Catching Monsters

Chapter 339 Xiao Min'er's Identity
Seeing Linglong's thoughtful expression, Jiang Yun had a vague feeling that there was something going on. He asked in a low voice, "What, is there something I don't know about this Miss Min'er?"

“I’m not sure either.” Linglong shook her head slightly and said in a deep voice, “In any case, the most important thing is to heal her first and get the Imperial Seal back.”

"Ah."

At this moment, in the living room, Wang Longzhi had already informed Xiao Min'er about the need to go to the capital for medical treatment. Of course, Wang Longzhi was also aware that Xiao Min'er's identity was special, and if her identity were exposed in the capital, the danger would be extremely great.

After hearing all this, Xiao Min'er remained silent for a while, as if lost in thought. The capital city, a place of sorrow.

Soon, Xiao Min'er nodded in agreement, gave Wang Longzhi a deep look, and said, "Longzhi, I promise you, I will go to the capital with the two of them."

Seeing that Xiao Min'er had agreed, Wang Longzhi felt a pang of worry and whispered, "I..."

"Didn't you always want to cure me?" A smile appeared on Xiao Min'er's face as she reassured her, "Don't worry, the Imperial Seal is with you, nothing will happen to me."

"Hmm." Wang Longzhi took a deep breath, nodded, and then stretched out his hand, extending his little finger in a pinky promise. Xiao Min'er understood, stretched out her hand, and their little fingers hooked together.

Wang Longzhi also learned from Yang Liunian that Qin Shujian was Jiang Yun's apprentice and that he possessed the Imperial Seal of the State.

They probably wouldn't dare to deal with Xiao Min'er so easily.

Without delay, Wang Longzhi quickly arranged a luxurious carriage and had a hundred guards accompany and protect Xiao Min'er.

At the city gate of Wuling Prefecture, Xiao Min'er sat in a large carriage, while Jiang Yun, Linglong, and a guard of over a hundred people rode on horseback.

Before leaving, Wang Longzhi pulled Jiang Yun aside and said in a deep voice, "Commander Jiang, after you have healed Min'er's injuries, send her back as soon as possible."

“I, Wang Longzhi, am a man of my word. If you can cure her, I will give you the Imperial Seal of the State.”

"If anything happens to her, forget the Imperial Seal of the State; none of the Imperial Guards I've detained will survive, understand?"

Hearing Wang Longzhi's threatening words, Jiang Yun nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "General Wang, rest assured."

"Longzhi."

Xiao Min'er came to the carriage window and took out a brocade pouch that she had written in advance before getting on the carriage.

Then he whispered in Wang Longzhi's ear, "After I leave, carry out everything according to the plan I told you. If anything happens to me, open this brocade pouch."

Wang Longzhi took a deep breath and watched the carriage slowly depart.

Jiang Yun and Linglong rode at the head of the procession.

However, when Linglong was riding her horse, she would occasionally glance at the carriage behind her, then dismount and hand the horse to Jiang Yun.

She then jumped onto the carriage where Xiao Min'er was.

“Miss Min’er, the journey has been bumpy, and you must have been bored being alone in the carriage. Let me keep you company and chat with you.”

As Linglong spoke, she sat down next to Xiao Min'er. She looked Xiao Min'er up and down and said, "I feel like I've seen Miss Min'er before."

"Really?" Xiao Min'er smiled politely.

"How did Min'er get injured?" Linglong asked casually.

Xiao Min'er just smiled and didn't say anything. Suddenly, Linglong grabbed Xiao Min'er's right shoulder and tore off Xiao Min'er's right side of her clothes, revealing her snow-white shoulder.

Sure enough, there was a red birthmark about the size of a thumb on his right shoulder and back.

Upon seeing this mark, Linglong's pupils contracted slightly.

When I first saw Xiao Min'er's appearance, I thought it was just a matter of how similar she looked to me.

The key is her name; she's also called Min'er.

You should know that the daughter of Xiao Yubang, the emperor's elder brother, was named this.

Although Linglong didn't know the specific details, she had vaguely heard some rumors.

After the Emperor killed Xiao Yubang, he naturally eliminated any potential threats.

Of Xiao Yubang's three sons and four daughters, six were killed.

Only one baby girl named Xiao Min'er, still in swaddling clothes, escaped the capital with the help of a loyal eunuch from the Crown Prince's residence.

Upon hearing the news, the Emperor ordered a search within the Embroidered Uniform Guard and found a baby girl with a red birthmark on the back of her right shoulder.

However, after all these years, this person has still not been found.

“Princess Ningyi, what you’re doing is rather abrupt.” Xiao Min’er was discovered, but she showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, she remained unusually calm and pulled up the clothes on her right shoulder.

“Sure enough, you should call me Imperial Sister,” Xiao Min’er said, staring at Linglong.

Linglong smiled faintly and said, "Sister Min'er, my father has been searching for you for a long time. I never expected that you would be by Wang Longzhi's side."

Xiao Min'er was silent for a moment before saying, "What? Are you planning to report me after you return to the capital?"

"No interest." Linglong said indifferently, "Be careful when you return to the capital, and don't let the news leak out. After I heal you, I will send you back."

After saying that, Linglong jumped out of the carriage, came to the front of the group, and mounted her horse.

Seeing Linglong's serious expression, Jiang Yun asked curiously. Linglong shook her head slightly and said, "This is not the place to talk. Let's wait until we get to the inn tonight to rest."

The group traveled for a day, and as dusk fell, they finally arrived at a post station.

With the identity of Princess Linglong Ningyi, and the fact that this team was composed of the personal guards of Duke Jingguo Wang Longzhi.

The inn immediately arranged for the group to rest in superior rooms. After returning to their rooms, Linglong went to Jiang Yun's room and whispered about the matter.

After hearing this, Jiang Yun's eyes widened, and he asked in a low voice, "What? You mean, this Min'er girl's real name is Xiao Min'er, and she is your father's eldest brother's daughter?"

Jiang Yun gasped. Damn it, he never expected this woman to be of such a background.

If the news leaks out...

Xiao Min'er probably won't be able to leave the capital alive.

If something happens to Xiao Min'er, will Yang Liunian, Qin Shujian, and the others still be alive?

Linglong lowered her voice and said, "Alright, Xiao Min'er is quite intelligent. Right now, only the two of us know her identity, so it won't be easily revealed."

"After returning to Beijing, cure her immediately and then send her out of the capital."

Jiang Yun nodded solemnly.

The group didn't travel very fast, mainly because they were worried that Xiao Min'er's health might not be able to keep up. It took them a full half month to travel, and they finally returned to the capital at the end of June.

After the group of over a hundred people returned to the capital, Jiang Yun took out his token and went directly into the city.

"Linglong, take them to Sanqing Temple to rest first. I'm going back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

Jiang Yun dared not bring Xiao Min'er back to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for treatment; the woman's identity was far too sensitive.

At this moment, Xiao Min'er sat in the carriage. Upon entering the capital city for the first time, she saw the bustling scene. Her face was filled with emotion, thinking about how many years had passed.

Unexpectedly, this return to the capital would be like this. Sitting in the carriage, the procession moved forward and soon entered the inner city. At this moment, Xiao Min'er had written a letter in advance. She opened the carriage window and waved to the soldier next to her.

The soldier hurried over and respectfully asked, "Miss, what are your orders?"

Xiao Min'er handed the letter to the soldier and said with a smile, "General Longzhi has not returned to the capital for a long time. This letter was sent to him by General Longzhi for his friend. Please deliver it."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers, realizing it was General Wang Longzhi's order, dared not delay. They quickly took the letter and hurriedly left the ranks.

Soon, the carriage arrived in front of the Sanqing Temple.

Linglong boarded the carriage, lifted Xiao Min'er down, and placed her on the wooden wheelchair she had brought: "Let's go. It's noon now. If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to leave the capital before dark."

Xiao Min'er nodded slightly.

……

"The son-in-law is back!"

"The son-in-law is back!"

Inside the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, a servant ran quickly to Xu Suwen's courtyard and shouted loudly.

Inside the courtyard, Xu Suwen was practicing swordsmanship with a long sword in her hand. Upon hearing this, her eyes lit up with joy.

That damned Jiang Yun! He's been gone for almost a month since he left the capital.

She rushed to the front yard, and when she saw Jiang Yun, she happily ran up to him: "You bastard, why haven't you sent any news from the capital for so long?"

Upon seeing Xu Suwen, Jiang Yun smiled and said, "We've encountered quite a few troubles along the way. Oh, and I have important business to attend to. Where's Xiao Hei?"

"She's with Qiaoqiao at Renyi Academy." Xu Suwen rolled her eyes at Jiang Yun and said, "You've been gone for over a month, and Qiaoqiao has already enrolled at Renyi Academy."

"Moreover, he became a disciple of Master Fang of the Renyi Academy and was accepted as a personal disciple by Master Fang."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun was immediately delighted and said, "Fang Tingzhi? The great scholar Fang has a discerning eye! Is it because he saw our sister's extraordinary talent that he took her as his personal disciple?"

“I wouldn’t say she’s exceptionally talented.” Xu Suwen covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, “My mother heard that Qiaoqiao was going to attend the academy, so she wanted to find her a better teacher.”

"Then find the great scholar Fang of the Renyi Academy..."

Jiang Yun asked, "Did you send some money?"

“No, not at all.” Xu Suwen shook her head and said, “Confucius Fang is deeply versed in Confucianism and Legalism. He has no interest in worldly money and is an upright man who is unwilling to seek connections for his son.”

"His son is now over forty years old and is only a minor official, a gatekeeper of the eighth rank, in the capital."

“My mother promoted her son to the sixth rank and assigned him to the Zhenchi Army…”

"Get this done first, then talk to Professor Fang about this matter. Professor Fang won't be able to refuse then."

Jiang Yun felt a surge of gratitude towards Aunt Tao.

Although Xu Suwen made it sound simple, it was certainly not as simple as he put it. For a great Confucian scholar to accept a personal disciple, it must have been much more complicated than he described.

Jiang Yun said, "I'll go to Renyi Academy and bring Xiao Hei out."

“Okay.” Xu Suwen nodded upon hearing this, “I’ll go with you.”

“No.” Jiang Yun shook his head and said in a deep voice, “You can’t get involved in this matter with the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion. I can go by myself.”

After saying that, Jiang Yun hurriedly went out and rushed towards the Renyi Academy.

(End of this chapter)