Necessary Cruelty

After performing in the market for an hour and amassing a small pile of copper coins in the process, the guards finally convinced Lei Mingxing to return to the palace by telling her that their shift was about to end and they would drag her back to the palace if they had to. So, although she was quite reluctant, Lei Mingxing still packed her things, stuffing the bulging coin pouch in her usual hiding spot (despite it being a bit of a tight squeeze this time) and clamped the guqin under her arm.

She walked deliberately slowly, occasionally biting into a bright orange persimmon while surveying the city that was supposed to be her hometown but was, in the end, entirely unfamiliar to her. Mentally noting all the different shops that offered clothes, horses, carriages, food,..., it took her almost another half an hour to reach the back gate of the palace. But when she did, the guards beside her heaved huge sighs of relief.

Finally! Now they could return home and rest! And most importantly, try to forget all the debauchery they had witnessed at that brothel! After all, they were righteous and upstanding guards, their tastes and morals weren't warped like that!

Crossing the drawbridge, the three reached the soldiers standing guard outside when they were abruptly stopped.

"Halt! Who are you? What business do you have in the palace?", One of the soldiers asked in a stern voice, looking them over with suspicion in his eyes.

Only then did the guards accompanying Lei Mingxing realize they were still wearing their disguises. They hurried to unwrap their bodies and exchange the face veil for their helmets.

"Greetings! We are inner palace guards. We were accompanying the Second Princess on her outing in the city," the mustached guard put his fist on his chest in greeting, stating their circumstances clearly and openly as he awaited the soldier before him to grant them passage. But instead, the other's eyes just bulged in response and he stared at them with a speechless expression. This was also when Lei Mingxing pulled off the face veil concealing her appearance, further verifying the other's words.

After a moment of shock, the soldier turned to his partner and commanded him to notify the commander of the inner guard, the other immediately sprinted inside.

The guards next to Lei Mingxing were confused at their strange behavior, the mustached one opened his mouth once more after exchanging a bewildered glance with his colleague.

"What is the matter? Did something occur during our absence?"

But the remaining soldier only snorted as if hearing something ridiculous, refusing to answer, although he never let them out of his sight. This puzzled the guards even further, but there was also a bit of uneasiness gradually rising in the pits of their stomachs, which they couldn't disperse.

Soon, a unit of inner guards stepped through the gates, their commander, Ke Wuyun, a stoic man with gradually greying black hair, at the forefront, glaring at the three to the point that the guards nervously swallowed their saliva. Only Lei Mingxing returned his gaze calmly. She knew why he was here and that he wouldn't harm her, at least not yet, so she was completely unfazed by his imposing aura.

"Harboring and hiding a criminal royal awaiting trial, do you even realize how big of a crime you have committed?", Ke Wuyun's words were like a punch in the gut for the two guards. A criminal royal? Harboring and hiding them?

But upon meeting their superior's eyes, all these questions remained stuck in their throat. Their blood ran cold and their faces became white as paper, they snapped their heads around to look at the calm Lei Mingxing. Seeing how unbothered she was by the revelation, realization gradually dawned on them.

She had known! Princess Mingxing had expected this to happen and let them walk directly into the knife!

Their hearts that had warmed up to this neglected and willful princess while listening to Lei Mingxing's music, felt like they had been pushed into an icy lake. Looking into her steady pupils, they realized, there existed not a single care for them in her gaze, it was utterly chilling.

Fear gripped their bodies and the guards threw themselves to the ground, pleading their innocence while clinging to Ke Wuyun's legs.

"Commander Ke Wuyun, we were deceived! We had no idea such a command had been issued! Please bring justice and grant mercy!"

Unfortunately, the commander didn't even bat an eye at their pleading, only scoffing at their unseemingly behavior and foolishness.

"Ha! You dare claim that you were deceived? That you had no knowledge of the urgent command to detain the Princess Mingxing? Do you believe this Commander to be a fool? You clearly hid her Highness to attend to heaven-knows-what dirty dealings in the city! How else would you have not encountered any of our troops?", the commander glared at his former subordinates for a moment, but they didn't even have the courage to deny his claims. Deeply disappointed, Ke Wuyun sighed and turned away, issuing a command to the squad of inner guards behind him.

"Bring the Second Princess to Clear Pond Courtyard, she will be put under house arrest until the date of her trial, as for the two criminals, detain them and interrogate them, we need to find out what they were doing outside, in case it will become relevant to Princess Mingxing's case."

The guards silently obeyed the command as their commander left, grabbing their former colleagues before they could even attempt to escape and shackling them with special artifacts that drained and contained their Qi. You could only hear their miserable cries and begging as they were dragged away, cursing Lei Mingxing and claiming their innocence with every step.

Meanwhile Lei Mingxing had two guards accompanying her once more and she quietly returned to her courtyard under their cold and accusatory gazes. But there was no hint of a guilty consciousness in her gaze or behavior, she felt almost eerily calm.

So she just entered her courtyard with light steps, leaned the guqin against a wall and took out the coin pouch and began to carefully count her earnings.