Chapter 45: Chapter 45: "Luring the Crown Prince, Shall Be Executed.

He naturally considered far more than a mere East Palace Guard ever would.

"And how did the Crown Prince find out about that eatery?" Li Yun asked.

The guard recounted everything in detail.

A proprietress from the West Market had set up a stall at the gates of the Imperial College. It was the kind of thing they could find out with a casual inquiry.

"So, you’re saying the Crown Prince went to that eatery today, and it’s run by a woman?" Li Yun asked.

"Yes."

Li Yun’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing through them.

As his father, the Emperor, he might not have understood the Crown Prince’s temperament completely, but he knew at least eighty or ninety percent of it.

Though only a five-year-old child, he was stubborn, obstinate, and unyielding once his mind was made up.

Li Yun found it truly difficult to believe that the person who could make his son disregard all rules just to see them was merely an ordinary eatery owner.

To have bewitched the Crown Prince to this extent in such a short time—to the point he even wanted to evade the East Palace Guards and sneak out—meant there was something wrong with the establishment itself.

"Tell Cheng Yi that by the end of tonight, We want results."

Li Yun’s callous voice drifted down from above. The East Palace Guard kneeling on the floor kowtowed hastily and accepted the order.

The Emperor obviously didn’t want a simple result; the guard naturally understood the implication behind his words.

For a mere woman to see through His Highness’s identity and deliberately get close to him, there had to be something strange afoot.

Bewitching the current Crown Prince was a crime punishable by death.

But before the execution, the Eastern Palace guards needed to interrogate her to find out something of value and redeem themselves.

Ming Lingyi was still unaware of the mortal danger she was about to face.

She knew it wasn’t convenient for Li Yan to stay long in her courtyard, so she sent him off not long after having him stay for dinner.

Xiao Chun had already tidied up the shop out front, and the two of them, mistress and servant, prepared to go out for a stroll. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Lately, they had either been busy trying to make money, or it was the New Year’s festival when all the shops were closed and street vendors were scarce. Life had been rather dull.

After Ming Lingyi and Xiao Chun finished tidying up, just as they stepped out the door, they heard a CREAK from the tailor shop next door as its door was pushed open from the inside.

The elderly Granny Wang, her face full of wrinkles, leaned halfway out, casting a cold gaze at Ming Lingyi and Xiao Chun.

"Closing up shop?" Granny Wang asked.

Her tone betrayed none of the speaker’s feelings or mood.

Ming Lingyi nodded. She had no idea why Granny Wang was taking the initiative to speak to her.

"Closing up this early. I can see you aren’t sincere about running a business."

After saying this, Ming Lingyi heard a BAM, and the door in front of her was slammed shut.

"What’s her problem!" Xiao Chun stomped her foot on the spot. "We’re the ones running a business, what gives her the right to lecture us?"

Ming Lingyi just smiled, taking Xiao Chun’s hand and patting it down. "So, are we still going for that stroll or not?"

Xiao Chun: "...We are, but..."

"No ’buts.’ If you keep dawdling, the curfew will start soon, and you won’t be able to go out even if you want to."

"Fine..."

Muttering under their breaths, the mistress and servant left the front of the shop.

The main reason for Ming Lingyi’s outing this time was to find merchants and confirm ingredient supplies.

Her grand opening today had been a success. If she had to go out to buy ingredients every day in the future, with only her and Xiao Chun in the shop, they would never be able to manage.

So, Ming Lingyi went and negotiated a supply of vegetables and meat. From now on, the suppliers would just need to deliver the ingredients directly to her back kitchen every morning, allowing her and Xiao Chun to simply wait for the deliveries at the shop.

After making a large circuit, they returned to Huaided Fang. Just as Ming Lingyi and Xiao Chun entered through the back courtyard gate, they suddenly felt a cold sensation on their necks.

Xiao Chun felt it too.

In an instant, blades were pressed against the necks of both mistress and servant.

Xiao Chun instinctively tried to resist, but the moment she moved, a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck. Her vision went black, and in the next moment, she knew nothing more.

Ming Lingyi’s heart leaped in shock, but she didn’t dare let her mind go blank in that moment. The more desperate the situation, the stronger the will to survive.

"My good sirs..." The sky was too dark, and not a single lamp was lit in the courtyard. Ming Lingyi didn’t think her night vision was good enough to see who her assailants were. "The silver is in the shop out front, in the pottery jar at the end of the top shelf of the counter. You’ve all worked hard tonight. Why don’t you just take the silver and go enjoy yourselves? My maid and I will not say a word."

Ming Lingyi’s heart was pounding violently. She had no idea who these people were. If they were only after money, that would be for the best.

Especially with Xiao Chun knocked unconscious, provoking them was clearly not a wise choice.

Cheng Yi’s face was masked. The moment he received the order, he had immediately assembled a team and left the palace.

But this sort of business was, after all, somewhat undignified, so the entire group had masked their faces.

Cheng Yi snorted. He was about to ask if they really looked like common robbers when the bright moon peeked out from behind a cloud, as if curiously watching the mortal drama below.

A silvery beam of moonlight spilled down, falling on half of Ming Lingyi’s face and illuminating her lovely features, as smooth and radiant as the moon itself.

Cheng Yi, of course, also got a clear look at that face. Before, in the darkness, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now...

The words in his throat suddenly felt like a wad of cotton, stuck and unable to move up or down.

Cheng Yi was horrified. Before Ming Lingyi could sense anything was amiss, his hand moved even faster, chopping the back of her neck and knocking her unconscious.

Among those who had come out with Cheng Yi was Shi Tianyun, who had just been summoned to Taiji Palace by Liu Ye earlier that day.

Shi Tianyun had been holding Xiao Chun. For tonight’s interrogation, the plump maid was of little value. He had assumed his commander would take the eatery’s owner inside for questioning next, but he never expected that, in the blink of an eye, Cheng Yi would knock the woman out instead.

"Boss?" Shi Tianyun was stunned.

Likewise, none of the men who had come with Cheng Yi today knew what was going on.

"Fall back. We’re returning to the palace," Cheng Yi said, his face grim.

As he spoke, he carefully propped Ming Lingyi against the corner of a wall to ensure she wouldn’t fall over.

Shi Tianyun was completely baffled. "But the Emperor demanded tonight..."

"I will explain it to the Emperor myself." Cheng Yi’s mind was in utter turmoil.

’The moment I saw Ming Lingyi’s face,’ he thought, ’everything fell into chaos.’

’How could this be?’

’But then again, it didn’t seem impossible. There were clues all along.’

’How could the person who earned the Crown Prince’s complete trust in such a short time possibly be an ordinary commoner woman?’

Before leaving, Cheng Yi pointed to two men in his squad. "You two, stand guard outside this back courtyard tonight." He paused, then added, "Do not cause trouble for the people inside, and do not let anyone else cause them trouble."

With that said, Cheng Yi spurred his horse and galloped away.

He needed to report this matter to the Emperor as soon as possible.