Take them?
Take whom?
And who are "they"?
Lin Qingge's mind raced. Seeing the soldiers advance menacingly, she grabbed Leng Ningyue, who was about to unleash her fury on the spot.
Immediately after, she looked at Master Yan beside her. He, understanding her intent, swiftly restrained his wife, who was on the verge of exploding.
Allowing herself to be dragged away like a chick, Lin Qingge looked at the one who had given the order with disbelief.
"Why?"
The other party did not reply. Lin Qingge raised her voice again, calling out the full name, and demanded:
"Zhou Zeli, why?"
This time, Zhou Zeli, now dressed in opulent brocade robes, finally responded.
He looked over with an icy expression, his demeanor condescending. He sneered,
"Why?
Does Lord Lin perhaps wish to ask why, despite being the grandson of the richest man, Qian Baiwan, I lived in poverty, unable to even secure a meal?
Or, Lord Lin, do you wish to ask why, despite being royalty, I was always treated as inferior, not only bullied by wealthy young masters but also unable to gain even a second glance from the woman I loved?"
Hearing Zhou Zeli's words, Lin Qingge was momentarily stunned.
She wasn't surprised that Zhou Zeli knew her background, but she was taken aback that his father, who dared not even reveal his full name, was Prince Wucheng?!
In other words, Zhou Zeli was Prince Wucheng's illegitimate son?!
The scattered, fragmented pieces of information were suddenly connected by this new revelation, and Lin Qingge's mind became clear.
However, her expression of sudden enlightenment was interpreted by Zhou Zeli as shock at the unveiling of the truth.
A mocking curve formed on his lips, and Zhou Zeli spoke with conviction,
"Heh, Lord Lin, you knew all along, didn't you?
What, was it amusing to see me, kept in the dark and struggling in the mud all by myself, looking so pathetic?"
Lin Qingge instinctively shook her head.
She couldn't understand how the ambitious young man she knew, who was as upright as a pine and as steadfast as bamboo, and who would even forgo his studies to teach children, had become this way.
After arriving in the capital, he first suffered bullying from his classmates, then experienced heartbreak, and finally failed the imperial examinations...
Tsk, it seemed his luck had truly been dire.
Meanwhile, Zhou Zeli, perhaps lost in thought, smirked unnaturally and introduced to the soldiers beside him,
"You probably don't know who you've captured.
Be careful and attentive, these two are far more useful than Lord Yan and his wife.
The woman here is not only Lin Jingxing, the Prefect of Shuntian, but also Princess Changle, personally enfeoffed by His Majesty, and the 'foster father' who raised the current Crown Prince.
The one disguised as a man has an even more significant background.
She is the legitimate daughter of the former Prime Minister Shangguan Hong, the Empress of Great Xia.
The world knows that His Majesty is deeply in love with the Empress; even if she wished for the moon, His Majesty would find a way to pluck it for her, which demonstrates her importance.
Ah, yes, I forgot to mention that this Empress is also a formidable martial artist.
Guards, prepare an extra set of shackles for our Empress, and also leg irons."
"Damn your ancestors! Don't push your luck!"
The one who leaped up like a firecracker, not Lin Qingge, but the utterly enraged Madam Yan.
She and Leng Ningyue's mother, Leng Shuoying, were as close as sisters.
Although, due to that scoundrel Shangguan Hong, they hadn't become in-laws.
But Leng Shuoying's daughter was her daughter. How could she stand by and watch her own daughter be treated this way!
Facing Madam Yan's iron fist, which whistled through the air, Zhou Zeli neither dodged nor sidestepped. He merely offered a kind warning,
"Madam Yan, if you don't wish to see the elders of the Zhennan Prince's mansion with broken limbs, I advise you to reconsider.
Of course, if those near-death elders in the Zhennan Prince's mansion are not enough leverage, I can break Constable Yan's legs. What do you think, Madam Yan?"
Firmly held in place, Madam Yan was forced to abruptly stop her punch, gritting out through clenched teeth,
"Shameless! Despicable!"
Seeing his wife being bullied, Master Yan embraced her, patting her back to calm her down, and said with a cold expression,
"Zhou Zeli, for someone who claims to be a scholar, have you been stuffing all your books to the dogs all these years?"
"Hmph, Confucius spoke of benevolence, Mencius of righteousness, all utter nonsense!
What about 'in books there are houses of gold, in books there are beauties,' it's just self-consolation for those poor, pedantic scholars who can't achieve their desires.
As people often say, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and a rat's son will dig holes.
Zhou Zeli is just a poor boy from the Zhou family in Jiugou Village, Changzhou County. Let alone unrealistic fantasies like peace and tranquility for all, even the cost of a drink would be an insurmountable problem for him.
But fortunately, heaven has eyes. I, Zhou Zeli, am not truly a weed, but a pearl covered in dust."
"Pah! What pearl? You're clearly acknowledging a thief as your father!"
Zhou Zeli took out a handkerchief from his robes and slowly wiped the spittle from Madam Yan's face. He casually curled his lips:
"What is a thief? What is a lord?
Since ancient times, the victor becomes king, the loser becomes a bandit.
If my father had won back then, and the former emperor had been exiled to the northeast, would Madam Yan still say the same words to me?"
"Everything has a cause and effect. The former emperor's ascension to the throne was no accident, and history will not rewind.
Therefore, what you have just said is all baseless drivel."
Master Yan finished speaking and let out a heavy sigh.
"You can take them today, but relay a message from me to your ambitious father.
They must not be harmed.
Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what Nannan might do."
"My dear husband!"
As if taken aback by her husband's words, Madam Yan let out an incredulous cry.
"My dear, you must understand that for me, only you and Hao'er are the most important.
So, Lord Lin, I apologize."
"Yan Xiuping, I truly misjudged you!"
After Madam Yan shouted, she tried to break free from Master Yan's embrace to rescue them, but was unexpectedly struck unconscious by a swift blow from his hand.
"Lord Lin, Madam Lin, please."
With that, Zhou Zeli flicked his sleeve, ordered soldiers to find another carriage, and had Lin Qingge and the other escorted onto it.
During this process, Zhou Zeli also ordered black blindfolds to be placed over Lin Qingge's and the other's eyes.
Lin Qingge, though somewhat bewildered, did not resist.
As if finding their compliance too meek, Zhou Zeli issued another threatening remark:
"Lord Lin, if you don't want Constable Yan to come to harm, don't try any tricks!"
"Don't worry, even if you twist your own head off and use it as a ball, if I utter another word, I'm your grandson!"
Zhou Zeli: ...