"Thank you,楼主, for sparing my life. We will certainly obey your commands from now on."
"楼主."
Duanmu called out. He hadn't expected 楼主 to assign him another location. It seemed his future tasks would be even heavier, but he was also happy. This signified the growing influence of the Seven Stars Tower.
Moreover, 楼主 trusted them greatly, giving them opportunities to utilize their skills. Liu Liu glanced at Duanmu's pearly white teeth and spoke calmly.
"From now on, you are not allowed to descend the mountain to rob. However, you can erect markers on the roads below. Any merchants passing through the Green Mountain territory can be escorted out. A ten percent profit from the goods will be collected. Since there are too many fierce beasts here, I believe no one will object."
"Thank you for the arrangements, 楼主," Duanmu and the other bandits replied loudly.
The sky was gradually turning white. Liu Liu glanced at Green Mountain, now veiled in a layer of white light. Turning back, she instructed Chu Feng, "You lead the men back. Dai Mei will accompany me down the mountain. I have some business to attend to. You all go about your own matters."
"Yes, 楼主."
The three subordinates responded in unison. Duanmu ordered the bandits to open the mountain gates and escort 楼主 and the others down. At the foot of the mountain, Liu Liu and Dai Mei parted ways with Chu Feng and his men. The bandits led out two horses that had been kept at the foot of the mountain and handed them to Liu Liu and Dai Mei.
The two mounted their horses and, with the faint light, pulled the reins and sped towards the capital.
After several days of non-stop travel, they soon arrived at the capital. The streets were bustling with people, and many were gathered together, discussing something animatedly. Liu Liu and Dai Mei exchanged a look and didn't pay much attention. They turned and found a tasteful restaurant.
It wasn't one that attracted attention, but it was quiet and clean inside, with few customers. Downstairs, only a handful of patrons were dining.
The shopkeeper behind the counter looked up, his mouth agape for a long time, unable to close. The young gentleman and lady before him were truly handsome. The lady was charming. To have someone so distinguished patronize their humble establishment made him incredibly excited, leaving him speechless for a while.
Dai Mei walked over, tapped the counter, and said charmingly, "Shopkeeper, please find someone to feed Wumei's horse in the back and then get us a private room."
The shopkeeper snapped back to reality and quickly nodded, "Alright, esteemed guest, please wait a moment." He then called out inside, "Xiao Er, come and escort the guests to a private room upstairs, and then take the horse to the back."
The small shop was short-handed. Attending to guests and handling miscellaneous tasks like feeding the horses were all done by the waiter. Upon hearing the shopkeeper's call, the waiter quickly came over and led Liu Liu and the others to the second floor.
The shopkeeper was still standing behind the counter, staring blankly at the two handsome figures. They had only requested one room, implying they were a young couple. They were truly a well-matched pair.
The waiter led Liu Liu and the others into a private room facing the street. Just as he was about to withdraw, Liu Liu remembered the discussions on the street and casually asked the waiter, "There's a lot of discussion on the street, what are they all talking about?"
"Oh, you must not be from the capital! I heard that ten days ago, assassins infiltrated the palace to assassinate the Emperor but were caught. They are to be executed tomorrow."
"What?" Liu Liu exclaimed, her body leaning forward urgently. She reached out and tightly gripped the waiter's collar, "You said people entered the palace to assassinate the Emperor, how many people were there?"
The waiter was startled by Liu Liu's agitated demeanor. Without answering, he reached out to pull away Liu Liu's hand, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.
How could this handsome young gentleman be so overbearing? Dai Mei, seeing her master becoming anxious, knew something must have happened. She quickly walked over to the waiter and said softly and charmingly, "Brother Xiao Er, please tell us, how many assassins infiltrated the palace to assassinate the Emperor?"
Upon hearing Dai Mei's soft and melodious voice, the waiter's heart melted. He smiled and said, "I heard there were many, perhaps a dozen or two dozen. Anyway, they were all caught."
Liu Liu's hand loosened, releasing the waiter. Her face turned pale, and her body swayed. This caused the waiter to become suspicious. She quickly smiled and told the waiter she was tired and wanted to rest for a while.
The waiter, seeing Dai Mei speaking to him so closely, blushed and nodded before leaving. The more he thought about it, the more comfortable he felt in his heart. Such a beautiful woman, he would never be able to marry such a woman in his lifetime.
"楼主, what happened?" As soon as Dai Mei saw that there was no one else in the room, she quickly asked Liu Liu. Liu Liu looked up, her eyes filled with gloom, her expression cold. She spoke in a deep voice.
"My aunt must have had an accident? I explicitly told them not to enter the palace, but they insisted on going. Moreover, why were these assassins being dealt with so publicly in the palace? This indicates that Feng Xie has already guessed that I left the palace on my own. He discovered that the assassins were my master, and thus he used my master to draw me out."
As soon as Liu Liu finished speaking, Dai Mei's expression also turned grim. She hadn't expected the Emperor to be so despicable as to devise such a malicious plan. If that was the case, how could 楼主 show herself? She absolutely must not appear again, wouldn't that be walking into a trap?
"楼主, should we show ourselves? Isn't this walking into a trap?"
"If I don't show myself, he will definitely kill my aunt, and how can I face her then? So, no matter what, I will show myself. Don't worry."
Liu Liu's expression was resolute. Even if tomorrow meant a dead end, she had to try. She had to forge a path through blood.
Dai Mei heard Liu Liu mention her aunt twice. She hadn't paid much attention before, but this time she asked curiously, "楼主 mentioned having an aunt?"
"Oh, that Master Minghui is actually my paternal aunt. I am not from the Liu family," Liu Liu explained faintly. She didn't want to say too much about other matters; those things didn't interest her, except for one: finding her twin brother, Su Liufeng. In the future, she would have one more close relative by blood.
"Hmm, if that's the case, then Master Minghui entered the palace to assassinate the Emperor." Dai Mei analyzed the situation from front to back and could vaguely guess which family of the former dynasty 楼主 belonged to. Otherwise, why would Minghui desperately want to kill the Emperor? Since 楼主 was unwilling to speak, she wouldn't dare to ask too much.
"Yes, I will go rescue them tomorrow. You don't act for now. If they really have an ambush, you escape amidst the chaos and go to Xiaoyao Island," Liu Liu commanded with a stern face. Dai Mei readily shook her head, resolutely disagreeing. Liu Liu's face grew cold.
"This is an order. Feng Xie wants me to return to the palace, and he might not make things difficult for me. He only needs me to show myself. So, I will be fine. After I finish dealing with matters here, I will return to Xiaoyao Island."
Seeing that 楼主 was angry, Dai Mei naturally didn't dare to say anything further and remained silent. The room fell into silence. The wind blew in through the window, cool and refreshing.
The next day, the entire capital was in an uproar. The streets were packed with crowds, forming an impenetrable barrier. Liu Liu drew a red birthmark on her handsome face. This was in case she failed, so that Feng Xie wouldn't be able to discern any flaws. She drew the red birthmark and then covered her face with a thin veil.
She stepped out of the inn with Dai Mei. The shopkeeper saw a young gentleman with his face covered by a veil and couldn't help but find it strange. However, when traveling, there were all sorts of people, and all kinds of guests.
There was no need for him to make a fuss. Liu Liu, preoccupied with whether the assassin was her aunt, hadn't even had breakfast. She stepped out of the inn with Dai Mei.