Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chapter 21 Do you think you can leave today?

In an instant, a deafening "bang" resounded, like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's ears. As the crowd gasped in astonishment, they saw a figure fly out from behind the stage like a kite with a broken string, crashing violently into the wooden door separating the front and back stages. Instantly, wood chips flew everywhere, and the once intact door was smashed open with a large hole!

The man who had been kicked away slowly struggled to his feet. He clutched his chest, groaning in pain, blood trickling from his mouth and down his chin...

Seeing this, everyone stared in horror at the person who had been knocked away, and scattered in all directions. Those who hadn't yet reacted wondered: What happened? Can anyone tell them what happened? Why was someone suddenly kicked out from backstage?

At this moment, everyone turned to look at the person who had been kicked away. The person was holding a short knife and had a clear footprint on his chest, indicating that he was seriously injured. Meanwhile, two tall figures with flowing robes were slowly approaching from the other side.

"Young Master Zheng, you've arrived!" Upon seeing this, the performers on the stage immediately stopped their performance, hurriedly bowed, and respectfully greeted the person before them.

Zheng Luoqi remained calm and waved her hand slightly, signaling them to leave. The performers understood immediately and, without the slightest hesitation, respectfully retreated backstage.

At this moment, no one noticed that the atmosphere around them had subtly changed. Before anyone knew it, a large number of soldiers had surrounded Yuexin Pavilion, creating an unusually solemn and tense scene.

"Officials are on official business; all irrelevant personnel, please leave!" A loud shout shattered the brief silence. A burly, imposing man stood at the front of the crowd—Zhang Zhiyuan, the Commander of the Imperial Guards. His sharp gaze swept across the surroundings as he repeated, "Irrelevant personnel, leave immediately!"

The crowd was terrified by this sudden turn of events, and they all retreated in panic. The once bustling Yuexin Pavilion instantly fell silent, with only the sound of soldiers' orderly footsteps and the clanging of armor remaining.

The man who was kicked away saw that things were not going well and tried to escape using his lightness skill. However, he was surrounded by the soldiers brought by Zhang Zhiyuan and a fight broke out between them. The two sides fought fiercely, exchanging blows.

"Bang!" Another heavy blow struck, and the man was sent flying backward again, crashing to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of bright red blood.

Xiao Jie was pale and covered in cold sweat. He barely managed to lift his head as he struggled to support his weak body. He saw Lin Wanwan and the others dressed in luxurious clothes and accompanied by maids. They were obviously from wealthy families. They were trembling and huddled in a corner, clearly terrified.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind. He immediately rushed forward and grabbed Lin Qianning, who was at the front, by the neck with one hand. The other soldiers were obviously caught off guard and did not expect that Xiao Jie could still stand up after being beaten like this.

Xiao Jie shouted hoarsely, "Don't come any closer! I'll strangle anyone who takes a step!" He gripped Lin Qianning's neck tightly, showing no mercy. Deep marks were already visible on Lin Qianning's neck, and her face turned bright red.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhiyuan ordered the soldiers in front to slowly retreat, warning them, "Xiao Jie, you're not getting away today. Surrender obediently, and you'll suffer less."

He was neither surprised nor flustered by Xiao Jie's kidnapping of Lin Qianning; instead, he calmly continued to persuade her to surrender.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jie sneered, "Haha!" He then shouted angrily, "Bullshit! I'm unlucky to have fallen into your hands today! Let me leave safely, or I'll break her neck right now!" With that, he tightened his grip on Lin Qianning, squeezing her even tighter.

"Do you think you still have a chance to leave?" Zheng Luoqi asked calmly.

Xiao Jie looked over and saw that Zheng Luoqi had a bow and arrow in her hand, which she was pointing directly at him. Without hesitation, the arrow pierced Xiao Jie's arm, the one that was gripping Lin Qianning's hand.

Xiao Jie cried out in pain, loosening his grip on Lin Qianning's neck. Seeing this, Zheng Luoqi immediately stepped forward, pulled Lin Qianning over, and then kicked Xiao Jie away.

Zheng Luoqi pulled Lin Qianning behind her and looked at Xiao Jie with a cold gaze.

"You audacious scoundrel, how dare you be so insolent before me!" Zhang Zhiyuan said. "Seize him!"

The soldiers swarmed forward and quickly subdued Xiao Jie.

Zheng Luoqi turned to check on Lin Qianning and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Lin Qianning shook her head, looking at Zheng Luoqi with gratitude. Lin Qianning looked at Zheng Luoqi, who had saved her at this moment, her heart pounding in her chest. She stared blankly at Zheng Luoqi, unable to suppress the throbbing in her heart. When she couldn't breathe just now, she thought she was really going to die here today. Fortunately, she was saved.

At this moment, Lin Wanwan, Chen Ruoyao, and their maid also came over. Lin Wanwan looked at everything in front of her with a look of horror.

"Thank you so much, Young Master Zheng, for saving my sister," Lin Wanwan said.

"No need to be so polite, I was just doing my job impartially," Zheng Luoqi replied modestly.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Zhiyuan immediately ordered his soldiers to escort Xiao Jie away for interrogation. After looking around and confirming that Xiao Jie had been taken away, he said to Zheng Luoqi, "Lord Zheng, I will take my leave now!"

"Thank you, Lord Zhang!" Zheng Luoqi said, cupping her hands in thanks. After watching Zhang Zhiyuan leave with Xiao Jie, she turned and instructed Boyu to find someone to send Lin Qianning and the other young ladies back home.

Lin Qianning and the others did not refuse Zheng Luoqi's kindness, after all, they were terrified today.

On the carriage...

Lin Wanwan sat down next to Lin Qianning and asked with concern, "Little sister, how are you?"

Lin Qianning touched her neck, which was red from being strangled, and shook her head to indicate that she was fine.

Chen Ruoyao patted her chest and said, "That was terrifying! Luckily, Young Master Zheng intervened in time!"

Lin Wanwan frowned and said, "Little sister, I wanted to take you out for a walk today to clear your head, but we ran into this."

"It's alright, sister. What happened today wasn't something either of us expected," Lin Qianning replied.

After arriving at the Lin residence and getting out of the carriage, Lin Qianning thanked the guards from the Prime Minister's residence who had escorted them back. Just as she was about to leave, one of the guards said, "Second Miss Lin, please wait. My young master has something for you."

Lin Qianning turned around in confusion, only to see the guard take out a porcelain bottle from his robes and say, "This is some wound medicine my young master asked me to bring to Miss Lin."

Lin Qianning reached out and took the medicine, saying with delight, "Please thank your young master for me. I'll accept the medicine."

The guard smiled and nodded before riding away.

Lin Qianning looked down at the porcelain bottle in her hand, and couldn't help but smile.