Chapter 271: Self-righteous and Clueless

"I am Kong Yunfei, son of the Governor of Songzhou! Hand over my bride at once!"

Hearing him speak, Wang Wanqing’s face turned green with anger.

Being with the Empress, she feared nothing, but this man chasing and pestering her was just infuriating.

Such a grown man, acting as if he couldn’t understand plain words.

From the very first time they met, she had told him clearly that she didn’t like him and didn’t want to marry him.

But he acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing. Not only was he not angry, but he even said something like, "I know you can’t accept this right away, but once you marry me, I’ll be sure to treat you well. We’ll have plenty of time to cultivate our feelings."

’Who wants to cultivate feelings with him?’

’She didn’t even want to marry him, so why would she need to cultivate feelings with him?’

’So conceited and clueless.’

Wang Wanqing was furious. She wished she could go up and kick him a few times to vent the frustration she’d been bottling up for days, but she restrained herself.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"

She would follow Her Majesty’s lead.

Xiao Li hadn’t expected Kong Yunfei to pursue them either.

Yang Jun stepped forward. "So it’s Young Master Kong of the Governor Mansion. However, our carriage doesn’t have the bride you’re looking for. Could you be mistaken?"

Kong Yunfei’s face was cold. "Don’t play dumb with me. Let me search it. If there’s no issue, I won’t make things difficult for you."

Yang Jun shook his head. "I’m afraid not. My master is a person of noble status. How can we allow you to be so presumptuous?"

Kong Yunfei retorted, "Then come out and let me have a look. I’d like to see just how noble you are."

He was completely unyielding.

Yang Jun narrowed his eyes. "If you wish to see my master, Young Master Kong, you are not qualified. I’m afraid you’d have to bring the Governor here."

Kong Yunfei sneered. "Putting on an act, trying to be mysterious. You think people like you have the right to meet my father?"

The men behind him immediately echoed his sentiment, letting out jeering laughs.

Kong Yunfei drew his sword and warned, "I know Wang Wanqing is in your carriage. Bring her out immediately, or don’t blame my blade for being merciless."

Yang Jun didn’t move, and the guards behind him also drew their swords. In an instant, the situation grew tense, blades drawn.

Yang Jun said, "I told you, the person you’re looking for is not in the carriage."

Kong Yunfei was resolute. "Either get out of the carriage yourselves, or wait for me to split it open!"

Yang Jun narrowed his eyes. Though the other party didn’t know the Empress was in the carriage, his attitude was truly arrogant.

’And why was he so certain Miss Wang was in the carriage?’

This whole affair was a string of coincidences and mishaps.

Wang Changwen had gone to see Governor Kong Sheng. Knowing the matter involved the Empress, Kong Sheng had withdrawn the State Mansion’s soldiers.

But Kong Yunfei had been out searching for Wang Wanqing. Just as he heard about the withdrawal of the soldiers and was about to return to the mansion to ask why, he happened to overhear someone say they saw Wang Changwen go alone to an inn to meet a group of people from out of town.

And right after meeting them, he had gone to the Kong Family to call off the wedding. There was definitely something fishy about that.

Well, it was a case of one small oversight in a foolproof plan. Xiao Li should have had Ziyue carry the man back and dump him somewhere; perhaps then this trouble could have been avoided.

Kong Yunfei didn’t even enter his family’s gate. He immediately turned around and headed for the inn, only to learn that the party had just checked out and left the city. So, he immediately led his men in pursuit.

He observed that every guard in the group was armed with weapons, and judging by their auras, their skills were not weak. Looking at the horses, they were well-fed and strong—all top-quality steeds.

The carriage, in particular, looked suspicious no matter how he looked at it.

He was certain his bride was in that carriage, but he didn’t act immediately. Instead, he sent someone back to bring more men.

Only when he had enough people did he speed up and block their path.

This lack of information created the current awkward situation.

Kong Yunfei had no idea about the Empress. He was now convinced Wang Wanqing was in this group. He considered himself quite skilled, had brought so many men, and was fully prepared. He had no fear of this party of thirty-some people.

As for Xiao Li, it wasn’t that she insisted on hiding her identity as the Empress, but even if she revealed it now, Kong Yunfei likely wouldn’t believe her.

Xiao Li wasn’t going to release anyone, and Kong Yunfei wasn’t going to give up. The situation had reached an impasse.

There was another reason for Kong Yunfei’s aggressive demeanor. He glared at the carriage and roared, "Wanqing, I know you’re in there! You’ve never wanted to marry me, and you even ran away from the wedding in public. Is it because of that adulterer in there with you?"

"You have the guts to run away for him, so why don’t you have the guts to come out and face me?"

"You coward, you spineless bastard! If you have any guts, come out and fight me one-on-one! Stealing another man’s wife—what kind of hero are you?"

SHINK!

A long saber fell from the sky, directly severing the horse’s head.

The horse collapsed with a thud. Kong Yunfei was thrown from its back, rolling several times to dodge the dying, thrashing animal.

"Young Master!"

"Yun Fei!"

His men were pale with fright. Just as they were about to rush forward, a toweringly burly man appeared in a flash, yanked the saber from the ground, and pressed it directly against Kong Yunfei’s neck.

Kong Yunfei was instantly immobilized, but he still acted tough. "I am the son of the Governor of Songzhou! You dare harm me? Just try!"

Both sides had their blades drawn, but because Kong Yunfei’s life was in the other party’s hands, they were locked in a stalemate.

Just then, a cool, clear voice tinged with amusement drifted from the carriage.

"The son of the Chongzhou Governor... Truly... I’ve never seen one before."

"Bring him here."

Rong Qing immediately grabbed the man’s collar and hauled him toward the carriage. Since Kong Yunfei wanted to get closer to the carriage anyway, he didn’t resist.

He was finally near the carriage. Just as Kong Yunfei was about to make a move, the side door of the carriage opened.

The three-foot-wide door opened, giving a clear, unobstructed view of the interior.

Inside the carriage sat a woman of stunning beauty and heroic air. She held a book in one hand, her posture relaxed and poised, her aura one of lazy nobility.

Beside her, a maid in a pink dress was brewing tea and lighting incense.

Only then did Kong Yunfei realize that the voice from before was a woman’s.

He saw her slowly look over, her gaze sweeping down on him with disdainful contempt. She sized him up and chuckled mockingly, "So the son of the Chongzhou Governor can just block people’s carriages and bully them with his influence?"

The maid beside her took out a Token and held it up, looking at him coldly. "Do you recognize this?"

Her disdainful look seemed to say that if he didn’t recognize it, he was an absolute fool.

Kong Yunfei glanced at it. It was a white Jade Token, engraved with the word ’Xuanyang’.

Even if he didn’t recognize the quality of the jade, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize what the word ’Xuanyang’ represented.

The maid held her chin high with pride. "My mistress is the Empress’s most treasured confidante, the one and only."

Xiao Li slowly set her book down. "Young Master Kong, what were you saying just now? That you were going to split my carriage open? I wonder what crime I have committed."

Seeing that there was a woman in the carriage, and no sign of Wang Wanqing, Kong Yunfei’s bluster had already faded significantly.

"You saw Mr. Wang last night?"

Xiao Li replied, "I did. What of it?"

Kong Yunfei pressed, "Why did you see him?"

Hong Yue snapped, "Who my mistress sees is none of your business!"

Xiao Li gave him a nonchalant glance. "Mr. Wang knew I would be passing through here and asked me to deliver a letter from home for her."

She paused, then explained, "The court’s sole female official, Mr. Wang, Wang Yizhu."