Chapter 391 - Finding Fault on Purpose
Chapter 391 Finding Fault on Purpose
However, after she removed the accessories and changed out of the silk outfit, she transformed into a handsome young man in a man’s simple outfit.
If one were to take away her feminine demeanor, she did look very much like Lin Nansheng.
“That’s right, you reminded me.”
Back when her brother was in the army, she had never crossed her mind to disguise herself as her brother.
Her status as Princess Yu might have brought her much convenience, but most time, it gave her more restrictions than privileges.
Moreover, if she disguised herself as her brother, he would not blame her even if he were to find out in the future.
Her mood turned from being relaxed to miserable once again.
The most crucial thing was how she was going to go through this safely.
Deeply troubled, Lin Mengya tossed and turned throughout the night. How could she sleep without worrying?
Similarly, Baishao, who was being scared out of the living daylight earlier, was unable to fall asleep, so the two leaned on each other on the bed and spent the entire night whispering to each other.
Finally, they were beginning to feel sleepy at the break of dawn, and the post station had started to become busy and noisy.
They were quite far from the next nearest town. In order for them to reach that town before the sunset, they needed to hurry along.
Zhao Fei had entered the house calling out to them. Lin Mengya and Baishao, who had been woken up were looking listless, but they put on their clothes and went to the hall nevertheless.
On the black table were laid out a few simple dishes.
There were some porridge and steamed buns, which Lin Mengya did not mind having, so she sat down and started eating. However, someone from the next table began raising his voice in complaints.
“Damn! I’ve been through so many hardships traveling along the north-south route, sometimes even risking my life. The whole point was for me to enjoy wine and meat! How dare you serve me food served to pigs! I see that the station master must be blind!”
Lin Mengya continued eating as she stole a glance sideways.
She vaguely remembered that the man seemed to be the Crow’s man. Lin Mengya perked up her ears in vigilance, caught Baishao, who was about to turn to look at the man, and whispered, “Eat your food, so we can embark on our journey after we are done eating.”
The station master was a government official of the lowest rank in the court and there was nothing much he could sponge off in his position.
Every month, he had to report and hand in the profits from his sale of supplies. The station-master had come here for the sole purpose of having a stable job and a constant stream of income.
Surely, to be able to qualify for this job, he had to be someone of good character and conduct. In other words, the station-master had to be someone of an honest reputation in their hometown.
The groups of businessmen traveling were usually very respectful towards the station-master. For example, Master Guo would always bring the produce of their hometown to offer to the station-master as gifts.
Although there were certainly some who tried to find fault with the station-master, who knew for a fact that there was only the family of the station-master living at the post station, which was not guarded by any soldiers. It all boiled down the thoughts of men, whether he chose to do evil or to be kind to the station-master.
“Brother, I’m afraid this homely fare is all we can offer at the post station. Please accept my apologies and bear with our inadequacy.”
The station-master here was an experienced man who surely knew how to handle all kinds of situations.
This was after all the first post station after leaving the Capital City, so the station-master was no doubt a more tactful person. He was still wearing a smile as he walked up to the man who was trying to make trouble.
“Really? I suppose a debased person like you are just trying to fob me off!”
As he spoke, the man burst out laughing unscrupulously.
The statement was a great humiliation to the station-master and his face changed immediately. However, he still tried to keep his composure lest they get into a conflict.
“Brother, this is a post station, not an inn. If you want to have wine and meat, I would suggest you go to the towns where they serve good wind and meat.”
The man cast a chilling look at the station-master, then sat back down while he continued cursing.
Strangely, the brewing storm simply calmed down.
Lin Mengya swept up all the food on her table, wiped her mouth clean and dragged an ignorant Baishao up her horse carriage.
Yuan San had made ready the horse carriage along ago. He might have spent the night in the carriage, but he appeared well-rested and fresher than Lin Mengya.
As Yuan San spotted his master and went up to her to welcome her, he realized how downcast she looked and wondered who had offended her again.
“In a while, you will stand guard by the horse carriage. Regardless of what happens later on or who comes to make trouble, just fob off. My misses and I will stay in the horse carriage and not come out at all.”
After Lin Mengya instructed Yuan San hastily, she, together with Baishao, went into the horse carriage.
Yuan San was left bewildered. However, he immediately knew what was happening when he saw what came out of the station in the next moment.
It looked like someone was trying to make trouble for his master.
The man who was trailing behind was none other than the man who had a conflict with the station-master a moment ago.
The man appeared to not have eaten his fill and his mouth was still spouting curses.
He was obviously pretending to come in this direction coincidentally, but apparently, he eyeing on the little horse carriage in the courtyard.
Yuan San looked around and conceived an idea.
He simply sat on the seat of the coachman and pretended not to see the man.
“Bah! That wretch just served me food meant for pigs. How would I have a meal without any meat?”
Cursing, the man slowly approached Lin Mengya’s small horse carriage.
When he saw the coachman, who seemed to be dozing, the man smiled and gave the coachman a push.
“Hey, coachman, is your master in the horse carriage?”
Yuan San glanced at him with a look of panic, nodded his head, and then shook his head hard.
Yuan San thought that this man had just seen his master entered the horse, but he was pretended not to see.
His acting was too obvious.
In the eyes of the man, the skill of his acting seemed like something he had anticipated.
His smile widened as he played along and put his arm on Yuan San’s shoulder.
“My little brother, I see that your master is a very fussy eater. I know for a fact that the stew pork and braised chicken were takeaways from Restaurant Ruyi, the most well-known restaurant in the Capital City. I can tell that he hasn’t been through much hardship from his delicate and fair complexion. I’m sure he will have indigestion from eating the pig food from here. Why don’t you ask him to come out here? I know of a place in the nearby woods where they serve delicious chicken. Let me bring him there to have some and I’ll bring him back as soon as possible.”
At the sight of the man making eyes at him, Yuan San began to feel uneasy and tried to wave him away.
Thereafter, he put his palms together and placed them next to his cheeks and cocked his head. Finally, he pointed at himself and waved at the man.
The man realized then that the coachman was trying to tell him that his young master was taking a nap in the horse carriage and that the coachman was a mute.
Taking a nap?
The man recalled the witty, pretty wife of the young master who was trailing behind and instinctively licked his lips greedily.
He immediately pretended that he did not mind, but continued saying, “Alas, it wouldn’t hurt to sleep a little less. I’m going to wake your young master. If he gets upset, I will take the blame for you.”
When he finished speaking, the man reached out his big hand to open the door to the carriage.
Yuan San’s eyes sparkled in that instant. Like a slippery eel, he slipped out from the man’s arms and blocked the man’s way.
He cupped his hands together, making a pleading gesture at the man, giving the impression that he was very frightened.
The burly man was not giving so easily just because he had been hindered. Crestfallen, he almost wanted to shove him aside.
However, he was stopped in his tracks by a voice.
“Brother, I would advise you not to force it and disrupt other people’s business.”
The burly man retracted his arm reluctantly and thereafter, he backed away from the horse carriage with an awkward smile on his face.
“What are you saying, Master Guo? It’s all because I see that they are part of your group. Who traveling along this route is not respectful towards you, Master Guo? I don’t have many hobbies other than enjoying good food. I supposed this little brother share my sentiments and I wanted to extend my invitation out of goodwill. I didn’t mean to make things difficult for him. No, no way!”
At this moment, Master Guo was holding on to his smoking pouch and puffing away.
Back in the Capital City, Master Guo would have tolerated hooligans trying to create trouble.
However, along this route, those who knew the rules would be aware of what kind of a formidable character Master Guo was.
The burly man scratched his head with a reluctant look in his eyes, but he did not have the audacity to create more trouble.
He was apparently very cautious when he walked pass Master Guo, although he was still forcing a smile on his face.
Master Guo fixed his eyes ahead and tapped lightly on his smoking pouch and said, “He is my nephew, don’t you use those sneaky tricks on him.”
The burly man nodded and like a rabbit disappeared before their eyes in a flash.
Zhao Fei and Wen Shi glanced at his back and mocking smiles crept up on their faces.
What an unworthy person. How dare he even considered tackling Childe Yuan.
Master Guo did not feel the slightest joy from the victory, but sighed softly, as he hung the smoking pouch by his waist.
To him, fewer and fewer businessmen traveling along this route were as mannerly as before.
As he walked to the side of the horse carriage, he had witnessed what happened to Yuan Lin and Yuan San a moment ago.
At this instant, Yuan Lin lifted the curtain of the carriage and nodded at Master Guo in appreciation.
“Be careful. It gets much better after you pass the Qin State.”
Lin Mengya nodded as she was also well aware of the situation.
All the groups of businessmen, be they large or smaller groups, would be passing this stretch of the road when they came out of the Capital City.
For this reason, some of them who did not like to abide by the rules would be thinking of ways of taking advantage of others along the way.
Once they passed the Qin State, they would be heading in the direction of the Nation of Lintian. In Master Guo’s presence, there naturally was more peace and quiet.
“Master, why do we have to hide in the horse carriage?”
Baishao rubbed her bloated stomach from indigestion as she grumbled softly. Her master had been in such a rush to finish eating breakfast that there were even rice grains stuck to their chin.
They did not even have the time to wipe their mouths clean as they hurried into the horse carriage to hide. Her master had nervously hidden at the back of the carriage with a dagger in her hand.
“Because… Forget it, you won’t understand even if I explain to you. Oh yes, didn’t we have some pills for indigestion? Give me two of them, Baishao.”