Chang Lili noticed the prefect's resentful gaze and cursed the hypocritical official in her heart.

At this age, he's still so indecent, still thinking about young girls. Isn't he afraid of being laughed at?

Seemingly sensing Chang Lili's gaze, the prefect looked over with a sinister expression, scrutinizing her.

Having been a local tyrant for so many years, the intimidation in his eyes still carried weight. Chang Lili felt as if she had been seen by a venomous snake.

Suddenly, the prefect smiled as if his expression had changed, and said to her, "Since you are Miss Baicha's savior, you are my honored guest. Please come to my residence for a cup of tea. May I ask your name, Miss?"

"His surname is Meng."

The prefect may have had an unconscious unease about the surname "Meng," as his face wrinkled when he heard it.

"What is it, sir?"

"It's nothing, I just thought of an old friend."

Chang Lili smiled but remained silent.

She knows why.

Last night, Meng Yuxiu told her the whole story from back then.

The governor initially wanted to force the issue, so he sent soldiers to block the entire street, preventing anyone from leaving or entering.

They placed a sedan chair at the intersection, waiting for the white tea to appear.

However, instead of seeing the white tea, another army appeared at dusk—the Meng family army, which had been stationed outside the city.

Soldiers who have been tempered on the battlefield are far superior to those who patrol and train every day without any real purpose. When they appear on the street, you can feel their imposing presence.

"Who are you? How dare you block our way!"

The enemy's momentum was considerable, and the soldiers in the city immediately lost their nerve, stammering, "We are here on the orders of the Prefect."

"What kind of mission requires surrounding the entire street? Who are they arresting, or is someone with an even grander entourage than the emperor?"

The ordinary soldiers were now speechless. The leader, his face filled with terror, secretly winked and said, "This...this, we are just following orders. Sir, who are you?"

"We are General Meng's subordinates. We heard from the people that someone was bullying the weak, so we came to see what was going on. We didn't expect that it was the prefect who ordered it. May we ask what the prefect's reason is?"

For a prostitute.

What might be a romantic tale told by a scholar is nothing but a joke in front of a group of soldiers.

The two groups remained locked in a stalemate until Liu Li arrived.

Liu Li, wielding considerable authority, barked at the uninvited Meng family army, "How dare you! Running wild on my territory! Where is your general?"

As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. This Liu Li was used to being a local tyrant. His contact with Meng Yuxiu was only when Meng Yuxiu led his troops through the area. With so many people around, he immediately became angry.

The young general from the Meng family army who came over said to Liu Li without any politeness, "Our general will be here soon. Please explain, sir, why are you blocking the road here and affecting the people? As an official in charge of the people's livelihood, don't you understand the principle of not putting the people in a difficult position?"

Liu Li had never been so humiliated before. He said, "A bunch of brutes, how dare you preach to me? Can you even read? Don't you know how to draw your swords, yet you meddle in other people's business? I have my reasons for doing this, and it's none of your business to tell me. Or is it that I'm blocking your general's way? Does the general also want to stroll around here? There are brothels all around here. You soldiers who fight all want good women. No rush. If you want one, just say so. I'm considerate of the general and will find the best girls... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Li was kicked to the ground by the hot-blooded young officer, his hat falling off and leaving him in a sorry state.

The people around gasped.

Liu Li, adjusting his hat and being supported by others, hurriedly asked, "Sir, are you alright? Are you alright?"

Liu Li, his hands trembling, said, "How dare you! How dare you! Men, arrest these lawless people! Arrest them!"

Then the two groups started fighting.

Liu Li's men were no match for Meng's army. Meng's army didn't want to escalate the situation, so they weren't taking it seriously and were just suppressing people. Even a scholar mixed in with them inevitably got injured.

After seeing the blood, both of their eyes turned a little red.

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, a horse's neigh came from afar.

"The general is here!" The Meng family soldiers, who had just been locked in combat, immediately pushed the man to the ground and made him stand at attention. The chaotic crowd around them also separated and looked at the man riding over from a distance.

He was wearing light armor, and his ten fingers were also covered with cold protective armor. This person was like a cold sword, with a deep and cold aura. The pressure he had gained through countless battles made the surroundings quiet down.

Meng Yuxiu did not express his opinion, but directly ordered the governor to be sent back and the soldiers stationed there to be withdrawn.

The prefect was in a sorry state, his hair disheveled and his clothes dirty, and he had lost all his former imposing manner, but his ability to bully others remained. He said to Meng Yuxiu, "General Meng! Is this what your men did? Today I will take their lives!"

“My men kill barbarians, and each of them has rendered meritorious service. The fact that you can now act so powerfully in front of me is all thanks to their hard work and sacrifices.” Meng Yuxiu did not want to get entangled and said coldly, “Men, take the prefect back.”

He emphasized the word "send," and his men immediately understood. The two of them carried the prefect away.

Having lost face so badly, Liu Li was bound to be furious. He immediately drafted a memorial impeaching Meng Yuxiu for abusing his military power, but he didn't submit it. Meng Yuxiu had tidied up the chaotic streets, carried his sedan chair to the gate of the prefect's mansion, and had it smashed. He then said to the furious prefect, "My lord, lust is a double-edged sword. I was only doing this for your own good."

Meng Yuxiu also left behind an account book, which contained Liu Li's problematic income over the years. He had become incredibly wealthy by virtue of being far from the emperor's reach, but now that someone had caught him red-handed, he immediately fell silent and even made himself sick for several days. As for the white tea matter, it was left unresolved.

To put it simply, what happened back then was that Meng Yuxiu's men not only beat up the prefect's men, but also beat up the prefect himself.

As for the belt, it was because Xu Yuandao had injured his arm while disguised as a soldier, and Meng Yuxiu casually took the imperial gold belt and tied it on him.

When Xu Yuandao went to see Bai Cha, Bai Cha bandaged him up, and the bandage stayed with Bai Cha, becoming Bai Cha's talisman.

Thus, Meng Yuxiu and Liu Li, the prefect of Duanzhou, became enemies, and also had a scandalous affair.

However, before yesterday, Meng Yuxiu had never even seen Bai Cha's face.

As for the matter of Bai Cha and Xu Yuandao, that's another matter entirely.