Foreboding Storm - Chapter 159

“You two, you’ll learn soon enough the consequences of going against the city guards.” The left guard was still hollering as he placed all his force on his weapon and pushed.

However, nothing worked. The girl remained in her spot, not even withdrawing a foot back.

The confrontation continued until a surprised voice sounded out.

“Qamari girl, what are you doing here?” Surprised and stunned, the voice of the newcomer held a faint hint of excitement.

Princess Qamari’s brows furrowed in confusion.

Why did this voice sound familiar?

She racked her brain, and thought of all the middle-aged men she knew, but came up empty.

On the other hand, from amidst the bustling crowd, a white-haired old man with a turban wrapped around his head anxiously pushed the crowd apart and squeezed through them.

The instant his gaze fell on the veiled girl, his eyes lit up with excitement.

“Qamari girl, you’ve made me search through the entire Inner City and come up empty. What are you doing here?” Ignoring the curious gazes, he walked forward and appeared by her side.

It was only after seeing his face Princess Qamari recalled the man.

Ah…he’s the person I did the job interview for.

Pleasantly surprised, Princess Qamari questioningly looked at the other. What was he doing outside with the way things were?

“Shop keeper, why are you…?”

“You know this girl?”

Before she could complete her sentence, she was rudely interrupted by the left guard.

“Of course, I know her! She’s my apprentice and the genius of our Saving Lives pharmacy. Why are you blocking her from entering the city?” The old man puzzledly looked at the guard.

“These girls failed to produce a pass. Moreover, this one attempted to use the Crown Princess Consort’s identity to pass the gates. As citizens of the empire, we were kind enough to nicely ask them to leave. But they failed to know what was good for them. Instead of leaving, they got into an argument with us. Hmph! Once the left and right City Guard Captains arrive, they’ll pay for their insolence.” By now, the left guard couldn’t wait to see the girl behind bars.

He hated her guts and her courage for daring to humiliate him before the citizens of the city.

“Sigh, I hate to break it to you young man, but if the City’s left and right captains arrive, the one to suffer would be you.” The man sympathetically shook his head and sighed in pity.

At this, the entire crowd felt baffled.

“Why would a guard of the gates suffer for preventing a questionable girl from entering the city?”

“That’s right. If you ask me, shouldn’t it be the girl suffering for clashing with the guards that were backed by the Crown Prince?”

“This old man must be suffering from old age. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

Amidst the distrustful chatter of the surrounding crowd, the left guard turned his red face towards the old man.

“You! What nonsense are you saying? Why would I suffer for doing my duty?” He roared.

Da**! Was even an old man looking down on him because of his failure to kick this girl away?

Turning his fiery gaze back on the girl, the earlier rage transformed into a towering resentment.

At this moment, he even felt like ripping off a chunk of flesh from her unperturbed face to appease his hatred.

The old man only clasped his hands behind his back and disdainfully looked down at the unaware man.

“Heh…you’re a girl. I can understand why this didn’t occur to you earlier. But I just said that she’s my apprentice and a member of the Saving Lives Pharmacy. Don’t you know which Inner City this pharmacy is located in? First Inner City, Aqua City. Tell me. What sort of background must a girl have to enter Aqua City?”

At this, the left guard instantly paused.

“Aqua City? Isn’t that where the ministers and important officials of the empire reside?”

“Hmm. And?”

“Anyone who desires to enter will have to present a purple plaque or must be in possession of the aqua plaque. Only females belonging to aristocratic and noble backgrounds ca…” The moment the guard reached this point, his eyes widened and he swiveled his head back to Princess Qamari with such speed that the spectators felt pained on his behalf.

“You…this…no! How can this wen…how can this girl belong to…” His voice slowly died down as understanding dawned on him.

“Seeing your face, I’m guessing you’ve arrived at a conclusion. That’s correct. Aside from identity plaques, girls belonging to aristocratic families don’t need to carry around entry plaques because they never leave the Inner City. However, due to the recent mutated beast attacks, there’ve been lots of injuries outside the city requiring our attention. As our Saving Lives pharmacy was short on hands, as a medical practitioner, Qamari girl felt compelled to leave the Capital.” With a helpless sigh, the old man raised a hand to stroke his beard.

The crowd felt enlightened on hearing his words.

“So that’s why he said the guard will suffer if the left and right captains arrived. As the City Guard captains, they can immediately dispatch personnel to confirm the girl’s identity.”

“What’s more, the girl is an aristocrat that left the Imperial Capital to help the injured civilians. I never knew the daughters of the ministers had such kind hearts.”

“My thought exactly! All this time, I thought aristocratic young ladies only knew how to dress well and look good. I never knew they actually knew how to heal injuries as well.”

The guards at the gate became flustered as they heard the crowd’s words. It was truly their bad fortune to encounter such an incident. If the girl took offense and reported the matter to the authorities, even their identity as the Crown Prince’s personally trained guards wouldn’t be enough to save them.

“You…I…But she tried to enter the Imperial City by using the Crown Prince Consort’s name. If she was really a daughter belonging to a noble family, then why would she resort to fraud to enter the Capital?” The left guard refused to believe the hateful girl before him was his superior.

Not only was she hateful, but she was also too strong to belong to a noble family.

Weren’t girls from noble families weak and delicate? How could a behemoth like her, who could hold back two grown men, be a weak and delicate girl?

He refused to believe it. Because believing it would mean admitting his crime and accepting the fact that he’d raised his hand on his superior.

“Tut, tut. I can see you’re bent on digging your own grave.” The old man looked condescendingly at the guard before sighing again.

“You saw she resorted to fraud and used the Crown Princess Consort’s name. You also saw she didn’t have a pass. But you failed to see how even after you threatened her with the arrival of the left and right captains, she didn’t blink an eye, nor did she panic for an instant. You failed to see her majestic aura while standing before you. And you also failed to see how she didn’t flinch at the mention of the Crown Prince’s name. What do you think this all means?”

He looked expectantly at the dumbfounded guard.

She didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. And her presence wasn’t dwarfed by his overbearing and arrogant attitude.

What did this all mean?

It meant she wasn’t afraid nor was she daunted by his threats.

In order words, she wasn’t afraid to meet the Crown Prince.

Huuuu!

Was she really the Crown Princess Consort?

But how was that possible? Just a few days ago, the Crown Prince had personally escorted the Crown Princess Consort into the Imperial City!

Confused and overwhelmed by everything, the left guard listlessly lowered his hands, breaking the deadlock with Princess Qamari. Seeing his actions, the other guards stepped back as well.

If the girls were truly important personas, then their rude behavior and overbearing actions earlier were enough to sentence them to death.

“But how can she be the Crown Princess Consort…?” The left guard listlessly asked.

“Did I say she was the Crown Princess Consort? She is my apprentice and lives in the Inner City. I won’t expose her identity as it could be detrimental to her reputation. However, you need to know the reason why she was so daring to use the Crown Princess Consort’s name is because the two are close friends. The Crown Prince is also aware of this. So if he learns of this matter, the one to suffer will be you.”

Huuuu!

The crowd gasped in astonishment at this revelation. Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, they stared at the veiled girl in shock.

“So that’s the story. She used the Crown Princess’s identity because the two know each other. Her intention must’ve been to inform the princess of her presence at the City Gates so that they would come to receive her.”

“She doesn’t have an entry pass and exposing her identity as a young lady of an aristocratic family would be detrimental to her reputation. After all, even if she left the Capital to treat the sick and injured, who’s to say others won’t start an unfounded, scandalous gossip about her disappearance?”

“A girl’s reputation is the most fragile. Hearing the entire story, I can now understand the reason behind her actions. She isn’t a fraud trying to forcefully enter the city. She’s only a little girl using her wits to return home while protecting her reputation.”

The guards felt cold sweat slide down their backs. This time they’d really kicked a steel plate…

“That…” The Left guard wiped his sweat, his earlier confidence and arrogance disappearing in a matter of seconds.

He actually wanted the left and right city guard captains to arrest such a mighty buddha?

What a joke!

It would be more fortunate if he didn’t get arrested instead.

But now that he stood on the high platform, how was he going to descend without losing any more face?

Princess Qamari watched the proceedings with interest. The old man’s sudden appearance caught her by surprise.

But what surprised her even more was his great ability to make tales.

How come she never knew she was the daughter of an official of the empire?

A close friend of the Crown Princess Consort? Wasn’t she the Crown Princess Consort?

Either way, she found the show enjoyable and applauded the old man’s ability in silencing everyone present at the scene with a few random words.

Being away from the palace life for an entire year, she’d almost forgotten how much more effective eloquently spoken words were.

The old man scanned the guards’ pale faces and smirked.

He’d been searching for this monstrous genius for an entire year. Now that the heavens were so kind as to allow him to encounter at the City Gates, why would he allow her to be taken by the authorities?

Besides, his words weren’t entirely false. His medical shop was located on the west of first Inner City. Aside from the daughters of important aristocrats, which lady so young would have the status to enter it?

As such, he felt like he was even doing the guards a favor by stepping in. He was stopping them from committing a folly that would cost them their career and even possibly, their lives.

“Sigh. When news of the injured reached our shop, I was too anxious to reach the place on time and save as many as I could. As such, my disciple had to journey out alone. In the midst of the chaos and suffering of the patients, we didn’t get the chance to communicate. After we treated all the patients, she left on her own to not miss her curfew. It is her first time leaving the Capital, so as you can see, my apprentice is clueless about the rules of presenting a pass.”

At this, the old man embarrassedly rubbed his nose, garnering a roar of laughter from the audience.

“It’s the girl’s first time out. It’s understandable.”

“I don’t even know if my own daughter knows she needs a pass to enter the Imperial Capital. She has never left the City walls as well.”

“This is too worrying. If an emergency occurs and my daughter needs to leave the walls, how will she return without a pass?”

Instantly, the entire matter took a 180-degree change. The focus was no longer on the audacious guard or the helpless Princess Qamari. It shifted to the matter of daughters not passing a pass to freely leave and enter the Imperial Capital.

The left guard sensed the change in atmosphere and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If he stepped back at this time, then his embarrassing situation wouldn’t be noted.

“Sire, young lady, please forgive me for my rude behavior earlier. I didn’t mean to offend. I was just doing my duty.” He clasped his fists and humbly bowed.

Princess Qamari looked at the guard’s face and decided to let the matter drop. After all, he wasn’t purposely targeting her. He was only doing his duty and following orders.

Besides, it was a fact that she didn’t have a pass.

“Young guard, no need to apologize. I didn’t mean to place you on the spot. It was just…it was the only way for me to return home.”

If it was still her home.