Xiao Cui assumed that no one in this small county town was more important than her young mistress, and that she could act as if she wanted. However, she and her mistress were complete strangers. While they could hold their own against Wang Erlang and his son, their sticks were somewhat intimidating. But facing so many beggars, and since this wasn't Jiangzhou City, they felt a bit insecure.
"We can't afford to lose our spirit, no matter what," Xiao Cui said, standing at the front with her neck held high. Her mistress was now the prospective concubine of the Prince of Zhennan, and even the matriarch and the legitimate wife of the Xie family had to give her some respect. He County was just a small county town, under the jurisdiction of Jiangzhou Prefecture; they could do whatever they wanted there.
Thinking of the Prince of Zhennan and his heir, Xiao Cui suddenly felt a surge of confidence. Her mistress was her support, and wasn't the Prince of Zhennan her mistress's support? These filthy beggars, could they possibly eat them?
With this thought, he felt even more confident and shouted at the beggars, "What are you filthy beggars doing surrounding us? Do you know who you've offended? If I told you, you'd be scared to death!"
The beggars weren't stupid. Upon hearing her words, they all hesitated, but without the leader's order, none of them would back down, especially since it concerned their money to survive this winter!
The young man suddenly stepped forward and knelt before Xiao Cui, causing her to take a few steps back in disgust. She was wearing proper silk clothes, a reward she had just received a few days ago!
"Don't touch me with your filthy hands! If you get my clothes dirty, you won't be able to pay them back even if you sell them!"
The boy's eyes darkened, but he still said pitifully, "Oh dear, esteemed people, please spare my uncle and brother. They haven't eaten for over ten days. They were so hungry that they picked up what you dropped. I'll make them spit it out right now."
After saying that, he turned back and, with a seemingly helpless expression, advised Wang Erlang and his son, "Uncle, really, why don't you make Da Bao spit it out quickly! Also, pick up all the pastries on the ground and put them away."
The boy put on a fawning smile and knelt down to Xiao Cui, seemingly about to grab the hem of her skirt. Xiao Cui, however, saw a filthy hand reach out to her and jumped back with a scream, yelling, "You filthy beggar, get your dirty hands off me!"
So that's the reason?! Most of the onlookers hadn't seen what happened, and only now did they realize that the beggar hadn't stolen or robbed anything; he'd just picked up things that had fallen on the ground to eat. Was such a small thing really worth making such a fuss about? The carriage looked quite luxurious, but it turned out the beggar was actually stingy.
Some even speculated that the owner of this house must be a wicked person, because many kind-hearted ladies would give alms to beggars, and even if they didn't, there was no need to cause trouble! Did they really intend to take these fallen snacks home to eat?
Haha, although Ruyi Cake Shop's pastries are a little expensive and a little delicious, it doesn't have to be this bad, does it?
The people around her started chattering, which infuriated Xie Yuyan. They couldn't even handle this simple matter; they were utterly useless! She was supposed to be running into the Prince of Zhennan!
Just now, that father and son beggars almost startled their horse by squatting down to grab food and blocking their carriage. Shouldn't they pay the price? What did her maid do wrong?!
People are naturally sympathetic to the weak, and now, seeing the disheveled state of Wang Erlang and his son, their opinions have completely sided with them! Many of the unruly men are even arguing that they should apologize to the beggar father and son!
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, the boy didn't linger. He wiped away his tears and timidly crawled to Xiao Cui's side. "My lord, please let us go. If you don't like it, just kick me a few times. I'll do anything to calm you down!"
In a corner unseen by others, the boy suddenly glared at Xiao Cui with a vicious look, a hint of smugness in his eyes.
Xiao Cui had had a smooth year ahead of her, and had never experienced such harassment before. As if possessed, she raised her foot and kicked the boy, who stumbled and fell, looking utterly frail. The kick was solid; the dull thud of him hitting the ground made even Qin San Niang, from a distance, feel a sharp pain for him!
They're really going all out for fifty taels!
Seeing that someone was injured, and it was the same older brother who had taken care of him the past few days, Da Bao quickly broke free from his father's grasp and ran over with his short legs, tears and snot streaming down his face, "Brother, brother..."
Before Xiao Cui could react, she only caught a glimpse of a small black shadow darting out out of the corner of her eye. Before she could turn around, she was knocked to the ground by the black ball.
"You dare hit my father, you dare hit my brother..." This Da Bao was quite the character. Although his family wasn't wealthy, he was still spoiled rotten by Wang Erlang, and his grandmother was a tyrant at home. Back in the day, he was the little bully of Wangjia Village. Even though he came to He County, which wasn't the same Wangjia Village anymore, his character wasn't so easily changed. Seeing that those who were good to him had been bullied, he naturally wouldn't let it go!
The boy was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the little one to protect him. Luckily, Wang Erlang reacted quickly, hurriedly stopping his son's fist, but the snot couldn't be stopped, drifting in the wind and landing on Xiao Cui's dress...
Xiao Cui felt utterly disgusted; this was even worse than being hit a few times! This was a brand new dress; even selling these beggars wouldn't buy it!
Xie Yuyan had had enough of the commotion outside. It was almost noon, and if she missed her meeting with the Prince of Zhennan, wouldn't all her efforts be in vain?
If she had known, she would have gone through a lot of trouble to come to He County this time, and she almost offended her father and the head of the family for it!
"Enough!" A furious shout came from inside the carriage. The bristling Xiao Cui and the servants who were about to arrest someone suddenly stopped and turned around at the same time.
Xie Yuyan suppressed her anger and said sternly, "You beggars, you have no manners! You startled my carriage first, and instead of showing remorse, you dare to block my way? Wang Hu, what are you all standing there for? Take them down and deal with them when we get back!"
Xie Yuyan clenched her fists. She was not someone to be trifled with, especially towards those who offended her; she was almost always vengeful. Her status as an illegitimate daughter had made her extremely sensitive and suspicious from a young age, and she even took pleasure in tormenting others!
These lowly people deserve to pay the price for offending her; whether the maid was right or wrong is irrelevant! In her mind, everything must be violently suppressed, and those who block her way deserve to die!
"Oh, who dares to arrest people arbitrarily in my county territory?" A questioning voice came, the voice was very clear, but also contained a bit of sharpness and displeasure.
The boy's eyes relaxed slightly when he saw the person who had arrived. It seemed the messenger had completed his mission.
He just sent someone to anonymously deliver a message to Minister Qi, saying that outsiders have come to cause trouble in He County, the county government has strengthened its defenses in recent days, bandits are causing trouble at Jiangzhou Wharf, and this Minister Qi is a busybody! He will definitely come!
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