened her mouth, "Mother-in-law, how is she?"

The head of the Rong family scolded, "Enough, it's already like this, still not more honest; you have completely disgraced our family's reputation."

The emperor instantly switched from guest to host; there's no way, under heaven all is the king's land, and he's accustomed to speaking that way.

"What? How could that be, I'm at home!"

"Almost there, in two more days there will be a sign, let's hold off for now."

"I feel this carriage is more comfortable than an inn,"

A night passed without words; the next day the Miss of the Rong family was stripped and thrown onto the street, and the incident spread throughout the city.

Seeing them, she began to cry, "Father, mother, what's happening to me? My whole body aches, especially my stomach and legs, and also, also..."

The head of the Rong family, angry, left; Lady Rong, wiping tears, "Jiaojiao, stop the nonsense, your father and they can't discern their abilities. Today at noon we will host them at Tianxing Restaurant, first make friends then investigate; knowing the foundation is the way to win every battle."

"Welcome, welcome,"

The emperor sweated cold in his heart; fortunately he hadn't offended this Female Yama, otherwise, in her hands, who knows how she would torment him.

The Rong family immediately rushed to the scene with people; at that moment the Rong family's eldest daughter was on the brink of death, drooling at the corner of her mouth.

Lady Rong, seeing she couldn't persuade her daughter, had to find an excuse and left.

"Ah, no way, what relation do I have with them?"

"Not bad,"

"I heard you're from Jingcheng?"

"The children do business there; we will settle later in Beifang, Nanfang is too hot, we are getting old and can't stand this climate."

"It's a bit humid, unlike Beifang where the four seasons are distinct."

(End of chapter)