Chapter 10: I Am Here, Who Dares to Be Reckless…

Chapter 10: With This Prince Here, Who Dares to Be Reckless...

Just past dawn, guards finally arrived to summon Xiao Yanxing, informing him the carriage was ready for immediate departure.

Xiao Yanxing, accompanied by Qing Feng, followed the guards outside.

The departure was indeed low-key—only three carriages awaited at the gate, with only about a dozen guards in attendance.

For an ordinary wealthy family, such an arrangement would suffice.

But for Xie Lingyu, the prestigious Prince of Yongning, this was the epitome of modesty.

At that moment, the curtain of the lead carriage was quietly lifted.

Xiao Yanxing looked up to see a slender hand lifting the blue curtain, revealing the refined chin of a young woman half-hidden within. Her lips, soft pink like peach blossoms on a branch, parted slightly—tender and stunningly beautiful.

He raised his hand in salute. "Greetings, Your Highness."

Beside him, Qing Feng stood dumbfounded. He had long yearned to meet the famed Prince of Yongning of Great Zhou.

Yet who could have imagined that such a renowned figure would be an unrivaled beauty of a young woman, like a goddess descended from heaven?

"Greetings, Your Highness the Prince," Qing Feng finally snapped out of his trance, hastily bowing in turn.

Xie Lingyu gazed at the figures outside the carriage. "My apologies for keeping you waiting."

"Your Highness's affairs take precedence," Xiao Yanxing replied casually, showing no interest in prying into palace affairs.

Yet Xie Lingyu watched him with amused interest. "It was nothing major—merely someone spying on my movements and learning of our return to Chang'an in advance."

Xiao Yanxing felt a twinge of surprise at this revelation.

The corner of Xie Lingyu's lips curved into a faint smile. "But rest assured, my lord, I have taken care of them all."

Taken care of them all?

Qing Feng, overhearing this, couldn't help but mutter inwardly. His peripheral vision then caught a fresh bloodstain on a nearby step—something Xiao Yanxing also noticed, though his expression remained as impassive as still water, utterly unreadable.

Xie Lingyu hadn’t intended to make a show of her power.

She simply found the man before her completely unfathomable—like a pool of water, seemingly clear yet concealing turbulent undercurrents. Trying to grasp him would be impossible.

Today’s incident had been unexpected. She hadn’t anticipated that Nanny Hua, like a stubborn centipede that won't die even when cut apart, would still have enough influence to uncover her plans for returning to Chang'an, despite her loss of status after the Xue Gui affair.

Fortunately, He Lanfang acted swiftly, getting to the bottom of it in less than half a shichen—even identifying the disloyal coachman.

After replacing the compromised driver, Xie Lingyu decided to set off for Chang'an immediately.

The journey from Shangyang Palace to Chang'an took only a day.

By the time the carriage passed through the city gates, the sun had dipped below the western hills, painting the sky in rich shades of orange and red that enveloped the grand and bustling capital. The crisscrossing main streets divided the city into hundreds of neatly laid-out districts.

As the carriage rolled down the avenue, the bustle and noise of the crowd outside poured in, mingled with mouthwatering scents of food that constantly filled the air.

The maidservants Chun Xi and Ting He, who were sitting nearby attending to their duties, exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but gulp.

Having long resided in Shangyang Palace, though the palace was magnificent, it lacked the bustle of everyday life.

The lively shouts of street vendors were truly captivating to their hearts.

Yet Xie Lingyu, who should’ve been the most excited, remained unusually calm. After all, having been confined for half a year, she longed for this kind of free, bustling energy more than anyone else.

She listened quietly to the sounds outside—the overlapping shouts of vendors, the clatter of hooves, and the cheerful laughter of children.

Suddenly, an exceptionally fragrant aroma wafted over. Xie Lingyu initially paid it no mind, but then a loud stomach growl came from inside the carriage.

Xie Lingyu looked up to see Ting He blushing as she defended herself, “I’m not the least bit hungry.”

“Then the smell must’ve made you hungry,” Xie Lingyu said with a straight face.

Ting He was so embarrassed she kept her head down, but Xie Lingyu had already lifted the carriage curtain and spotted a stall selling *gulouzi* by the roadside. The golden-brown, crispy flatbread was covered in sesame seeds and stuffed with lamb, freshly baked and fragrant—one bite would make your mouth water.

Xie Lingyu ordered the carriage to stop and turned to Ting He, “Go buy a few to try. And bring a couple for Mr. Xiao in the carriage behind us.”

Hearing this, Ting He could no longer afford to be shy. Hiking up her skirt, she stepped out of the carriage, making Chun Xi cover her mouth in laughter.

The stall was busy, and it took Ting He a while to buy some. She first handed the *gulouzi* to Chun Xi through the carriage window before turning to deliver the rest to Xiao Yanxing and his companions in the other carriage.

Just as she finished handing over the food and was about to return to her own carriage, a loud shout rang out behind her.

People scrambled to the sides of the road.

Still holding the *gulouzi*, Ting He turned to look.

Seeing this, Chun Xi quickly called out, “Ting He, be careful!”

Several guards on massive horses were clearing the way ahead, followed by an exceptionally grand and luxurious carriage. The lead guard reached the front and abruptly pulled on the reins, forcing the carriage behind to halt as well.

Ting He dropped the *gulouzi* and hurried to pick it up, dismayed.

Suddenly, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a maidservant inside looked out, eyeing Ting He with disdain. “Who’s blocking the way?”

Ting He had just picked up the *gulouzi* when she heard the reprimand. She retorted, “Your guards were the ones charging recklessly and knocked my food to the ground!”

The maidservant looked Ting He up and down before casually tossing a handful of copper coins from the carriage.

“Now move.”

Ting He was Xie Lingyu’s personal maidservant, someone even respected in Shangyang Palace. Never had she been humiliated like this—treated as if she were a roadside beggar, with coins thrown at her.

Angry, she stepped forward to argue.

But the lead guard yanked the reins, causing his horse to rear and neigh, startling Ting He into stepping aside. The guards then swiftly escorted the carriage away.

From inside her own carriage, Xie Lingyu watched the other carriage depart.

He Lanfang soon escorted Ting He back. “My lady, I failed in my duty to protect her.”

“Did you recognize the owner of that carriage?” Xie Lingyu asked.

He Lanfang remained silent. He had indeed recognized them—which was why he hadn’t acted immediately.

Xie Lingyu wasn't bothered. "Fine, let's keep a low profile going back. No need to draw attention."

Once Ting He got back into the carriage, she was unharmed but still steaming. "Who do they think they are? How dare they crash into us like that!"

"Drop it," Chun Xi said. "As long as you're not hurt." She handed her the *gulouzi* (a kind of pastry). "Yours fell on the ground and got all muddy. Have mine instead."

After the commotion, Ting He stayed in a huff.

Xie Lingyu, however, kept quiet the entire time.

Despite the little hiccup along the way, the group made it to the Prince of Yongning’s residence in Shengye Ward before nightfall. As this was a royal residence, its main gate faced outward toward the street outside the ward.

Moreover, due to the late Prince of Yongning’s close favor with the Emperor, the manor was famously large even in Chang’an, occupying nearly half the ward.

"Finally home," Chun Xi felt her spirits lift.

Over the years, not only had Xie Lingyu lived at the Shangyang Palace, but they too had been away from their parents, serving by her side. Apart from occasional letters, it had been ages since they’d seen their families.

When the carriage stopped at the main gate of the manor, He Lanfang came forward to ask for direction. "Your Highness, which gate shall we enter through?"

As the lady of the house, Xie Lingyu should naturally enter through the main gate. However, since they were returning discreetly, using a side gate would also be acceptable.

She looked through the carriage curtain at the shadowy shape of the grand gate outside.

The last time she had seen this gate was the day she had been escorted away to house arrest in a separate villa.

"Through the main gate."

Xie Lingyu's calm voice came from inside the carriage.

He Lanfang bowed in acknowledgment and immediately headed toward the main gate to knock for entry.

Just then, loud hoofbeats echoed once more from the broad street behind them, followed by a barked order: "This is the estate of a prince! Unrelated persons, disperse at once!"

Ting He lifted the carriage curtain and recognized the speaker at a glance—it was the same person who had collided with her earlier.

She couldn’t help but mutter, “Speak of the devil—it's them again!”

But now, three carriages were parked right across the entrance, showing no sign of moving.

"This is the estate of a prince! Unrelated persons, disperse at once!"

The guard on horseback shouted again, louder this time.

Ting He had enough. "Who gave you the right to shout like that here? Who are you calling 'unrelated persons'?"

This remark angered the person inside the carriage behind them. Sure enough, the curtain was yanked open, and the same haughty maidservant appeared again.

"It's you."

"It's you."

Ting He and the maidservant locked eyes in mutual dislike.

"Your Highness, allow this servant to go down and deal with them," Ting He said, frustrated that even at their own doorstep, they had to put up with this nonsense.

Xie Lingyu looked at her with a faint, ambiguous smile. Though she said nothing, she gave a slight nod of her chin.

With permission granted, Ting He quickly stepped out of the carriage.

That arrogant maid also got out of the carriage at that moment. She glanced at the three carriages, seeing they had no markings and were neither luxurious nor spacious—just like those used by ordinary wealthy families.

She rudely glared at Ting He and said, “This is the Prince of Yongning’s residence. Someone like you has no right to act so insolently here. Get out of the way now.”

Ting He just laughed. “So you know this is the Prince of Yongning’s residence? Then what gives you the right to act so bold?”

A soft voice came from the carriage behind them. “Xiao Man, kindly ask this young lady to make way.”

It must be a young noblewoman.

Xiao Man immediately responded to the carriage before turning back to Ting He smugly. “This is our lady’s home. You’d better get out of the way now.”

“Your home?” Ting He burst out laughing as if hearing the funniest thing.

Seeing her still dared to laugh, Xiao Man turned to the mounted guard. “Brother Gao, this woman is being difficult and won’t leave the prince’s gate. If she doesn’t go immediately, hand her over to the Golden Guards.”

The Golden Guards regularly patrolled the streets of Chang’an.

Upon hearing this, the guard dismounted, ready to drag Ting He away.

Meanwhile, inside the second carriage, Qing Feng watched the scene outside and whispered, “My lord, are they going to fight?”

Xiao Yanxing remained silent, his gaze fixed ahead through the gap in the carriage curtain—where Xie Lingyu sat.

Seeing this, Xie Lingyu’s guards swiftly surrounded Ting He.

The opposing guard, Gao, immediately drew his blade. “Step back now, or else!”

Clearly, standing before the prince’s residence—his own territory—he didn’t care about the others, drawing his sword so quickly.

In response, Xie Lingyu’s guards also drew their blades in unison.

Ting He had not expected the situation to escalate so severely. Even though her legs were shaking at the sight of the cold steel, she refused to retreat.

“Move aside, or I won’t hold back!” Guard Gao shouted.

Then, a cold, commanding woman’s voice came from the carriage.

“This prince is present. Who dares act so insolently?”

The words hit like a thunderclap—not loud, yet resounding in the ears of all present.

In this world, only one woman could refer to herself as "this prince."

Every guard on the opposing side, including Gao, stopped dead.

Xie Lingyu sat calmly inside the carriage, listening to the clatter of dropped weapons outside. From the carriage behind, a woman quickly got out, and soon, everyone knelt in unison.

No one would dare impersonate the Prince of Yongning at her own gates.

This could only mean one thing.

The real owner of this residence had returned.