Gu Yaoniang had considered many reasons, but she never expected it to be such a ridiculous one.
Princess Ruining was clearly puzzled as well. She paused for a moment before asking, "What kind of background does he have? How can he be so arrogant?"
The guard, who had clearly already understood the situation, returned to report. Upon hearing this, he replied, "He's just a local ruffian from the market, with no connections. He saw that the person in charge was a young woman and thought she was weak and easy to bully, so he made suggestive remarks. The prefect said that he was causing trouble in the street, so he gave him a beating and told me to inform the princess that if there are no other instructions, he should release her."
Princess Ruining nodded and waved him away.
Gu Yaoniang was somewhat annoyed, but she still restrained herself from showing her true colors and asked, "Princess, that man harassed a respectable woman and even made a move. If you hadn't arrived today, who knows what he might have done to my Bitao. Is such behavior really just going to be punished with a beating and then let go?"
Princess Ruining remained silent. It was more than that! She was well-versed in the laws of the Great Cheng Dynasty and knew perfectly well that this beating was for causing a disturbance in the street, not for harassing a woman!
I had never seen it before, nor did I realize it. Now I know that women in the marketplace face a difficult situation, and even the law offers them little protection.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Gu Yaoniang wisely kept quiet.
Princess Ruining then spoke up: "This man is arrogant. He only dares to act so boldly because he thinks you are women, weak and easy to bully, and have no one to rely on."
Her gaze was firm, as if she had made a decision, speaking not only to Yao Niang but also to herself: "I am a woman too. Yao Niang, believe me, things will only get better from now on! With me here, the women of the Great Cheng Dynasty will never again suffer such unwarranted humiliation!"
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