She Came to Heal, Stayed to Conquer

"Stop! Who goes there?"

Wang drew his saber with a "clang," the blade reflecting a cold light in the fire.

His companions immediately raised their spears, forming a rudimentary defensive line at the city gate.

"Halt——"

The leading rider suddenly pulled the reins, the front hooves of the chestnut horse raised high, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Only then did Wang see that there were seven or eight strong men, protecting a black lacquered flat-topped carriage in the middle. The carriage was hung with blue satin curtains, gently swaying in the night breeze.

"Forgive us, officer."

The leading rider cupped his fists in salute and spoke loudly, "We are the Protectors of the Wei Family..."

"Which Wei Family?"

Wang pressed his blade forward another half inch, noticing that these men wore indigo tunics, each equipped with identical horizontal swords at their waist.

At that moment, a "snap" sound came from the carriage as a folding fan was opened and closed, followed by a somewhat displeased young voice.

"In this Capital City, which Wei Family dares require me to announce myself?"

The curtain was lifted by a gold-decorated folding fan, revealing a plump, prosperous face.

In the moonlight, the fine beads of sweat on that face glistened, the double chin trembling slightly with speech.

In this era when most people couldn’t fill their stomachs, just that face with a dangling double chin indicated it belonged to a wealthy noble family.

Wang, who was ferocious just moments ago, upon seeing this esteemed face, the vigor suddenly diminished, and the tip of his blade unconsciously lowered.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to see clearly if he recognized this noble face before him.

Then, the person inside the carriage tossed out a red string, and the elegant arc of the attached creamy jade pendant sliced through the air.

"Take a closer look at it, but do not defile the possessions of the Wei Family."

Wang hurriedly caught the jade pendant, and upon feeling the engraved small characters on the back, he knew this pendant was out of the ordinary.

But still uncertain, he said, "Please wait a moment, nobleman," then turned and jogged up the city tower, delivering the jade pendant to Mr. Liu on duty.

Mr. Liu took one look, and his expression immediately changed.

"Mr. Wei... Wei!"

Mr. Liu almost rolled down the tower, holding the jade pendant reverently as if it were an imperial edict, presenting it respectfully at the carriage front.

"These insolent fellows offended you. Here is your jade pendant, please keep it safely. However..."

He glanced at the carriage, cautiously asking, "It’s late, and there’s a commotion in the city again. I wonder, Mr. Wei, what brings you here..."

The person inside the carriage shot him a haughty look but didn’t speak.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Seemingly unwilling to dirty his hands, the person inside the carriage used the folding fan to pick up the string of the jade pendant Mr. Liu was holding, swinging the creamy jade pendant at the lower end.

The leading Protector’s face immediately darkened, and he spoke harshly.

"The lord of Liangzhou’s family is critically ill; the lord sent the young master with an Imperial Physician from the Palace to rush back to Liangzhou overnight. If treatment is delayed, can you take responsibility?"

"Uh... yes, yes."

Mr. Liu nodded repeatedly while taking advantage of the torchlight to sneak a peek inside the carriage through the lifted curtain.

Sure enough, he spotted an elder dressed in Imperial Physician attire sitting in the corner of the carriage, a medical box by his side.

Mr. Liu dared not ask further, shouting urgently, "Open the city gate! Open the city gate quickly!"

With Mr. Liu’s order, Wang and the soldiers swiftly took up the keys and opened the city gate.

The noble young escort proceeded out of the city, while Mr. Liu and Wang stood on either side of the gate, nodding respectfully to see them off.

Once the tall, heavy city gate slowly closed behind them, the faces of everyone in the noble’s entourage revealed a sense of relief.

The "Imperial Physician" in the carriage also tore off his fake beard, exposing Xiao Zhengfei’s young face.

"Princess Consort, your plan was brilliant!" Xiao Zhengfei patted the carriage floor, "Look how scared that guard was, as if he saw King Yan!"

The squad leader outside reined the horse closer to the window: "I must say, Miss Han was steady. When that jade pendant showed, those soldiers nearly buckled in fear."

"Absolutely!"

Squad four drove over, still sounding excited.

"When delivering ’congratulatory gifts’ to the Marquis residence during the day, my back sweat soaked through my clothes, afraid they’d detect something amiss. But Miss Han reacted calmly, almost becoming the Marquis’s son-in-law following the champion’s wife’s words. Hahaha..."

"Hahaha..."

Everyone was amused by squad four and laughed heartily, the atmosphere notably relaxed.

"Whew!" Han Lei also let out a big sigh, smiling as she closed the folding fan: "They dare send someone to assassinate the Prince, they should be prepared for annihilation."

"Humph!"

Squad four snorted discontentedly.

"It’s not just the assassination of the Prince. Miss, didn’t you notice? That Marquis residence is rich enough to rival a nation; it’s shocking to think how much they plundered from the people. They deserve annihilation."

Han Lei lifted the curtain and gazed toward the distant winding official road, sighing.

"Indeed! That’s all the people’s richness. But don’t worry! We’ll deal with these noble families one by one. Sooner or later, they’ll be dealt with."

"Hooray! Hooray! The Princess Consort is mighty." Xiao Zhengfei led the cheers.

"The Princess Consort is mighty!" The brothers of the big brigade followed suit.

Under the moonlight, several riders escorted the carriage onto a small road headed west.

In the reeds by the roadside, a night heron startled, flapping and rising into the air.

The night heron’s wings pierced the watery night, stirring the anger of the Imperial Palace in the Capital.