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Глава 94

As they were talking, the bookworm rushed upstairs, beaming. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a word, the monster suddenly flicked his finger, sending him tumbling down the stairs with a scream. He lost his grip on the pot lid, which clattered and rolled all the way to the door.

I was dumbfounded.

Damn monster, throwing people like that hurts!

I turned my gaze and saw that my master was extremely displeased. Knowing better than to complain, I kept quiet. Besides, my master had even knocked people unconscious before; this was nothing to him. Scholar, good luck to you...

The scholar tumbled down the stairs, screaming in pain, drawing everyone's attention. When he finally managed to get up, clutching his backside, his handkerchief was askew, his clothes were disheveled, he was only wearing one shoe (the other was nowhere to be found), his face was covered in dirt, and there was something red stuck to the tip of his nose.

Everyone found it amusing, but he seemed completely oblivious to his own shortcomings. The first thing he did upon getting up was to frantically look up, and upon seeing his master sitting there with a cold expression, he immediately smiled. He started climbing upstairs, still tightly clutching his paintbrush and sketches in one hand, not losing a single piece.

Forehead...

I held my forehead, speechless.

My master's face turned ashen. He suddenly stood up, and I quickly stopped him. "Uh, Master, what are you doing?" Was he going to knock him out again?

"Should we take care of Xiao Yan'er?" Master's dark face immediately changed. He turned around and asked pitifully, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes.

"I..." I started to speak, but then I remembered something, quickly shut my mouth, and shook my head frantically. This damned monster, just by looking at him, I knew something was wrong. I'd better stay away from him.

My master looked at me with disappointment and a very aggrieved expression. "Yan'er, are you really going to abandon me?"

Uh... I glanced at him, then at the scholar who came upstairs again, and firmly shook my head. Frankly, with a scholar like that, this young lady isn't going to get involved in that kind of trouble.

Chapter 206: A Weak Woman...

The scholar, who was going upstairs, suddenly stopped. He looked up at the stairs with suspicion, then suddenly slipped downstairs and disappeared.

I rubbed my forehead. Damn monster, always using the same trick. Doesn't he get tired of it? But this trick is quite effective against scholars.

I looked up at the person standing in front of me and chuckled awkwardly, "Heh heh, Your Highness, you've come again?"

Yuwen Ke seemed to be used to suddenly appearing in front of me every time. He remained calm, withdrawing his gaze from scanning the surroundings, frowning, glancing at me, and sitting down to the side. "What do you mean 'I'm here again'? Lin Ran, let me ask you, how did I get here this time? Why do I often forget how I suddenly appeared next to you?"

Uh... I almost bit my tongue. I lowered my head and sipped my tea. "Your Highness, you're quite the joker. Didn't you come here by yourself this morning? Uh... I, how would I know?..."

"You really don't know?" Yuwen Ke's gaze was sharp, as was his tone.

I hadn't seen him so harsh and stern in a long time, and I was startled, almost spilling the tea in my hand. I hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please don't be angry. I really didn't know. You're such a grown man, tall and heavy, while I'm just a weak woman... cough cough cough cough..." I realized I had said the wrong thing, and in my haste, I couldn't stop myself. I choked and almost coughed to death, bending over with my face flushed red.

Yuwen Ke walked to my side and patted my back. I finally calmed down, tears streaming down my face. A sleeve reached out and gently wiped away my tears. We were very close; his clothes brushed against me, carrying his unique, fresh scent. I felt a little uncomfortable and subtly took a few steps back.

"Weak? What are you talking about?" Yuwen Ke's voice was deep and resonant, carrying an indescribable quality.

"Uh, weak... weak..." Weak in what way? I was momentarily stunned by his gaze.

Suddenly a voice came from behind the screen, "Naturally, he is a frail scholar." As she spoke, Ru Ying walked out with a faint smile. She went straight to Yuwen Ke's side and bowed to him, "Ru Ying greets the Crown Prince."

After saying that, he stood up, then turned to look at me, frowned, and scolded, "It's just that you like to say the wrong thing. It's not the first time you've said the wrong thing. Even if you make another mistake that makes you look like a weak man, it doesn't matter. The Crown Prince loves your talent and will not blame you for such a small matter. Why make yourself look like this?"

I was a little stunned.

"Is he just a weak scholar?" Yuwen Ke raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased.

I quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, of course it's this one." Ruying, you're so kind. I almost gave myself away, thank goodness you arrived just in time. Hehe.

"But why did I hear the word 'woman' in it?" Yuwen Ke glanced coldly at Ru Ying, his eyes filled with gloom.

Ru Ying smiled calmly and said unhurriedly, "The Crown Prince is probably not very familiar with Lin Ran's bad habits. Whenever he gets anxious, his speech becomes all jumbled up, and he doesn't even know what he's saying. You can ask him yourself, Lin Ran. Am I right?"

"Yes, yes," I nodded hurriedly, smiling. Seeing that Ru Ying's complexion was still not good, and she looked somewhat pale, I stepped forward, took her hand, and felt it was icy cold. I couldn't help but frown, "Have you rested enough? Are you sick?"

Ru Ying shook her head and smiled, "I was passing by the courtyard when the wind blew on me. It'll be fine in a bit, don't worry."

I nodded, about to say something, when I heard Yuwen Ke coldly snort from the side. "Do you have anything else to say?" His voice was cold, with a clear hint of dismissal.

Seriously, are you kidding me? This is my Zhongfang Garden! Ruying is the owner, okay? I really don't know what gives him the right to be so arrogant! I rolled my eyes.

Ru Ying smiled faintly, "I apologize, Your Highness. I came because of the news of Xiao Zheng's disappearance. I just made some progress, so I wanted to tell Lin Ran that since Your Highness is here, I will come again later."

Chapter 207: Strange Orders

What?! There's already progress on Xiao Zheng's matter?!

I immediately jumped up. "What leads? Tell me quickly!"

“You don’t need to worry,” Ru Ying paused for a moment, “It’s just that someone saw Xiao Zheng being kidnapped.”

"Kidnapped?" I frowned. Was that really the case? I knew it. Xiao Zheng wouldn't just disappear like that. Besides, my number one gang in the world has amazing infiltration capabilities. What kind of information can't they find? But after so many days, they still haven't found a single clue. This is too strange.

"Do you know who kidnapped them?" My expression turned serious. This person's power is extraordinary; they can hide it so well.

Ru Ying glanced at me and said, "We don't know yet, we're still investigating."

I nodded, then turned to Yuwen Ke and said, "Your Highness, why don't you go back to the palace first? I have something to do and need to go out."

With his hands behind his back, Yuwen Ke said arrogantly, "Are you going to investigate Xiao Zheng's whereabouts? My men can help you."

"No need, the government can't help with this kind of thing." I waved my hand, a little impatient. "Oh, you're leaving now. I can investigate it myself. I don't need your help."

"You!" I pushed Yuwen Ke downstairs, his face showing anger.

In my haste, I forgot about him and dragged Ruying by the hand back to the backyard.

"Ruying, what exactly happened?" I stopped and asked. Yuwen Ke was standing by just now, so I couldn't let him know about the matter of the number one gang in the world that was hidden in the shadows. Therefore, I knew that Ruying must have left something unsaid.

Sure enough, Ru Ying frowned and continued, "It was one of our undercover agents who discovered it. Because the clues were too scattered, we didn't notice it at first. It was only because so many clues were put together that we realized something was wrong. It should be that on the afternoon of the day you encountered danger, Xiao Zheng was taken away by a fruit farmer in his fruit cart. For dozens of miles, the fruit farmer didn't touch Xiao Zheng, so no one noticed."