Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

After distributing the few remaining jewellery on her body, Tao Yao told the children that they could exchange the jewellery for some money at the pawn shop. After getting the money, they should not starve themselves but buy some food first and eat their fill before going home.

Perhaps because she herself has a heartless father, she is worried that these children will be punished when they return home, so the little money they earn from selling flowers outside should be handed over to their parents.

Thinking of the bruises on the child's arms, Tao Yao felt extremely distressed. She had grown up so much that she had almost wanted to die when she was beaten with a stick in Zhuzheng Hall. She couldn't imagine how such a young child could endure such physical pain.

It happened so quickly that Tao Yao had just said goodbye to a group of children and was about to turn around to mount his horse when he heard the child's cry for help behind him.

"Sister! Help me! Help!"

Tao Yao immediately looked back and saw that a man in black had kidnapped the child. Fortunately, he didn't run far, so Tao Yao pulled the reins and was about to chase him.

At this moment, Lu Che tugged at Tao Yao's sleeve. Tao Yao glanced at him, only to see that he still had that cold, indifferent expression. Without a second thought, she guessed he was trying to dissuade her from meddling in other people's affairs. She forcefully shook his hand off and spurred her horse in pursuit of the man in black.

The man in black was very cunning. Seeing Tao Yao chasing him, he was not afraid at all. He brazenly ran on the street holding the child, as if he was afraid that Tao Yao would lose track of him.

The little boy was kidnapped, but he didn't seem to be very afraid. He just howled for help at her a few times at first, and then gradually became silent.

But in this urgent situation, Tao Yao didn't have time to think so much. She even worried that the man in black had drugged the boy and made him unconscious.

As they were chasing, Tao Yao suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves behind her. She turned around alertly and saw Lu Che.

Tao Yao shouted at him angrily, "Why did you follow me?"

Lu Che still had that cold expression on his face. He said nothing, but pulled the reins to make the horse run faster. He quickly rushed to Tao Yao's side and soon surpassed her.

"Hey!"

Lu Che's horse kicked up a ball of dust and dirt behind him, which made Tao Yao, who was following behind Lu Che, get a ball of dust on her butt and choked her so much that she coughed repeatedly.

Tao Yao couldn't help but curse in her heart, thinking that Lu Che must be doing something bad on purpose.

At this moment, Lu Che's voice drifted from the distance ahead: "Why don't you hurry up and catch up? We'll soon lose the thief."

Tao Yao was so angry that she slapped the horse's butt. The horse was startled and ran forward with all its hooves. Tao Yao was shaken back and forth on the horse's back and almost got thrown off. She felt dizzy and almost vomited her breakfast.

The two men chased the black-clad thief all the way to the Qingshui Town dock. It was noon, and there were several cargo ships moored in front of the dock. Many porters were unloading and loading cargo at the dock, and the place was crowded with people.

Seeing this, Tao Yao quickly reminded Lu Che from behind, "Lu Che, there are so many people here. If this thief sneaks into the crowd, it might be hard to find him! Follow him closely!"

Lu Che didn't respond, probably still fuming with Tao Yao. But he took her words to heart, immediately slowing down his horse and following closely behind the man in black.

At that time, a buzzing sound was heard in the distance, and a huge pleasure boat was sailing towards the dock through the wind and waves.

The houseboat was decorated very luxuriously and looked very eye-catching among the inconspicuous cargo ships, as if it wanted to announce to the world how rich the owner of the houseboat was and where to spend it.

The pleasure boat quickly docked at the pier. Almost in an instant, the black-clothed thief, holding the child, flew onto the deck of the pleasure boat with his lightness skills. In just a few steps, he sneaked into the pavilions of the pleasure boat and disappeared without a trace.

At that time, a beautifully dressed woman walked out from the pavilion with graceful steps, stood on the deck in a gorgeous manner, and looked down at the ship.

The sunlight was so blinding that Tao Yao could hardly see the scene on the pleasure boat. She only saw the woman twisting like a bright red spot in the swaying sunlight. A sweet voice came from there, sounding somewhat familiar.

"Dear guests, Zui Xiang Lou's new choreography is now being performed. Guests who want to enjoy a drink and watch the dance should quickly board the boat and rest. The girls are waiting for you!"

Tao Yao was surprised. Why did this restaurant's pleasure boat stop at the pier to solicit customers? The pier was full of poor laborers, and there were few people willing to get on board and spend money and drink.

Tao Yao jumped off the horse, and Lu Che followed suit. He walked quickly in front of her and tried to block her.

Tao Yao was about to push him away when she heard him whisper, "This ship is heavily guarded, with guards both front and back. Just now, that man in black blatantly boarded the ship, but these guards were blind, as if they had colluded. There must be something fishy going on with this ship."

Tao Yao finally came to her senses, rubbed her eyes, and tried to take a closer look at the situation on the pleasure boat.

As expected, in addition to the dancers, there were also a number of guards armed with swords. Tao Yao took a quick look at everyone on the boat, and when his eyes shifted to the woman standing on the deck soliciting customers, he was suddenly shocked.

Tao Yao couldn't believe her eyes. She rubbed her eyes again and confirmed again and again that the woman was indeed Yun Qing, the proprietress of Fuxiangzhai whom she had met in the capital before.

Seeing Yun Qing's gaze directed towards her, Tao Yao quickly waved to her and called out, "Boss! It's me! Do you remember me? I made a batch of incense for Fuxiangzhai a while ago!"

Yun Qing was standing at the highest point of the deck, which was clearly the place with the best view on the entire ship, but she seemed to pretend not to see Tao Yao and deliberately avoided looking at Tao Yao.

Tao Yao tugged at Lu Che's sleeve and whispered, "Lu Che, do you have any money left?"

Hearing this, Lu Che couldn't help but clutch his purse tightly. "I just spent all my fortune buying horses and steamed buns. I don't have any money, but I have my life."

Tao Yao grabbed Lu Che's hand and started walking towards the pleasure boat, saying as she walked, "That's enough. One life is enough."

Seeing someone approaching, a long ladder slowly descended from the pleasure boat and landed on the dock. Tao Yao placed a hand on Lu Che's shoulder and quickly ran to the boat, running straight to Yun Qing.

"Boss lady, it's me. Long time no see."

Tao Yao greeted Yun Qing enthusiastically, but Yun Qing looked like she didn't want to pay attention to her. She forced a smile and said, "Oh, it's you. I didn't expect we'd meet again."

"Yes! It seems we are really destined to meet. By the way, isn't Fuxiangzhai's business very good? How do you have time to go on a boat trip when you are not busy in the store?" Tao Yao asked with a smile.

Yun Qing's expression shifted, her delicate eyebrows furrowed in a frown, and she sighed, "Oh, don't mention it. The prince has forbidden me to stay in Fuxiangzhai anymore. I'm running my own business now. Look, this pleasure boat you see is where I do business."

Tao Yao's cheerful chatter with Yun Qing gave Lu Che, who was watching from the side, a headache. She had been in the Central Plains for over a decade, so was being friendly her most effective skill? She would enthusiastically approach anyone she met, offering flattering smiles and ingratiating herself, appearing foolish and naive.

Tao Yao moved closer to Yun Qing enthusiastically, stretched out his hands and was about to embrace her, creating an atmosphere of two fellow villagers meeting each other.

"If that's the case, it just proves that we're destined to be together!"

"What? You're joking, young lady. I'm a businessman, traveling all day long. Even if we're the same ant, it's normal for you to see me more than once. So, you and I aren't really destined to be together."

Yun Qing smiled awkwardly and dodged Tao Yao's hands that were about to reach out to hold her arm. Those hands looked greasy and dirty, which disgusted her.

"If the young lady is willing to spend a few dozen taels of silver and have some drinks and snacks here, then we can be called destined to be together."