At this critical juncture, Princess Ankang couldn't imagine anyone else tracking them besides the people from the Money Gang.
Princess Ankang took a deep breath, calming herself.
She had just heard Xiao Cui speak of the Money Gang's evil deeds, and her emotions were running high.
After Princess Ankang calmed down again, she softly instructed Xu Lang through the curtain, "Don't arrest him yet; just keep a close eye on him.
Once we reach the Changan County Yamen, then apprehend him."
"If the person shows any sign of leaving midway, arrest him immediately."
"Understood!"
Xu Lang immediately accepted the order.
The carriage continued to move, but ever since they knew someone was following them, the atmosphere inside the carriage became heavy.
"Could it be someone from the Money Gang?"
Xiao Cui couldn't help but ask.
She was now worried about her grandfather.
She feared that the Money Gang might harm her grandfather, who remained in the West Market.
Princess Ankang gently patted Xiao Cui's shoulder and then comforted her:
"Don't worry, they wouldn't dare gamble with me."
Princess Ankang's tone was firm.
If the Money Gang truly dared to act recklessly, Princess Ankang would undoubtedly purge them before returning to the palace, making them pay a heavy price.
Xiao Cui understood this logic, but she still couldn't help but worry about her grandfather.
As the carriage was about to arrive at the entrance of the Changan County Yamen, Xu Lang, along with two Flower-Clothed Eunuchs, suddenly sprang into action, rushing fiercely towards the person behind them.
The person who had been following them all along immediately sensed something was wrong, turned, and ran, attempting to blend into the crowd to escape.
However, with a planned attack against an unsuspecting target, and the well-trained Flower-Clothed Eunuchs, they apprehended the person almost instantly.
The total time taken was probably less than a breath, which showed the terrifying prowess of the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs.
When Princess Ankang and the others alighted from the carriage, they saw Xu Lang escorting the person over.
"Why is it a child?"
Princess Ankang looked at the tracker, who was less than a meter tall and had a tender face, and couldn't help but ask in surprise.
Xu Lang didn't waste words; he directly seized the person's throat and then said in a cold voice:
"Reveal your true form at once!"
Xu Lang's palpable killing intent made the child's eyes widen, filled with terror.
He dared not delay, fearing that Xu Lang would crush his throat the next moment.
Then, a cracking sound emanated from the child's body, his figure slowly grew larger, and the skin on his tender little face gradually stretched and tore, looking extremely bizarre.
Xu Lang's hand, which had been gripping the person's throat, suddenly moved, then twisted his arm, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
Then, Xu Lang used his free hand to forcefully wipe the person's face, easily tearing off the stretched skin, revealing the person's true appearance.
This was a pale, beardless man, appearing to be around thirty years old, with a rather decent appearance, though his demeanor seemed a bit lacking.
Especially now, looking very frightened, he appeared even more lewd, completely lacking the bearing a man should have.
"Who are you? Why are you following us?"
Princess Ankang asked coldly.
"This humble one is Yang Wanli, Vice Leader of the Money Gang."
"I mean no ill will towards the young lady; it is only out of great admiration that I followed along."
"Young lady, please do not misunderstand."
Upon hearing this, the Three Little Ones and Xiao Cui all frowned.
They were somewhat disbelieving that this shifty-eyed, cowering man could actually be the Vice Leader of the Money Gang.
The Three Little Ones silently turned to look at Xiao Cui, who shook her head:
"I've never heard of, nor seen, the Vice Leader of the Money Gang."
This was reasonable; Xiao Cui and her grandfather were merely small vendors selling knotwork in the West Market, so they wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet the Vice Leader of the Money Gang.
Even Hall Master Tang Sha, the Hall Master of the Greedy Wolf Hall, Xiao Cui probably wouldn't have recognized him if it weren't for his connection to Lord Xiong.
Princess Ankang looked at Yang Wanli, who claimed to be the Vice Leader of the Money Gang, and then said without hesitation:
"Fake, kill him!"
Xu Lang was also decisive, directly raising his hand to strike Yang Wanli's crown with a palm.
Yang Wanli screamed in fright, wanting to resist but unable to muster the strength.
His nerve points were being squeezed by Xu Lang, making it impossible for him to gather his internal power.
Yang Wanli had initially doubted Princess Ankang's identity, but after Xu Lang's continuous professional tactics, he was already convinced.
Aside from the Great Inner Experts in the palace, who else could apprehend him so easily, without even a chance to escape?
Poor Yang Wanli, a dignified Vice Leader of the Money Gang, was being handled like a petty street thief.
"Young lady, wait!"
"I have an identity token as proof!"
Yang Wanli quickly gestured towards his chest with his eyes, prompting Xu Lang to reach in and retrieve it.
Xu Lang completely ignored Yang Wanli's gaze and instead turned to Princess Ankang, awaiting her command.
Princess Ankang nodded slightly, and only then did Xu Lang exchange a glance with a Flower-Clothed Eunuch nearby.
Xu Lang held the person, while another Flower-Clothed Eunuch cautiously reached into Yang Wanli's lapel.
Sure enough, a token was pulled out from within.
The token was made of profound iron, with a golden engraving of a copper coin on its face, and the name "Vice Leader Yang Wanli" carved on the back.
Just a glance was enough to tell that this token was expensive.
This suggested that Yang Wanli might indeed be the Vice Leader of the Money Gang.
Princess Ankang took the token, examined it several times, and then asked with some suspicion:
"Are you truly the Vice Leader of the Money Gang?"
Yang Wanli quickly nodded, fearing the misunderstanding would grow larger.
"Absolutely genuine!"
"Yesterday, some of our gang members had a misunderstanding with the young lady, leading to a slight conflict."
"This humble one has specially come to offer an apology."
"However, on the way, I saw that the young lady seemed to have something to attend to, so I dared not disturb her and could only follow from a distance."
"I didn't expect such a misunderstanding to arise."
"It's all due to my lack of consideration, which displeased the young lady."
"This humble one is guilty, this humble one is guilty…"
Yang Wanli admitted his fault while repeatedly bowing his head.
If Xu Lang wasn't holding his body, he would have long since knelt and kowtowed.
However, seeing such a cowardly Yang Wanli, the Three Little Ones and Xiao Cui simply refused to believe that this was the Vice Leader of the Money Gang.
Princess Ankang had initially only intended to scare him into telling the truth, but she never expected Yang Wanli to be so easily intimidated.
"So, Vice Leader Yang, you specially came today to apologize to me, is that right?"
"Yes, yes, yes, the young lady is correct."
Now they stood before the Changan County Yamen, and the commotion had already attracted the attention of many people, even some constables inside the yamen were looking their way, but no one dared to meddle in their affairs.
"Then you should also be clear why I brought Xiao Cui to this yamen today, right?"
Princess Ankang then asked from her elevated position.
"I know, I know, young lady, it's about Zhao Rixiong and others forcibly abducting a civilian woman in the street."
"This matter is all thanks to the young lady's righteous intervention; otherwise, I, as the Vice Leader, would still not know that my subordinates were still doing such sordid things."
"According to the Money Gang's rules, they all deserve to have their limbs broken and be thrown into a mass grave to feed wild dogs."
"If it weren't for the young lady's insistence on handling matters officially, our Hall Master Hall Master Tang Sha would have already righteously eliminated his own kin yesterday, executing the gang rules on Zhao Rixiong."
Even Li Xuan chuckled at this statement.
No wonder Yang Wanli could become the Vice Leader of the Money Gang; his thick skin was truly extraordinary.
If what he said was true, did Hall Master Tang Sha bring so many people yesterday just to execute Lord Xiong and the others on the spot?
Perhaps the target they wanted to execute on the spot was someone else.
Seeing the cat in Princess Ankang's arms laugh, Yang Wanli immediately said anxiously:
"If the young lady doesn't believe me, I will bring people today to enforce the gang rules and cripple Zhao Rixiong and others who violated them, right in front of you."
Princess Ankang believed that Yang Wanli was capable of doing this.
But she also understood that Yang Wanli's willingness to do so was predicated on Princess Ankang having already demonstrated her capabilities.
Otherwise, how could the Money Gang have run rampant in the capital for so many years, and why would there be so many innocent women persecuted by Lord Xiong?
But no matter what, Princess Ankang now understood the Money Gang's desire to smooth things over.
The Money Gang was truly afraid of Princess Ankang now.
Hearing Yang Wanli's solemn vow, Princess Ankang also nodded:
"Alright."
"Since you've said so, if the County Magistrate of Changan County presides unfairly today, then this matter will be handed over to you to handle."
"No matter who it is, as long as I get a satisfactory explanation, that's fine."
"How about it?"
Yang Wanli's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, but he didn't spout nonsense; instead, he said:
"Young lady, rest assured, Magistrate Zhang of Changan County handles cases fairly, justly, and honestly; he has had a good reputation for many years and will definitely not disappoint you."
Upon hearing this, Princess Ankang sneered inwardly:
"Birds of a feather."
But she didn't show it on her face; instead, she extended an invitation to Yang Wanli:
"Since that's the case, Vice Leader Yang, why don't you join us and see whether Magistrate Zhang handles cases fairly?"
Yang Wanli's smile faltered, but he immediately put on a smiling face again, glanced at Xu Lang, who was holding him, and then readily agreed.
"Since it's the young lady's invitation, how dare this humble one refuse."
Seeing him agree, Princess Ankang directly said to Xu Lang:
"Release him. If there's any unusual movement, you handle it."
Xu Lang gave Yang Wanli a dangerous smile, then replied loudly:
"Understood!"
Subsequently, Princess Ankang led her people into the Changan County Yamen; none of the constables at the entrance dared to stop them.
These past few days, the yamen had already hosted many such distinguished guests, so who would dare to be so blind?
Princess Ankang, with Xiao Cui, was about to enter to report the case when the constable who had taken Lord Xiong and the others away yesterday appeared before them.
"Young lady, the County Magistrate has invited you."
"Oh? Your County Magistrate is quite well-informed; he wants to invite me as soon as I enter?"
Princess Ankang said, hinting at something.
The constable dared not reply and could only brace himself to continue inviting Princess Ankang.
Princess Ankang also knew that the constable was just a minor pawn following orders, so she didn't make things difficult for him any further.
Upon arriving at the public hall of the yamen, Magistrate Zhang of Changan County, Zhang Jian, was already waiting there, accompanied by a secretary.
Compared to the lean figure of County Magistrate Tang Zhi, the County Magistrate of Wannian County, this Magistrate Zhang was much fatter.
As soon as he saw Princess Ankang, Zhang Jian immediately bowed and greeted her:
"Your subordinate, Zhang Jian, greets Your Royal Highness."
"May Your Royal Highness enjoy eternal peace and prosperity."
Princess Ankang nodded, her small face stern, and asked, "Magistrate Zhang, you've been waiting for a long time."
"Uh, not at all, Your Royal Highness is too kind."
Zhang Jian, having long served in officialdom, naturally understood Princess Ankang's sarcastic tone, but at the moment, he could only feign ignorance.
"May I ask what brings Your Royal Highness here today?"
Zhang Jian asked, feigning ignorance.
"Oh? Did that constable not tell Magistrate Zhang?"
"Yesterday, they arrested a criminal in the West Market who forcibly abducted a civilian woman, claiming to be Lord Xiong."
"I brought the victim today to see how Magistrate Zhang will rule on this case."
"Are you perhaps not welcoming me?"
Zhang Jian gave an awkward smile, trying to brush it off.
He had naturally received the news long ago and had also clarified Princess Ankang's identity.
However, Princess Ankang before him was completely different from what the rumors said.
Even though she was in a wheelchair, her aura was not weak at all, completely unlike the frail, sickly princess described in rumors.
"So, Your Royal Highness is concerned about this matter."
Zhang Jian feigned enlightenment, then looked at Xiao Cui and Yang Wanli behind the Three Little Ones.
He could tell that Xiao Cui was likely the victim.
He also recognized Yang Wanli, but couldn't understand how Yang Wanli ended up with Princess Ankang.
Zhang Jian and Yang Wanli exchanged glances; Yang Wanli chuckled, carefree.
Zhang Jian stopped looking at the two and then said to Princess Ankang:
"Regarding this matter, I have some unfortunate news here."
With that, Zhang Jian turned and gestured to his secretary.
Then, constables carried in several stretchers, all covered with white cloth.
Princess Ankang frowned, looking at the stretchers being brought in, wondering what trick Zhang Jian was playing.
Li Xuan, however, twitched his nose, his expression becoming serious.
"Your Royal Highness, please see if these are the criminals you mentioned."
After Zhang Jian spoke, the constables lifted the white cloths from the stretchers.
Princess Ankang and Yuer both frowned fiercely, and Xiao Cui instinctively let out a cry of surprise.
The stretchers were all laden with corpses, and yesterday's Lord Xiong was prominently among them.
The Money Gang members arrested yesterday now all had bulging eyes and deep purple bruises on their necks.
Clearly, they were all completely dead.
"These criminals, after being detained, committed suicide last night out of fear of their crimes; the jailers only discovered their bodies today."
"So, Your Royal Highness."
"This case…"
Zhang Jian looked troubled, but Princess Ankang could discern the deep-seated smile in his eyes.
Princess Ankang then turned to look at Yang Wanli, who wore an innocent expression, as if this matter had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Li Xuan also hadn't expected them to pull such a stunt.
Looking at the peacefully deceased Lord Xiong and the Money Gang members on the ground, he could only shake his head helplessly:
"Alright, so you're playing this game with us, are you?"