This contrast was unacceptable to Yang Mengxian. She showed a hint of anger on her face and stood there, her heart heaving heavily.

Wei Yunshu was overjoyed to find Huo Baichuan's attitude towards her so easygoing. Her mind wandered to thoughts she shouldn't have: "Does Young Master Huo have feelings for me?"

It must be true. She smiled at me and treated me politely, but was indifferent to Yang Mengxian. Yang Mengxian wasn't as pretty as me, so she must have taken a liking to me.

I'm so excited! Every time I see Young Master Huo, he's so charming and witty, with a casual yet dashing demeanor. Whether he's smiling or not, everyone around him seems to be just there to add to the scene—no, not even worthy of being an extra.

All of these things attracted her, and many times she fantasized about how wonderful it would be to be his wife.

But her mother told her that the Huo family and the Wei family were mortal enemies, and that she could never marry into the Huo family.

But now, she has decided that even if her parents object, even if the whole world objects, she will throw herself into his arms without hesitation.

However, after being cold to Yang Mengxian, Huo Baichuan immediately poured cold water on her, saying, "The flowers in Hua Yi's hands are bright in color and have a rich fragrance. If placed in a room, they can calm the mind and focus the spirit. Now, on behalf of Hua Yi, I am selling the flowers to Miss Wei. I hope Miss Wei will not refuse. They are not expensive, only five hundred taels. Five hundred taels should not be a problem for Miss Wei, right?"

He spoke in a friendly tone, with a half-smile, and stood there leisurely, holding the hand of a dirty little child, but it didn't affect his image at all.

Wei Yunshu looked at him. That day, the clouds, the mountains, the water, the person—everything seemed to have become mere background scenery. But that dazzling person shattered all her illusions.

“Randomly beating a woman like this, if it goes to the authorities, it seems to be bad for Miss Wei’s reputation. Look at me, I always have a soft spot for women. Alas, I’m ashamed before the Emperor.” He then put on a remorseful expression. “How about your uncle takes you to report it to the authorities?” He said to Hua Yi with his head down.

Wei Yunshu's heart was bleeding. His leisurely demeanor, his unrestrained and carefree attitude, and his kindness to a dirty child—why couldn't he see her? Was she not as good-looking as that child?

She desperately held back her tears, but the maids and servants around her saw this and quickly pulled her aside. "Miss, I think you should just give it to him. It's only five hundred taels. If you take it to the yamen, the master will probably have to beg Lord Huo. It's not worth it."

At this moment, Wei Yunshu's girlish heart was pounding, and she didn't care about anything else. She nodded, turned her head away, clutching her handkerchief, and began to lament the passing of spring and the coming of autumn.

The servant took out a five-hundred-tael silver note from his purse and handed it to the chubby boy. "Lord Huo, we'll sell you this money. Could you please let my young lady out?"

At this moment, the entrance to Prince Yong's mansion was completely blocked. Refugees surrounded the area in layers, and the young ladies blocking the entrance could also see that these refugees listened to Huo Baichuan!

Huo Baichuan took the silver notes from the chubby boy and carefully stuffed them into Hua Yi's arms. "Take them. Go home. The imperial court has sent people to help you rebuild your home. Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Hua Yi was so moved that she burst into tears. She was still young and didn't know how much five hundred taels was, but her mother said that anything that could be called a tael was a lot.

Huo Baichuan smiled and handed her over to Duozi. Duozi tenderly wiped away the tears on her cheeks and asked softly, "Where are your parents?"

“My parents are both sick. My brother and I came out to sell flowers. My brother said he went to the restroom and hasn’t come back yet.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a boy's voice coming from the periphery of the refugee group, "Hua Yi, Hua Yi." The voice was very anxious, and soon he pushed through the crowd to stand in front of everyone.

He was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old, with dark, healthy skin and a well-behaved manner, which showed that his parents had given him excellent upbringing.

"Brother, here, silver notes." Hua Yi happily handed the silver notes to the boy, then pointed at Huo Baichuan and said, "This handsome uncle helped us sell flowers, five hundred taels of silver! Brother, can we go home now?"

Upon seeing the five hundred taels, the boy was so excited that he grabbed Hua Yi and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing, "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir." With five hundred taels, he could take his parents home, buy a few acres of paddy fields, build three or four tiled houses, and start a new life.

The people around, especially the refugees, felt a mix of emotions. The fire of jealousy was slowly burning in their hearts. If they knew that being slapped would earn them five hundred taels of silver, they would be willing to be slapped.

Huo Baichuan noticed the changes in these people's expressions, but he made no comment. However, his expression shifted, and he chuckled, "Ladies, I heard you've all come to see Princess Jun?"

What could anyone say? They could only nod obediently.

"She just has a headache and fever, she won't die, everyone don't need to look at her. But I see that you girls are all so kind-hearted, why don't you buy these flowers? They're not that expensive, only ten taels each. I know you are all kind-hearted girls, you certainly won't stand by and watch these poor people suffering from natural disasters, our people of Dayong who are not getting enough to eat or wear, right?"

Every word she uttered spoke of her kind heart and her willingness to save lives. You all knew that a bouquet of flowers costing ten taels of silver was ridiculously expensive, yet you dared not easily say no. After all, you were good girls with kind hearts. How could you not show compassion when you saw others in trouble?

The refugees were overjoyed to hear that each bundle cost ten taels! This was fantastic! They could earn tens or even hundreds of taels today. They could each earn tens of taels for themselves, tens of taels for their sons and wives, and together they could earn several hundred taels. They could then go home and collect the government's disaster relief funds to start a new life.

Originally, the flowers in Jiangying Garden were extremely expensive, but Zhao Shu and Sun Yun were not in the capital at the time, so no one dared to force them to buy. Therefore, the price was lowered to one hundred coins per bunch.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!