Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Shui Qian laughed dryly. “Young lady, you certainly know how to joke.”

Stopping Shengsheng Zhou, he said, “I need to report something. The unscrupulous merchants selling secondhand jewelry have been arrested, but their steward refuses to admit reselling goods.”

Shengsheng halted and suddenly remembered the hairpin engraved with “Huangfu Xiong’s Girlfriend Outside the Circle.”

And of all brands, it had to be Dafu Zhou.

But she had not reported them. Had it been Cuiguo’s idea?

After lamenting inwardly, inspiration suddenly struck Shengsheng. “What is that steward’s name?”

Shui Qian thought. “Something like San Zhang.”

Shengsheng’s eyes lit up!

I choose you, Eunuch Zhang!

Following Shui Qian outside, Shengsheng asked A-Pang about the situation.

*So the dark-skinned hottie caused everything that happened to me?*

A-Pang nodded firmly. *Fusheng Duan, the villain, personally went to settle accounts with him, so success is almost guaranteed. Besides, before you became ill, only the dark-skinned man had touched you. After reaching Dazhang City, you never drank the water there.*

Shengsheng narrowed her eyes. Very good, dark-skinned hottie. So you were the culprit behind this beauty’s social death.

Just wait until I get my hands on you.

*Shengsheng, are you going to rescue San Zhang? Isn’t settling accounts with the dark-skinned man more urgent?*

Taking advantage of Shui Qian walking ahead, Shengsheng pinched two fingers together. *Your perspective is too narrow. Am I going to rescue Eunuch Zhang? I’m rescuing my transportation.*

A-Pang: *??*

Settling accounts was important, but more important was learning where Fusheng had gone to find the man and figuring out how to leave the city.

Search a Thousand Miles absolutely could not be used inside the city. She had suffered enough social death and refused to attract more attention!

Though the merchants came from the capital, they received no special treatment here. On the contrary, precisely because they came from the capital, any mistake brought harsher punishment.

Steward San Zhang and all his men were imprisoned together. At that moment, he glared furiously at the greasy, fat man beside him.

“How could you do this? Do you know how badly this will damage Dafu Zhou’s reputation?!”

San Zhang had steadfastly insisted they never resold secondhand merchandise, only for this man to strike him over the head with the truth. He had bought used jewelry cheaply and resold it at full price. Worse, engraved pieces had slipped through without inspection.

Idiot!

The fat man clearly had not expected to fail here.

“This is a remote backwater abandoned by the court. Giving them good merchandise would be a waste. Who could have guessed…” He tried to defend himself.

San Zhang nearly laughed from anger.

A remote backwater?

As a former bandit, the moment he stepped through the city gates, he had nearly drooled. The common people might not flaunt gold and jewels like capital residents, but most wore rare silks. Even their understated jewelry had first-rate craftsmanship and color.

One could imagine how prosperous the people were.

And he called this a backwater?

Just as San Zhang considered escaping alone and leaving the idiot to suffer the consequences, his sharp ears caught footsteps.

One belonged clearly to a trained fighter; the other sounded like a woman.

San Zhang instantly fell silent.

“Which one is the steward?!”

San Zhang looked at the tall armored man outside the cell and the woman behind him, of whom only a corner of clothing was visible, then stood.

“I am.”
He approached, and a guard selected a key from a long ring and opened the door.

Dragging his handcuffs and shackles, San Zhang walked out and was taken to another quiet room.

“Young lady, are you certain you want to speak with him alone? Call me if anything happens. I’ll wait outside.”

Shui Qian looked worriedly at the slender young woman.

This was no joke. If the City Lord’s honored guest suffered harm here, Shui Qian could forget keeping his head.

After Shui Qian closed the door, Shengsheng Zhou sat opposite San Zhang, pointed politely at the chair across from her, and said, “Sit.”

Only then did San Zhang allow his surprise to show.

Shengsheng’s face was simply too familiar. He had restrained himself while the armored man was present, but now that the man was gone, he could no longer conceal his true reaction.

“You are…”

San Zhang murmured while staring at the vivid red mole beneath Shengsheng’s left cheek.

His chief reborn! She looked exactly like a grown-up version of their chief…

Naturally, Shengsheng had no intention of exposing her secret identity. She merely smiled inscrutably. “I’m Dafu Zhou’s elder sister.”

Realization instantly dawned on San Zhang, only for confusion to return. “Even your moles are in the same place?”

Shengsheng nodded. “Of course. We sisters are twins.”

Five-year-old and seventeen-year-old twin sisters. What was strange about that?

Though something felt wrong, San Zhang still let her lead him by the nose and nodded.

Without further nonsense, Shengsheng stated her purpose.

San Zhang asked in surprise, “You want to redeem me?”

Shengsheng nodded. “But more importantly, you must take me out of the city, quickly.”

After a moment’s thought, San Zhang agreed. Taking one person outside was easy.

Before leaving, Shengsheng glanced back and smiled faintly. “Having me is your good fortune.”

Several hours later, after successfully taking Shengsheng out only to be arrested again when she disappeared, San Zhang: “…”

Having you is my good fortune?

Let us rewind the timeline.

After telling Shui Qian it was all a misunderstanding and having San Zhang released, Shengsheng went to find the man she had mistaken for a minor underling, but who was actually the true City Lord–Li Su.

“You’ve awakened?” Looking at the perfectly healthy Shengsheng, Li Su was surprised.

Then he turned reproachfully toward Cuiguo. “Why didn’t you immediately report something as important as her awakening?”

Cuiguo dropped to her knees with a bang. “City Lord, forgive this servant.”

Shengsheng asked him to calm down. Fusheng Duan had forbidden anyone to approach, so Cuiguo naturally had not discovered it promptly. She was not to blame.

“City Lord, may I ask where my lord went?” Shengsheng chose that form of address.

How strange. Li Su was the City Lord of Heping City, countless miles from the Zhu Kingdom. How could he know the Noble Consort? The Empress Dowager could not possibly have warned him in advance so quickly, yet everything he did suggested he knew Fusheng.

Li Su stated clearly that he did not know either.

Imitating Cuiguo, Shengsheng dropped to her knees with a bang. The pain in her knees produced two streams of tears without any pinching.

Li Su paled and hurriedly dodged her bow. “Young lady, what is the meaning of this?”

Shengsheng raised a deathly pale face, her lips trembling. “I fear my life will soon end… Before I die, I wish to see him once more.”