The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!-Chapter 46: Thief

When Huangfu Jingchen left, it was unclear whether the masked Patrol guard had sabotaged him, or if his leg was not as agile after being kicked by the masked Patrol guard.

When he quietly slipped down from the third floor, he stepped on a piece of glazed tile.

Huangfu Jingchen reacted swiftly, leaning out to catch it, however... he missed!

With a "thump," the tile fell to the ground.

In the silent night, this sound was truly earth-shattering.

The Patrol and Guards all looked over, staring wide-eyed at Huangfu Jingchen who was still hanging upside down like a hooked fish on the third-floor eaves railing.

"Intruder!"

"Capture him!"

"Seize the assassin!"

...

Various shouts erupted, and those Guards swiftly drew their swords, while the Patrol with good Qinggong leaped, flying towards the second floor.

At the moment the glazed tile hit the ground, Huangfu Jingchen knew a fierce battle was about to unfold. However, now that he was standing high, he could see all the commotion below. As soon as he sensed something wrong, he immediately ran in the opposite direction.

The Patrol Guards all gave chase.

They were the ones responsible for guarding, yet a thief had managed to sneak into the building without a sound, how was this possible?

However, with a trap covering the heavens and earth, the thief could not escape.

The leader of the Patrol guards at the Governor Mansion was named Cao Ji’an.

Someone had already gone to inform him.

He strode over, asking as he walked, "How many intruders?"

"O...one!"

Cao Ji’an frowned, his voice deepened, "Just one thief and you can’t stop him?"

"Sir, that thief is very slippery, with strong skills, and knows Qinggong. Our people are trying to stop him, but not daring to let him escape, we ask you to come and oversee the situation."

"Since it’s a thief who knows stealth techniques, have you notified the Archers?"

"Notified!" the person added, "Sir, should we also inform Chief Qin, report to Lord Governor, and call in the City Defense Army to encircle him?"

Cao Ji’an glanced at him, "Are you foolish? For one person, you’ve deployed all the Patrol Guards and Archers, and still need the City Defense Army? Lord Wang will think we’re all useless!"

"Yes, yes, I was confused!"

Cao Ji’an snorted, "You Patrol, allowing a thief to sneak in like it’s unguarded land, today the Lord is not in residence. If he were, we’d all be in trouble. Hurry up and capture him, interrogate him, so when the Lord returns tomorrow, we can lessen our guilt!"

"Yes, this thief is too vile, even if he grows wings tonight, he won’t escape."

"Have you stationed guards in the inner yard? Disturbing the Madam, you’ll all lose your heads!"

"Guards are stationed, the thief won’t disturb the Madam!"

"Handled well!"

As Cao Ji’an spoke, he strode towards Ronghua Pavilion.

Cao Ji’an was quite anxious; after all, Ronghua Pavilion was the main courtyard, the residence of Lord Governor. The original wife of the Governor had died early from illness. The second wife, though not favored the most by the Governor, was still well liked. If she was startled and complained to the Governor, they’d be in deep trouble.

That damn thief, why run in Ronghua Pavilion?

However, Cao Ji’an also understood well; if one were to say where in the Governor Mansion the treasures were concentrated, it would certainly be Ronghua Pavilion. Ronghua Pavilion is the largest courtyard in the mansion, and there’s a three-story pavilion inside, said to be where Lord Governor hides his treasures, not even allowing the Madam to enter.

None of them had gone up there before, but everyone had stood guard under the pavilion.

Could this thief know the news and go to the pavilion to find the treasure?

Isn’t that thief stupid? With so many Patrol and Guards watching, isn’t he just a turtle caught in a jar? Over the years, many have tried storming the Governor Mansion by relying on their skills, but now the grass grows deep on their graves.

Cao Ji’an did not take it seriously.

It’s just a bit of trouble; the thief, after all, won’t escape!

However, Ronghua Pavilion was in chaos at the moment, with Huangfu Jingchen darting and dashing on the pavilion, those Patrol couldn’t catch him.

But he couldn’t keep playing hide and seek on the slick glazed tiles forever, more and more people were gathering below, turning this pavilion into an island.

There were twenty Patrol guards under the pavilion, with more groups coming over, surrounding the entire area tightly.

This pavilion was isolated in the courtyard, the nearest house was a distance away. Trying to leap directly from the pavilion to another rooftop was nearly impossible.

All the Patrol aimed to earn merits, chasing zealously. From the start, over a dozen people climbed and scrambled their way to the second floor. With a slippery roof and narrow foothold, it was hard to find a stable spot. Huangfu Jingchen, being quick and agile, knocked quite a few down with his punches and kicks.

But those people were indeed fearless. After all, for those trained, falling from the second floor wasn’t fatal.

Seeing the situation unfavorable, Huangfu Jingchen flipped back gracefully, somersaulted, and landed on the third floor.

Few followed this time, though some who were adept at movement techniques also made their way to the third floor.

Huangfu Jingchen moved on the glazed tiles as if on flat ground.

Since his cover was blown, there was no need to hide his tracks. He moved with abandon, treating this small pavilion as a stage for maneuvering, twisting and turning amidst the pursuing throng like a cat teasing mice.

The Patrol erupted with anger but faced an opponent agile and alert. Several times they seemed about to catch him, only for him to slip away.

Despite facing each other with forty-plus men on their side, they couldn’t manage him alone.

He was at such a height, giving him an advantage. Few among the Patrol and Guards were skilled in rooftop maneuvers. Just standing on the glassy tiles of the second and third floors was tough enough, let alone running around catching someone.

Huangfu Jingchen maneuvered between the second and third floors of the pavilion while keeping an eye on the situation below; a team of Archers with bows came sprinting from afar.

The Archers? That’s trouble.

Dodging a blade behind him, Huangfu Jingchen sunk his foot down and slipped downwards; grabbing a protruding eave corner of the pavilion with one hand, his body like a leaf drifted downwards, landing in the midst of the Patrol’s encirclement.

No matter where Huangfu Jingchen landed, it was the same.

At this time, it was encirclements all around.

If he didn’t want to land in a siege, he’d be peppered with arrows, then fall into another encirclement.

Huangfu Jingchen wasn’t afraid; he’d already obtained what he came for, so this Governor Mansion, dragon’s pool or tiger’s den, today he’ll have an adventure!

Earlier when he landed, he surveyed the terrain. There were quite a few trees to his right.

Given it was night, visibility wasn’t that good, let alone amidst the shadows.

Huangfu Jingchen slipped into the shadows of the trees. Before, the Guards could only watch him darting around the pavilion in frustration without Qinggong. Now they finally had a chance to act, pouncing forward like wolves and tigers.