The yamen runners at the gate had just come from their homes and had just changed shifts; they were unaware that the horse that had run into the street was the sister-in-law of the Prince Yi's heir.
Upon hearing that the Prince Yi's heir had arrived, the Prefect of the Capital Prefecture quickly came out to greet him. When Yun Shen reached the inner office, not only did the Prefect of the Capital Prefecture come out, but he was also followed by another person.
A hint of surprise flashed in Yun Shen's eyes.
The man in the black brocade robe was none other than Marquis Pingyuan, Lu Mingxiu.
Why is he here today, also serving the Prefect of the Capital? Lu Mingxiu's duties seem to have nothing to do with the Prefect of the Capital…
"Your Highness, I am truly sorry!" The Prefect of the Capital Prefecture couldn't help but feel weak in front of Yun Shen. With such an incident today, it seemed the young master had come to demand an explanation. Although it wasn't their fault, the Capital Prefecture would still be responsible for handling the matter.
If this happened to an ordinary commoner, it would be fine; it would just be a matter of offering some silver to appease them. But today, the injured person is the daughter of the Marquis of Nan'an, the younger sister of the wife of the Prince of Yi's heir, so it won't be so easy to let it go.
"Those bandits even injured the horses of the Marquis of Nan'an's residence, which startled Ninth Miss's horse, causing it to run wildly in the street." He apologized repeatedly, speaking in a humble and submissive tone, "It is my fault for frightening Ninth Miss; I failed in my management duties. I beg Your Highness to punish me!"
After listening, Yun Shen felt he understood the reason, but he was still confused.
If it was so serious, how did Jiu Niang escape?
"Thanks to Lord Lu's presence at the time!" The Prefect of Jingzhao hurriedly flattered both sides, saying, "Thanks to Lord Lu's wisdom and bravery in subduing the frightened horses, we were able to save Miss Jiu!"
Yun Shen finally understood.
If it were Lu Mingxiu who made the move, then nothing would be impossible. Lu Mingxiu rose through the ranks on the battlefield, and his popularity with the emperor was largely due to his illustrious military achievements.
"On behalf of Ninth Sister, I thank Brother Mingxiu!" Yun Shen stepped forward and cupped his hands in thanks.
Lu Mingxiu merely nodded slightly, his voice somewhat cold, showing little warmth even towards the Prince's heir. "It was nothing, Your Highness need not take it to heart."
At this moment, another person dressed as a low-ranking yamen runner came to speak with the Prefect of the Capital.
The horse was startled in the street, but thankfully no one died. However, many people were injured, and small vendors suffered losses. There was a commotion, and all of this kept him extremely busy for a while.
"Since there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now." Lu Mingxiu had only assisted in the case because he had taken action, and there was nothing more for him to do here, so he left.
Seeing this, Yun Shen quickly followed.
"Thanks to Brother Mingxiu's help today, otherwise Jiu Niang might not have been able to escape unscathed." Yun Shen knew the danger involved. An Jiu was San Niang's younger sister, and it would be bad if something happened to her on the way to the Prince's mansion.
Lu Mingxiu stopped and glanced at Yun Shen with his dark eyes.
He was usually quiet and somewhat aloof, so Yun Shen didn't pay much attention to him.
Yun Shen came in a hurry today, seemingly not to interrogate the young girl, but rather to verify something. Lu Mingxiu rolled his eyes and guessed a possibility.
Suddenly, an image flashed in his mind of the little girl, her face pale, trying to remain calm as she thanked him.
She was clearly afraid of him, but she had to pretend to be calm.
The little girl, pampered since childhood, had delicate, smooth, white hands that seemed boneless. He held them in his hands, not daring to use too much force, as if even the slightest pressure could hurt her.
Although he is not short, he still looks like a child.
He's still just a child.
A touch of tenderness stirred within Lu Mingxiu's cold and hard heart.
“…Brother Mingxiu?” Seeing that Lu Mingxiu remained silent for a long time, Yun Shen couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
Lu Mingxiu then came to his senses. He was startled by the thought that had suddenly popped into his head. Fortunately, he habitually kept a straight face and did not let Yun Shen notice anything amiss.
“It seems that Ninth Miss doesn’t recognize me and didn’t mention who was holding the reins at the time.” Lu Mingxiu rarely spoke more than usual, and his gaze towards Yun Shen revealed a sharp insight. “I think Ninth Miss is still young, and it’s possible that she was frightened and couldn’t explain herself to the young master.”
Those words weren't mentioned to him by Jiu Niang, nor did San Niang explain them in detail.
It was actually Li who was more concerned about whether Jiu Niang was injured.
Yun Shen's eyes gradually cleared.
Seeing this, Lu Mingxiu knew that he had understood, so he didn't say anything more, turned around, mounted his horse, cupped his hands in greeting, and rode away.
"Young Master..." The servant beside him noticed the uncertain look on Yun Shen's face and asked cautiously, "Where are you going?"
Yun Shen lowered his eyes and said coldly, "Return to the manor." (Just Love Network)
Chapter 44 Integration
After taking a nap, Third Sister sent someone to tell her that she wanted to take her to see the Princess Consort.
An Ran hurriedly had the chests opened, and Zhi Mo, Ru Lan, Qing Mei, and Qing Xing carried the clothes and jewelry, following behind her in a grand procession to San Niang's room.
"Third Sister, I can't decide which one to wear!" Ninth Sister said to Third Sister in a coquettish tone, "The outfit I wore when I went to see the Princess Consort last time was picked out for me by Mother through a servant. I don't know what to choose this time."
An Ran looked troubled: "It wouldn't be good if I dressed inappropriately and embarrassed Third Sister!"
Third Sister smiled helplessly, pinched An Ran's fair and tender cheek, and said, "You're quite clever, pushing all the problems onto your sister!"
An Ran just playfully flirted with her.
However, Third Sister quite enjoyed An Ran's dependence on her. Compared to her mature and steady younger sister, she preferred this cheerful, playful, and affectionate younger sister. Therefore, although she said she didn't care, she still carefully looked through the clothes and helped An Ran choose.
After examining all the clothes An Ran had brought over, Third Sister frowned, unable to find a single brightly colored garment. "Why are they all such pale colors?"
An Ran bit her lip, and said somewhat uneasily, "Bright blue, light cyan, pear blossom white... and sky blue, aren't these light colors pretty? These are all my favorite clothes, and they were all made after I returned to the manor. Third sister, are my clothes inappropriate?" As she spoke, her voice trembled with a hint of grievance and a sob.
Seeing her excitedly bring over all her new clothes and ask her older sister to help her choose, there was undoubtedly a little bit of showing off in her heart. But all of these ideas were rejected, and anyone would be heartbroken! Especially since she was still so young! Thinking of this, Third Sister couldn't help but feel a little guilty and regretful.
Why hurt her feelings now when you can do more for her later?