Ji Yue was originally worried. She didn't know why, in recent days, the princess only liked to take her out and no longer brought Xiangyun. If she left, wouldn't the princess be left without anyone to serve her?
But Lu Wanning didn't care. She just urged Ji Yue to go quickly and then quietly watched the opera on the stage downstairs.
It was almost the New Year. There wasn't much work for ordinary people at home. After a year of hard work, they could now relax and spend some of their earnings. There were quite a few people in the teahouse now, and many came as families. The social atmosphere in the Great Zhou Dynasty was open, and there was no such bad custom that women couldn't go out in public. The tables downstairs were all filled with people, including many women and children. It was quite lively.
Lu Wanning pursed her lips and smiled as she watched the people downstairs. This peaceful scene was really wonderful. And Lu Hongxi had contributed to this. Warlords defended the country. Wasn't this exactly what they were fighting for?
If only there were cameras, she really wanted to take a picture and show it to Lu Hongxi. It would surely make him happy.
The opera started and ended, and soon the next one began. Today's operas were mostly about family reunions and harmonious marriages, which were quite appropriate but made Lu Wanning feel a bit drowsy.
Just then, she heard a commotion downstairs. Then several people rushed in, looking fierce. They randomly grabbed a few people, put knives to their necks, and shouted angrily.
"Money! Give me money!"
Lu Wanning woke up with a start. Oh my god! How could there be such villains right under the emperor's nose? This didn't make sense.
She was on the second floor. It seemed the villains had no intention of coming up. They seemed more like fugitives who had rushed into the teahouse in a panic.
Lu Wanning quickly walked to the window. Sure enough, she saw the Imperial Guards surrounding the area and evacuating the people nearby.
She frowned. The weather was fine today, and many families had come out to buy New - Year goods. There were so many people that the Imperial Guards couldn't clear the crowd in time.
The people in the teahouse were all frightened and ran around. One person was cut by the villains, and then they all hid under the tables, too scared to move.
Lu Wanning glanced over and saw the fierce - looking villain in the middle. One of his eyes seemed blind. He was holding a seven - or eight - year - old boy hostage. The boy's eyes were full of fear, and he couldn't even cry.
The villains were still shouting angrily, "If you dare to come in, we'll kill them!"
Soon, the people from the Capital Magistrate's Office arrived and seemed to be giving orders, but the Imperial Guards disagreed. They stood at the door, confronting the people from the Capital Magistrate's Office.
The villains shouted, "Is the carriage and money ready? If not, I'll slaughter everyone in this teahouse today!"
Maybe they got impatient. One of the villains said loudly, "These people are so slow. Let's kill one to show them!"
Several people among the commoners were so scared that they started crying.
Hearing this, the villain holding the boy sneered, pushed the boy out, and raised his knife to strike.
Lu Wanning was shocked. He was just a child!
Without thinking, she jumped down without hesitation. She kicked the villain away with both feet, pounced on him, and twisted his hand. The curved knife in the villain's hand ended up in hers. At the same time, she turned around and pushed the boy into the crowd. A brave man quickly dragged the boy under the table to protect him.
Just then, the Imperial Guards outside seized the opportunity to rush in and fight with the villains. The fight was intense.
Ji Yue was walking towards the teahouse with some snacks in her hands. When she got there, she was shocked to find that the Imperial Guards had blocked off the area. She quickly asked what had happened.
When she heard that something had happened in the teahouse, Ji Yue's tears welled up immediately. "The teahouse? Is it the one in front where we listened to the opera? What's going on? The princess is still inside!"
Her voice was so loud and excited that people around her kept looking at her.
Sheng Jinyu was dressed in military uniform. He frowned as he listened to the report from the Imperial Guards. Then he heard this voice. He subconsciously looked up and saw Ji Yue not far away. He recognized this girl. She was the personal maid of Princess Zhaoyang.
He waved his hand, signaling others to bring Ji Yue over.
When Ji Yue saw Sheng Jinyu, she felt like she had seen a savior. She rushed over and cried loudly, "Your Highness, Prince Yu, please save our princess. The princess just went out to do some shopping and listen to the opera. Who would have thought such a thing would happen..."
She was out of breath from crying. Sheng Jinyu frowned, and the people around him immediately stopped Ji Yue from making more noise.
Another Imperial Guard rushed over to report, "It's too chaotic in the teahouse. I heard that a noble young lady knows some martial arts and has been fighting with the villains... Some people are injured. The villains are all armed. Ordinary people are no match for them..."
Ji Yue's face turned deathly pale. There were only a few noble young ladies in the capital who knew martial arts, and her princess was one of them!
But the princess's martial arts skills were only good for playing and fighting with other girls on normal days. How could she be a match for these villains?
A noble young lady... injured?
After hearing the Imperial Guard's report, Sheng Jinyu immediately picked up his sword and walked inside.
His attendant quickly stopped him. "Your Highness, you can't go. Your Highness, swords are dangerous. This is the fault of the Capital Magistrate's Office and the Imperial Guards. Your Highness is only here to supervise. There's no need to take risks."
Sheng Jinyu gave him a cold look and didn't stop walking. His heart was beating a bit erratically. Maybe it was because that woman was the most beloved one of the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager's health was not good. If anything happened to that woman, how could the Empress Dowager bear it?
He strode forward and soon reached the teahouse door. He saw that everything had returned to normal. The Imperial Guards and the attendants from the Capital Magistrate's Office were organizing the people to leave in an orderly manner.
Those left in the teahouse were the injured and their families.
Sheng Jinyu walked in and immediately saw Lu Wanning squatting on the ground beside the stage. She was looking up at the boy in front of her and carefully wiping his tears.
The boy sobbed, "Sister... Thank you, sister..."
Lu Wanning smiled. "You're welcome. Be good. Go find your parents. You should be more alert in the future, okay?"
The boy wiped his tears and nodded vigorously. "I will. I'll also learn martial arts like sister and defeat the bad guys in the future!"
The boy's parents thanked Lu Wanning repeatedly and led the boy out.
The sunlight came in through the window. From this angle, the golden light shone on the girl's face, creating a warm glow. She looked extremely charming.
Sheng Jinyu felt quite relieved.
Lu Wanning watched the boy until he walked out of the door. Then she plopped down on the ground, sighed, and rubbed her waist. She said to the attendant beside her, "My waist! That kick from the villain almost broke me apart! Oh, it really hurts. Hurry up and help me up."
The attendant quickly helped her up and said, "Princess, why were you so impulsive? If you get hurt, the princess consort will be worried."
Lu Wanning waved her hand. "Don't tell my mother! Did you hear me? I'm fine. It's just a minor injury. That child was so pitiful. The villains were so fierce, and you couldn't get in. If I hadn't stepped in, wouldn't the villains have succeeded?"
Sheng Jinyu felt that his feet couldn't be controlled. He walked towards Lu Wanning.