A thought flashed into Yu Feng's mind and she could not help but smile.
These men had thought that her name was Xiao Feng and that she was a boy. They were using these facts to look for her information. Naturally, they will not be able to find out anything about her.
Yu Feng let out a nervous laugh and spoke in a lazy tone, "My lord, I am is a mere thief. Wasn't that normal for these things to happen to someone like me? Who knows when I was born and who were my parents."
Officer Zhou stared at the boy beside him with his eyes wide. "You impudent! Do you know who you were talking to? You're not supposed to—"
His words were left unfinished. Qin Zhi Hao behind the table had raised his hand, signaling Officer Zhou that he should not say another word. The officer let out a dry cough and gave Yu Feng a dissatisfied look.
"It's fine," Qin Zhi Hao spoke again. "After a few days, I'm sure I can get as much information about you. But let's not talk about that. Xiao Feng, do you know why you are here?"
"No." Yu Feng lifted her shoulders into a shrug without a moment of hesitation.
Although there was still that playful look in his gaze, Yu Feng did not dare to play around with this man just like she did with Officer Zhou earlier on. The man's piercing gaze and the scrutinizing look was too scary! She could not help but think that if she spoke too much, this man might find some clue about her and started to investigate her.
Qin Zhi Hao's expression did not change much after she gave her answer. He stood up unhurriedly and walked over to Yu Feng. His gaze moved as he continued to scrutinize her.
The heavy air made Yu Feng wanted to take a step back, but she found that her legs were rooted to the ground.
Yu Feng cursed under her breath as the man stopped right in front of her. Her heart thumped wildly under the pressure. But after a few seconds have passed, she forced herself to look up at him.
"It-it couldn't be that because I was stealing some bread earlier this morning, right?" She swallowed her saliva and continued, "Could it be that you think that I have stolen something from you?"
A low chuckle reverberated in the room. Qin Zhi Hao bent his body so that he was looking at Yu Feng at eye level. "Little boy, if you were caught stealing from me, you wouldn't be standing in front of me right now."
Yu Feng stared at him nervously and felt that this man's words sounded more like a threat?
She did not know what she was afraid of. Anyway, she was someone with principle and had never stolen anything other than food to fill her stomach. Of course, there will never be a day when she was caught stealing from him.
"Rest assure, gentleman. I will not steal from you." Her voice grew weaker as she spoke. The air around her turned heavier and Yu Feng had a feeling that it would be best if she stayed quiet.
This man kept asking her questions. But when she wanted to reply to him, he would send her this piercing stare until she was unable to open her mouth and speak. The heavy air was too suffocating that she wished to run out, but her legs were just too heavy.
Suddenly, Yu Feng heard a little commotion outside the tent and a moment later, a man in a dark purple robe walked in. He watched the people in the tent and froze momentarily. Once he had gained his composure, the man walked over and walked around Yu Feng, studying her from her head to toes.
Yu Feng stared back at the newcomer with a dazed expression. The man in the dark purple robe gave off a cheery feeling. The newcomer was probably the same age as her. Looking at his face, Yu Feng was able to see a bit of similarity between the scary man and this newcomer.
"Lord Jing, what are you doing here?" Officer Zhou asked. A frown appeared on his face.
That's right. The newcomer was no other than Prince Jing. His given name was Qin Zhi Chen and he was the eleventh prince of the current Emperor. His mother, Consort Yang passed away after giving birth to him. After that, Consort Xian who was very close to Consort Yang had adopted him and raised him as her son.
Ever since he was a small boy, Qin Zhi Chen had admired his brother, Qin Zhi Hao. Although he wanted to enter the battleground alongside his brother, Qin Zhi Hao had later entrusted him to look after his mother. Therefore, Qin Zhi Chen had live in the palace as an idle prince. Other than pleasing the Emperor, Empress, and his adopted mother, Qin Zhi Chen chose not to be involved in politics.
"I heard that my brother finally caught the famous street thief. Of course, I have to come over and look," He spoke to Officer Zhou. "You're that thief," Qin Zhi Chen's lips curled into a smile as he spoke to Yu Feng. "They finally caught you, huh?"
"Of course," Officer Zhou's voice was a little excited. "Lord Yi had made a long preparation to catch this boy. Lord Jing, do you think that anyone could escape from your brother once he had set his eyes on that person?"
Prince Jing clicked his tongue. He spread the handheld fan and moved it slowly to cool himself.
As she listened to their conversation, Yu Feng started to wonder how long have these people been trying to catch her. It was then that she noticed that the authorities have been very enthusiastic to chase after her these past few days.
Her gaze went to the man who the other had called Lord Yi and another thought flashed through her mind.
So, it was because of this man that she was finally caught!
Qin Zhi Chen stood by his brother's side and raised a brow at Yu Feng. "Boy, you looked smaller than I thought. How old are you?"
"Fifteen." Under the three men's scrutinizing gaze, Yu Feng chose to answer truthfully.
"So we're the same age," Qin Zhi Chen's expression grew soft. It was not every day that he met someone his age and therefore he was happy. He continued to walk around Yu Feng and sighed. "But how come you're so small?" He lifted her arm and shook his head disapprovingly.
"Not everyone was lucky enough to eat as much as you do," Qin Zhi Hao spoke. He gave his brother a displeased look. "Go out. I still have some matter to attend to."
"Brother, let me stay," Qin Zhi Chen spoke. "I promise I won't be a nuisance."
Qin Zhi Hao ignored his brother and Qin Zhi Chen took it as a sign that his brother had agreed that he could stay around.
"Xiao Feng, I heard about your reputation as the thief that has never been caught once from Officer Zhou," Qin Zhi Hao spoke once his brother sat down at the side and stopped being a nuisance. He let out a chuckle and continued. "Do you know how long does it take for me to set a trap and catch you?"
Yu Feng cursed inwardly as she heard the word 'trap'.
From his words, she was able to figure out that everything that happened today was not a coincidence. Her capture was planned. Yu Feng tried to think of anything that she might miss these past few days but could not guess at anything. She could not figure out how this man had trapped her.
"A month." Qin Zhi Hao continued when she did not answer. There was a smile on his face, but his hand under his sleeves clenched into a fist. This little boy had slipped through his fingers countless times, and Qin Zhi Hao was still upset about it. Surprisingly, he had to spend a lot of resources just to catch this person.
"You work hard," Yu Feng could not stop herself from saying, and soon, Qin Zhi Hao narrowed his eyes dangerously at her again. Sensing his warning gaze, Yu Feng put a hand on her mouth lest she said something else that would make this man upset again.