Accompanied by heartbeats, many people's gazes fell as they avoided.
Very few dared to meet Lu Yunqi's gaze without looking away.
Firstly, his identity was intimidating, and secondly, his appearance.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't ugly; upon closer inspection, he was rather handsome, but perhaps it was his expressionless face or inherently cold eyes that made people feel uncomfortable.
Thus, as soon as people saw that it was Lu Yunqi who had arrived, they began to dodge and shift their gazes.
Miss Jun didn't dodge; the public's reaction wasn't like Princess Jiuli's, whether before or after her marriage.
Before, regardless of how fierce Lu Yunqi was, he was still but a subject.
After getting married, he became even more gentle and amiable in front of her.
Miss Jun's hands, clasped in front of her, tightened again.
"It's really been a long time! You haven't changed at all, always so sparing with your words," Zhu Zan's voice rang loudly on the quiet street, "Why don't you even greet people when you see them?"
Were Zhu Zan and Lu Yunqi familiar?
Miss Jun wondered about this uncertainty, having never heard Lu Yunqi mention it.
And being sparing with words was a description Miss Jun found unfamiliar.
So he was a man sparing with words.
When they were together, he certainly wasn't short of words.
Getting married to her back then must have been hard for him, having to act against his nature.
Standing behind the crowd and looking through the shaky gaps between people, Miss Jun watched Lu Yunqi.
Lu Yunqi still had an expressionless face and showed no intention of speaking; he glanced at Zhu Zan and just slightly shook his head.
With that slight shake of his head, the atmosphere suddenly became tense, Jinyiwei drew their swords and charged at Zhu Zan all at once, ignoring the government soldiers in front of Zhu Zan as if they were invisible.
All they wanted was to capture this man, treating everyone else as inanimate objects, something to be kicked over and chopped down if they obstructed.
Lord Wu, leading the government soldiers, also sobered up, looking resolved.
Without exchanging a word, the two sides began fighting as soon as they met, demonstrating the resolute and decisive nature of Thousand-Man Commander Lu, causing the crowd to scatter with a shout.
Miss Jun was jostled helplessly into a corner, yet she continued to watch the scene.
Amid the chaos, the sound of horse hooves arrived, accompanied by authoritative shouts.
"Stop!"
Miss Jun looked over and saw another group arriving.
"The troops from the Five Cities Military Department are here!"
"This is going to get even more chaotic."
"Whom are they helping?"
Those hiding in the corner whispered among themselves.
To their disappointment, the forces from the Five Cities Military Department didn't side with anyone but instead surrounded a eunuch in his forties in a red robe.
"Stop, stop! What is going on here!" he cried out sharply, his expression both angry and fearful.
Before his voice even faded, someone else started shouting.
"Eunuch, eunuch! Save me please! Lord Lu is going to kill me!"
Who else could it be but Zhu Zan?
He had run up to the eunuch, grabbing the eunuch's sleeve.
Just like a child who had caused trouble and was being chased.
This spectacle was somewhat familiar to the eunuch; it seemed there had been a similar scene many years ago.
A boy, half grown, had clung desperately to his legs.
"Save me, eunuch, I'm going to be beaten to death by that man claiming to be a prince," he cried pitifully, almost unable to stand from fear.
Yet the man he claimed was going to kill him lay on the ground, his face covered in blood.
The memories made the eunuch's scalp tingle; ah, this ancestor! At twenty-two, still acting like a twelve-year-old.
"Princely Heir, you're not a child anymore, don't be so reckless," he sighed.
Zhu Zan looked at him and squeaked.
"It's Eunuch Du," he said, his face showing joy and gratitude, "You've saved me again."
He looked like he wanted to hug him; Eunuch Du couldn't help but shudder.
He was a eunuch; many people avoided their kind, even those who tried to please them were disgusted at heart, especially loath to make physical contact.
But Zhu Zan seemed not to mind at all.
Eunuch Du felt a mix of unfamiliar warmth and discomfort, and stepped back to avoid Zhu Zan, his expression softening significantly.
"Heir Zhu, stop being unreasonable. You know why Lord Lu wants to arrest you," he said.
"I know," Zhu Zan replied, his look serious and not at all perfunctory, "that's why I need to explain and confess to the emperor. Please, take me to see the emperor."
He said this and glanced towards Lu Yunqi.
Lu Yunqi continued to watch him with an expressionless face.
"You see, he is terrifying; I don't want to be taken away by him," Zhu Zan said.
Lu Yunqi was indeed terrifying.
But could he scare you, Eunuch thought with a sigh, you even struck a prince and then feigned innocence, who could compare with you?
You really do have a great father.
"Lord Lu," the eunuch looked toward Lu Yunqi and raised his hand in salute, "the emperor commands the summoning of the Princely Heir to the palace."
Lu Yunqi extended his hand.
The eunuch immediately understood and presented the decree; a Jinyiwei came forward to carefully inspect it and then nodded to Lu Yunqi.
Lu Yunqi waved his hand, and the Jinyiwei sheathed their swords in unison, clearing the way.
"Lord Heir, please," the eunuch said.
Zhu Zan complied.
"Eunuch Du, please," he said politely, showing no signs of his previous unruly behavior.
The two, accompanied by a throng from the Five Cities Military Department, headed toward the Imperial City.
"Eunuch Du, we haven't seen each other for many years, you haven't changed at all; you look even more vigorous than seven or eight years ago."
"Eunuch Du, that identification plate of yours, it's been raised to this level, really impressive."
"Eunuch Du, what kind of tea do you like? You see, I came in such a hurry, I didn't bring anything…"
His incessant chatter didn't stop even as they started walking, causing the eunuch to accidentally laugh, then promptly straightened his face.
"Princely Heir, there are rules when we are out on duties, we are not supposed to talk," he said.
Zhu Zan made an apologetic expression, saluted him respectfully, and then solemnly fell silent.
Obedient.
More like cleverly obedient.
Eunuch Du dared not really think of him as an obedient person, knowing that this ancestor could trip you up anywhere.
Watching them disappear down the street, Lord Wu also waved his hand.
"Move along, go guard the city gates," he said, as if nothing had happened, not even glancing at the Jinyiwei, and a group of government soldiers also left.
The street was left with only Lu Yunqi and his men, and the dispersed crowd looked around cautiously.
The Jinyiwei were about to arrest someone, first blocked by a group of government soldiers, then the arrestee shouted to see the emperor, and the emperor really sent someone to fetch him.
After so many years, it was the first time people saw the Jinyiwei lose face.
The crowd's gaze was filled with surprise and a bit of excitement.
"Sir, are we just going to let this go?" Hundred-man Commander Jiang whispered.
Lu Yunqi glanced at him.
"Our job here is done," he said, "so, of course, we let it go."
Was their job here really done?
Zhu Zan had not been caught, and if he got before the emperor, there would certainly be a lot of officials speaking on his behalf, making it even harder for the Jinyiwei to interrogate Zhu Zan later.
Hundred-man Commander Jiang furrowed his brow.
Lu Yunqi had already mounted his horse and turned around.
"The emperor ordered us to escort Zhu Zan to the capital, and Zhu Zan has now indeed returned," he said.
This would do.
Hundred-man Commander Jiang hurriedly climbed onto his horse, and Lu Yunqi glanced at him.
"We follow the emperor's orders," he said.
His words were few, but his subordinates were already accustomed.
We follow the emperor's orders.
Whatever the emperor orders, we do, and if told to stop, we stop.
As for what others think, it doesn't matter at all.
Hundred-man Commander Jiang smiled and acknowledged, signaling everyone to mount.
"Back to the garrison," he said.
Watching the Jinyiwei leave the street, people came out from their hiding spots, talking animatedly and pointing fingers. Suddenly, the marching group stopped again, and Lu Yunqi at the center turned back to look.
The noisy crowd instantly froze, silent as ravens.
Lu Yunqi's gaze swept over the surrounding populace—men and women, young and old, poor and rich, some panicked, some dodging, some ingratiating, and some expressionless.
"Sir, what's wrong?" Hundred-man Commander Jiang asked, also looking back, "Is something not right?"
Lu Yunqi didn't speak.
Lord Lu was never fond of speaking, so Hundred-man Commander Jiang didn't ask further.
But then, Lu Yunqi spoke.
"I feel…" he suddenly said.
He suddenly felt someone watching him.