Chapter 160: This Princess... Is She Crazy?

The point of notifying the Patrol Camp wasn’t to actually get their help in finding him. Rather, it was a move to let everyone know that Cen An had been kidnapped.

Cen An had been brought here by Princess Xuanyang, and he had even cured the Empress Dowager.

So now that Cen An was kidnapped, it would only be natural for Princess Xuanyang to deploy her own guards for a massive search to save the hero who cured the Empress Dowager, right? And if she happened to barge into a residence and arrest someone... well, that would be perfectly justified, wouldn’t it?

’I’ve given you all a heads-up, so if I happen to offend anyone later... well, that would be just too bad.’

The Emperor obviously didn’t grasp Xiao Li’s true intentions. He thought she was deploying the Patrol Camp simply because Cen An was missing.

"Find him! All of you, go and find him for me!"

The successor to the Divine Doctor who had just cured the Empress Dowager had been kidnapped. This was a blatant show of disrespect for him, the Emperor. He had to be found.

A large number of people were dispatched to find Cen An.

Xiao Li couldn’t personally lead the search, but she was bored just sitting around, so she needed to find something to do. And so, she had Marquis Xuanping arrested.

Marquis Xuanping was both shocked and furious. "Wait, Cen An was kidnapped. Why are you arresting me?"

Xiao Li said, "You’re the one who kidnapped him. Hand him over!"

Marquis Xuanping had indeed tried to kidnap someone, so his voice lacked conviction. "I only wanted to *invite* him to treat my son, but he had just stepped inside when he knocked out my steward and guards and fled. I have no idea where he is."

Xiao Li was unyielding. "All I know is that you kidnapped him. Who’s to say you haven’t just hidden him away somewhere?"

Marquis Xuanping protested futilely, "He really left! I honestly don’t know where he went."

Xiao Li declared with finality, "I don’t believe a crafty old scumbag like you!"

The Marquis was so angry he could spit blood. "You’re just stirring up trouble! This is completely unreasonable! I am a Marquis of the court, for heaven’s sake! You can’t just arrest me as you please."

Xiao Li smiled sweetly. "Now, Marquis, that’s not quite right. What I’m doing is *inviting* you. Isn’t that so?"

’He called his kidnapping of Cen An an "invitation," so this was an "invitation" too. If he dared to call this a kidnapping, then he would be admitting he was the scoundrel who kidnapped Cen An, and he would have to hand the man over.’

Marquis Xuanping: "..." ’This is so damn humiliating! I’m a Marquis! A Marquis!’

Xiao Li slowly drew a magnificent sword. It gleamed brightly, its edge radiating a bone-deep chill. It was obviously a fine blade—one that would go in clean and come out red in a flash.

Anyone else would never dare to kill a reigning Marquis.

No matter how much the Xuanping Marquis Mansion had declined, the title was still a hereditary Marquisate bestowed by the Grand Ancestor Emperor himself—a position of immense honor.

But while others wouldn’t dare, this particular Princess... she just might.

It wasn’t that the Princess wouldn’t be punished for killing him. It was that she would dare to kill him *even if she knew* the consequences!

’She’s a goddamn lunatic!’

Marquis Xuanping knew when to back down. He couldn’t produce Cen An, so if the Princess wanted to "invite" him, he would let her. ’She can’t possibly hold me for more than a few days,’ he reasoned.

Marquis Xuanping was held under guard in a small room. Before long, people from the Xuanping Marquis Mansion arrived to demand his release.

Not only did they fail to secure his release, but the ones who came were detained as well.

After an hour passed with no word, the Xuanping Marquis Mansion sent more people.

The mansion’s steward, guards, manservants...

As more and more people crowded into the room, everyone was initially shocked and flustered. But upon seeing that half the staff of the Xuanping Marquis Mansion was now there with them, they suddenly... calmed down!

Marquis Xuanping even tried to negotiate with the guard at the door. "Could you possibly move us to a larger room? Or perhaps split some of us into another room?"

’He’d never felt his own household staff was so numerous.’

The guard remained unmoved and simply shut the door.

Marquis Xuanping’s face flushed with anger. ’This is outrageous!’

Xiao Li had made no secret of her arresting the Marquis, so plenty of people knew. While others didn’t dare to interfere, when word reached the Emperor, he felt he had to step in.

And then, the little eunuch the Emperor sent was locked up too.

Her policy was simple: none who came were turned away, and none who came ever returned.

When Marquis Xuanping saw even the Emperor’s man get thrown in with them, he was rendered utterly speechless.

’This Princess... is she insane?’

The Emperor, who had been waiting for a long time without receiving any word back: "????"

"Wait, she wouldn’t dare detain even *my* people, would she?"

Lou Yan pursed his lips. "Would you like this servant to go and take a look?"

The Emperor quickly replied, "Yes, you go. Remind her for me not to take her games too far."

The fact that he used the word "games" showed just how much tolerance the Emperor had for Xiao Li.

A barely perceptible smile touched Lou Yan’s lips. His voice was calm. "This servant obeys your command."

Lou Yan didn’t go directly to the Princess Mansion. Instead, he first returned to his own residence.

The moment the door creaked open, a greyish-black shadow shot across the courtyard toward him.

At first glance, it looked like an adorable puppy. A closer look, however, revealed subtle differences—its eyes and tail were unmistakably those of a wolf cub.

This was Mo Jiang, the very same wolf cub Lou Yan had tried to give Xiao Li, only to be rejected.

He had raised the cub extremely well. In just two short months, it had visibly doubled in size.

He had put a great deal of effort into training it, and the wolf was now remarkably well-behaved. It could understand nearly all his commands and would keep him company quietly. Despite its lively nature, it never made a fuss when it was with him.

It wasn’t so much well-behaved as it was possessing a rare spirit.

Lou Yan bent down, stroking its head and sizing it up. "You’re still a bit small, but this is your chance to make her keep you."

He gently stroked Mo Jiang’s back. "There are no third chances. This is it."

As if it understood, Mo Jiang suddenly shook its chubby body, tilted its head back, and let out two little "AWOOs," as if giving him its solemn promise.

Satisfied, Lou Yan placed the cub in a black sack and carried it away.

---

"The Empress Dowager, Prince Yanping, Prince Chen, Liu Xueyin, the Wang family, or the Lu family?"

Xiao Li grabbed a handful of jade Go pieces and tossed them into the fishpond one by one, just for the satisfaction of hearing them plink into the water.

’I don’t have too many enemies, nor too few. The main problem is that they’re all a nuisance.’

’Cen An definitely won’t be killed. He’ll just suffer a bit, at worst.’

’But if he’s been captured and I can’t get him back within a week or two, it’ll make me look completely useless.’

’Even though it’s only been a day.’

"AWOO..."

The cry of an animal shattered her thoughts. Before she could even turn her head, a chubby, greyish-black furball appeared before her.

"AWOO! AWOO!"

It was clearly excited, but it restrained itself, merely squatting by her feet. It gazed up at her for a long moment, and only when it seemed sure she wasn’t displeased did it inch closer, tentatively sniffing the tip of her shoe.

"AWOO, AWOO!"

Xiao Li raised an eyebrow. "Mo Jiang?"

The little wolf cub happily circled her once before squatting back down at her feet, staring up at her with pleading eyes.

A figure in purple slowly approached from the covered walkway. His usually somber face looked much more serene at this moment. His long, narrow eyes were slightly lowered, revealing almost imperceptible glimmers of gentle affection.

"Mo Jiang wishes to be of service to you, Princess. Please give him a chance."

Xiao Li lifted her foot slightly and effortlessly nudged the little cub over. "This thing?"

Lou Yan nodded. "Yes, him. You have nothing to lose by trying, Princess."

’I haven’t gotten the news I’m waiting for yet. Since I’m just sitting here anyway, there’s no harm in playing with the wolf cub for a bit.’

"Go. Bring me something of Cen An’s."