Chapter 364 - Chapter 364: A Strange Woman
Chapter 364: A Strange Woman
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“So it’s His Highness King and Queen Cheng. This servant greets both of you.”
“Who are you?”
Seeing the woman bow, Xiao Nanye asked coldly.
Upon hearing Xiao Nanye’s voice, the woman replied softly, “I am a relative of the Mu Mansion.”
“This servant will take her leave.”
Having said this, the woman hurriedly departed. Watching her retreating figure, Jiang Peihuan frowned.
Turning to Xiao Nanye, she whispered, “If 1 remember correctly, the Mu Mansion only has the elderly prince and his heir, right?”
“Yes.”
Responding to Jiang Peihuan, Xiao Nanye nodded.
The Elder Prince Mu was the emperor’s paternal cousin. He was old and had long withdrawn from court affairs, mostly spending his time in religious pursuits. As for the heir of the Mu Mansion, was the grandson of the Elder Prince Mu. The Elder Prince had only one son who passed away due to illness years ago.
It was said that this heir had been spoiled from a young age and was quite domineering. Thinking of the woman they just met, Jiang Peihuan felt puzzled.
Was she a relative of the Elder Prince Mu or the heir?
And the white flower on her head, who was it for?
Jiang Peihuan was filled with questions, but Xiao Nanye nonchalantly said, “As long as they don’t bother us, we don’t need to worry about them.”
That made sense. Hearing his words, Jiang Peihuan nodded in agreement.
“Master, queen, the room is ready. Please rest.”
At this moment, Han Feng spoke to the couple.
Hearing Han Feng’s words, Xiao Nanye led Jiang Peihuan into the house.
Neither Xiao Nanye nor Jiang Peihuan noticed that the woman in white who had just left the courtyard hadn’t gone far. Instead, she turned back to look at the courtyard where Jiang Peihuan was. Gone was the gentleness in her eyes, replaced by pure resentment.
In these mountains, the scenery was unparalleled, but one disadvantage was the profound silence. Even the slightest noise could be heard.
In the middle of the night, Jiang Peihuan suddenly woke up.
As she opened her eyes, Xiao Nanye beside her did the same.
Looking at him, she whispered, “You heard it too?”
“Yes.”
He nodded in agreement.
Before she could say more, a scream echoed again.
“It seems to come from the right.”
“That courtyard belongs to the Mu Mansion.”
Upon hearing Xiao Nanye’s words, Jiang Peihuan immediately thought of the woman they had encountered earlier in the day.
“Master?”
At this moment, Han Feng’s voice came from outside the door.
Xiao Nanye promptly lit a candle.
Both he and Jiang Peihuan got up. When they stepped outside, Xiao Nanye directly asked Han Feng, “Have you found out what happened?”
“The doors of the neighboring courtyard are tightly shut. It’s not appropriate for us to forcibly enter.”
After all, it was the Mu Mansion. Even if Xiao Nanye held a significant position within the royal family, there was still the matter of seniority and respect.
Hearing Han Feng’s words, Xiao Nanye was silent for a moment. After some thought, he turned to Jiang Peihuan and asked, “Shall we go and see?”
“Let’s check it out.”
Without hesitation, Jiang Peihuan responded immediately.
The disturbing noises meant she couldn’t sleep anyway.
Rather than staying put, it was better to investigate.
Having made up their minds, the couple dressed and left the courtyard, heading towards the courtyard on the right.
Han Feng knocked on the door for quite some time before it was finally opened from the inside.
The door was opened by the woman they had seen during the day.
She was still dressed in the same white attire, with the white flower still on her head.
In the dark of the night, seeing such an outfit was eerie enough that even the brave Han Feng couldn’t help but feel a chill.
However, the woman in white seemed unsurprised by the arrival of Xiao Nanye and Jiang Peihuan. After offering them a bow, she softly said, “Your Highness and the Queen have come so late at night. Is there something you need?”
“Is there anyone else here besides you? Is Chang Yang here?”
Chang Yang is the name of that prince.
Jiang Peihuan clearly saw a flicker of hatred in the woman’s eyes. Although it disappeared quickly, Jiang Peihuan was certain of what she saw.
In response to Xiao Nanye’s question, the woman softly replied, “Your Highness, the prince is not here.”
No sooner had the woman spoken than a scream came from inside the house.
This was the same scream that Jiang Peihuan had heard earlier.
Hearing the scream, both Xiao Nanye and Jiang Peihuan’s expressions changed dramatically.
“Han Feng?”
Hearing Xiao Nanye’s voice, Han Feng immediately grabbed the woman.
“Let’s go inside and see.”
Upon hearing his words, Jiang Peihuan nodded in agreement.
As they entered, Jiang Peihuan couldn’t help but glance at the woman now held by Han Feng. Whether it was her imagination or not, she thought she saw a hint of a peculiar smile on the woman’s face.
Walking into the courtyard, Jiang Peihuan detected a faint fragrance.
“Xiao Nan Ye, wait…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Peihuan felt a darkness before her eyes and fainted.
She felt as though she was being held by Xiao Nanye.
When Jiang Pei Huan woke up, she found her hands and feet tied.
Not only was she bound, but Xiao Nanye and Han Feng were tied up as well. She also saw Ye Xiao lying on the ground nearby.
The sight was utterly shocking to Jiang Peihuan. The four of them, although not claiming to be unmatched experts, were certainly not people that an average person could easily subdue. And now, they were all bound here. “Queen Cheng, are you alright?”
Upon seeing Jiang Peihuan awaken, Ye Xiao quickly spoke.
Jiang Peihuan shook her head. After waiting a while, seeing no signs of Xiao Nanye and Han Feng awakening, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why haven’t the two of them woken up yet?”
“If my guess is correct,” Ye Xiao began, “this drug is the lost ‘Xin Xiang’ from the martial world. This fragrance was specifically crafted for martial artists. It has no effect on ordinary people, but for those trained in martial arts, its impact is quite profound. The higher one’s martial skill, the longer one remains unconscious.”
Upon hearing Ye Xiao’s words, surprise was evident in Jiang Peihuan’s eyes.
Approximately the time it takes to brew a pot of tea later, Han Feng and Xiao Nanye gradually awoke.
“Have you all woken up?”
As Xiao Nanye and Jiang Peihuan regained consciousness, a woman’s voice whispered close to Jiang Peihuan.
The white curtain in front of them was slowly drawn back, revealing the figure of the woman.
Yet, at that moment, Jiang Peihuan’s attention was not on the woman. Instead, her gaze was fixated on a vase beside the woman.
To be more accurate, it wasn’t really a vase, but a person.
The vase was as tall as an adult’s waist, and at its opening was the face of a man.
When the man saw Jiang Pei huan and the others, hope filled his eyes, especially when he looked at Xiao Nanye; his eyes were filled with excitement. “Imperial Uncle?”
The man inside the vase was none other than the sole grandson of Prince Wu, the heir to the Mu Mansion, Chang Yang.
As Prince Mu and the late emperor were of the same generation, by familial hierarchy, Chang Yang was indeed supposed to address Xiao Nanye as his imperial uncle..