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Unfortunately, Mo Yan completely ignored her signal and pulled a guard aside, asking in a low voice, "Who sent you? How did you find us?"

The guard glared at her: "Everyone from Datong Hall came out. Our team alone searched six streets."

"...Thank you for your hard work."

Mo Yan smiled ingratiatingly, but secretly she knew something was wrong. She and the princess had indeed sneaked out, but they were just going to stroll around and then head back. There was no need for such a grand display.

Escorted by guards, the two slunk back to the Datong Inn.

As soon as she stepped into the lobby, she saw Zhan Zhao in front of her. Mo Yan stepped forward and called out "Big Brother", but was immediately silenced by Zhan Zhao's sharp glare. She quietly stood aside.

Zhan Zhao bowed respectfully to Zhao Yu, but his tone was very stern: "Princess, you are of noble birth, and this place is not our Great Song territory. You are unfamiliar with the area. If something happens to you, how can we live up to His Majesty's trust?"

It was rare to hear Zhan Zhao speak so harshly, and seeing that everyone around her had dark faces, clearly they were all very anxious about finding her, Zhao Yu felt a little guilty and simply said, "I know. Next time... never mind, there won't be a next time."

Although he was still angry, the princess was, after all, a princess, and he couldn't be too harsh on her. Besides, Zhao Yu had already made a promise in public. Zhan Zhao softened his tone and said, "Please go back to your room and rest, Princess."

Zhao Yu nodded slightly and quickly entered, surrounded by maids. The other guards also dispersed and went about their duties. In a short while, only Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan remained in the hall.

"Big brother..." Mo Yan knew that Zhan Zhao's anger had not subsided, so she called out tentatively.

Zhan Zhao didn't even look at her, and said in a deep voice, "Come in with me."

"oh."

Mo Yan obediently followed behind Zhan Zhao, turning left and right repeatedly, until they arrived at Zhan Zhao's room in the back courtyard.

As they entered the house, Zhan Zhao's anger seemed to reach its peak. He grabbed Mo Yan, who was still hesitating at the door, and pulled her inside before slamming the door shut.

"Brother, would you like a cup of tea first?" Mo Yan went straight to the table and poured tea, only to find to her dismay that there wasn't a drop of water in the teapot. "Should I go boil some water?"

Zhan Zhao didn't answer at all, his gaze fixed on her, making her feel uneasy all over.

"It was you who persuaded the princess to go out, wasn't it?" he said, not as a question, but as a statement.

Mo Yan shrank back and said with a forced smile, "The princess is in a bad mood, I wanted to help her cheer up, so..."

"Then why go to that embroidery shop, and why bring the princess along?"

"I didn't want to go in!" she hurriedly explained, "But the princess said the embroidery shop looked like it was run by people from the Song Dynasty, and insisted on going in to take a look. I had no choice, so..." She continued to smile apologetically.

“You should never have taken the princess to that street. No, you should never have taken the princess out at all.”

"Well... Zhongjing is actually quite boring. It can't compare to our capital. The only lively place is that street. If we don't go there, I can't think of anywhere else to go."

Hearing her sophistry, Zhan Zhao grew increasingly furious. She was completely oblivious to how dangerous her actions were. The embroidery shop owner's identity was mysterious; whether she was friend or foe was still unknown. She and the princess had recklessly delivered themselves to his doorstep, and if anything went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Seeing that he remained silent for a while, Mo Yan cautiously said, "Big Brother..."

Zhan Zhao remained silent.

Chapter 52

“Brother,” Mo Yan tried to divert his anger, “I touched the landlady’s hands. Her palms were calloused, but her fingertips were. She really looked like an embroiderer.”

Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao's expression changed slightly, and his brows furrowed even more. However, he finally spoke again, asking, "You also touched her hand?" He was afraid that Mo Yan's actions would alert the enemy. If this proprietress was not a kind person, wouldn't she realize that someone had noticed her identity?

"When she bowed to the princess, I helped her up and held her hand without making a sound. She certainly wouldn't have noticed," Mo Yan explained hastily, understanding Zhan Zhao's concerns.

Zhan Zhao's expression softened slightly, but his brows remained furrowed.

“However, I saw a small piece of leather-like material under the silk in her embroidery basket. Now that I think about it, it’s very likely a deerskin glove.” Mo Yan’s voice deepened as she said in a low voice, “If it really is a deerskin glove, then this proprietress might use poison.”

"Use poison!"

Zhan Zhao's body stiffened abruptly, and he suddenly grasped Mo Yan's pulse point—

"Brother, I'm not poisoned..." Mo Yan obediently let him take her pulse, muttering to herself, "How could she possibly poison ordinary customers?"

The pulse was steady and there was nothing abnormal, so it seemed that he had not been poisoned. Zhan Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, but his anger rose again.

"You are not to interfere in this matter again!" he said sternly. "You are absolutely not allowed to set foot in that embroidery shop again, nor are you allowed to secretly investigate that proprietress, or you will be sent back to the Great Song Dynasty."

Mo Yan was startled by his words: "Big brother..."

"Have you taken note of it?!" He didn't budge an inch.

"..." Mo Yan bit her lip and could only say, "I've got it."

Hearing her agree, Zhan Zhao stopped talking and looked down at Mo Yan, who was standing in front of him with her head down. The injury on her forehead from a few days ago was still clearly visible. He couldn't help but reach out and touch her forehead.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

Hearing his tone soften, Mo Yan breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at him with a smile, saying, "It doesn't hurt, it's just a little itchy after the scabs have formed."

"That's good." He sighed, his tone suddenly changing to stern, "Your foundation in lightness skill and swordsmanship is quite good, but you've neglected practice. Starting tomorrow, get up at cockcrow every day, and I will practice with you."

Mo Yan was completely dumbfounded: "Big brother, I think my kung fu is good enough."

Zhan Zhao lightly tapped her forehead, saying mercilessly, "Is this what you call enough?"

"...This was an accident."

Mo Yan weakly retorted, waiting for Zhan Zhao to mock her.

Zhan Zhao fell silent. After a long while, he let out a long sigh, as if talking to himself: "There can be no more accidents. There can be no accidents at all."

Seeing Zhan Zhao's expression, Mo Yan finally realized something: "Big brother, are you hiding something from me? It's not just about the princess, is it?"