Chapter 34 Find a Groom Through the Martial Arts Contest
Jingyue was sensitive and careful. Although she was usually quiet, she could always go straight to the heart of the matter when she talked.
This name King of Chongshan was like a switch and Concubine De’s face instantly froze. A trace of fear slipped through her eyes.
But soon, she regained her calm.
“There are so many similar things in the world. Besides, she’s just a little girl and how can she know these secret affairs? You are oversensitive.”
“Master, this girl’s step-mother is on the side of Empress and Empress definitely can find some traces!”
Empress!
Concubine De’s heart jolted. It was bad to be noticed by the Empress.
“It’s impossible!”
“Master, we must be careful about everything.” Jingyue’s words cast a shadow on Concubine De’s heart.
Her glamorous face was a little pale while panics faded it. Perhaps, all these were random guesses of her and Jingyue.
“Let’s wait and see. Ya’er is clever and I like her. I’ll think about this. ”
Lin Mengya, who was in a good mood, didn’t know that a story told by her planted a seed in the mind of Concubine De.
It was the inner house’s responsibility to buy servants.
Lin Mengya asked someone to tell the prince and he had no objections. After breakfast, Lin Mengya went out with Baizhi, Lin Zhongyu, Steward Deng and Aunt Jinyue.
The brokerage of ancient times was today’s intermediary.
They promoted the business between buyers and sellers by different means and then took some of the benefits.
The female brokerage could help the big family to buy or sell servants, wives, and concubines.
They were different from the folk human trader. The female brokerages who traded with the prince’s mansion had businessmen household registers, which were recorded in the files of government offices. So it was rare for them to traffic women.
The big family could give them high rewards, so they were also demanding. Their servants must be clever and have a good appearance. Moreover, their family background must be clean and clear.
In order to work in the prince’s mansion, they needed to first bring their household registers for the verification of the female brokerage. After that, they would be divided into different classes. This was the first barrier.
Generally, the big family would send the housekeeper to buy servants. After finding the right ones, they would verify the household registers, determine the wages, sign the contract, and then the servants could enter the mansion.
But it was rare for the master to buy servants in person, which was what Ling Mengya did.
So, Ling Mengya went to the biggest broker house of Dadu.
Because Lin Mengya wanted to keep a low profile, she only chose a little carriage with black shelter. Women and Lin Zhongyu sat inside while Steward Deng and the groom sat outside.
They only brought two guards out, who were all dressed as ordinary servants. They were the same as other common families in the crowded street.
“Steward Deng, how much longer until we arrive at the broker house?” Baizhi was the first one who became impatient. She picked up the curtain, stuck out her little head and looked at the crowded street enviously.
Last night, Miss gave her ten taels of silver and she wanted to buy something to eat.
“We are close to the place. I don’t know what happened today. Why there’re so many people on the streets? Tell the master that we’ll arrive after a quarter.” Steward Deng looked grave.
Usually, the carriage could advance in this main street of Dadu without stopping. But why it was so crowded today…
It should be a coincidence, after all, the princess made the snap decision to come out and she had no precious plan . At the moment, he told the groom to be steady and they must send her to the broker house safely.
“What’s happening? Why is it so noisy?” Lin Mengya, who was reading inside, heard the noises on the street.
She frowned. If she knew earlier that there were so many people on the street, she’d rather stay in the Qinglan Courtyard.
“Master, a warrior set up a ring and he said that he wanted to find a groom for her daughter through the martial arts contest. Since this is the last day, many people come here to watch. Master, don’t hurry, we are close to the broker house. ”
Find a groom through the martial arts contest? Lin Mengya put down her books. She had seen this scene only in the TV series.
Actually, it was the ancient blind date and they found their husbands through contests.
After thinking for a while, Lin Mengya asked the housekeeper to follow the crowd and avoid bothering others.
There were people fighting on the ring. Lin Mengya was not interested in the martial arts while Baizhi lifted up the curtain. She and Lin Zhongyu watched with interests.
“Miss, look! The swordsmen on the ring are awesome!” She couldn’t buy the snacks, but she was satisfied if she could watch the contest.
Baizhi and Lin Zhongyu were still kids. They discussed and made comments on the fights while watching.
But Lin Mengya found it baffling. The martial arts contest shouldn’t attract so many audiences.
But accidents happened suddenly.
Somehow, the crowd suddenly rushed to the side of Lin Mengya’s carriage.
The two guards who walked beside and protected them were dispersed by the crowd. Steward Deng and the groom finally managed to stop the carriage in the nearby alley.
“What happened?” Lin Mengya picked up the curtain and looked out. She frowned and asked with doubts.
“I don’t know. Master, please stay here and I’ll find out what happened. Take care of the princess.” Steward Deng looked grave and disappeared into the crowds instantly.
The groom took responsibility and firmly defend the door of the carriage.
Lin Mengya sat back and felt more strange after thinking about it.
“No matter what happened, you need to follow me closely, OK?” If they just came here to look on, what did they gather around her carriage?
What happened outside?
After a while, someone shouted outside of the carriage.
“The girl who got married by cheating is hiding in the carriage! I find her! She’s here!” The voice was a little hoarse and it should be a man.
Lin Mengya picked up the curtain of the window and found that the crowds walked toward her carriage once again.
These people were filled with indignation and were headed by more than a dozen strong men with swords and sticks. These men looked fierce and evil and they must be bad guys.
“How dare they! This carriage belongs to the prince’s mansion. Do they dare to rob it?” Even Aunt Jinyue, who had weathered many storms, had never had this experience. She raised her eyebrows in anger and was going to stop them.
But Lin Mengya stopped her. This group of people was strange!
“Hurry up, let’s get off the carriage!” She pushed the other three people out of the carriage without thinking twice.
The groom did not care about the good horse anymore. He only took a whip, guarded in front of them and hid in the depth of the alley.
In an instant, a dozen of those people with swords and sticks arrived in front of the carriage. They smashed the carriage without saying anything.
A good carriage became the debris in a flash.
Baizhi, Jinyue and Lin Zhongyu were shocked.
If Lin Mengya didn’t push them out of the carriage in time, they would be as miserable as the carriage.
Lin Mengya frowned in deep thought and wondered why this group of people wanted to destroy her carriage?
Besides, she also heard the shouts of a man earlier…
“She is not here and must have run. Brothers, Master said that we must seize her no matter she’s dead or alive!”
The strong men smashed the carriage but not found the girl, so they headed back the way they came.
The onlookers took the carriage’s debris and even the good horse was taken away by someone in chaos. After a while, the alley became quiet once again.
“You can come out, they should be far away.” Lin Mengya walked out of the alley and found that the group of people who had smashed their carriage disappeared.
She made a snap decision to leave home but this thing was very strange.
“Find Steward Deng and tell him I’ll wait for him at the broker house.” The groom of Prince Yu’s Mansion also knew little martial arts. Lin Mengya was afraid that Steward Deng was mixed in the crowds and didn’t see them hiding in the alley.
So she sent the groom to tell him.
The black and sturdy groom nodded, ran out of the alley to find Steward Deng.
“Master, I think it’s not appropriate to go to the broker’s house now. The street is too messy and we’d better stay in the alley,” Looking at the crowd outside the alley, Jinyue was scared and said.
But Lin Mengya shook her head. It was obvious that the other side was prepared. At the time, they could not sneak out in the crowd.
She might be their target and if they continued to stay here, they would be seized by these people more easily.
“Let’s go to the broker’s house!” Lin Mengya made the decision. At least, there were officers and governor around the broker’s house.
The street was in chaos. It was bustling before and became a mess now.
Lin Mengya stopped a person and asked him several questions briefly.
It turned out that the heroine of this martial arts contest was a beautiful girl.
But a bully in Dadu fancied her. The bully spent money and found many hooligans and gangsters. They took turns in fighting the girl and his father to tire them out.
Although they won the contest by dishonorable means, everyone knew that the bully won while the girl kicked him and ran away.
And a dozen of those strong men were the hired thugs of the bully.
No wonder the crowd suddenly moved and she sat inside the carriage and did not see anyone passing by.
The seemingly meaningless shouting had a sinister purpose.
“Sister, watch out!”
“Miss, watch out!”
Lin Mengya was pushed down by a strong force when she was in trance. And then she fell on the ground hard.
“Ah…”
“Childe Yu!”
Lin Zhongyu’s miserable cry came behind her. Lin Mengya immediately rolled over and found that a dozen hot charcoals were burning on his back.
The striking red flames made his skin and clothes burn and she could smell that.
Lin Mengya quickly looked around but did not find any clues.
“Sister… Are you alright?” Lin Zhongyu bit his lip, his face was pale, and sweat stood in beads on his forehead.
“Come here and help me! Take off the charcoal from Xiaoyu’s body!”
