Chapter 817
Distinguished Guest
Although the restaurants next to Taotie Tower should be just as good, how can one not be tempted after seeing Taotie Tower?
It's not the building's grandeur that's captivating, but rather the aroma of food that wafts out.
Pan Yun began to secretly count the money in her purse.
Money only motivates you to make more money when you spend it!
Pan Yun mentally prepared herself, raised her head, and waved her hand generously: "Come on, I'll take you to Taotie Restaurant!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a shadow fell over her head. Pan Jun was startled and her reaction was so quick that she was surprised when she thought about it later.
She first flashed forward, quickly grabbed a middle-aged man's arm and threw him away, then raised her hand and struck upwards with a palm.
The Yuan Force collided with the force falling from the sky with a bang, then spun around and slammed to the ground with a loud thud.
This series of actions may seem like a lot, but it actually takes only half a breath, less than two seconds.
The people around were startled by the sudden turn of events, their eyes widening in shock. They scattered in panic, shouting, "Ahhh—someone fell from the building!"
Wang Tianyi lay on the ground, raised his drunken face, and couldn't help but laugh. It turns out that dying while drunk really doesn't hurt at all.
His head slammed heavily to the ground with a thud, and he sighed, waiting for the ox-headed and horse-faced demons to come and take him away.
Pan Jun snorted and stepped forward, stomping on his fingertips and grinding them hard.
The pain, which even the numbing effect of alcohol couldn't block out, suddenly shot to Wang Tianyi's head. He screamed in agony, instinctively pushing Pan Yun's foot away, and glaring at her with eyes wide with fury.
Pan Yun looked down at him expressionlessly: "This gentleman, I see dark clouds hanging over your head and your forehead is gloomy. This is a sign of bloodshed for your whole family."
Before Wang Tianyi could speak, the middle-aged man who had just been dragged away by Pan Yun pushed aside the guards supporting him and rushed up, kicking him repeatedly, gritting his teeth: "You were right, his whole family is indeed going to suffer a bloody disaster."
The man's kicks were merciless and haphazard, purely an act of venting his anger.
As soon as the man moved, seven or eight young men rushed up and surrounded Wang Tianyi, kicking him with far more ferocity than their master. Their attacks were aimed at vital points, frightening Pan Yun so much that she retreated repeatedly, hiding between her two older brothers, patting her chest and exclaiming in fear, "I was so scared!"
Pan Yue's face turned pale. He looked up at the Taotie Tower, while Pan Yu exclaimed in admiration, "Little sister, you're amazing! You pulled that person away so quickly and even neutralized the force. If it were me, I would have been hit squarely. How long would it take me to practice before I could do what you did?"
Miaozhen had been watching them gang up on him. After making a quick assessment, she warned, "Junior Uncle, he's about to die."
Upon hearing this, Pan Yun and Xue Shao rushed forward at the same time, saying, "Everyone, calm down..."
Miaozhen and Miaohe Tao Yanbai were a step behind, but they also stepped forward to offer their advice.
They called it persuasion, but in reality they were forcibly pulling people apart.
The eight young guards exchanged more than a dozen blows with Pan Yun and the others in an instant, but they only gained the upper hand against Miao He, Tao Yanbai and Xue Shaoyin, yet they were unable to break free for the time being.
Pan Jun fought four opponents alone, subduing one of them with two moves. With a light flick of her finger on their elbows, she made their arms numb and unable to move.
Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man's eyes flickered slightly, and he ordered the guards to step back.
The two sides then stopped fighting, and Pan Yun and the others successfully pulled the people out, revealing the person huddled on the ground.
Tao Yanbai and Miao He stepped forward and touched the unconscious Wang Tianyi. After a brief examination, they said, "He has at least six broken ribs and a fractured right arm..."
"Left leg fracture, left arm fracture not yet visible..."
In addition, there was internal bleeding, but fortunately it was not very serious. Tao Yanbai gave him a hemostatic drug to keep him alive and looked up at Pan Yun: "Junior Uncle, he won't die for now."
"As long as he doesn't die, call the officials to arrest him." Jumping to one's death in a busy downtown area is a serious crime under the Ming Dynasty law; if someone is injured, the punishment is doubled.
According to the Ming Dynasty Code, one may die if one wishes, but one cannot disturb others. Suicide in a busy urban area is considered disturbing the order, punishable by caning at best and imprisonment at worst.
“Wait,” one of the young guards called out to Xi Jin, who was about to go find the officials, and said to Pan Yun, “Leave this man to us.”
Xi Jin stopped and couldn't help but look at Pan Yun.
Pan Yun glanced at the middle-aged man standing behind the guards, raised an eyebrow slightly, and nodded.
She called out to everyone, "Let's go eat."
A group of people actually abandoned Wang Tianyi lying on the ground and walked into Taotie Tower with their heads held high.
The onlookers at Taotie Restaurant finally came to their senses and hurriedly went up to greet them warmly: "Distinguished guests, please come in. I'll find you a great spot with a good view."
The shopkeeper quickly pushed through the crowd and came from the back, saying to the waiter, "Quickly, invite our distinguished guests to sit on the third floor."
Soon, a young guard walked in and tossed a money bag to the shopkeeper, saying, "Our master will cover their expenses tonight."
This series of developments left Pan Yue and his companions dazzled, with even Pan Yun exclaiming, "The wealthy people in the capital are truly sophisticated!"
The innkeeper accepted the money bag from the guard, bowed repeatedly, and while instructing the waiter to lead Pan Yun and the others to a private room on the fourth floor, he personally went to apologize to the frightened middle-aged man.
Pan Yue and the others looked at Pan Yun together. Pan Yu whispered, "We've gone up another floor. Little sister, shall we eat?"
"Judging from the shopkeeper's fearful demeanor, that middle-aged man must be of high status," Pan Yue said in a low voice. "Rumor has it that the owner behind Taotie Tower is a member of the royal family."
Miaozhen: "Aren't they a family?"
"Eat!" Pan Yun waved his hand and said, "Hehehe, I just casually caught a meal at Taotie Restaurant. It's worth it. Let's go upstairs."
Pan Yue snapped out of his daze and hurriedly chased after Pan Yun, asking in a low voice, "Master Miaozhen just said they are a family..."
"Yes, the middle-aged man had a jade pendant with a coiled dragon hanging from his waist. The jade was of excellent quality and it was obviously genuine. He must be the young emperor's uncle or something."
Pan Yuemu followed Pan Yun blankly, muttering, "I haven't heard of any vassal kings coming to the capital recently... Could it be that the Prince of Xiang has returned to the capital to offer sacrifices to Empress Chengxiao Zhao?"
Empress Dowager Zhang gave birth to three sons and one daughter in her lifetime. Two of her sons have died, leaving only Prince Xiang as her son.
The Prince of Xiang was very filial. When the Empress Dowager passed away, although he did not submit a memorial, his household observed a 27-month mourning period in accordance with common customs.
If the mourning period is calculated as twenty-seven months, this month is exactly the month when the mourning period ends.
It is highly likely that the Prince of Xiang will come to the capital to offer sacrifices to the Empress Dowager.
Pan Yue couldn't help but look at Pan Yun, only to see that his younger sister's expression was calm. His heart skipped a beat; had she already guessed it?
Pan Yun not only guessed the middle-aged man's identity, but also learned the identity of the person who jumped off the building.
There was no way around it; her hearing was too sharp. When she stepped forward and crushed his fingertips, she heard him muttering, "If I die, the court will be powerless against the Jingyuan Marquis's mansion. My uncle shouldn't blame me anymore, right? My whole family should be safe, right?"
It's uncertain whether he and his entire family can protect Pan Yun, but the Earl of Jingyuan probably won't forgive him.
Whether he died or survived after committing suicide. (End of Chapter)