The Princess Smells So Good (GL) - Chapter 60

The campfire continued to burn fiercely, while the ten soldiers of Team Three were scattered around the area, standing guard. In the distance, there was a loud commotion. A group of people, young and old, men and women, were all bound with grass ropes, their hands tied behind their backs. They hung their heads, their faces ashen, many of them injured. A few rebellious individuals were dragged out and given a thorough beating.

The once high-pitched curses gradually weakened, turning into whimpers.

Zhu Tao turned to glance at Fa Yilian. She sat by the campfire, her hands holding ten cups of hot water. Bandages wrapped around her body, giving off a strong medicinal smell. Her head was lowered, and her red hair spilled down her back. In the light of the fire, it was hard to tell if the red glow was from the flames or her hair, making her seem as though she were about to burn herself.

“Raksasa ghost…” Zhu Tao muttered softly, his voice so low that almost no one could hear him.

But A Zong suddenly turned her head, glaring at Zhu Tao with anger in her eyes.

Zhu Tao, seeing her expression, instinctively shrank back a little, but quickly straightened up and gave her a cold grunt. His fear of A Zong was nowhere near as much as his fear of Fa Yilian. Even though A Zong could easily beat him ten times over, Zhu Tao had grown accustomed to A Zong’s submissiveness and how easily she could be bullied. So, even though he knew A Zong wasn’t the same as the A Zong from Songhe Gate, he still wasn’t afraid of her.

“Everyone, this really is a misunderstanding,” Song Qing said gently.

Fa Yilian slightly raised her head, her hair falling over her face. The light from the fire flickered in her eyes, making it seem like she was the embodiment of flames. A person like her, with her skin color, would hardly be treated kindly in Da Zhou. Darker skin was a symbol of labor, and people in Da Zhou admired lighter skin. Song Qing had heard that in the distant imperial capital, noble children would even apply certain powders to make their faces appear whiter.

Although Song Qing had the appearance of a graceful young noble, at his core, he was still a man of the martial world, who valued strength and bravery. He didn’t like the behavior of the aristocrats in the imperial capital, but he also disliked Fa Yilian’s appearance, as it seemed like she was marked with suffering since birth.

However, he didn’t expect that Fa Yilian was truly connected to the imperial family. Upon seeing the soldiers treat her with respect, Song Qing’s attitude changed, becoming more humble and polite. He couldn’t help but wonder about the person behind Fa Yilian—who was that Lady Lin?

Was she just a high-ranking official from the Imperial Court, or was she someone even more powerful?

Wang Weiren said nothing. He had just finished ten battles, which were not easy. His opponents had the advantage of the terrain and had hidden a lot of firearms. Those weapons had almost made Wang Weiren’s forehead bulge with veins. He was sitting here with patience, all for the sake of Fa Yilian’s face. After all, the logistics officer was waiting for him to make a decision, and he had to figure out how to explain things to the princess.

“Misunderstanding? You say you were sent by the merchant guild in the city, but let me ask you, how did you know about these pirates’ hideouts? No one knew about it before.” Wang Weiren, a man of action, was blunt and couldn’t stand Song Qing’s noble attitude. His tone was rough and carried a threat of “if you don’t explain yourself, I might just take action.”

Song Qing shook his head and took out a document from his chest. “This is the merchant guild’s letter of authorization. Please have a look, sir.” He noticed Wang Weiren took it with a grunt, his expression softening. He continued, “We didn’t know this was the pirates’ lair, but during our investigation, we heard that there was something strange going on here. We even mistook these two brave people for pirates.”

Having said that, he stood up and bowed respectfully to Fa Yilian and A Zong, his voice sincere: “This is our mistake at Songhe Gate, please don’t hold it against us.”

“Ha, what a show,” Judith sneered from the side.

“What are you saying, outsider?” Zhu Tao retorted loudly. “Fa Yilian is one thing, but A Zong is an escaped slave from our Songhe Gate. That’s a fact. My senior brother speaks politely, and yet you show such an attitude?”

As soon as these words fell, A Zong felt several gazes land on her. She twisted her fingers together and shook her head. “I’m not a slave anymore.”

“Not a slave? Then show us your collar. The tattoo of Songhe Gate is still on you, right?” Zhu Tao immediately mocked, pointing at A Zong and looking at Wang Weiren. “If this is a misunderstanding, we admit it. But her words have no proof. She has a tattoo, so she must be an escaped slave, right?”

A Zong quickly covered her neck, trying to step back. But a shadow flashed before her, and when she looked up, she only saw ten lean figures and red hair. Judith stood with her arms crossed, eyeing the scene coldly. “Just because she was a slave doesn’t mean she can’t be free now. She used to be a slave, but now she’s a free person.”

Zhu Tao jumped up and yelled, “Impossible! She has money, she…” He glanced at Wang Weiren, who was silently observing, and swallowed the words he was about to say. Seeing that Song Qing didn’t stop him, he knew it was his senior brother’s tacit approval. The waters here were meant to be stirred, and they couldn’t let Songhe Gate bear all the blame. He needed to drag some people down with them. He pointed at A Zong and then shifted to Fa Yilian, arrogantly saying, “A Zong is an escaped slave, and Fa Yilian, you know she’s one, yet you condone her. Don’t tell me you have other intentions.”

Zhu Tao’s words were casual, but Wang Weiren’s heart skipped a beat.

Fa Yilian’s identity was that of a slave to the princess, a gift from the late emperor. No matter how he looked at it, Wang Weiren had to be cautious and deliberate. If it was true, as that rude man said, that Fa Yilian had other intentions…

The thought barely crossed his mind when Fa Yilian lifted her gaze and met Wang Weiren’s eyes.

Wang Weiren’s heart skipped a beat, cursing himself inwardly for being so foolish earlier.

Not to mention that Fa Yilian didn’t have any ulterior motives, even if she did, what would that change? The princess had sent her here and had made him follow her orders, which was enough to show how much importance she placed on Fa Yilian. Just this alone was enough for Wang Weiren to swallow all his doubts and say nothing.

With this in mind, Wang Weiren straightened his face and said nothing.

Judith gave a cold laugh. “Words alone don’t prove anything, but I have real proof here.” She turned to A Zong. “Hey, haven’t you shown me your credentials yet? I know you’ve got them.”

A Zong quickly nodded, as if just realizing, and hurriedly pulled out the credentials from her chest. She glanced at Judith, who didn’t look at her but instead fixed her gaze on Zhu Tao. Her hand rested casually on the hilt of her sword, assuming a defensive posture, as if ready to protect A Zong at any moment.

A warm feeling spread through A Zong’s heart.

This made the anxiety and fear she had hidden from the past feel much lighter.

A Zong calmed herself, looked at Zhu Tao, unsure of whom to face.

Fa Yilian then looked up and said to Wang Weiren, “Sir, this was urgently ordered by my master, and it is for you to verify.”

A Zong, now alert, quickly handed the credentials to Wang Weiren.

The mention of her master immediately reassured Wang Weiren. Even if Fa Yilian was abusing her position, the fact that she mentioned the princess meant he had to take it seriously. Whether the credentials were genuine or not, Wang Weiren knew he had no choice but to acknowledge them. After all, the document in his hands was real.

Zhu Tao tiptoed to get a better view, but seeing Wang Weiren say nothing, he became restless. However, Song Qing stopped him, shaking his head, as if to say he didn’t need to worry anymore.

“This is real. This lady is now a free person,” Wang Weiren said. He handed the credentials back and turned to the men of Songhe Gate. “As for you… You broke in without permission, so you can’t claim you have no responsibility.”

He glanced subtly at Fa Yilian, but she didn’t return his gaze, quietly drinking her water. Wang Weiren knew that to satisfy these martial artists, he would have to give them a warning. He cleared his throat and spoke with authority, “Since you say you were sent by the merchant guild and have proof, when we return, we’ll conduct an interrogation and see where this supposed ‘misinformation’ came from.”

“Interrogation? Does that mean you’re treating us like criminals?” Zhu Tao tried to roll up his sleeves in protest, but Song Qing held him back.

He stared at Wang Weiren for a moment, then turned to Fa Yilian, speaking gently, “Fa Yilian, we did not recognize the situation, and we offended you all. This was a mistake on our part. Songhe Gate has always acted with integrity, and we’ve helped eliminate bandits in other cities before. This information was mistaken; perhaps we misunderstood, but we can’t be sure. When you and your master visited our gate, there was no lack of courtesy. My junior sister is also quite favored by your master. If she knew about this, she would be heartbroken.”

Song Qing now understood. Wang Weiren was looking at Fa Yilian’s face, and Fa Yilian was nothing more than a slave. But Lady Lin behind her was clearly someone more significant. Whether she was wealthy or powerful, Song Qing didn’t want to inquire further. He didn’t even mention A Zong but instead boasted about his connections with Wei Zhao, claiming their strong bond.

Sure enough, Wang Weiren’s expression shifted as he glanced at Song Qing and then at Fa Yilian.

Fa Yilian, however, smiled. “What you say makes sense.” She spread her hands. “But what does it have to do with me? How you handle them is up to you, sir. Are you planning to let them go now?”

Wang Weiren’s face stiffened, knowing he had just been cornered.

Fa Yilian then smiled again. “My master gave you the token from Duobao Pavilion. They regard you as friends, so don’t worry about it.”

Wang Weiren immediately understood—Wei Zhao had used an alias, and Song Qing and his group didn’t know his true identity. They were simply bluffing based on their past relationship. With this realization, Wang Weiren’s face darkened, and he waved his hand. “Tie them up and take them back to the city for further questioning!”