Chapter 161: Splitting the Plaque, Leveling the Threshold
"Luo Xuan, stop wasting your breath on him," Ye Qianning’s languid voice called out.
Upon hearing her, Luo Xuan kicked open the main gate of the Prime Minister’s residence. The steward, caught completely off guard, stumbled backward and fell to the ground.
"You... You... How can you be so barbaric?"
Luo Xuan raised his hand and pressed a dagger to the steward’s neck. The steward was so scared he trembled from head to toe.
Ye Qianning pushed open the carriage door and stepped out. The Hidden Guards followed her in perfect formation.
The steward had expected Xiang Minghou, so he was shocked to see a small child of five or six emerge from the carriage.
Ye Qianning stood before the gates of the Prime Minister’s residence. She looked up at the large sign, pointed a small finger, and said, "That’s an eyesore."
A Hidden Guard leaped into the air, drew his sword, and slashed.
CRACK!
The enormous sign was split down the middle, crashing to the ground an instant later.
’The steward was practically scared senseless. To openly split the sign of the Prime Minister’s residence... this child must have a death wish!’
Ye Qianning ascended the steps one by one. Reaching the main gate, she glanced from side to side. The entrance to the Prime Minister’s residence was tall, as was its threshold.
"Destroy it," she said, kicking the threshold.
A Hidden Guard stepped forward. With a few sharp, dazzling flashes of his blade, the high threshold was instantly shaved down until it was level with the ground.
Only then did Ye Qianning step inside. From this day forward, she would force the Prime Minister’s residence to humble itself before all who entered.
The Prime Minister’s residence was on a main street, so there was always a lot of foot traffic. Ever since the carriage from the General’s residence had arrived, a large crowd had gathered to watch.
’They were aghast. The sign of the Prime Minister’s residence had been split in two and its threshold shaved flat. Could it be that Prime Minister Gao had committed some heinous crime, and the Emperor had ordered his estate seized?’
’But that didn’t seem right. Even if his estate were to be seized, the Great General would be the one to carry it out. Why would they send a little child to do it?’
Suspicions swirled among the crowd.
Hearing the commotion, the guards of the Prime Minister’s residence swarmed out, surrounding Ye Qianning’s group.
"Who dares trespass in the Prime Minister’s residence?" the Guard Commander demanded, drawing his longsword. The guards behind him closed in, tightly encircling Ye Qianning and her entourage.
Ye Qianning scanned the circle of guards. Her gaze briefly fell upon the Guard Commander and two of the guards behind him. Even though they had worn masks that day, she recognized them at a glance—the Guard Commander and the two men on the left were the ones who had threatened her at Lou Mountain Academy.
"Our young lady has come to pay a visit to Prime Minister Gao," Luo Xuan said coldly.
The Guard Commander was momentarily surprised to see Ye Qianning. The memory of the incident at Lou Mountain made him feel uneasy; over the past few days, he and his men had been ambushed and beaten multiple times by unknown assailants.
’He didn’t know who the attackers were, but there had been many people hiding in the shadows on the day they went to Lou Mountain. They had probably been found out.’
"You call this ’paying a visit’?" the Guard Commander frowned.
"This is how our young lady pays her visits," Luo Xuan stated.
"You... Miss Xiang, if you take another step, don’t blame us for getting rough," the Guard Commander warned, his voice grave.
As if she hadn’t heard his warning, Ye Qianning continued to walk forward.
"Miss Xiang...!" the Guard Commander called out. Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, he drew his sword and advanced.
As their leader moved, the guards behind him moved as well.
The lead Hidden Guard leaped forward to intercept the Guard Commander, while the twenty Hidden Guards drew their swords and engaged.
The clash of blades and agonizing screams filled the air as the scene descended into chaos.
Without so much as a glance, Ye Qianning walked directly toward the main hall of the Prime Minister’s residence, with Luo Xuan following closely behind her.
The maids and young servants didn’t recognize her, but they didn’t dare stand in her way. The guards behind the child had grim, murderous expressions, and no one dared to provoke them.
Of course, a few clueless fools did try to step forward, only to be kicked aside by Luo Xuan.
Ye Qianning entered the main hall, scanned her surroundings, and took the master’s seat. She then raised a hand, beckoning to a terrified, trembling maid.
"Go prepare a feast of your finest dishes, and bring a pot of your best wine."