There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 421 Sexy Wildcat

The shadowy figure stopped moving, did not pursue, and instead put away the whip.

The moonlight shifted slightly, illuminating half of the newcomer's face.

She was a young woman, no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with the light tan skin common among people from Boyu, but her features were extremely delicate and striking.

Most striking were his eyes, which shimmered with a clear, warm emerald green under the moonlight, a stark contrast to the murky or fierce blue eyes of kings and princes.

She wore dark-colored clothes suitable for nighttime movement; the material was ordinary, yet it accentuated her lithe figure. Her long hair was braided into a thick plait and hung down her back.

"Good skills, quick reflexes."

The woman spoke, her voice clear and crisp, with a slight accent from Bo Yu Kingdom, but Zi Xing spoke Mandarin quite fluently.

"Much more interesting than those sycophantic wooden figures at banquets."

Li Shuchen remained wary: "Who are you? Sent by the king? Or a prince?"

She gripped the broken stick tightly, thinking that if all else failed, she would have to use itching powder.

The blue-eyed woman scoffed, her contempt undisguised.

"Those two idiots? They dare to order me around?" She sized Li Shuchen up and down. "My name is Zoya, Zoya Savar, princess of Boyu Kingdom... though hardly anyone remembers me."

Princess?! Li Shuchen was stunned.

No princesses were seen at the banquet.

"Princess? You...how could you..."

"Why are you dressed like that? Why did you sneak in like a thief?"

Zoya chimed in, casually sitting down on the only broken chair in Li Shuchen's room, as if she were a regular customer.

"Because I was out of favor. My mother was a dancer from a desert tribe further west, with blue eyes. The king took her into his harem on a whim, and she gave birth to me. And then? The tribe was annexed, my mother fell out of favor and died of illness, and then I..."

She pointed to her beautiful green eyes.

"In the eyes of the king and those blue-eyed princes and princesses, it was a symbol of impure blood, a disgrace. So I lived in the most remote corner of the palace, no one cared whether I lived or died, and naturally I wasn't included in the banquets."

She spoke casually, but Li Shuchen detected a deep-seated loneliness and resentment in her voice.

"Then why did you come to see me in the middle of the night? You didn't come to make friends, did you?"

Zoya took something off her lower back and tossed it to Li Shuchen.

Li Shuchen instinctively caught it; it was heavy in his hand—an exquisitely crafted leather whip.

The handle is inlaid with several small but beautifully cut tourmalines. The whip itself is supple and has a subtle sheen, indicating that it has been frequently used and maintained.

"It's for you," Princess Zoya said.

"It was quite amusing to see you make fun of that good-for-nothing Basa at the banquet. It's been a long time since anyone in this palace has been able to humiliate them and leave them helpless."

"I find this whip easy to use; I can whip people or livestock. You should carry it for self-defense. Suleiman City isn't just the royal palace; some corners are more treacherous than scorpion burrows in the desert."

Li Shuchen gripped the whip, his doubts deepening: "Why are you helping me? Or rather, helping us?"

Zoya's emerald green eyes shone brightly in the darkness.

"Help you? Maybe, but more importantly, I can't stand it. I can't stand the decadent lifestyle in the palace while starving people are everywhere outside. I can't stand those so-called 'pure-blood' nobles controlling the gem trade and sucking the blood out of this country."

"Many people from my mother's tribe are still struggling on the border, just like those you met on the road. I know you spend your days inquiring about gemstone and grain prices in the market, trying to reach ordinary people."

She stood up and walked to the window.

"The king won't easily agree to trade with you. The existing chain of interests binds too many people, including his greedy ministers. Baza is a guy who only thinks with his lower body. Your idea of ​​trade... might actually bring something different to the Kingdom of Boyu, although it will be difficult."

She turned around and looked at Li Shuchen.

"So, keep the whip, and keep your wits about you, so you can help if you need anything, or if you want to know anything that's inconvenient to find out inside or outside the palace..."

She paused.

"Perhaps you could try looking for me, but of course, it depends on my mood. Also, don't tell anyone else I've been here, especially your stern-faced general. Some things are better left unsaid."

Having said that, before Li Shuchen could react, Princess Zoya flashed out the window as silently as she had come, disappearing into the night.

"Shu Chen, are you injured?" Liang Yuying rushed over with her sword drawn, glancing at the spot where Princess Zoya had disappeared.

"Why didn't you come wearing an overcoat? Aren't you cold?" With a flick of his long whip, Li Shuchen put it into his spatial storage and pulled Liang Yuying, who was only wearing an undergarment, into the house to light the lamps.

"I heard the sounds of fighting and forgot in my haste," Liang Yuying said. She carefully checked Li Shuchen and was relieved to see that she was unharmed.

"knock knock"

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll open it," Li Shuchen said, putting on his coat and opening the door. He saw Gu Ziying, Princess Changning, and Ye Bingli standing outside.

Gu Zili's black hair was slightly disheveled, and she gripped the crossbow tightly in her hand, examining it closely as it was already strung.

Princess Changning wore a white undergarment and no jewelry, except for a camellia silver bracelet on her left wrist and a jade silver bracelet on her right wrist.

Ye Bingli held the Ice Silk Jade Zither, her face tense.

The three of them looked at Li Shuchen.

"Li Shuchen, who came just now? Where is she? Did you chase her away?" Princess Changning was the first to speak as she entered the room.

The others followed closely behind.

"I'm fine. A beautiful little wildcat with a temper scratched me, and I got angry and we started fighting. I didn't expect to disturb you all."

Li Shuchen laughed heartily.

"Why are you arguing with a kitten? It's childish," Princess Changning complained, but a visibly relieved look appeared on her face.

"It's good that Shu Chen is alright."

Gu Ziying put down the crossbow, and Ye Bingli loosened her grip on the zither.

"You guys go back to sleep, I'm fine," Li Shuchen urged.

"Sleep? It'll be dawn soon," Princess Changning said, glancing out the window.

"I'll go prepare breakfast. You all wash up and come over to eat. After we eat, we'll go to the market in the west of the city."

"I'll come find you after I've washed up," Princess Changning said, rising to leave.

The others also left one after another.

Liang Yuying sat motionless in the chair, looking at Li Shuchen.

"Is it really a cat?" she asked.

"Yes, it's a green-eyed Persian cat, so beautiful," Li Shuchen nodded.

Whether Liang Yuying believed it or not, she didn't ask any more questions, but simply got up and put on Li Shuchen's orange-green outer garment.

"I'll help you out, go to the kitchen."

"Oh, alright"

……

In the following days, Liang Yuying and Ruan Jingshang attempted to request a meeting again through formal channels, but to no avail.

Liang Yuying's brows furrowed even deeper, and she spent increasingly longer wiping her longsword.

At this critical moment, Li Shuchen found an excuse to slip away from the inn alone, with a clear purpose.

The chaotic market in the west of the city