spoiled brat

Chapter 140 139. Empty Flowers (9)

Zhao Zhao darted into the crowd, grabbed a piece of sleeve following the lingering sound of her voice, and uttered wild words that the man saw her as if he saw the King of Hell. He staggered and hid behind several playboys, shouting for help.

Those who stirred up trouble were all Wu Jiu's cronies. They dared to cause trouble and go too far. They had no respect for Xiu Ning, so why would they care about Zhao Zhao? "Why should we be afraid of that little woman!"

They turned to leave, but Zhao Zhao blocked the doorway and said coldly, "My princess's first instructions are not yet finished. Go back."

The spoiled brats weren't afraid of her at all. They pretended not to hear her words, shoved Zhao Zhao aside, and forced their way through.

Zhao Zhao tried to block them; Xiu Ning only had her with him, and she couldn't let these soldiers trample on Xiu Ning's face. But she was, after all, a girl, and not as strong as a man, and was brushed aside like a fallen leaf.

The spoiled brats walked past her, laughing and saying, "A little girl who hasn't even grown her first hair yet, trying to act like a man carrying a sword, putting on airs, really thinking she can hold her own!"

Not far from the Mingjing Hall was the side gate of the official school. The playboys discussed where to go for pleasure later and called their servants to bring their horses.

As they stepped onto the stirrups, the man whose sleeve had been torn by Zhao Zhao was still shaken. He looked back timidly and saw that no one else had come out besides them. He said worriedly, "Didn't Wu Er say that if we rose up in rebellion, he would take the opportunity to fan the flames and make that mute princess lose face? Why didn't he come with us? Could it be that he's in trouble?"

The others disagreed, leisurely turning their reins around: "He has a father who commands troops, and an older sister who is a favored concubine. Even His Highness the Crown Prince has to call him Imperial Brother-in-Law. Who can make things difficult for him? Never mind all that, let's find a place to have some fun first, he'll come later!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of clattering hooves came from the other side. Everyone thought it was Cao Cao arriving, but unexpectedly it was Zhao Zhao who came.

She stood alone on her horse, blocking the road, and said coldly, "Go back."

The rich kids laughed at her for being adorably stubborn, but she said, "If I don't let you through, you can't leave."

What gives a mere maid such confidence?
The spoiled brats sneered, whipping their horses and galloping past Zhao Zhao like a gust of wind, the clatter of hooves laced with mockery: "A good dog doesn't block the way!"

The group hurried past, kicking up clouds of dust.

Zhao Zhao's horse reared up, and she gently soothed it with her hand. Then she pulled out a bow from her satchel, drew an arrow, removed the arrowhead, and casually aimed it at the back of a playboy.

The arrow shot out, startling the horse. The rider tumbled off the horse and fell to the roadside, crying out in pain. He clutched his backside and cried out in pain, his vision blurred. He heard the sound of hooves and thought it was his friend coming to help him up, but when he looked up, he met Zhao Zhao's condescending gaze.

“Go tell your young master Wu that if he really admits defeat, he should clean up the mess he’s making with his underlings. Don’t give me that sore loser act.”

Without further explanation, he spurred his horse to chase after the other纨绔 (playboys).

It was the hour of Si (9-11 AM), and the streets were bustling with carriages and people. People were picking and choosing vegetables at the stalls when they heard the sound of horses' hooves and screams from afar.

This is not surprising; the capital is full of powerful and wealthy people, and it is common for them to ride horses through the streets.

The people retreated to the roadside to watch the show, cursing these scoundrels for causing trouble again.

Along the way, a carriage slowed down, and the three cups of tea on the table swayed at the same time.

Minister Jiang wiped the water droplets from his sleeve and asked the attendant driving the carriage, "What happened?"

The attendant replied, "Sir, someone was riding a horse ahead, overturning stalls along the way and seemingly trampling on civilians."

Minister Jiang frowned, but Yi Xing, who was in the same carriage, laughed and said, "What a coincidence, we just happened to run into our young master who hates evil as if it were his enemy."

Xiu Yi didn't reply, his gaze drifting out of the car window. He saw the usually arrogant and domineering playboys scurrying out of the thick dust and smoke, looking as pathetic as a swarm of rats. Several of them, their clothes filthy as if they'd rolled in mud, brushed the rotten cabbage leaves from their heads, spat, and cursed, "You ignorant fools, daring to lay a hand on us! We'll have someone deal with her when we get back!"

Several others remained on their horses, glancing back with lingering fear: "That fellow may be a servant, but he's not from an ordinary family. We probably can't handle him. We shouldn't mess with a mad dog; we'd better leave first!"

The onlookers were astonished. These people were notorious tyrants in the capital, used to bullying men and women. What kind of devil would dare to offend them?
Suddenly, a black horse leaped out from the still-smoldering dust. Riding it was neither a burly, strong man nor a nobleman with a retinue, but a plain-looking young girl.

It is Zhaozhao.

Xiu Yi closed his eyes and raised his hand to close the window, but Minister Jiang wouldn't let him, frowning as he asked, "Whose daughter is this? Why is she chasing after a group of students?"

"It's mine," Xiu Yi said calmly.

Yi Xing looked at Zhao Zhao on horseback. This girl was not considered pretty, and her eyebrows and eyes still had a childish quality, but her movements of holding the bow and nocking the arrow were very skillful and sharp.

She fired three arrows, all with the tips removed, aiming them directly at the backsides of the spoiled brats, and coldly said, "Go back."

The spoiled brats were terrified of Zhaozhao and eager to get rid of her, but they didn't want to gang up on her, so they could only advise, "Go back if you want! We don't even attend our own family school classes, why would we care to watch your master use sign language?"

Immediately someone chimed in: "Exactly! She's mute, what kind of nonsense could she possibly spout? I'd get sleepy after sitting here for fifteen minutes!"

—Ding.

Yi Xing put down his teacup, tapped on the windowsill, and immediately several plainclothes guards from the Eastern Palace approached.
"Your Highness, what are your orders?"

Yi Xing raised his finger and slashed forward: "Caught."

"Yes!"

At this moment, something happened ahead, and there were continuous shouts and cries of pain. Instead of hiding, the people clapped and cheered.

Several palace guards squeezed through the crowd and saw a girl as fierce as a little leopard pinning a spoiled brat down, her fists pounding: "Try saying you're mute again!"

The spoiled brat, his face smeared with blood from his nose, couldn't beat the fierce Zhao Zhao, but still dared to be sarcastic: "Mute! Mute, mute! So what if I said she's mute?"

The word "mute" pierced Zhao Zhao's heart even more than "prostitute," and she became even more ruthless in her attacks.

The playboy realized she only dared to hit the minor spots, and, spitting out blood, laughed, "How can a dog that protects its master be as cowardly as you? My father is the Vice Minister of Works. If you have the guts, go ahead and cripple me, and see if you get away with it!"

A shadow fell over her head, and Zhao Zhao's punching motion abruptly stopped. She smelled a familiar fragrance, but before she could even look up, a boot was firmly planted on the man's head, and he coldly asked, "Your surname is Chen?"

The man surnamed Chen trembled, too afraid to answer.

Half a month ago, his father was ordered to repair the martial arts arena outside the city, and he went with him. He had the good fortune to meet this young master and...

His Highness the Crown Prince's voice rang out from above: "It's the Chen family's brat."

He thought to himself that there was hope, but then he heard Yi Xing say casually, "I never liked listening to him talk before, but this is just the right time. The timing is perfect... Someone, stick his tongue out."