Chapter 109 Kidnappers, Flower-Picking Gangs, Targeting Beautiful Women
Meanwhile, on the second floor of a teahouse not far away.
This scene happened to be witnessed by Crown Prince Chu Yu. He was toying with a white jade chess piece in his hand, watching the farce unfolding in the middle of the street through the window screen.
"Your Highness, isn't that Miss Xiao, the second young lady of the Yongning Marquis's residence? It seems she's being harassed. Should I step in to help her out?"
Chu Yu paused, his gaze falling on Xiao Lingxi's flushed face, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
"Someone go and fetch Miss Xiao..."
Before he could finish speaking, his gaze fell on the little maid beside Xiao Lingxi. He seemed to tug at her sleeve and whisper something, which quickly calmed Xiao Lingxi down from her rage.
A hint of interest flashed in Chu Yu's eyes, and he slowly lowered his raised hand. "No need."
The guard asked in confusion, "Your Highness?"
Chu Yu's gaze fell on Su Xiaoyu, and he said calmly, "Someone has already solved it."
It seems that the little girl Jingheng has taken a liking to is quite interesting.
He picked up the chess pieces again, playing the game while keeping an eye on the situation on the other side.
On the other end, Su Xiaoyu tugged at Xiao Lingxi's sleeve and suddenly exclaimed, "Ouch!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it was clear enough.
"Second Miss, this servant...this servant suddenly remembered something, and I'm so scared!"
Xiao Lingxi held back her temper and asked irritably, "What are you afraid of?"
Su Xiaoyu patted her chest, her gaze timidly sweeping over Chen's mother kneeling on the ground.
"This servant was afraid... When Madam Shen pounced on me just now, she looked so fierce! This servant has heard that there are some kidnappers and flower-picking gangs in the capital who specifically target young and beautiful young ladies, using this kind of reckless pounce method."
First, scare the person into a daze, then the accomplice can take the opportunity to strike.
"If it weren't for the quick intervention of our guards, wouldn't she...she have tried to drag you out of the carriage?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.
Including Xiao Lingxi.
Su Xiaoyu seemed oblivious to the changing expressions on everyone's faces, and continued, 'worriedly':
"Second Miss, think about it. In broad daylight, right under the emperor's nose, they dare to act like this even though they know you are of noble status... If it were a girl from an ordinary family, surrounded and insulted by them, and they even tried to lay hands on her, what would that be like?"
Wouldn't that leave you utterly helpless, crying out to heaven and earth in vain? Your reputation would be ruined, and you'd have nowhere to turn for help.
“I think this is no longer a simple matter of right or wrong. It concerns the safety and social atmosphere of the young ladies in our capital. Fortunately, we met the Second Miss today because she had guards. If we had met someone without guards next time, would they have really succeeded?”
"Report this to the authorities! We must report this to the authorities! Let a just and upright official settle this matter. What is the story behind this person who dared to assault a noble lady in the street and even attempted violence? We also need to investigate whether they are accustomed to bullying people like this!"
After he finished speaking, the onlookers looked at Chen's mother and daughter-in-law with disdain, their gazes turning from unfriendly to contempt and fear.
"That girl is right! I saw how that old woman tried to pounce on her, it was terrifying!"
"Yeah! Who knows what they're up to?"
"Are the family members of the newly crowned top scorer allowed to act with such lawlessness?"
Shen's mother and the others were dumbfounded.
They had hoped to gain sympathy by appealing to filial piety and their status as "vulnerable," but Su Xiaoyu deftly deflected their accusations, directly labeling them as "suspected kidnappers" and "endangering public order."
If this really goes to the authorities, even if it's eventually found out that there was no trafficking involved, the reputation of "misconduct" and "suspicious behavior" will be enough to cast a thick shadow over Shen Moyan's newly acquired fame.
Shen Moyan suddenly looked up, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes as he looked at Su Xiaoyu.
That girl is really an eyesore.
Xiao Lingxi instantly understood Su Xiaoyu's intention and felt a surge of satisfaction.
She sneered and followed Su Xiaoyu's words, saying, "That's right! Xiaoyu is right. I was almost fooled by your strange tricks! Someone, go to the Jingzhao Prefecture immediately and tell the Prefect what happened today in detail."
The servant, having received the order, was about to take his leave when suddenly a lazy yet authoritative voice came from behind.
"What a lively scene! I'd like to see who dares to make Miss Xiao so angry."
The onlookers parted to make way for him, and there came the Third Prince, Chu Yan, holding a folding fan and surrounded by his guards, as he slowly walked in.
His face had a feminine quality, and a half-smile played at the corners of his mouth. His gaze swept across the street before finally settling on Xiao Lingxi.
Xiao Lingxi dared not be impolite, and got out of the carriage to bow: "This humble woman greets Your Highness the Third Prince."
The others also knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble subject greets Your Highness the Third Prince."
"Please rise, everyone, there's no need for such formalities."
Chu Yan spoke gently, then looked at Shen Moyan: “Scholar Shen, what are you doing? You are the newly appointed scholar, personally selected by the Emperor, and a talent chosen by our Great Chu. How can you kneel down in the street like this? If word gets out, won’t people laugh at our Great Chu for mistreating talent? It will also make the Emperor lose face. Get up.”
Shen Moyan remained kneeling and bowed to the Third Prince again:
"Your Highness, please understand! It is not that I disregard the dignity of the court or lack self-respect, but rather that my family members have been disrespectful and offended Miss Xiao, committing a grave mistake. As a son, I failed to restrain my family, causing Miss Xiao to be humiliated. I am filled with remorse and can only kneel down to beg for forgiveness, hoping to quell Miss Xiao's anger and seek her forgiveness."
My humble achievements are insignificant; if they were to damage the reputation of the court and the newly appointed scholars, I would be condemned even to death!
His words were eloquent and moving, employing a strategy of retreat to advance, leaving the three women—Mother Shen, her mother, and her daughter-in-law—both surprised and delighted.
To everyone's surprise, the distinguished gentleman before them was actually a prince!
The good news is that this prince seems to be on his son's side!
If my son can use this incident to curry favor with the prince, he will have a powerful backer in the court and will have no trouble rising to prominence.
With a quick glance, Mother Shen decided to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She no longer cared about saving face and immediately knelt down again in the direction of the Third Prince, crying even more bitterly than before.
"Your Honor! Your Highness, you must do justice for this humble woman!"
As she kowtowed, she pointed to her forehead and said, "I am just a country woman who has never seen much of the world. Today, I was only worried about my son and said some nonsense in a moment of confusion, offending the second young lady. But we really didn't mean it!"
The two sisters-in-law immediately chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness! Our brother-in-law has studied diligently for ten years and finally became the top scholar. If he is sent to the authorities because of the mistakes of us women, his life will be ruined! He is the only son of our Shen family. Please, Your Highness, have mercy and spare us!"
"Your Highness, please understand. We were just being rude. We are willing to be punished, but please don't implicate my brother-in-law!"
Chu Yan took in the Shen family's performance and was quite satisfied with Shen Moyan and the women of the Shen family for being "smart".
His appearance today is to bestow favors upon others, and now is the perfect time to do so.
Chu Yan raised his hand to help her up, his tone showing some consideration: "Madam, please don't be anxious. I know you are just trying to protect your son and didn't mean to offend me."
Having said that, he turned to Xiao Lingxi, his tone gentle yet authoritative:
“Miss Xiao, look at this… Scholar Shen has a sincere heart, and his family has also deeply regretted their mistakes. They have lived in the countryside for a long time and are new to the capital, so it is inevitable that they have made mistakes in their words and deeds. Today is the joyous day of the announcement of the results. If this matter causes a great uproar, it will not only be detrimental to the reputation of the Marquis’s family, but may also damage the harmony between the court and the newly appointed scholars.”
Their words had already escalated the matter to the level of the court's reputation, forcing Xiao Lingxi to downplay the incident and let it go.
After saying that, he changed the subject, giving Xiao Lingxi ample face:
"I know you've been wronged. How about this? Have Shen Moyan and his family formally apologize to you and present a generous gift as compensation. Then this matter will end here. Consider it giving me face. Is that alright?"
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