Zhu Yun stepped forward and asked loudly, "Miss, may I know your father's surname?"
Xiao Man replied in a clear voice, "My surname is Qin, and my given name is Taiye."
"Qin Taiye, I haven't heard of him. Young Master, do you know this person?" Zhu Yun asked curiously.
"Stupid!" a pleasant voice came from the man. "They set a trap for you, and you willingly walked right into it."
Zhu Yun finally reacted, "Miss, how can you bully people like this?"
Xiao Man smiled charmingly and said, "What can I do? I'm a daddy's girl. Whoever speaks ill of my father, I'll pick a fight with!"
Zhu Yun was speechless and quickly looked at his young master, "Young Master..."
"Please forgive us, Miss. My servant is a bit foolish. If I have offended you in any way, I ask for your forgiveness. My name is A Yan. May I ask for your name, Miss?"
"My name is A Man."
"One of you is called A Yan, and the other is A Man. Are you two a couple?" The bandit leader, who had been beaten and was fleeing for his life, heard the two fat sheep he had tried to rob exchanging names and acting as if they were in love. His blood rushed to his head. Did they have any sense of being robbed?
A Yan lifted the curtain and looked at Xiao Man, "We are going to the Imperial Capital. Where is Miss heading?"
"The Imperial Capital as well."
"Since we're going the same way, may we travel with Miss? We'll ask for your protection, and we'll pay you for it. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes, a thousand gold pieces!"
"A thousand gold pieces!" Zhu Yun's face turned green. "Why don't you just rob us!"
"If I were to rob you, I wouldn't leave you with a single pair of underpants!" Xiao Man said with her arms crossed. "Deal?"
"Deal."
As the two finalized the price, the guards had already captured the bandits and tied them together, chaining them to the back of the carriage. Xiao Man sat in the carriage, continuing to read her military strategies.
"Miss, a box of pastries has been sent from the carriage behind. They are the renowned golden silk date cakes from Jiangnan," Qiu Tong said, bringing the pastries into the carriage.
Xiao Man glanced at them and then, from a hidden compartment in the carriage, took out a box of preserved fruits. "These are preserved fruits unique to Cangzhou. Take them to the carriage behind. It's impolite not to reciprocate."
"Yes, Miss."
A Yan looked at the preserved fruits that had been sent back and popped one into his mouth. "This young lady has a straightforward personality, unlike ordinary women."
"Your subordinate, on the other hand, finds this young lady quite formidable," Zhu Yun whispered. "I merely called her a daddy's girl, and she took advantage of me and extorted a thousand gold pieces from us."
"She stated her price clearly, so it can't be considered extortion," A Yan said with a smile. "It will be safer to travel with them."
"On our return to the capital, who knows how many traps await us on the road. They might not be able to handle it, and could even become a burden to us."
"That may not be the case. There are only a handful of noble ladies in the entire Imperial Capital who travel with military protection. Traveling with them might actually be safer than traveling on our own." A Yan popped another fruit into his mouth. The preserved fruit was sweet and sour, and suited his taste perfectly.
"Military?"
"The guards around her are all from the army. They wear specially made military leather boots that are sturdy and wear-resistant, and their sabers are sharp. Their movements are disciplined. In the entire Imperial Capital, there are only three people who possess such capabilities."
"Who are they?"
"Prince Qin, Nangong Yu, Duke of Chen, Pei Ming, and General Xiao Zhen," A Yan said slowly. "Prince Qin is young and unmarried, so he naturally has no children. That leaves only the Duke of Chen and General Xiao."
"Then which family's young lady is she?"
"She is likely the young lady from the Protectorate General's manor," A Yan said softly. "It is rumored that Protectorate General Xiao Zhen doted on his eldest daughter, Xiao Man, and taught her martial arts from a young age. Xiao Man went to her hometown in Cangzhou to recuperate some time ago due to ill health. Furthermore, she said her name was A Man, so she must be the eldest daughter of the Protectorate General's manor, no doubt."
"Your insight is remarkable, Young Master. In such a short time, you've deduced her identity. Your subordinate is impressed."
"She likely guessed my identity as well, which is why she demanded a thousand gold pieces," A Yan said with a smile. "This Miss Xiao is quite different from what the rumors suggest, and rather interesting."
Qiu Tong returned to the carriage and saw Xiao Man calmly eating snacks and engrossed in her newly acquired military strategy book. She hesitated to speak.
"If you have something to say, then say it."
"Miss, we don't even know who they are, and yet we've brought them along. It seems rather inappropriate," Qiu Tong said cautiously. "What if they are villains?"
Xiao Man raised her eyebrows and looked at Qiu Tong, popping a golden silk date cake into Qiu Tong's mouth. "Whether they are villains or not is a separate matter. However, they are people we cannot afford to offend."
Qiu Tong took the pastry out of her mouth. "You mean there are people you, Miss, cannot afford to offend?"
"There are plenty of people I, your young lady, cannot afford to offend," Xiao Man said helplessly. "The princes of the Imperial Capital, the royal nobility, which one of them can I afford to offend?" Southern Capital Novel Network.
"You were not deferential to His Highness Prince Han and His Highness Prince Qi. Even towards His Highness Prince Qin, you didn't seem particularly afraid. At most, it's only His Majesty that you cannot afford to offend."
"You must not speak such words carelessly in the future," Xiao Man said calmly. "Prince Han is malicious, and he only tolerates me because he fears Father's military power. Prince Qi and I became acquainted through mutual conflict; we are kindred spirits, considered friends. His Highness Prince Qin is an ally. When we have no conflicts, we are naturally friends. However, once a conflict arises, he could very well become an enemy."
"His Highness Prince Qin could become an enemy?" Qiu Tong's face turned pale. If His Highness Prince Qin became an enemy, that would be too terrifying.
"It's not that His Highness Prince Qin will necessarily become an enemy, but rather that there are no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies. There are only eternal interests," Xiao Man's voice was soft and pleasant. "Ultimately, it is interest that drives people."
"What does all this have to do with the people following behind us?"
Xiao Man smiled with interest. "Of course, it's related. The person behind us is no simple character."
"Miss knows him?"
"I don't know him, but I've guessed his identity." Xiao Man smiled. "Prince Chu, Nangong Yan."
Qiu Tong looked shocked. "Isn't Prince Chu unwell and recuperating in Jiangnan? Why would he suddenly return to the capital?"
"Now that the struggle for the throne is intensifying, as a prince, he naturally cannot remain in Jiangnan forever. If he stays in Jiangnan, the princes in the Imperial Capital will choose to eliminate him, the weakest first, and then slowly deal with the strongest. If he doesn't want to die mysteriously, returning to the capital is his best option."
"Heavens, the royal family is truly chaotic."
"It's not just the royal family that's chaotic; the noble families are also in disarray. The royal family has brothers fighting amongst themselves, and our General's manor has sisters turning against each other," Xiao Man said with a sigh. "I've been away from the General's manor for some time, and I don't know if my second sister has been wronged."