Qin Weixi, with a heart of gold, looked at him with a half-smile: "You..."

Qin Weixi called out to the outside of the curtain, "Brother Luo."

Luo Yuanzhi, after stopping the carriage, immediately went to the riverbank and picked up Wei Zhong, the only son of the Wei family, like a chick. With a flick of his wrist, he threw him into the river.

Wei Zhong was caught completely off guard, suddenly finding himself lifted into the air. Before he could even see clearly, he was plunged headfirst into the river. Despite his martial prowess, Wei Zhong couldn't swim, and he thrashed about in the water, shouting, "Who! How dare you! I am the eldest son of the Wei family, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture!"

Luo Yuan said coldly, his face expressionless, "I don't care whose son you are, hitting a woman is wrong."

More and more onlookers gathered. The drunken companions, seeing the newcomer standing coldly with his arms crossed and a long sword clutched in his hands, then seeing the young master of the Wei family being thrown into the river without hesitation, and then looking back at the luxurious carriage parked on the riverbank, with two lanterns bearing the character "罗" (Luo) hanging from the pointed ends of the canopy, one of them suddenly sobered up and warned the others, "It's the Luo family's carriage, let's get out of here!"

The others remained completely drunk. Qin Weixi had already taken off her veil and put it on, then got off the carriage, with Feng Hua and Queshe following closely behind her. Meanwhile, Wei Zhong had already stumbled to the riverbank on all fours.

Sparrow Tongue stepped forward with a grin and extended her arm: "Handsome young man, shall I help you?"

Wei Zhong saw that the girl was dressed in a black riding outfit, with her black hair tied in a high ponytail and a heroic face. At this moment, she was smiling sweetly at him, but she was different from ordinary women. His anger instantly vanished. He put one hand on her and stared at her intently.

Only then did the onlookers realize that the river was not as deep as they had imagined. As Wei Zhong stood up, the water only reached his chest. Some people whispered among themselves, while some girls covered their lips and chuckled, their eyes filled with mockery.

Wei Zhongjue realized the depth of the river and saw the onlookers casting mocking glances at him. He shouted angrily, "How dare you!" and tried to climb ashore to drive the crowd away.

However, Sparrow Tongue kicked him in the chest, then kicked him hard in the buttocks, and drew her sword, pointing it at the back of his head.

Wei Zhong was caught off guard and fell to the ground. When he tried to get up, he caught a glimpse of a cold light out of the corner of his eye, and then felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

He dared not move again, but still roared, drunkenly shouting, "I am the son of Prefect Wei! Who dares to touch me! My mother and the Qian family, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, are old friends." He sneered again, "You don't know who the Qian family is, do you? The eldest daughter of the Qian family is Madam Qian, the wife of the Grand Secretary. Which family is blind to this..."

Sparrow Tongue stomped on the back of Wei Zhong's head, instantly filling his mouth with dust. She still smiled and said, "I am your great-aunt." Then she suddenly lifted his chin and said, "Raise your head!" Immediately afterward, she slapped him hard across the face.

Feng Hua smiled, muttering, "Truly a smiling tiger." She then whispered to Qin Weixi, "Miss, Pei Qing and you have never gotten along, perhaps..."

Qin Weixi, wearing a veiled hat, slowly walked forward, staring intently at the person on the ground. Several days earlier, she had passed by this place and seen Wei Zhong sneaking onto the pleasure boat.

However, she did not make a fuss. The Cheng Yi Marquis's family had a clean and upright family tradition. Her third brother, Tao Qingyun's grandfather, had once visited the Cheng Yi Marquis's mansion to ask her maternal grandfather to annul the engagement. The old Cheng Yi Marquis had also considered canceling the engagement. But when the Empress learned of this, she said, "Now that the old master of the Wei family has passed away, and this marriage was already publicly announced before His Majesty, many gifts were even sent to the Pei family for this. If we cancel the engagement without a proper explanation, what will outsiders think of my Tao family?"

She knew that Wei Zhong was already engaged but was having an affair. If the upright and honest old Earl Chengyi knew about this, he would definitely be determined to break off the engagement for her granddaughter Pei Qing. However, the Di family might still try to downplay the incident at the Lantern Festival, where Liang Lang caused Luo's little star to fall seriously ill. So she had been waiting for an opportunity.

Her return to the capital was solely to clear the Qin family's name and restore their honor. She had no intention of getting involved in these aristocratic family affairs, but Wei Zhong was a violent and tyrannical man. In the past, she would have openly despised him, but since Pei Qing had brought her food first, she would do her best to help Pei Qing now. Besides, the Wei family had a long-standing friendship with the Liang family.

Qin Weixi looked at Wei Zhong, who lay sprawled on the ground like a puddle of mud, smiled faintly, and muttered to himself, "Tit for tat."

Isn't the current emperor trying to get her into the imperial family, into the Jiang clan? Then she'll make good use of this identity for now.

Feng Hua then helped the woman on the pleasure boat to her feet. The woman thanked him repeatedly.

Wei Zhong narrowed his eyes. Having just walked in the river and been beaten, he was now mostly sober. He asked, "Who are you?"

Qin Weixi looked at him with a half-smile: "Who do you think I am?"

If he was still somewhat dazed from being drunk just now, he now realized that his actions were inappropriate. He quickly gave a wink to the servant behind him, whose legs were trembling with fear. The servant was terrified of this only son who was favored by the master, and hurriedly stepped forward, reaching out to lift the veil from her head.

Qin Weixi glanced at him coldly, then stepped back. Before he could speak, someone stepped out from the crowd, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it, holding him firmly in place. Wei Zhong couldn't move, feeling as if his arm was about to dislocate. He turned around to look, and A Xiao coldly said, "Open your dog eyes and take a good look."

Wei Zhongli was terrified. He recognized the man as a subordinate official, confidant, and capable assistant of the Crown Prince.

Wei Zhong hurriedly replied, "No, no!"

Ah Xiao released him with a cold snort, then bowed to Qin Weixi and said, "Miss, I am acting on His Highness's orders to protect your safety."

Feng Hua glanced at A Xiao, then at Que She, and wondered why everyone was protecting their young lady. She suddenly remembered the peach branches she had picked in the peach grove at Xia Guang Peak that day, and muttered to herself.

A peach blossom...

Two peach blossoms...

Qin Weixi turned to look at her, then back at A Xiao. After the rain that day, A Xiao had often appeared by her side. She sighed softly in her heart. Before she could even use that identity, someone had already offered it to her with both hands, just as he had said, solely to protect her.

After a moment of contemplation, she walked towards the crowd, gave a slight curtsy, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, I heard that a few days ago, a murder occurred at the Dali Temple. It involved the youngest daughter of the Grand Master Lü, the Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. As parents, all they wanted was for their children to grow up healthy, achieve academic success, and find a good marriage. They hoped the couple could live happily ever after. But Lü's daughter paid for this with her life; a beautiful woman with a tragic fate."

She turned to look at Wei Zhong, who felt his eyelids twitch. Just as he was about to step forward, A Xiao and Que She immediately stepped forward and captured the man again.

Qin Weixi continued, "But this man is already engaged to another girl, yet he spends his days loitering on pleasure boats, using his useless martial arts on women who can't even kill a chicken. He is truly not a good match." She turned and smiled at Wei Zhong, "Look, everyone, if you hadn't protected me just now, he might have come up and attacked me!" Her veil fluttered with her movements, and Wei Zhong seemed to vaguely see a hint of provocation and mockery in her eyes.

Wei Zhong roared, "What nonsense are you spouting again!"

Suddenly, a voice shouted from the crowd: "Well said!"

All that could be seen was an elderly man in his sixties with white hair, holding his young grandson and leaning on a cane, walking out from the crowd. Qin Weixi looked closely and realized that it was the child who had mistakenly climbed the Star Gazing Tower before it collapsed, and the old man who had been crying incessantly that day.

The old man stepped forward to thank her, but she quickly helped him up. Seeing the child's rosy complexion and bright, large eyes looking at her with a tilted head, she felt relieved. The old man continued, "Gentlemen, you were all involved in the chaos that day when the Star Gazing Tower collapsed at the Medicine King Temple Fair." He sighed, "It was my fault. My grandson unfortunately climbed the Star Gazing Tower and nearly lost his life. Fortunately, this young lady bravely climbed up to try and save him, and we received further assistance from a benefactor."

The old man sighed deeply again: "Otherwise, I would have no face to face my deceased ancestors!"

Someone in the crowd looked over and said, "No wonder. This kind young lady has an extraordinary demeanor; could she be from a noble family?"

Someone chimed in, "Look behind them, that's the Luo family's carriage. Could it be the Luo family from Weeping Willow Alley?"

The old man's eyes lit up, and he softly murmured "Luo family," looking at her and saying, "Is this the Luo family that had a student who passed the imperial examinations in all three levels back then?"

Qin Weixi nodded with a smile.

The old man kept repeating, "No wonder. No wonder."

Upon hearing that this Luo family was indeed the Luo family of Chui Liu Hutong, a distinguished family with members holding official positions in the court, a middle-aged woman stepped forward and said, "Let's reason things out! If we can't reach a solution, let's report it to the authorities. What kind of man only knows how to beat women! Even if royalty breaks the law, they should be punished the same as ordinary people like us!" She glared at Wei Zhong hatefully, "This man should be sent to the authorities! That arranged marriage should be null and void!"

The crowd began discussing the Wei family, the prefectural magistrate, and the Qian family, the vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, again, and shook their heads as they looked at Wei Zhong in front of them.

Wei Zhong was captured by Que She and A Xiao and couldn't move. He was so anxious that his face turned red. He glanced at the crowd and found that his companions who had gone out with him to Shuiyunlou for drinks earlier that day had all disappeared.

He shouted, "You..." He gritted his teeth and continued, "The Luo family! What a Luo family! The marriage is already arranged, and there's even my grandfather's order! Let's see who dares to break it, who dares to report me to the authorities!"

"I'll go!" Another person stepped forward from the crowd. Pei Qing's eyes were red as she hurried over; she had been standing in the crowd for quite some time. Today, she had intended to buy some pastries to visit her maternal grandfather at the Marquis of Chengyi's residence. Passing through Gulou Street, she found that the usually bustling market was deserted, with only a few people around. She asked her driver to inquire, only to learn that everyone had gone to the riverbank, where someone had reportedly been brutally beating women on pleasure boats in the street.

Knowing the character of her fiancé, whom she never acknowledged, Pei Qing immediately suspected that Wei Zhong was involved and had the car turned around to head towards the riverbank where the incident had occurred.

There she saw the girl, wearing a veiled hat, her face veiled by white gauze, and dressed in a snow-white silk skirt, speaking indignantly in front of everyone.

Pei Qing stepped out from behind the crowd, not even bothering to look at Wei Zhong again. She addressed the crowd boldly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am the girl betrothed to this Wei family lad. Today, I will personally escort him to the Dali Temple to report to the authorities!" She then lowered her eyes and coldly looked at the woman on the pleasure boat whose face was covered in blood, raising an eyebrow and saying, "And you, come with me."

Wei Zhong gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury: "Pei Qing! How dare you!"

Pei Qing said coldly, "How could I not dare!" Then she bowed to Qin Weixi in front of her, her eyes red, and slowly said, "Thank you. If you need anything in the future, I, Pei Qing, will lend you a hand."

Seeing that the matter was settled and with the people as witnesses, Qin Weixi knew the engagement would be called off. She smiled, turned and walked towards the carriage, waving her hand: "I didn't help you."

Pei Qing burst into laughter through her tears: "Stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside!"

"Sharp tongue, soft heart!"