Chapter 291: The Bridal Sedan at the Door
The Chief of the Government Office stood at the door, not letting the other officials inside. He clasped his hands in a polite gesture toward Gu Fei. "Miss Gu, is everything alright for now?"
Gu Fei quickly rose and gave him a curtsy. "Thank you, my lord. Everything is fine for now."
"May I ask your name, sir?"
The man replied, "My surname is Liu. I’m Liu Fu. No need to be so polite, Miss Gu. I’ll be patrolling this street all day. If anything happens, just send someone to find us, and we’ll be here right away."
"Thank you, Lord Liu." Gu Fei took out a fifty-tael silver ingot and pressed it into his hand.
Liu Fu repeatedly tried to refuse. "Miss Gu, I can’t accept this."
Gu Fei pushed it into his hand without taking no for an answer. "Lord Liu, you and your men work hard patrolling the streets every day. Please accept this small token to treat the brothers to some tea."
Liu Fu hesitated for a moment before finally accepting. He knew he had to offer his subordinates some benefits to get them to do his bidding.
He sighed inwardly. ’This Manager Gu is truly no ordinary person. She has the Young Master Heir backing her, yet she’s still so polite to people like us.’
After taking the silver, Liu Fu gave Gu Fei another polite salute before slowly leading the governmental officials down the street.
By afternoon, Liu Fu and his men had passed by several times, and all remained peaceful.
Gu Fei started to wonder, ’Maybe Mr. Xu was just making empty threats and won’t actually show up to drag someone away.’
Just as that thought crossed her mind, a group of people suddenly arrived at the entrance.
Several chair bearers carried a small sedan chair. The matchmaker who had previously come to propose a marriage for Lan Zhi walked beside it, followed by a number of able-bodied men.
Gu Fei narrowed her eyes. ’So they came after all.’
She gave Xiao Lu a meaningful look, and he darted out to find Liu Fu.
Seeing the large group of people arrive, Gu Erlang abandoned his grill stand and bolted to the backyard, taking up a post at the entrance to Lan Zhi’s room.
He had made up his mind. If his sister and Young Master Su couldn’t stop them today, he would guard this door with his life.
Lan Zhi was inside her room with the door closed, embroidering, completely oblivious to the arrival of people outside.
The sedan chair stopped at the entrance. The matchmaker walked in with a smile and gave Gu Fei a curtsy. "Where is Miss Lan Zhi? Please have her come out and get in the sedan chair."
Gu Fei sneered. "Get in what sedan chair? I wasn’t aware Lan Zhi was getting married today."
The matchmaker covered her mouth and chuckled. "Oh, my. Didn’t Mr. Xu already make an arrangement with you? That’s not my business. All I know is that I’m here to carry her away today."
Gu Fei said coldly, "There is no such arrangement. Even if he is a young master from the Ning’an Marquis Mansion, there’s no law that allows him to snatch people off the street!"
The matchmaker just smiled. "Fine. I have nothing more to say to you, Miss Gu."
Mr. Xu’s servant, standing to the side, snorted coldly. He waved his hand and ordered the dozen or so guards behind him, "The person is in the backyard. Go in and bring her out."
Gu Fei, standing behind the counter, let out a cold laugh. "I’d like to see who dares!"
The matchmaker looked at Gu Fei with amusement. ’Does this little girl really think she can stop so many hired thugs?’
Just then, Gu Fei stepped out from behind the counter, a three-foot-long blade in her hand.
The blade was fashioned after a Tang-style *dao*—long and narrow, with a blood groove running down its length. It gleamed with a cold light, clearly a weapon of no ordinary make.
The matchmaker jumped in fright and took several steps back. This was the first time she’d ever seen a family greet a wedding sedan with a drawn blade.
Gu Fei swept her gaze over the dozen or so guards at the door. "Blades have no eyes. If you gentlemen insist on forcing your way in, then don’t blame me for what happens next."
Right at that moment, Liu Fu arrived with the governmental officials.
He started shouting from a distance, "You people at the door! What are you doing?"
Seeing the governmental officials arrive, Mr. Xu’s servant sneered. "We are from the Ning’an Marquis Mansion, acting on the orders of our Second Young Master to retrieve his concubine."