These scholars, who had spent most of their lives reading and considered themselves superior, probably never imagined that today they would not only lose the precious treasures they had hoarded for decades, but also be forced to apologize to a young woman in public.
Although everyone was trembling with anger, among these scholars, there were still a few who had some integrity left. They couldn't stand being told by Elara that all their years of studying had gone straight into a dog's stomach.
Even though her words nearly made some of them explode in fury, a few still clenched their teeth and, with heavy steps, walked out from the crowd. They stepped in front of Elara and, after taking several deep breaths, finally gave her a bow and apologized.
"A moment ago... I misunderstood. It was my arrogance. Please forgive me, Miss."
Elara nodded in satisfaction, lifted her eyes, and gave another sarcastic jab. "Mm, not bad. Knowing your mistake and correcting it, that's the right thing to do."
The man in front of her was so choked with anger again, but he forced himself to finish the bow. Then he straightened up, glanced painfully at the treasure that had just been taken, gave a low grunt, and turned to leave.
Elara watched his back for a moment. Earlier, whether it was apologizing or placing the bet, he had been the first to step forward. She didn't bother to argue with him anymore.
Though his thinking was outdated, at least he still had a moral bottom line and wasn't too bad.
Hmm... once she reclaimed her authority, she might come to the Lianyi Tower more often to look for talent. Someone like this could at least be used to fill an empty position in the court. At the very least, someone with a bottom line wouldn't do anything too cruel to the people.
As she thought about this, Elara continued sitting there with a sarcastic smile, waiting for each of them to come and apologize. At the same time, she quietly observed them one by one.
Although she didn't know when she could regain the power to appoint officials, it didn't hurt to start scouting people now.
Upstairs in the Lianyi Tower, Erwil was leaning on the railing, laughing so hard he couldn't straighten up.
"Izekiel, Izekiel! Coming to Plumera City this time was the right decision. In all these years, I've never seen a woman this sharp-tongued and stunning. Hahaha, that was incredible. The way she shut them down, it was amazing. I wish someone could draw those scholars' faces right now. I'd frame it and admire it slowly!"
Beside him, Izekiel in white robes silently pulled back the sleeve Erwil had grabbed. His eyes were also fixed on the girl calmly sitting among the crowd below. Seeing her composed expression, he took the last sip of his tea and turned toward the tea table.
"Since the matter is settled, prepare to leave as soon as possible."
Erwil paused his laughter, then shook his head in slight disappointment.
"Alright then. But once your business is done, I'm definitely coming back to have a proper conversation with this Miss Elara. What an amazing person. Rare in a lifetime, I mustn't miss the chance."
After Elara forced all the scholars to apologize one by one, she finally left the Lianyi Tower in a great mood.
Inside the carriage Uno had prepared, it was already packed with bamboo slips and all kinds of treasures.
Luckily, Uno had rented the largest double carriage available, otherwise it wouldn't have fit everything.
Elara sat inside the carriage, while Uno drove in the front.
About ten minutes later, Elara suddenly lifted the front curtain slightly and lowered her voice.
"Uno, how many groups are following us?"
"Five," Uno replied calmly.
Elara had sensed the eyes watching her from the moment she left Lianyi Tower.
Whether they were after her or the pile of treasure in her carriage, it was clear someone didn't want to let her go easily.
Elara glanced back. The bustling streets of the eastern district looked completely normal.
"When we get to the biggest carriage rental yard ahead, switch to a new carriage. Give this one to Dos. Once those people behind us follow the decoy, have him take everything back to the Princess's Manor. Remember, don't alert anyone."
"Yes."
The carriage soon reached the largest rental yard in the eastern district. Since the eastern district had many wealthy families, there were always people renting carriages.
The switch went smoothly without attracting any attention. They handed the original carriage over to Dos.
Then Elara and Uno drove off in a brand new carriage that looked exactly the same. As expected, the five groups behind them all continued to follow.
When the new carriage reached a remote road outside the city, one of the five groups finally couldn't wait any longer. They pulled out knives and rushed toward the carriage, shouting to rob them.
But when the curtain was pulled open, they were shocked to find the inside completely empty. Neither people nor treasure could be seen.
At that moment, behind a tailor shop, the real carriage had stopped halfway. Uno had quietly escorted Elara out and she had already changed back into her formal princess attire.
After confirming there were no more spies around, Elara stretched out her hand toward Uno.
"Uno, take me home."
"Yes, Princess."
Just as Uno lifted her up, a tall, slender figure suddenly appeared in front of them and knelt on one knee.
"Princess." It was Tres.
Seeing him, Elara frowned. "What happened? Is there trouble at Tres's post?"
Tres lowered his head and replied. "Princess, about half a cup of tea ago, Commander Yang led the Imperial Guards into the Red Pavilion. He said he was searching for a fugitive. Everyone must open their doors for inspection. If anyone refuses, they'll be arrested for harboring a criminal and taken to the Sky Prison."
Commander Yang. This was the same man her foolish emperor brother had blindly handed the command of the palace guards to, all because of Lord Gregory's flattering words.
Yang was Lord Gregory's top dog. With full control over the palace guards, he was dangerously close to both her and the emperor. Even more so than the Yan, Zhu, and Lin families. He was practically a blade hanging over their necks.
Now, with Lord Gregory's backing, this blade had clearly become bolder and more aggressive.
Elara didn't believe Yang had truly gone to the Red Pavilion to look for a fugitive. He must have heard that she was there and purposely came to cause trouble.
No matter what, she had to return before Yang barged into the Jade Room. If her whereabouts were exposed and Lord Gregory began to investigate, everything she had done today would be wasted.