A joyful cry echoed through the room.
Silence descended.
Yan Zhi rose from the bed and brought a basin of warm water, carefully cleaning Ao Qing.
When she saw the soaked bed sheet dripping water, her face flushed pink, and she hurriedly gathered it, stuffing it into the basin.
As she worked, Ao Qing instructed her on what to do next.
"You will go with me to the Water Palace and retrieve a protective armor."
"Then, you will cooperate with Bai Ling and stage a fake death to escape, and afterward, you will return to my side."
Yan Zhi nodded obediently, laid out a new sheet, and took Ao Qing's hand, preparing to lie down.
"Yan Zhi..."
Dong Dong Dong!
A series of frantic and reckless knocks sounded from the far end, seemingly from the direction of the main gate.
But neither of them were ordinary beings, the urgent knocking resonated as if it were right in their ears.
Yan Zhi, who was about to share a moment of intimacy with Ao Qing, abruptly turned her head.
A flicker of crimson light flashed in her eyes, and murderous intent surged.
"Master, don't worry, let Yan Zhi go and see."
Ao Qing extended his divine sense to check outside, his expression turning strange.
"No, we'll go together."
He led Yan Zhi by the hand to the door.
As the main gate continued to shake, voices from outside could be heard discussing whether to break down the door.
Outside the door,
A group of ten or so officers, varying in height, build, and appearance, huddled together, whispering and debating whether to charge.
"Goodness! You bunch of blockheads!"
"The young girl was taken away by that man two hours ago!"
"If we don't hurry, she'll be lost forever!"
"What are you worried about now? Compensation? Saving lives is paramount. Break down the door!"
Among them, a middle-aged man with a square face and a square-shaped cap named Li Gongfu was frantic, constantly nagging.
Annoyed by his incessant chatter, the other officers muttered.
"Li Gongfu, you're talking nonsense."
"This is a grand mansion, clearly not some ordinary household."
"If something goes wrong, the County Magistrate will blame us. Will you take the blame?"
Li Gongfu gritted his teeth.
"I'll do it! I'll do it. Let's break down the door!"
The other officers exchanged glances.
Since someone had taken responsibility, they let go of their hesitation.
Soon, four or five officers brought a battering ram.
Li Gongfu led the charge, spitting twice into his hands. He and the others, holding the battering ram, charged toward the door.
As they neared the gate, it opened effortlessly, seemingly weightless, without a sound.
"!!!"
Li Gongfu's eyebrows shot up, and he slammed on his brakes, only to feel a strange sensation under his soles.
It felt like he was stepping on oil...
With a "swoosh," Li Gongfu's feet lost all grip.
The seven or eight officers holding the battering ram, one after another, lost control and charged into the gate.
Bang bang bang, several loud thuds.
The officers, obstructed by the threshold and unable to hold the heavy battering ram, were stacked on top of each other like frogs.
Li Gongfu, who was at the bottom, lifted his head with difficulty.
A beam of light illuminated his face.
Then, a man appeared within the light.
Wearing black with golden bamboo patterns embroidered on it,
In the light, the man seemed like a heavenly being.
Li Gongfu smiled happily, raising his hand with trembling fingers, and stammered:
"Save..."
"You're kicking my threshold? Nine taels of silver each, if you don't pay, I'll go to the County Magistrate."
Li Gongfu jumped up, enraged.
"You! We haven't even investigated you for abducting a woman, and you dare extort the officials!"
Ao Qing clasped his hands behind his back, his expression relaxed.
"Sir, who do you say abducted a woman?"
Li Gongfu stepped forward and grabbed Ao Qing's collar.
But he wasn't tall enough, and his strength was lacking. His actions lacked any real force.
He tiptoed, but still had to look up to see Ao Qing's face.
Ao Qing looked down at Li Gongfu, saying nothing, simply smiling at him.
Li Gongfu's momentum faltered, and he felt awkward.
Whispers could be heard from the surrounding onlookers.
"Look, that official looks like a monkey hanging from a tree."
"Nonsense, how could there be such a stupid monkey?"
"Shhh, be quiet, or the monkey will get angry."
Li Gongfu's face turned from white to red, then from red to purple. His anger overcame him, and he turned around to shout.
"Get out, get out! The government is doing its job, why are you interfering!"
"If you interfere again, I'll arrest all of you!"
The onlookers were truly frightened.
"Hurry up, hurry up, the monkey's going to bite!"
Li Gongfu trembled with anger, turning fiercely to face Ao Qing.
"Stop talking nonsense. Someone reported that you took a woman from the Dragon King Temple this morning and dragged her into this mansion."
"The witness is at the Magistrate's office right now. What else can you say in your defense?"
Ao Qing waved his hand behind him.
"You mean my ninth concubine, Yan Zhi?"
Gah?
Li Gongfu choked on his breath, his voice changing, becoming shrill and high-pitched.
"Ninth concubine?"
As he spoke, Yan Zhi, dressed in a black-trimmed red skirt, walked up to Ao Qing's side.
She put her arm around Ao Qing's, looking at Li Gongfu's swollen purple face with disdain.
"My lord, this man is so inconsiderate."
Li Gongfu looked up and down at Yan Zhi.
Black-trimmed red skirt, golden phoenix hairpin, red cloth round-mouth shoes...
His voice trembled.
"Miss, are you sure you weren't abducted by him?"
"We are government officials, we are here to help you. You don't have to be afraid."
Yan Zhi coldly swept her gaze over the officers, disgust in her voice.
"My husband and I were just playing around, why are you all here?"
Li Gongfu's face turned pale, and he let out a "hic" and fainted dead away.
When he woke up again,
His vision was suddenly filled with the scene of the County Magistrate's office.
He looked around, bewildered, and realized that he was kneeling, and a man and a woman were standing beside him.