Chapter 387: Chapter 383: Met Again _1
The innkeeper, upon hearing these words and having a closer look outside to the see dozens of war horses radiating a chilling air of ruthlessness, knew that these were not people to mess with. So, he hurriedly got out of bed.
He muttered curses under his breath, quickly got dressed, and went to open the door.
No sooner had he unlocked the door than it was kicked open from outside.
“Ouch!” The innkeeper was sent sprawling backward. He didn’t dare to plain. He quickly got up and retreated to the side.
Two guards strode in, incendiary torch in hand. They looked around, their eyes cold, demanding, “Make space for us. We need some rooms!”
The innkeeper lamented helplessly, “The…all the guests are sleeping. There really is no room available…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a whip struck his face.
...
The guard’s face twisted sinisterly, “I don’t give a damn whether it’s full or not. Get people out. Our lord is staying here!”
The innkeeper thought about the graduate and the scholar who had arrived at his inn today and didn’t dare to evict them. He burst into tears, wailing, “I’m just a mon man. How dare I evict people so casually? Please, have mercy…”
His cry not only woke up all the guests in the inn but also startled his wife.
Although the innkeeper’s wife was afraid of the guards as well, seeing her husband get beaten infuriated her. Sobbing, she lunged over, pulling her husband away and scolded the attacker, “Where did this wild dog e from?! How dare you randomly attack people?! Let me see where you got him!”
A weal had risen high on the innkeeper’s face, looking frightening indeed.
At this, the wife began shouting even more fiercely.
The guard tried to whip them again, but someone stopped him.
A man in a black cloak, wearing a hat against the wind, walked in slowly.
Three or four women followed behind him, with one of them leading a young child.
“We are just here to stay for a night, and we are certainly going to pay. Is there a need for such violence?” The man threw a money pouch to the innkeeper. “Here’s fifty taels, I’ll book out the whole inn. Everyone else, get out!”
Although tempted by the silver, the innkeeper now found himself in a dilemma.
He really wanted to take the money, but only if he would live long enough to spend it.
“Oh! Xiao Chengjun, I see you’ve bee bolder over the years.” Wei Zhan, awakened by the motion, walked out from one of the rooms, instantly recognizing Xiao Chengjun in his black cloak. He frowned.
Seeing Wei Zhan, Xiao Chengjun was a bit startled, then he suddenly smiled, “So it’s my cousin, what a coincidence.”
Wei Zhan was confused.
This was within the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, wasn’t it? How dare a member of the Xiao family e here flaunting his presence?
“What are you doing here?” asked Wei Zhan.
“My father is ill, I’m looking for a doctor,” responded Xiao Chengjun.
He walked into the room where Wei Zhan was staying and looked around. On seeing Wen Hengyin and Jiang Sanlang, he smiled slightly. “What a coincidence to meet two acquaintances today.”
Jiang Sanlang didn’t know Xiao Chengjun very well. However, noticing some resemblance between this man and Xiao Mo, and having heard Wei Zhan refer to him as Xiao Chengjun, he became extremely cautious, shifting his two nephews to shield them from view.
Wei Zhan replied bluntly, “This inn is already full. We have over ten people in one room. There is really no room for your twenty or so men.”
He glanced at the women with veiled hats behind Xiao Chengjun, “Moreover, you have women with you as well. It is truly inconvenient to squeeze together.”
Without uttering a word, Xiao Chengjun allowed his guards to barge into the room next door, driving out everyone with their waist swords.
The room next door was occupied by seven or eight people who were all driven out by the guards.
Among them were traveling merchants, ordinary people, and two scholars who were pulled from their beds perpetually bewildered.
Following this, the guards went on to kick down the doors of solitary guest rooms. When one of them tried to kick down the door to Yingbao’s room, Jiang Sanlang pushed him away, “This is our room!”
The guard was about to flare up, when Wei Zhan and others rushed over to push him back, shouting, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Xiao Chengjun waved at the guard, saying, “You should have said so earlier; my subordinates wouldn’t know.”
A woman behind him suddenly lifted her veil and bowed to Jiang Sanlang, “Uncle Jiang, long time no see, how have you been?”
Jiang Sanlang instantly recognized her; this woman was Chen Tiantian, Han Yueniang’s daughter.
The woman next to her was very likely Han Yueniang herself.
Jiang Sanlang narrowed his eyes, blocking the door more tightly.
This woman’s family harbored grudges against his own family, almost equivalent to deadly blood feud; encountering them now could only spell trouble.
Chen Tiantian glanced behind Jiang Sanlang, saying, “Is Yingbao also here? What a coincidence, Mr. Xiao was just about to ask her to help diagnose a patient.”
Xiao Chengjun looked up but did not deny it.
Jiang Sanlang wished he could tear this woman’s mouth, he coldly retorted, “She’s just a child, what diagnoses can she make?”
“Uncle Jiang, why do you sell yourself short? Why not call Yingbao out for a chat? My sister and I have not had a good chat for a long time, and my mother is also eager to know the situation of Aunt Jiang’s family.” Chen Tiantian said, chuckling.
Jiang Cheng and Yuanbao came forward one step, saying, “Sorry, our cousin has already gone to bed and will not be seeing guests.”
Chen Tiantian continued, “We’ve been so loud outside all this time, could it be that Yingbao didn’t hear us?”
Wei Zhan looked at Chen Tiantian obliquely, his face showing clear displeasure. “Can’t you understand what people are saying? What time is it? Are you a princess who wants people to talk to you in the middle of the night?”
A shadow of malice flickered in Chen Tiantian’s eyes. She turned to Xiao Chengjun and said, “Mr. Xiao, I admit, I was a bit too anxious. I had hoped to talk with Yingbao, so she could prepare some medicine for Uncle Xiao sooner… After all, Uncle Xiao’s condition is critical and cannot be delayed.”
Han Yueniang lifted a corner of her veil and added, “My daughter meant well, I did not expect the Jiang Family to be so arrogant as to ignore Mr. Xiao.”
“From where did these wild dogs e?” Wei Zhan looked coldly at the two veiled women. “They have even learned to sow dissent now, haven’t they?”
Han Yueniang:…
Xiao Chengjun furrowed his brow and motioned his maid to lead the two women of the Han family into a guest room.
The guests who had been chased out of their rooms saw the many guards with swords. They dared to rage but not voice it. They could only let the shopkeeper fetch some straw and bedding for them to sleep in the main hall.
The innkeeper didn’t hesitate, he quickly went out to borrow some bedding from the neighboring shroud shop for the guests.
Seeing their third uncle guarding their little cousin’s door, Jiang Cheng and Yuanbao said, “Third Uncle, you should go back and rest. Those people have already gone to their rooms. We can take turns keeping watch here.”
Wei Zhan and Wen Hengyin also said, “Uncle Jiang, please go to sleep. We have many people here, they dared not do anything.”
Only then did Jiang Sanlang return to their lodging to rest.
Before dawn the next day, Jiang Sanlang gently knocked on Yingbao’s door.
Yingbao had already e out of her room, and quickly opened the door to let her father in, “Father, what is it?”
Jiang Sanlang informed her about Chen Tiantian and Xiao Chengjun being at the inn, “They even mentioned asking you to diagnose someone from their family. Baobao, be careful, these people mean you no good.”
Yingbao nodded, “I know, father, do not worry, I will manage it.”
If all else failed, she could give them some of the Powder for Anesthesia to eat.
She wanted to see for herself if the protagonists in storybooks really could turn bad luck into good fortune and transform disaster into blessings.
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