lovenovelstory Chapter 502 Even though your Zhao family's matriarch has entered the palace as a concubine, you
Chapter 502 Even though your Zhao family's matriarch has entered the palace as a concubine, you
In the courtyard of the post station, horses neighed, filled with fear and unease.
The courier ran out of the kitchen, his face ashen, his lips trembling violently. He didn't even have time to untie his apron before stumbling into the main hall.
His voice was hoarse and trembling, every word laced with fear:
"No...nothing good! Outside...there's a crowd outside!"
Chen Wanqing's commander suddenly stood up from the stool, which tipped backward and crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
His hand rested on the hilt of the knife, his face was ashen, and his brows were deeply furrowed.
Chen Wanqing was also slightly taken aback, her brows furrowed under her veil, and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes.
Her hands clenched slightly inside her sleeves, but she didn't speak. Instead, she turned her head and looked at Qin Mu.
Qin Mu's face still held that ambiguous smile, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
He picked up the bowl of porridge, took another sip, put it down, picked up a steamed bun, broke it in half, handed one half to Han Xin'er, kept the other half for himself, and slowly took a bite.
Jiang Zhaoyue sat upright beside him, her face calm and composed, as if she hadn't heard anything.
Yunluan stood behind him, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her gaze fixed on the entrance to the main hall, her face cold and stern, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
Xu Fenghua frowned slightly, her fingers clenched gently inside her sleeve, then relaxed.
Yun Suxin lowered her head, picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, and chewed it very slowly, as if she were counting grains of rice.
Han Xin'er took the steamed bun and took small bites, but her gaze involuntarily drifted towards the door.
The other guests in the lobby also heard the commotion, and they all looked up, exchanging bewildered glances, their eyes filled with fear and unease.
Some people put down their chopsticks, some stood up, some shrank into the corner, and some quietly crept towards the back door.
The courier stood in the center of the hall, his legs and hands trembling, his face as pale as paper, and his forehead covered in sweat.
His mouth trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but seeing Qin Mu's calm and composed demeanor, he swallowed the words back.
Qin Mu took a bite of the steamed bun, chewed it, swallowed it, and then drank a mouthful of porridge.
He put down his bowl, raised his head, looked at the courier, and spoke softly, yet his voice was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent hall.
How many people came?
The courier's Adam's apple bobbed, he swallowed, and his voice was hoarse.
"So many people. A dark mass, I couldn't see them clearly. They were all riding horses, carrying knives, and looked fierce."
Qin Mu nodded, picked up the half-eaten steamed bun, took a bite, chewed it, and swallowed it.
He stood up, straightened his robes, and strode towards the entrance of the hall.
The moon-white robe trailed on the ground, making a soft rustling sound. His pace was unhurried, as if he were just going for a stroll.
The women followed him out in single file.
Chen Wanqing hesitated for a moment, bit her lip, stood up, and followed.
Two maids quickly followed behind her, while the middle-aged guard gripped his sword hilt and strode to her side, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
As I stepped out of the main hall, the morning light was pouring down from the east, illuminating the entire post station.
Outside the courtyard gate, the open space was filled with a dense crowd of people, numbering over a hundred, each riding a tall horse, with long swords at their waists and fierce-looking faces.
The leader was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a crimson brocade robe with a gold belt around his waist and a jade crown on his head. He was handsome with delicate features, but his eyes were full of arrogance and domineering.
He rode a chestnut horse, holding a whip in his hand, tilting his head and looking impatiently at the entrance of the post station.
As Xu Fenghua followed Qin Mu out of the main hall, her gaze swept over the flag outside the courtyard gate, and her pupils contracted slightly.
The flag was crimson, with a golden "Zhao" character embroidered on it, fluttering in the morning breeze.
A premonition suddenly welled up in her heart.
The visitor is most likely Zhao Tianze.
Sure enough, when she looked up and saw the young man sitting on the chestnut horse, a string in her heart tightened suddenly.
Zhao Tianze.
The eldest son of the Zhao family in Jiangnan, the future head of the Zhao family, a playboy who runs rampant in the capital, bullying men and women.
Xu Fenghua's heart sank, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
She sighed, with only one thought in her mind: it seemed the Zhao family was doomed.
His Majesty originally intended to destroy the Zhao family, but Zhao Tianze dared to provoke him.
In this situation, even a god couldn't save us.
Xu Fenghua lowered her head, turned her face to one side, and covered her face with the edge of her veil, not wanting Zhao Tianze to recognize her again.
As Zhao Tianze watched Qin Mu and his group walk out, his gaze swept over Qin Mu and then over the women behind him. A hint of amazement flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by impatience.
He tilted his head, pointed his riding whip at Qin Mu, and spoke in a sharp and arrogant voice.
"I'm not here to see you today. Where's Chen Wanqing? Tell her to come out here!"
His voice echoed in the morning breeze, carrying an innate arrogance that relied on his family background to bully others.
Chen Wanqing stood behind Qin Mu, her expression slightly changing beneath her veil.
She bit her lip, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
Her mind raced.
They realized this was a good opportunity.
Zhao Tianze has delivered himself to her doorstep. If she can use Qin Mu to get rid of Zhao Tianze, then the Chen family will be the only dominant force in Jiangnan, and their expansion will be unstoppable.
Her gaze fell on Qin Mu's back, she took a deep breath, and walked out of the crowd.
She removed her veil, revealing a delicate face with a touch of the gentle charm unique to women from Jiangnan, her voice neither humble nor arrogant.
"Young Master Zhao, you've chased me for hundreds of miles, what exactly do you want?"
When Zhao Tianze saw Chen Wanqing, his eyes lit up suddenly, like a hungry wolf spotting its prey.
He dismounted and strode up to Chen Wanqing, reaching out to grab her wrist, his voice carrying an unyielding, almost commanding tone.
"I've liked you for so long, you have to agree today whether you like it or not. Come back to the Zhao family with me, be my young mistress, and live a life of luxury. It's much better than you running around in this desolate wilderness."
Chen Wanqing took a step back, dodging his hand, and looked over his shoulder, landing on Qin Mu.
Her eyes were full of pleading and helplessness, like a defenseless woman being bullied by a thug.
Zhao Tianze followed her gaze and then noticed Qin Mu.
He looked Qin Mu up and down, and when he saw his moon-white robe, the several stunningly beautiful women behind him, and his calm and unhurried demeanor as if he didn't care about anything, an inexplicable anger welled up in his heart.
His brows furrowed sharply, and he pointed at Qin Mu with his riding crop, raising his voice several octaves.
"Who the hell are you? Get lost, don't get in my way."
Qin Mu looked at him, a slow smile creeping onto his lips.
"The Zhao family? The Zhao family of Jiangnan? Your Zhao family's matriarch was forcibly taken as a concubine by His Majesty. How dare you be so arrogant? Aren't you afraid that if His Majesty is displeased, he will have your entire Zhao family executed?"
Zhao Tianze's expression suddenly changed, his fair face instantly turning bright red, his eyes filled with anger and shame.
His lips trembled violently, and he gritted his teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"You—you're asking for it!"
He hates it when people bring this up.
The fact that the Zhao family's matriarch was forcibly taken as a concubine by the Emperor spread like wildfire throughout Jiangnan, becoming the Zhao family's greatest disgrace and Zhao Tianze's biggest scar in his life.
Now that a stranger has exposed him in public, he felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped.
Xu Fenghua stood behind Qin Mu, and upon hearing these words, her expression became slightly complicated.
She kept her head down, her veil obscuring her face, making it impossible to see her expression.
Chen Wanqing stood aside, watching Zhao Tianze's embarrassed and angry appearance, and couldn't help but smile slightly.
She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, lowered her head, and her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she was trying to suppress a laugh or something else.
This scene was indeed quite interesting. His Majesty personally reopened the wounds of the Zhao family, and no one could match His Majesty's precision in his choice of words.
Zhao Tianze raised his hand and swung it sharply, his voice becoming shrill with anger.
"Charge! Kill them all! Take Chen Wanqing away!"
Hundreds of Zhao family servants and guards shouted in unison, drew their swords, and charged towards Qin Mu and his group.
The blade gleamed with a cold white light in the morning light, and the sound of footsteps made the ground tremble slightly.
Qin Mu raised his hand and waved it lightly.
"Yunluan".
Yunluan flashed out from behind him, her dark silver slender sword drawn.
The sword light traced a bright arc in the morning light, so fast that it was almost invisible to the naked eye.
The three servants at the front collapsed simultaneously, a thin line of blood appearing on their throats, with blood beads gushing from the wounds, gleaming dark red in the sunlight.
No one saw how she drew her sword, nor how she sheathed it.
All they saw was a flash of silver light, and their three lives were gone.
The Zhao family's servants and guards suddenly stopped in their tracks, their pupils contracted, and their faces turned deathly pale.
Their knives were raised in mid-air, forgotten to fall, their legs and hands trembling, like a group of mice whose hole had been blocked by a cat.
Zhao Tianze's pupils suddenly contracted, and his mouth opened.
He took a step back, then another, and his foot landed on the gravel. He stumbled and nearly fell.
Qin Mu looked at him, and the smile on his lips deepened.
He didn't say anything, but turned around and walked into the post station.
The moon-white robe fluttered gently in the morning breeze, its hem swaying like a silent flag.
The women followed him in single file.
Chen Wanqing glanced at Zhao Tianze, unable to suppress the smile on her lips, then turned around and followed him.
Zhao Tianze stood there, staring at the moon-white figure, his hands and legs trembling, his lips quivering, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Outside the courtyard gate, hundreds of servants and guards stood in a row, staring at the three still convulsing corpses on the ground, but no one dared to move.
At that moment, Qin Mu's faint voice rang out again.
"Just leave one alive."