Chapter 36 A Hero Saves a Beauty
Then, Yan Xuanyu heard Li Zhongxian's voice and there was a lot of noise outside.
"What's the matter?" Yan Xuanyu lifted the curtain with an anxious look on his face, only to see a woman whose stunning beauty could not be concealed even in her tattered brown coarse cloth dress.
He forgot about asking for punishment for a moment and was stunned.
There were some dust stains on the woman's face, which not only did not make her look sloppy, but instead added a sense of pitiful and destitute. Her cat-like eyes were filled with tears.
"Young Master, it's the thugs from Hongxiuyuan who are arresting people." Li Zhongxian's voice rang out, and it seemed that these words brought Yan Xuanyu back from his daze.
He nodded. "I see."
But his eyes still did not leave the woman.
The stunningly beautiful woman didn't know where she got the strength from, but she broke free from the restraints of several burly men and rushed to Yan Xuanyu's carriage. She was too timid to come forward because of several guards with swords drawn, and she just knelt on the ground and looked up at Yan Xuanyu.
"Master, Master, please save me!"
Two of the burly men seemed to have just realized that the woman had broken free and came over to hold her down. They slapped her in the face and said viciously, "Don't be ungrateful, little bitch!"
"I'm sorry for disturbing you, sir." A woman with a hairpin and flowers on her head appeared hurriedly.
"Mother Liang, the person has been caught." The thug pushed the woman roughly, and she was thrown to the ground.
The woman with her hair tied up in a bun and a flower hairpin on her head is the madam of Hongxiuyuan.
Seeing the thug acting like this, Mother Liang glared at him and said, "Be careful! If you get disfigured and can't serve others, we won't forgive you."
The woman couldn't break free from the grip of several strong men, and her expression was almost desperate.
The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty were relatively open-minded, and many scholars and literati regarded reciting poems and listening to music in brothels as elegant activities. They said they were reciting poems and listening to music, but it was just a tacit understanding between them.
Yan Xuanyu glanced at the guards blocking the way in front of him without leaving a trace. Even if she didn't seem to have a special status, she still had one. Liang's mother probably didn't dare to interfere because of this. She apologized repeatedly, saying that the woman's father, a gambler, died of drinking too much, and the creditor sold her to Hongxiuyuan to pay off the debt, but she refused and ran away from Hongxiuyuan.
The group was making a lot of noise, and many people on the street were looking over here.
"Wait." Yan Xuanyu suddenly said, "Let her go."
"I will pay for her redemption."
Mother Liang was stunned for a moment, then she covered her mouth and laughed, "Sir, please stop joking. I bought Lian'er at a high price..."
Yan Xuanyu frowned and looked at Li Zhongxian before she finished speaking: "Give her whatever amount she wants."
Li Zhongxian said "yes" and took out a few silver bills from his sleeve. When Mother Liang saw the face value, she was almost knocked unconscious by this big pie and hurriedly asked the thugs to let go of the woman called Lian'er.
She smiled and said to Yan Xuanyu, "Young Master, you don't know, this girl has a strong temper. If I insisted on taking her back, she might cause trouble. Now that I have met a benefactor like you, I am lucky..."
Lian'er looked at the banknote in Liang Mama's hand, then looked up at the young man who redeemed her, with tears still on her face, as if she couldn't believe it.
After a long while, she kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Master. Thank you, Master..."
Yan Xuanyu slowly stretched out his hand, "Come."
He actually wanted to take the woman into the carriage.
Yan Xuanyu ignored the different expressions of the people around him. Li Zhongxian considerately lowered the curtain of the carriage and said, "Go back home."
Lian'er shrank timidly in the carriage, daring only to look at Yan Xuanyu with her watery eyes.
Yan Xuanyu smiled and said gently, "Aren't you afraid that I am also a bad guy?"
Lian'er was stunned for a moment, then shook her head: "Lian'er believes that the young master is a good person."
Yan Xuanyu smiled: "This young master is not a good person."
Lian'er stammered, "Master saved Lian'er..."
Yan Xuanyu looked at Lian'er with affection, which made Lian'er blush and lower her head.
It also concealed the look of disgust in her eyes.
Yan Xuanyu took her hand and saw the shocking red mark. He frowned and said angrily, "How could they do this to you!"
Tears welled up in Lian'er's eyes again, and her delicate body trembled slightly. "How could Lian'er deserve your kindness?"
Yan Xuanyu called out to Li Zhongxian, "Bring the medicine."
He personally opened the wide-mouthed bottle, dipped his fingertips in the cool ointment and gently applied it to the red and swollen area of Lian'er's wrist. He heard her soft gasp and two blushes on her face, but she suppressed her shame and did not retract her hand.
Lian'er is already stunningly beautiful, and her shyness makes people even more attracted to her.
Yan Xuanyu said in a hoarse voice: "Miss Lian'er, I'm sorry, I have offended you."
Lian'er shook her head and whispered, "Young Master, you redeemed Lian'er. Lian'er is yours."
Yan Xuanyu carefully applied the ointment to Lian'er's scrapes and red marks before putting away the ointment and wiping his hands with a handkerchief. For a moment, there was silence in the carriage, with only the sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the ground.
Yan Xuanyu's eyes seemed to be always glued to Lian'er, but his thoughts had long since drifted away.
Who knows who is behind this? Wen Yongwang might be a spy. On the surface, he is Prime Minister Jiang's man, but in fact there is a real master behind him. He has no intention of touching Wen Yongwang. Wen Yongwang is just a pawn that can be discarded at any time...
He wanted to personally make this pawn important to the other side.
As for this woman named Lian'er, Yan Xuanyu knew that she must have more than one plan. Her purpose was very clear, to send a favored woman to him.
After all, a king and a favorite concubine is the standard configuration.
Yan Xuanyu pondered for a moment. This woman's appearance was truly a gift. It reminded him that he needed a pretext to do certain things, to prevent others from discovering his plans too quickly. Some plans wouldn't show results now, and others would only laugh at him for being a tyrant. But the results would only become apparent in a few years. How could he accomplish those things without appearing out of place? He truly needed a "favored concubine."
The three in the palace are impossible, and those chosen in the selection are nothing more than women with various family backgrounds. Only this woman of unknown origin can be held in his hands.
So he just went with the flow.
But to be honest, this woman is indeed a stunning beauty that Yan Xuanyu has never seen in the palace. It seems that the other party has put a lot of thought into it. Since the opponent is so ambitious, how can he fall behind?
Yan Xuanyu smiled, which in Lian'er's eyes was proof that Yan Xuanyu was obsessed with her.
If it were the original owner, she might really have been fascinated by her.
After this heroic rescue scene, Yan Xuanyu brought Lian'er back home and simply said that he was the son of the prefect's mansion.
A few days later.
The news could not be concealed, or rather, there was no deliberate attempt to cover it up - the news that the emperor had brought back a woman from his incognito visit spread like wildfire and reached the capital.
As for Yan Xuanyu, Lian'er, who knew Yan Xuanyu's true identity, trembled uncontrollably, as if she couldn't believe that the young man she loved was actually the emperor of the Great Zhou!
Yan Xuanyu said in a gentle voice: "Lian'er, what are you doing? I am fond of you. If you do this, won't I be distressed again?"
He gently held Lian'er's face and said, "I will definitely take you back to the palace. What position do you want?"
Lian'er opened her eyes wide in disbelief, then lowered them. "I only hope to be by Your Majesty's side, not seeking any official position."
With the warm and soft jade in his arms, Yan Xuanyu smiled and scratched Lian'er's nose, then whispered in Lian'er's ear: "I will make you a concubine, how about it?"
The affection is lingering.
Lian'er leaned on Yan Xuanyu's chest and murmured, "Master, am I dreaming? I..."
What answered her was naturally Yan Xuanyu's laughter.
——————
Ten days later, the emperor returned to the capital.
At the same time, news came out that the emperor had thoroughly investigated the Feng Guangwei case, and the result was surprising. The corrupt person was not Feng Guangwei, but an official who had always followed Feng Guangwei.
The Emperor was in a good mood recently because of his recent marriage to a beautiful woman. He forgave Feng Guangwei and spared the life of the official who served under Feng Taishou, allowing Feng Guangwei to continue governing Fengxian City. However...
The punishment is naturally very severe.
At this time, the people were more relaxed about brewing wine, but it was not completely open. An official named Tang Gang had been brewing wine secretly in his own villa in the capital, making huge profits. It was said that the yellow and white stuff piled up in an entire house, even more than Lu Liang.
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