Chapter 58 | Ink East

“Ahhh-choo!” Princess Du Ming Yue sneezed.

Hearing movement from the sack, He Lao San was a bit worried: Am I too rough? The Princess might have a frail body. What if she can’t handle this?

Since he was already quite far from the Palace, he decided to find a remote place to open the sack to check on her.

The moment he unclasped the sack, his eyes nearly popped out.

What? Could it be that he had aged and his memory had gone bad? How come it was not the Princess he recognized? Oh no! It’s over! He had kidnapped the wrong person!

He Lao San felt very regretful and was planning to send her back, when Du Ming Yue suddenly threw herself on him.

“How dare you kidnap a Princess? You want to die? I’m going to beat you to death!” Du Ming Yue continuously beat He Lao San. She even used her nails and teeth. Her degree of viciousness was incomparable to an average person.

He Lao San didn’t expect the wrong Princess to be so violent. In addition, she was extraordinarily loud. At this rate, the guards will hear them! There was no other choice. He Lao San karate chopped her and striked her unconscious. Since Du Ming Yue was not a martial artist, she naturally went limp and fell into He Lao San’s arms.

He Lao San felt like his heart was going to burst. Although this woman was rather violent, she looked damn good! She looked even better than Lin Shan.

Mother! There are this many pretty girls in the world?

The amount of women He Lao San had ever encountered could be counted with less than ten fingers. Now that there was a beauty in his hands, his heart surged once again.

Mother! Forget it. If it’s the wrong one, just let it be. At least it’s still a woman! When you turn off the lights, they’re all the same! He Lao San beamed. He removed his first love Lin Shan from his heart as he covered Du Ming Yue with the sack again and carried her out of the Capital.

Lin Shan had no idea that Du Ming Yue had been kidnapped by He Lao San. She was currently worrying about the deadline. If they were unable to find the Princess within ten days, then her family will be in deep trouble. Therefore, the moment the Sun came up, Lin Shan, Lian Feng and the Imperial army were ready to head out of the Palace.

After leaving the Palace, Lin Shan and Lian Feng ran into Du Hao along the way. Du Hao also had people with him. The atmosphere suddenly became very awkward.

“To save time, I have already ordered Gu Zuo to handle the west side of the Capital. Lian Superior should bring the Imperial army to the north side. The Prince Consort will accompany me to seek from the east and south side. Any objections, Lian Superior?” Although Du Hao was asking, his tone suggested it was the finalized decision.

Lian Feng didn’t decline, but he didn’t agree either. He only gazed at Lin Shan and said: “The Prince Consort and I have already decided to team up together.”

“Is that so?” Du Hao arched his brows as he looked at Lin Shan.

The two of them turned towards her, and Lin Shan was speechless.

What? How come she’s the one who’s deciding? If she goes with Lian Feng, Du Hao would definitely get jealous and hate Lian Feng even more. But if she goes with Du Hao, who knows what moves he would try to make on her? Too dangerous!

Lin Shan thought about it for a second, then her eyes lit up: “I know!! How about you two team up and I’ll go north on my own.”

“No!” The two of them bellowed in unison.

At this crucial moment, another voice could be heard: “I think the Prince Consort’s idea is quite good.” The voice consisted of 30% laughter and 70% charm. It was obvious who it was.

Yup, it was the Third Prince, Du Jing!

Lin Shan felt twisted on the inside. Why was Du Jing joining in? But at this moment, his appearance made it easier for her to get out of this difficult situation: “Third Prince is correct. You guys team up and I’ll be on my own!”

“Who says you’ll be alone?” Du Jing smiled. “Prince Consort, you have me. I don’t have an army or personal guards with me, but I can still help out. Wouldn’t you say, Prince Consort?” He narrowed his eyes as he smirked. He looked like a sneaky weasel.

However, Lin Shan didn’t care anymore. Based on the current situation, being with a sneaky weasel was better than choosing between Du Hao and Lian Feng. Therefore, she gritted her teeth and said: “It has been decided. I am going to team up with the Third Prince!”

Although Lin Shan had trust issues with Du Jing, at least Du Jing was still a Prince. If she chose him, she wouldn’t have to be alone with Du Hao and she could prevent Lian Feng from getting into deeper troubles with the Crown Prince. Perhaps she wasn’t in the best position, but it was still the best choice…or so she thought.

They have only walked for a bit when suddenly Du Jing started picking at hairpins from a stall on the streets.

The peddler’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the embroidered magnificent clothing on Du Jing. It was as if a hunter had just witnessed a wild boar. He wouldn’t stop praising the hairpin that Du Jing was holding:

“This Master sure knows his stuff. This hairpin was manufactured in Japan! It is made from white jade. Look at this quality! Look at the colour!! It is only thirty silver taels!”

What? Thirty silver taels? Lin Shan nearly spat out blood. Wu Liang Zhi hired an assassin to kill off the Emperor for twenty silver taels. Yet you’re trying to sell this cheap ass hairpin for thirty silver taels? It’s worth more than the Emperor’s life!

Lin Shan knew the peddler wasn’t honest and she was anxious about finding the Princess, hence, she tried to walk away. However, Du Jing stopped her. Don’t underestimate this pretty boy, he was actually quite strong. Du Jing easily pulled Lin Shan right back.

“Don’t be rushed, brother. I think this hairpin is quite nice. Let me buy it before we go.” Du Jing calmly stated as he started to fish out his wallet.

What? Are you as stupid as a pig?

The peddler’s eyes were shining as he saw the banknotes in Du Jing’s hands. Just as he was about to reach for it, the banknotes were rudely taken away from him.

“Thirty silver taels for a shitty hairpin? Are you a pig? Can’t you tell it hasn’t even been grinded evenly?” Lin Shan yelled at Du Jing. She had the banknotes in her hand as she gave the peddler a dirty look: “One price. Twenty coins!”

Twenty….coins? The peddler’s face turned grey. It took him awhile to respond: “Um…. this Master…this is top…..”

“Japanese jade, right?” Lin Shan continued the sentence for him. “I’ll add another five coins. If you don’t want it, too bad. Let’s go!” Then, Lin Shan grabbed onto Du Jing to leave.

The peddler was desperate and quickly said: “Wait! Please add another ten coins. It’s not easy to do business!”

Lin Shan stopped and turned around: “Five coins.”

“Eight coins.”

“Six coins.”

The peddler bit his teeth: “Fine. Fine. Take it! Ughh.. what a shitty deal….”

Just like that, a hairpin that was initially going to cost thirty silver taels ended up at the value of thirty one coins. While they were exchanging the money, Lin Shan shamelessly convinced the peddler to give it to them for a coin less. The peddler nearly kneeled down to call him grandpa.

When Lin Shan gave Du Jing the hairpin, she thought he would be fine now and will move on to find Du Ming Yue. However, instead, the moment he caught the hairpin, he lightly threw it. The hairpin looked like arc as it spun in the air, but when it landed the ground, it shattered into pieces.

Lin Shan didn’t expect Du Jing to react this way. She was stunned. At this moment, Du Jing approached her closely. He placed his arm around her shoulders in a very openly manner. Lin Shan tried to pull away but couldn’t move him at all.

“Brother. Do you know why I did this?” His voice slurred. The way Du Jing was stretching his words made the listener felt like it was a paralysis. Lin Shan felt very uneasy.

“Honestly, the value of the hairpin is not determined based on its colour and quality. It depends on the person. If I say it is worth thirty silver taels, it is worth thirty silver taels. If I think it is worth less than a coin, then I can shatter its life. Wouldn’t you say….? Song -” The smile from Du Jing’s face disappeared as he said the last two words, “Young Lady.”

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