Ch. 1531..1540
Chapter 1531: 1530 Innocent
Abiya had never imagined that the responsibility would suddenly fall upon him. He was the one who had been beaten the worst just now, so why weren’t the police speaking up for him, but instead sided with the two foreigners?
“I’m telling you, Abiya, if someone had died in your store today, then forget about operating your hotel ever again!” the police threatened, “And you better behave yourself. If I hear another complaint about you causing trouble, I’ll throw you in jail!”
Tan Rou heard the police’s words and once again felt how unreasonable the laws of Country J were. Being unmarried and pregnant could get you several years in jail, while those who fought and made trouble daily did not even face detention. It was outrageous.
“I… I don’t accept this!” Abiya shouted, “I want to complain about you!”
The police displayed an indifferent expression, “Suit yourself. If you want to complain about me, go ahead. I hope the chief has time to read your complaint letter!”
Abiya was no longer assertive, and said sadly, “Officer, we are from the same country, how can you side with outsiders? Look at my face and knees, they are all red and very painful!”
The police replied, “That’s because you are no match for others, so it serves you right to be beaten. Just don’t bother me anymore.”
“Oh my, what happened here?” a chubby man came running over, sweating profusely and panting as he spoke, “Officer, we… we are all good people…”
The police asked, “And who are you?”
The chubby man replied, “I’m the owner of this hotel.”
The police nodded slightly, “You’ve come at the right time. It’s necessary for you to know about what happened today. Your employee verbally insulted a female guest from abroad. The female guest’s husband couldn’t stand it and hit your employee. Unable to endure, your employee picked up a chair and fought back, ultimately losing, and even damaging the walls and floor!”
Upon hearing this, the chubby owner nearly fainted; if the police hadn’t supported him from the side, he would have collapsed.
“Boss, boss!” Abiya said, “You have to stand up for me. They started hitting me first!”
But the chubby owner didn’t take Abiya’s side at all. He shouted at Abiya, “It’s always you! I kindly gave you a job here, why do you always cause trouble every few days? Can’t you just shut your mouth?”
Abiya said with much grievance, “I was just joking.”
“You’re fired!” the chubby owner spat out, “I don’t like jokes, so you’re fired. Leave my hotel now and never come back!”
Abiya panicked, “Boss, where else can I go?”
“I don’t care where you go,” the chubby owner said, “Get out of here! No, first you need to fix my wall and floor before you can leave!”
“I don’t have that much money…” Abiya’s salary was barely enough to last until the next payday; he didn’t have the money to pay for the damages.
“I don’t care, you have to pay anyway!” the chubby owner was fed up, “I shouldn’t have let you work at my hotel in the first place. I thought you would change your bad habits once you started working, but it seems I was wrong!”
Abiya squatted down and cried, truly crying, tears streaming down his face.
Seeing him cry like that, Tan Rou, who was pretending, felt embarrassed to continue crying herself, so she wiped her tears and then asked the police, “Officer, what should we do now?”
The police glanced at the chubby owner and said, “In my presence, you are innocent. But you must be careful in the future. No matter which country you are in, do not act impulsively. You must get along peacefully with others.”
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu acted obedient, “Mm-hm, we certainly won’t act impulsively in the future.”
But they didn’t think so in their hearts. If this were in their own country, they could make this shabby hotel disappear from the world forever in minutes.
The chubby owner apologized, “I’m sorry my employee caused trouble for you. I apologize, and from now on your accommodation is free of charge. I hope you don’t hold a grudge against my hotel!”
Chapter 1532: 1531 Identity is not simple
“Boss, we accept your apology, but I also need to remind you, when you recruit employees, you must make sure to check them thoroughly. People like him who never learn their lesson should definitely not be hired,” Zhuang Liu warned.
Tan Rou tugged at Zhuang Liu’s sleeve and then put on a very distressed look, “Zhuang Liu, I don’t want to stay in the lobby anymore.”
Zhuang Liu said tenderly, “Okay, let’s go back to our room and rest right now.”
So they picked up their things and went back to the second floor to rest.
Downstairs, the fat boss continued to scold Abiya, “It’s all your fault, you’ve caused me to lose so much money, I won’t let you off, I know where you live now. If you don’t return the money to me, I’ll make sure you regret it!”
Abiya said, “Boss, I got hurt too!”
The police, tired of watching their quarrel, said, “Come on, please sign this police report. Write ‘resolved’ at the end, then add your name.”
Abiya refused to write, “Mr. Officer, the problem obviously hasn’t been resolved, how can you ask me to write ‘resolved’? I can’t write that, they must compensate me for medical expenses!”
“You still want medical expenses?” The fat boss slapped Abiya on the head, “They haven’t even asked you for emotional damages which is already very nice of them, and you still dare to ask for medical expenses? What, is your arm missing or your leg broken?”
The police stopped the fat boss, “Hey, we, the police, are still here, don’t start a fight in front of us! Since he won’t sign, you come and sign it. The sooner we finish signing, the sooner we can leave, or it will interfere with your business.”
The fat boss immediately grabbed a pen to sign, “Mr. Officer, I’m really sorry for the trouble, thank you for coming over. I assure you this will not happen again, and I hope you won’t hold us responsible.”
The police smiled and then said, “Boss, those two customers made a good point. When you hire staff, you really must be careful not to recruit messy people, got it?”
The fat boss nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes, I understand, I will be careful in the future.”
After the police resolved the issue, they left directly. The onlookers seemed to have gotten used to this way of resolving issues, so they weren’t too surprised.
“What a bore, I thought there would be a good show to watch.” Guest A said, “Let’s go, rather than watching this, it’s better to go back to sleep.”
Guest B said, “I told you our country’s cops are wimps. They only know how to bully their own people, but when facing foreigners, they don’t dare let out a peep.”
“Don’t let them hear you say that, they’ll arrest you and put you in jail!” Guest C said, laughing.
After all the onlookers had left, the fat boss went to help Abiya up, sighing as he said, “Abiya, I’ve told you many times, don’t get into conflicts with the customers, why won’t you listen?”
Abiya complained, “Boss, it was them who started it.”
The fat boss nodded, “I know, I saw what happened on the surveillance camera. I ran over in such a hurry because I was afraid they would kill you.”
Abiya said, “Boss, I just can’t swallow this insult!”
The fat boss said very calmly, “Abiya, don’t forget what I’ve told you. You are no longer who you used to be, you’re someone who is going to welcome the dawn.”
At this, Abiya’s emotions calmed down a lot, and he clasped his hands together with utmost sincerity, “God of Dawn, please bless me, let me triumph over those two evil people!”
The fat boss patted Abiya’s shoulder gently, “Stay strong, you must devoutly worship the God of Dawn. When the god trusts you, I will take you to the headquarters of the Dawn Society for the god’s baptism.”
Abiya became even more devout, “I understand, boss.”
The fat boss smiled, “Go on, go look for a new job. I believe the God of Dawn will look after you.”
Abiya had really been brainwashed by the fat boss. He didn’t say a word, just took his things and left the hotel.
Once everyone had left, the fat boss looked at his computer and then glanced up at the room upstairs, mumbling to himself, “Such impressive skills. It seems the identities of these two foreigners are not simple at all!”
Chapter 1533: Such a big nerve for 1532
“You’re not hurt, are you?” As soon as she entered, Tan Rou checked on Zhuang Liu, “Did that chair just now hit you?”
“No.” After putting things down, Zhuang Liu hugged Tan Rou tightly, “I wanted to do this when I was outside just now, but I was afraid you’d feel embarrassed, so I held back until now.”
Tan Rou also embraced him tightly, “Then let’s hug a bit longer since I’ll have to rush back to the palace soon.”
Zhuang Liu asked, “Can’t you stay here to rest tonight?”
“Not tonight.” Tan Rou said, “At eight o’clock tonight, I have to do a check-up for the King. If I come out after the check-up, it will be past the curfew time. Although I can still leave, it’s hard to explain at the guard post.”
Zhuang Liu understood, “Okay, then let’s meet again tomorrow.”
“I’ll send you the address now. You can deliver the machine to the place I’ve specified in a while.” Tan Rou had already seen the truck parked outside and had checked the machine, finding it undamaged and okay to be transported.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Zhuang Liu said, exhausted, “You are really too busy. We don’t even have a chance to have a proper conversation, always eavesdropping on others’ talks or discussing work. Ah, when can we sit down and have a chat?”
Tan Rou cupped Zhuang Liu’s face, saying, “You are young now, it’s the prime time for work. If you don’t work now, when do you plan to? When we are in our sixties or seventies, we will have plenty of time to chat.”
“Alright.” Zhuang Liu smiled, “My workaholic wife, you go ahead with your work. I’ll be the man behind you, supporting you.”
Tan Rou was amused by his jest, “Then you better hide well and make sure no one discovers you.”
After arranging everything, Tan Rou left for the palace with just a small portion of her things. Zhuang Liu wanted her to take more snacks with her, but he was concerned about tiring her out, so he said he would have someone send some over in a couple of days.
Tan Rou didn’t want to carry too many things on the streets either, so she just took a bit of food she liked back with her.
The first thing Tan Rou did upon returning to the palace was to look for Samiyi, but Samiyi was too busy. She had said she would see the princess an hour ago, but it wasn’t until an hour later that the guard informed her she could go meet the princess.
After meeting Samiyi, Tan Rou casually said, “You’ve been getting busier these days. It’s really difficult to see you.”
Samiyi apologized, “Sorry, it was my fault for not making it clear to the guards, which caused them to stop you. I have already told them, from now on, they should just let you in whenever you come to see me.”
But Tan Rou said, “No, it’s better if they announce me. What if I accidentally walk in while you are discussing secrets?”
Samiyi laughed, “Aren’t our country’s most secret matters already in your hands?”
Tan Rou did not deny it. She took out the recording pen and then said, “Princess, can you guess people by their voices?”
Samiyi didn’t understand Tan Rou’s intention, “Rou, are you trying to play a game with me? But I don’t have much time to play games right now. Let’s talk tonight maybe.”
“I’m not fond of games either,” Tan Rou said, “But I have a very interesting recording here that I want to play for you, Princess.”
Putting aside her documents, Samiyi said, “Okay, then start playing it.”
“Before I play the recording, I’ll need you to ask these people to step out,” Tan Rou said.
With a wave of her hand, Samiyi motioned for the several ministers and maids to leave.
Tan Rou pressed a few buttons, and the recording pen finally emitted the voices of Monica and Kudu. The new recording pen manufactured by Zhuang Liu Company was really useful, capturing even the sound of a mosquito flying by, let alone Monica’s loud voice.
Samiyi’s expression changed with the recording. At first she was confused, then she became somewhat surprised. Halfway through the recording, she couldn’t hold back anymore, “This is outrageous, Monica really has some nerve!”
Tan Rou reminded, “Princess, a little quieter, please. There are people outside.”
Struggling to calm herself, Samiyi said, “Busodi is no good, but I will not allow anyone to taint the royal bloodline!”
Chapter 1534: 1533 useful things
Tan Rou said, “So what do you plan to do now? Go directly to Prince Busodi and tell him your wife cheated on you with your confidant, and that these two sons aren’t actually yours, but someone else’s?”
“No, I can’t do that,” Samiyi cooled down a bit, “I did want to confront Monica about it just now, but I have so much on my plate right now, I simply don’t have time to deal with this matter. Besides, it’s the Busodi family’s internal affair. I don’t need to be so visibly agitated.”
“Princess, I think it’s best you don’t intervene in this matter right now,” Tan Rou suggested, “Busodi is currently vying for your throne and must have made some preparations. If you were to confront him, the outcome would still be uncertain.”
“But you can keep this news to yourself and release it at a critical moment. By then, if Busodi finds out his wife has been unfaithful and his sons are not his own, he will definitely have a mental breakdown.”
Samiyi smiled, “Rou, your thinking is always so sharp. Indeed, this is a very good approach. I can afford Busodi the time to prepare, and once he’s ready, I’ll expose Monica’s affair. At that time, his breakdown will surely prevent him from leading the other nobles, and I can take over his affairs and wrest back his power.”
“But the evidence you have is not enough, after all, it’s just a little bit of a recording,” Tan Rou added, “I have a few photos in my possession, but as evidence, they’re somewhat tenuous. You’ll need to catch more solid proof of their infidelity, like them going to a hotel together.”
Samiyi said, “But when they go to a hotel, how would I know?”
Tan Rou said, “Actually, I took these photos today in the café. When I saw Monica on the street, I felt something was off, so I followed her inside and watched for a while, and I discovered quite a few of her secrets.”
“When I was leaving, I made a point of asking the café waiter. He mentioned Kudu inquired about nearby hotels that offer a good level of privacy. What do you think he was asking that for?”
Samiyi didn’t even want to guess why he asked that, she snorted coldly, then said, “I always knew that Kudu was no good, but my brother trusted him completely. Despite knowing he was with Busodi, he still treated him well, inviting him repeatedly to the palace as a guest and who knows how many of our secrets he overheard.”
“Samiyi, there’s something I have to say, and please don’t get mad after I say it,” Tan Rou said.
Samiyi nodded, “We don’t need to dwell on these things, just say it.”
“I think that sometimes the King’s thinking is not really great, like some of the policies he’s implemented. Or how he knows someone is with the opposition yet still brings them close,” Tan Rou said. “As a King, he shouldn’t be harboring these petty thoughts.”
Samiyi wasn’t angry; she seemed to have found a confidant and excitedly vented to Tan Rou, “So you also think my brother is not right in his head, right? I had told him not to implement such stupid policies and not to get too intimate with the enemy’s friends. Why doesn’t he listen?”
“Now look, he’s lying in bed, motionless, and has dumped this whole mess on me. I’m so busy I don’t even have time to drink water!”
“You’ve been working hard, Princess!” Tan Rou poured her a glass of water with Samiyi’s cup, “Take a sip to moisten your throat.”
Samiyi continued ranting about her idiotic brother, “And about some things in the palace, I told him not to close the gates so early, but he wouldn’t listen. He closed the palace gates too early, and opens them too late in the morning, what a waste of time!”
Tan Rou agreed from the sidelines, “Exactly, exactly.”
For a full twenty minutes, Samiyi ranted about her ‘foolish brother’, and as she went on, she also started on her nephews, another twenty minutes, and Tan Rou was almost dozing off.
“Ah, right,” Tan Rou interrupted her, “The thing you asked me to deliver to Agila, I’ve handed it over to Kas. Agila wasn’t at the flower shop; he went to the amusement park with his friends.”
As if someone had suddenly hit the pause button on Samiyi, it took a while before she responded, “That’s quite nice, he should play with people his age.”
Chapter 1535: Parents’ Heart
“Samiyi, Kas told me that he wants you to bring Ajila back to live in the palace because he feels that only you can protect Ajila,” Tan Rou said. “And you must miss Ajila too, right?”
Samiyi gave a bitter smile and said, “I am so busy that I don’t even have time to eat, how could I find the time to protect him? When he was in the palace, I couldn’t take care of him properly and could only watch as others bullied him.”
“Although no one would bully him now, he really isn’t suitable for staying in the palace, just like I said, the palace is a giant golden cage, and we are all birds trapped inside.”
“Indeed,” Tan Rou very much agreed with Samiyi, “Because you’re my friend, that’s why I’ll tell you some heartfelt words. If you were just Princess Samiyi, then I wouldn’t say a word too many.”
“The palace may be beautiful, but it doesn’t suit Ajila’s growth. I have seen Ajila, he is a child with a strong sense of independence. If you confine him here, he will grow up to be useless.”
Samiyi said with great distress, “Rou, I want to send both Ajila and Laka to the outside world, but I’m afraid others would criticize me, afraid they’ll say I’m a vicious woman who, in order to obtain the throne, drove away those closest to me.”
“I once heard a famous saying that goes, ‘Go your own way, let others talk!'” Tan Rou said, “If you want to accomplish something, don’t be afraid of criticism. Besides, you won’t be queen forever. You can say you let them go to learn, and after they have learned enough, they can come back to inherit the throne.”
“I don’t want Ajila to become the Crown Prince,” Samiyi said very firmly. “I want him to be a free bird, to fly however he wants.”
“That’s also an option, you still have someone else to choose from,” Tan Rou said. “Prince Laka isn’t that old, let him have another twenty years of experience. By the time you’re fifty, he surely won’t still be incompetent, right?”
Samiyi knew that Tan Rou was trying to comfort her, but after hearing Tan Rou’s words, she indeed felt reassured. “That’s right, I’ll give this kid another twenty years. If he can’t become a qualified Crown Prince by then, I’ll… I’ll…” She rolled up the document. “I’ll take this and smack his bottom hard!”
“Hehe.” Tan Rou chuckled twice, then said, “Let’s leave it at that. I have to go check on His Majesty the King now. If the medicine wears off, he should wake up by tomorrow morning. If you have something to say, make sure to talk to him.”
“Alright.” Samiyi didn’t stand on ceremony with Tan Rou. “You go ahead. Just tell the kitchen what you want for dinner so they can prepare it in advance.”
Tan Rou gave an “OK” gesture and then left.
Before she got to the King’s place, she received a call from Kas asking about the box.
“Miss Rou, I just checked the surveillance, and the box was left by the man who came with your husband. So, shall I send the items to you, or would you prefer to come and pick them up?” Kas asked.
Remembering what Zhuang Liu had told her, Tan Rou guessed that the box contained the cherries Zhuang Liu had prepared, the cherries for making a bouquet. She figured there couldn’t be too many and said, “There is fruit inside the box, you can take it out and give it to Ajila to eat. But I still need the box, I’ll come to pick it up tomorrow morning.”
Kas said, “Thank you, Miss Rou.”
After Tan Rou said, “No need to thank me,” she hung up the phone.
Arriving at the door of the King’s sickroom, a maid informed her that His Majesty the King had woken up quite a while ago, but he hadn’t asked the maid to notify Samiyi or Laka.
Tan Rou quickened her pace as she entered, and upon entering, she saw His Majesty the King looking at her with open eyes. He had become thinner and older, and it was quite frightening to be stared at with such a gaze.
“You’ve woken up?” Tan Rou said very calmly. “Sooner than I expected. It looks like your body is gradually recovering.”
The King seemed very pleased. His eyes brightened, and then he asked, “Samiyi… Laka…”
With a smile, Tan Rou said, “His Majesty the King is truly a good father and a good brother. The first thing you do is ask about your sister and son. That’s very good!”
“They…” The King spoke slowly.
“They are doing well,” Tan Rou replied.
Chapter 1536: Do you want to hear a story?
“Laka has been busy with scientific research lately,” Tan Rou spoke quickly of Laka’s recent activities. “He visited several foreign factories with Mr. Lin Yu, planning to develop their own fully automated production factory based on foreign standards.”
The King was very pleased, and his head nodded slightly twice, “Good child.”
Tan Rou then spoke of Samiyi’s affairs, “Princess Samiyi is very busy; she deals with official duties from dawn till dusk, even helping Laka with problems that arise in his scientific research. Whenever she can, she goes to listen to the reports of political ministers, and after listening, she has to find solutions to the issues raised. Your study is occupied from day to night, sometimes she even has to get up at midnight to work overtime.”
After listening, the King remained silent for a long time. Just when Tan Rou thought he had fallen asleep again, he slowly began to speak.
“Dr. Tan Rou, do you think I am a bad brother?” Perhaps stirred by Samiyi’s affairs, the King spoke with uncharacteristic coherence, “I don’t let her be with the one she loves, I don’t let her see her child, and in the end, I leave her a huge mess to deal with.”
Tan Rou glanced at the maid beside her, then said, “You go and watch the door, I have things to discuss with His Majesty the King.”
The maid was somewhat worried, “But… ”
Tan Rou smiled, “If I wanted to harm His Majesty the King, would I need to spend half of the twenty-four hours a day making medicine for him?”
The King also said, “You go out, Dr. Tan Rou won’t harm me.”
Only then did the maid leave and close the door behind her.
Tan Rou sat down to talk with the King, “Your Majesty, this was your intention from the beginning, wasn’t it? If the princess were to marry, she would have to move out of the palace, and you had already prepared a place for her to live after her marriage. Yet in the end, you didn’t give it to her because you wanted her to inherit the throne all along. Perhaps even earlier, you had this idea.”
The King was surprised, “How did you know?”
Tan Rou said, “I guessed. Today during my meal, I ran into Queen Monica and overheard her speaking. She said that Your Majesty had once prepared a piece of land for the princess to build a palace, but currently, that land is still inhabited with no sign of construction. If Your Majesty truly intended to build a palace for the princess, you probably would have relocated the residents long ago.”
“Yes, that piece of land is still there, and I have no intention of building a palace on it anymore,” the King admitted. “Samiyi’s residence will be the royal palace, and my royal bedroom will become her new living quarters. She is the queen, so she must reside in the palace.”
“Does Princess Samiyi know about this?” Tan Rou asked, “I’m just asking because I haven’t had the chance to discuss the palace matter with Samiyi. Since you woke up and asked me about whether you are a bad brother, I thought of it.”
“She knows,” the King said. “When she was very little, I took her to a few places and asked her which piece of land she would like for a palace. She chose that place, and so I planned to give her the palace as a residence upon her marriage, but plans cannot keep up with changes.”
“She probably has forgotten,” Tan Rou said.
“She may not have forgotten, but she won’t bring it up anymore,” the King said. “I promised to gift her the palace on her wedding day, but everything ended when I learned that she fell in love with a gardener. Afterwards, Samiyi never mentioned the palace again, perhaps feeling that I was angry with her, and it was awkward for her to still ask for it.”
“Weren’t you angry?” Tan Rou asked, puzzled. “Outside, they say that you are very strict with the princess, not only forbidding her to marry but also forbidding others to talk about her. Isn’t that because you are angry?”
“I am protecting her and her child,” the King said. “If it were not so, she would be sent to prison, and the little fellow, Agira, probably wouldn’t have been born.”
“Ah?” Tan Rou had not expected the King to be protecting Samiyi.
“Of course, I also have my own selfish reasons,” the King adjusted his bed head a little higher, allowing himself to lean back on the bed, “My foreign friend, would you like to hear a story?”
“Oh,” Tan Rou had nothing to do, so she decided to listen.
Chapter 1537: 1537 with a sentence
“Alright, alright, alright.” Tan Rou immediately gave him her bank account details, “Please make sure to transfer the money soon.”
The King said, “This is not an account in our country, so we will need a few days to handle the procedures to transfer the money over.”
“No problem.” Tan Rou said cheerfully, “I will be staying here for a while.”
After finishing the discussion about the money, the King asked, “How is Agila doing? Has he lost weight?”
“I don’t know what he used to look like, but when I met him, he indeed looked quite thin.” Tan Rou answered truthfully, “But it’s different now, he is having a great time outside.”
“Is he with his father?” The King’s expression was quite tangled, as though he was reluctant to mention that gardener.
“Yes.” Tan Rou purposefully said, “Mr. Kas has been taking very good care of him. When I went to see him today, he wasn’t at home, but out at the amusement park with some new friends he made.”
She didn’t plan to lie; the King wasn’t a fool. Since Agila had returned to the royal city and had not come back to the palace, it must be that he went to his father.
“Kas?” The King seemed puzzled, “Oh, is that what the gardener is called now?”
Tan Rou didn’t know Kas’s original name. “Anyway, Agila said that the man with the big beard is his father, and Samiyi also acknowledged his identity, so I just assumed that he is Agila’s father.” She asked, “Your Majesty the King, did you already know that the gardener had returned to the royal city?”
The King just smiled, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Tan Rou guessed that the King must have known Kas would come back; otherwise, how could Kas possibly open a flower shop on a street so close to the palace? However, the King likely didn’t care about Kas, otherwise, he wouldn’t even forget his new name. In the eyes of the proud His Majesty the King, everything was under his control; what could a mere gardener matter?
It was only because Kas was his sister’s beloved that he spared him; if not for fear of the princess being sad, it was likely the gardener would have turned into fertilizer long ago.
“Ah, Your Majesty the King, the trouble now is all caused by you.” Tan Rou said, “If you hadn’t given Prince Busodi a chance, he surely wouldn’t dare to oppose the Princess now.”
The King admitted that he had made the wrong choice at the time, but it was too late to take back those words now. Thus, he could only do his best to clear the obstacles from Samiyi and Laka’s paths while he was still alive.
“Mm.” The King hummed softly and then said to Tan Rou, “Do you have contact with that gardener? It seems he has opened a flower shop in the royal city, right?”
“Yes.” Tan Rou said, “I do indeed know where that flower shop is.”
“Could you please deliver a message to him for me?” asked the King.
“Sure.” Tan Rou was going to pick up a box tomorrow anyway, so she might as well carry a message for the King, “What message? Go ahead and tell me.”
The King hesitated for a moment, then said, “Please fetch a piece of paper for me.”
Tan Rou was speechless. The King was quite interesting, speaking as if he had no energy left, yet still wanting to write, as if he were drafting a top-secret document!
Nonetheless, Tan Rou still fetched him paper and pen and watched as he struggled to finish writing the letter. In the end, he asked Tan Rou to help him seal it with wax.
Tan Rou did as instructed and asked, “Is there anything else you would like to say?”
The King said, “Everything I want to say is inside the letter. Please help me deliver it to him, there’s no need for him to write back, just reading the letter is enough.”
“Uh-huh.” Tan Rou pocketed the letter, then glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “Time is up, I need to do your treatment for tonight. This time I won’t use any sleep aid, so if you wake up in pain in the middle of the night, you’ll need to endure it.”
The King couldn’t accept always being asleep, so he was quite pleased with Tan Rou’s new treatment method, “Thank you, Dr. Tan Rou.”
After Tan Rou said, “You’re welcome,” she called in the maidservant from outside. The past few days of working together had led to a good rapport between her and the maidservant. Until Zhuang Liu was able to come to the palace, it was better to have this maidservant assist her.
“Your Majesty the King, this treatment will be a bit painful, you will need to bear it,” Tan Rou said.
The King closed his eyes, “Proceed!”
Chapter 1538: 1538 bumped into Mia
The next morning, after completing the examination for the King, Tan Rou came out of the royal palace; she planned to pick up the box at Kas’s flower shop first and then go look for Zhuang Liu.
Today was even hotter than yesterday. Tan Rou applied several layers of sunscreen before daring to step outside. However, sunscreen could only protect against the sun, not the heat.
As she walked, Tan Rou pondered whether she could invent a machine for summer use, something portable that could also emit cool air. When one’s mind wanders, one is prone to daydreaming, and daydreaming can easily lead to collisions.
“Ouch, are you blind?” a woman yelled at Tan Rou, “Didn’t you see our miss here too?”
The woman’s shouting dispelled the little bit of inspiration in Tan Rou’s mind, but she acknowledged that it was indeed her fault to be distracted while walking. Her first reaction was to apologize to the person she had bumped into.
“Sorry, I was just distracted,” Tan Rou said.
“Oh, isn’t this the favorite of the princess? Why are you walking here alone?” another woman said sarcastically.
Following the voice, Tan Rou recognized the second speaker; wasn’t she the second thief who stole from them? Judging by her entourage, she must have gone back home to resume her role as the Duke’s daughter.
“Oh, isn’t this the thief who stole our research materials?” Tan Rou asked with a smile, “How come you’re not locked up in prison?”
“You!” Mia’s face turned red with anger, “You, you’re talking nonsense!”
Several noble daughters were alongside Mia, and upon hearing Tan Rou’s words, they immediately asked, “Mia, is what she said true? Did you really steal their research materials?”
Another noble daughter added, “Mia, didn’t you say last time that it was just a rumor?”
Mia shouted, “It’s all rumors, all of it! I never did such a thing!”
“Oh,” Tan Rou intentionally said, “The thief was Mr. Xite from the Duke Mahri’s house, right?”
Mia wished she could kill Tan Rou with her glare, “Yes, it was Xite.”
No one believed her words; the few noble daughters not only showed skeptical expressions but also snickered at her secretly.
In the circle of nobility, the news of her and Xite being caught stealing had already spread. Although there were others engaged in unfair competition in private, it’s one thing to commit the act, another to be caught.
Everyone has done wrong, but why were only they caught? Because they were foolish, of course.
Tan Rou still had things to pick up, so she didn’t plan to chat with Mia in the heatwave, “I still have matters to attend to, so I won’t chat with you. Next time we meet, let’s discuss the issue of research materials, shall we?”
“Stop right there!” Mia’s maidservant would not let her leave, “Do you think you can just bump into our miss and leave so easily?”
Tan Rou then realized—Mia had deliberately come to pick a fight. There was a group of them, but Tan Rou was alone. Tan Rou hadn’t seen them because she was deep in thought, but with so many of them, surely, one would have seen Tan Rou, right?
That could only lead to one conclusion: Mia and her group had already seen Tan Rou and had intentionally bumped into her.
“Oh, so what would you like to do?” Tan Rou was not one to be trifled with. Whether she wanted to fight depended on whether she had time that day. Anyway, she had a whole day to spend outside, so she might as well have some fun with these noble daughters.
“You need to kneel and apologize to the young ladies!” another very arrogant maidservant stepped forward and said.
Mia hesitated slightly, “Isn’t that taking things too far?”
The young ladies beside her brainwashed her, “Mia, you are the daughter of Duke Doreld, the noble Miss Mia. She bumped into you; she should kneel and apologize to you.”
Still, Mia felt that wasn’t right; she just wanted to give this foreign woman a small lesson, not to make her kneel to herself, “But…”
One of the young ladies gave her maidservant a look, and immediately, the maidservant stepped in front of Tan Rou and said loudly, “Miss Mia is asking you to kneel and apologize, didn’t you hear her?”
Mia said anxiously, “Wait, I didn’t ask her to kneel, stop talking nonsense…”
Tan Rou moved her neck a bit, then asked, “What did you just say? Could you please repeat that?”
The maidservant said, “I mean, Miss Mia is asking you, uh—”
Chapter 1539: 1539 I’m not afraid of her
Tan Rou dragged the maid over to her side, and then, gripping her collar, hoisted her into the air. The traditional clothing of J country was quite sturdy; despite Tan Rou pulling so tightly, there wasn’t even the sound of the fabric tearing.
“Ah! What are you going to do?” The noble young lady who had just signalled with her eyes immediately shouted, “Let her go at once, or I’ll make sure you pay for this!”
Mia was also stunned. She had seen Tan Rou throw punches last time in the laboratory building, knew only too well that her fists were formidable, but she hadn’t realized that Tan Rou was also so strong that she could lift an adult woman off the ground.
“Tan Rou… Miss Rou, calm down, please don’t kill her, otherwise, you’ll be breaking the law,” Mia said, highly alarmed.
Tan Rou frowned slightly. She had originally thought that this second thief was just as arrogant and brainless, but it turned out she even knew the law.
She let out a light chuckle and then set the maid back down, patted her shoulder, and straightened her collar, saying, “Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to wrinkle your dress. I suppose you wouldn’t mind, right?”
In the sweltering heat, the maid was scared cold sweat, and she hadn’t heard a word Tan Rou said.
Tan Rou raised her voice, “Hey, I’m talking to you, did you hear me?”
The maid snapped back to reality as if suddenly jolted, “Yes, yes, I heard you.”
Tan Rou released her shoulders, “Go on, get back to your mistress.” Then, she addressed the noble young lady, “I can apologize to you, but you must come to me in person. Say, who wants to be the first to come over?”
The noble young ladies looked at each other, none daring to step forward, especially the one who had egged the maid on. She was so scared that her legs had gone weak.
Today was their mistake; they should have brought more maids or some guards with them. If they had enough people, they could have easily overpowered this foreign woman.
Mia had witnessed Tan Rou fighting before, and now having seen her strength, she was very afraid, worried that Tan Rou would hold the previous theft against her.
“Miss Rou, I’m so sorry!” Under immense psychological pressure, Mia actually bowed her head and apologized, “It was we who deliberately bumped into you, and we should be apologizing to you; I hope you can forgive us!”
Tan Rou was somewhat surprised; this “Mia” was quite amusing. She indeed had some of the aristocracy’s flaws, but she could read the situation well. Seeing that it was not in her favor at the moment, she apologized.
In contrast, the other noble young ladies, who had been fanning the flames, still wore arrogant expressions, seemingly convinced that they had no reason to apologize to Tan Rou. Just who was this foreign woman to expect an apology from them, so high and noble?
If Tan Rou had been pressed for time, she would have let the matter rest there, but she didn’t have much to do today, so she decided to see the issue through to the end.
“I’ve received your apology, and I accept it,” Tan Rou said as she moved towards a shady area. She then gently tapped her chin and added, “What about their apologies? Just moments ago, they said it was my fault and demanded that I kneel. I feel my personal dignity has been insulted, so they must apologize to me. They don’t need to kneel, just bow and apologize will suffice.”
“You wish!” the noble young lady who had shouted loudly was the first to speak, “Thinking that we would apologize to you, you’re not even considering your own status!”
Mia intervened, “Elinka, stop talking; we were the ones who bumped into her first, and she already apologized to us. Now, it’s our turn to apologize.”
Elinka was furious, pointing at Mia she said, “And you call yourself a duke’s daughter, does your father know that you’re being bullied out here? You’re a disgrace to our nobility, a disgrace to your father!”
Mia’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she retorted angrily, “This is my own matter; you don’t need to concern yourself with it. Besides, do you think you could win against her? You have no idea how strong she is!”
“You may be afraid of her, but I’m not!” Elinka glared at Mia, “She’s only one person, and we are many; why should we be afraid of her?”
Mia still shook her head, “Elinka, calm down!”
Chapter 1540: 1540 capricious lady
Elinka ignored Mia’s words and shouted, “All of you, attack together and knock her down for me!”
The noble ladies didn’t move; only their maids rushed forward, except for Mia’s maid, who didn’t budge because Mia had instructed her not to. The maid had initially wanted to charge, but since Miss Mia told her not to, she stayed by Miss Mia’s side.
Since it was noon, there weren’t many people on the streets, but the noise here still attracted the attention of patrons inside the nearby shops. Some ran out to watch, while others contented themselves with viewing the commotion through the glass.
Tan Rou shook her head helplessly—why couldn’t these people understand common sense? A simple apology could have resolved everything; why did they insist on resorting to violence?
Well, when faced with people who refused to be reasoned with, a beating was the only solution. Once she’d beaten them until they had no strength left to fight back, they would listen to her quietly.
The noble ladies and the onlookers were all cheering “Come on,” except for Mia, who was worried. Others might not have seen Tan Rou take action, but Mia had witnessed it firsthand. Tan Rou was formidable; she could single-handedly beat several burly men into breaking their legs and arms, let alone these delicate women.
“Don’t fight, it’s dangerous!” Mia’s voice was too soft, and no one heard her.
Tan Rou loosened up her wrists, warming up. She was facing off against women and didn’t want to hit them too hard—a light lesson would suffice. These people always followed the noble ladies around, bullying others without considering common folk. Hopefully, after this, they would calm down a bit.
Tan Rou usually relied on her legs and fists but also knew how to use hidden weapons. However, against these few, her exceptional skills were unnecessary. She delivered a palm strike to each, causing them to keep coughing. Then, she dragged them together and quickly tied their clothes into knots.
Mia let out a sigh of relief at the sight, whispering under her breath, “Thank goodness Tan Rou didn’t cripple them.”
Dusting off her hands, Tan Rou raised an eyebrow and challenged, “Hey, ladies, anyone else want to try?”
“You… You’re too arrogant!” It took Elinka a long time to squeeze out those words.
“I’m arrogant because I have the capability to be,” Tan Rou replied. “Spoiled ladies, I don’t want to delve deeper into today’s matters. An apology is all it takes, and I won’t make things difficult for you. Plus, you’re all well-known nobles; I suppose you wouldn’t want to be the laughingstock here, would you?”
Someone in the crowd whispered, “Well done! Whenever these nobles come out, it’s bad luck for us commoners. Are they born better than us or what?”
“This foreign warrior is truly our hero!” said another person.
Tan Rou was no hero; she was just a foreigner passing by. After teaching these people a lesson, Tan Rou said to Mia, “I did have a poor impression of you before, but Princess Mia said everything you did was for your family. So although I don’t agree with your methods, I admire your sense of responsibility.”
Mia felt quite embarrassed, “Miss Tan Rou, I am truly sorry; I shouldn’t have stolen your research materials.”
Tan Rou smiled, “How about we have tea together someday? We can talk about scientific research then. Since you’ve been in the research institute, you must have some foundation.”
Mia replied, “My skills are quite poor…”
“You don’t need to compare yourself with the best,” Tan Rou corrected her, “As long as you can produce results, you are the most impressive!”
Blushing with shame, Mia promised, “Okay, let’s have tea together next time. I’ll prepare some professional questions to ask you, hoping you can answer them then.”
Before Tan Rou could respond, Elinka, unable to hold back, interjected, “Mia, what nonsense are you talking about? Why should you ask her for advice?”
Mia said, “Miss Tan Rou is very skilled; it’s only right for me to seek guidance from her.”
Suddenly, Tan Rou thought of a popular phrase back home: “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
Mia was a smart person. After being caught stealing, she swiftly left the lab, realizing she couldn’t beat Tan Rou, and immediately opted to observe from the sidelines. Truthfully, Tan Rou quite liked shrewd people.