Tong Qiushi fell in love with Hua Youxian at first sight, and offered her a thousand taels of gold to be his concubine. His elder sister was the inspector at that time, so Madam Ding did not dare to offend her.
Many girls in Ruyun Tower were chosen by high-ranking officials and taken home as concubines. Mother Ding was also happy to do favors. Firstly, the girls themselves were willing to do so. It was a good thing to avoid doing such jobs in the future. Secondly, Ruyun Tower had been able to stand firm in Jinling for many years, and it naturally needed favors.
But Tongqiu Shi just fell in love with Hua Youxian.
Hua Youxian's heart is all on Wang Sheng, and Mother Ding sees it clearly. She also knows that her daughter may seem good at dancing, but in fact she has her own ideas. Now she and Wang Sheng are in a sweet relationship, and their love is stronger than gold. How could she care about Tong Qiushi? I'm afraid that when the time comes, she would rather die than live in disgrace, and end up in a fight to the death.
Mother Ding wanted to persuade Tong Qiushi, but she didn't expect that this young master Tong was a tough guy. That night, he sent people to make trouble and almost burned down Ruoyun Tower. The patrol officer was afraid, so he naturally sided with his brother-in-law. Mother Ding had a hard time speaking. She was angry that Tong Qiushi didn't listen to reason, but she could do nothing about it. Although Ruoyun Tower also knew many officials and wealthy families, the strong dragon could not suppress the local snake. Even if Hua Youxian was beautiful, she was just a girl from a brothel. It was not a good deal to offend the local patrol officer for a girl from a brothel. Moreover, since Hua Youxian met Wang Sheng, she only played the piano on stage and sold her skills as a prostitute. As time went by, there were fewer people who could stand up for her.
Tong Qiushi took Hua Youxian's indenture and ordered his men to put Hua Youxian under house arrest. He also picked a good day to carry Hua Youxian into the mansion. Not only that, he also ordered people to find out Wang Sheng's whereabouts, imprisoned Wang Sheng on the farm, and tortured and beat him every day.
These things were learned by the sisters in Ruyun Tower from others and secretly told to Hua Youxian. Hua Youxian was worried about Wang Sheng's injury and she was powerless to protect herself. As Ding's mother said, she was overly worried and fell seriously ill.
"If you are willing to help, I will not ask for anything else," Hua Youxian said earnestly, "I heard that Young Master Wang was imprisoned in a farmhouse in the north of the city. I beg you to rescue him. Tong Qiushi came for me. I can't sleep at night because of my fault that implicated Young Master Wang."
Isn't this a real-life story of a tyrant forcibly marrying a woman and breaking up a pair of lovers? The young men present all felt a sense of justice to be heroes.
"It's not difficult. It's just saving one person. Don't worry, young lady. I will take good care of the prince and bring him out to you."
Hua Youxian's eyes lit up, and he bowed gratefully: "Thank you, young masters!"
Everyone reached out and helped her up.
Lin Shuanghe looked at her thoughtfully and asked, "Excuse me, Miss Youxian, what will happen after you rescue Prince Wang?"
Hua Youxian was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "If you young masters can rescue Master Wang, please tell me that Youxian and Master Wang are not destined to be together in this life. I have implicated Master Wang before. Please leave Jinling as soon as possible and forget about Youxian in the future."
"Are you not going to see him?" He Yan, who was sitting obediently, finally asked, "What are your plans?"
She had been hiding in the dark, and Hua Youxian had no idea what to do. When she saw a masked man talking, she was startled, but she quickly came to her senses and shook her head, saying, "Since he is the brother of the inspector, there is nothing I can do. It is not up to me to decide. It is better to face the reality as soon as possible."
When she talked about her future, she was much more casual than when she talked about Wang Sheng, which showed that she loved Wang Sheng a little more than herself.
"Miss Youxian, don't worry." The young man who first climbed in through the window said, "Since we have come across this, we must help to the end. I didn't expect that there would be such a vicious beast in broad daylight. It is unreasonable for us to sit idly by and watch the corrupt officials bully people. Whether it is Prince Wang or you, we will definitely protect you!"
The words were sonorous and powerful, but how to "keep everything safe" required long-term planning. As he was speaking, footsteps were heard approaching from far away. Hua Youxian stood up and said, "Someone is coming. I'll go out and hold them back. You guys leave quickly." He bowed deeply to everyone and said, "I'll rely on you young masters for the matter of Prince Wang."
She pushed the door open and went out, looking for an excuse to talk to the person outside. The remaining young man climbed down from the window just like he had just come.
Yang Mingzhi, who was waiting anxiously downstairs, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw everyone return safely. He was about to ask them what happened inside, but when he looked up, he saw that the young men all looked gloomy. He asked curiously, "What's wrong? Why do you look so unhappy?"
Lin Shuanghe sighed and shook his head, saying, "It's just not pleasant to see people suffer."
His friends told him the whole story, and Yang Mingzhi was also angry, "Why is it like this? Don't the government care about it?"
"The people who did this are government officials," Yan He said skeptically, "Do you still want them to kill their relatives for the sake of justice?"
Everyone was silent.
After a while, someone else said, "Since we have already promised Miss Youxian, we can rescue Prince Wang first. Then we can go find that nasty Tong Qiushi. Miss Youxian's indenture is in his hands now. Let him sign the indenture and return it to Miss Youxian. In this way, Miss Youxian can fly back to Yangzhou with Prince Wang to live together, right?"
"It's easy to save Young Master Wang, and it's not difficult to get back the indenture," He Yan said carefully, "but we have to leave Jinling after the poetry meeting. What if Young Master Wang causes trouble for them again after leaving Jinling? It's said that the people don't fight with the officials. Young Master Wang's family is just a business, and it's easy for the patrol officers here to control them. We seem to be helping them, but who knows, Tong Qiushi will vent all his anger on Young Master Wang in the future."
The young men were just acting on their own whims, but she was a girl, so she couldn't help but think more about Hua Youxian. It was probably for this reason that Hua Youxian only asked to rescue Prince Wang and not mention herself. Tong Qiushi had come for Hua Youxian, and they could save her temporarily, but not forever.
"He Rufei, why are you destroying your own prestige?" someone said dissatisfiedly.
"I think what Brother He said makes sense," Lin Shuanghe held the handle of the fan, "We need to think about what will happen next before we take any action. Huai Jin," he asked Xiao Jue who was watching coldly, "Do you have any good ideas?"
All the young men looked at him. After all, he was the best in Xianchang Hall, extremely talented, and extremely intelligent. Who knows, he might be able to come up with a solution to have the best of both worlds.
Xiao Jue glanced at them and sneered, "Yes."
Lin Shuanghe's eyes lit up and he praised, "You really have an idea! Tell us how to do it."
"He's just a patrol officer of Yingtian," Xiao Jue said nonchalantly, "Show us your identities and he will retreat."
He Yan thought, he saw it clearly. It's so troublesome to go around in circles. A higher-ranking official can crush others. The young men here all come from official families, and there are many who are higher than the Yingtian Xunfu official. Tong Qiushi is just bullying others by taking advantage of his power. As long as there is a greater power than him, he can bully him.
Evil people always bully the weak and fear the strong.
As soon as the words fell, someone shook his head again and again: "No, no, if my family knew I was visiting a brothel, they would break my legs. How can I reveal my identity?"
"Neither can I, Brother Huaijin. You're killing 10,000 enemies and injuring 8,000 of your own!"
"That's too rude. Be more tactful!"
Xiao Jue leaned against the wall holding his sword, looked at them lazily, and said, "You guys take your time to think about it. I'm going back now."
He turned to leave, but Lin Shuanghe grabbed the corner of his clothes. He turned around and saw Lin Shuanghe seemed to have made up his mind to fight to the death. He waved his fan and said, "It's bright! You are afraid, but I am not. Even if my legs are broken, I have saved Miss Youxian and Mr. Wang." He also provoked his classmates who were still hesitating, "Are you still not men? You just watch the girl jump into the fire pit? I, Lin Shuanghe, disdain to associate with cowardly people like you. Stay away from me! I will go to save them alone, and I will be a hero alone!"
The young men were indignant, "Who are you calling timid? Who is not a man?"
"I'm not afraid either," Yan He played with the ends of her ponytail, her eyes bright and even excited, "I'll take the beating if I want to. It's not like I haven't been beaten before. It's worth it to get beaten for saving others!"
This kind of thing, the more people there are, the more lively it becomes. Two people started by chanting "The law cannot punish the masses," and the young men responded one after another, and soon expressed that they would rescue Prince Wang and Miss Youxian safely no matter what.
Xiao Jue had not participated in their conversation much, but he was still pulled along by the young men. They surrounded him and begged him, "Brother Huai Jin, please come with us! With you watching, nothing will go wrong."
He Yan stood aside, watching with interest. This chick-like look, did he really regard Xiao Jue as his father? Xiao Jue also looked impatient, but finally couldn't stand everyone's persuasion and agreed reluctantly.
So they all went back to the inn together to think about their plan.
"Since we have to reveal our identities, why don't we just go to the mansion to inspect it?" One person said, "How about asking them to return Miss Youxian's indenture as soon as possible and release Prince Wang?"
"No." Yang Mingzhi shook his head lightly. "According to the law, the indenture is in Tong Qiushi's hands. If we force him, it's not reasonable. Who knows, the evil man might complain first, and let the evil patrolman report the family. And Young Master Wang is in his hands. It's not good to make a fuss. What if Tong Qiushi kills Young Master Wang?"
What he said made sense. Lin Shuanghe asked sincerely, "Mingzhi, do you have any solution?"
Yang Mingzhi thought for a moment, "Let's rescue Prince Wang first, and then find a way to get the indenture back. After that, if Tong Qiushi comes looking for us, we can reveal our identities. By now, everything will be settled, and they can only ask for trouble."
"Great!" The eyes of the young friends brightened. "In this case, Tong Qiushi is like a dumb man eating coptis root, unable to express his pain."
Although people usually don't like to bully others by taking advantage of their power, at times like this, it's still quite refreshing to use your status to crush someone.
"When dealing with a rogue, there is no need to talk about gentlemanly conduct. It all depends on who is more rogue." Yan He raised his eyebrows. "Then it's settled. Split into two groups. One group goes to find the indenture, and the other group goes to rescue Wang."
Yan He made the final decision, and everyone immediately started to split up into teams. Xiao Jue and Yan He each led a group of people. The patrol house was heavily guarded, and Xiao Jue, who was good at fighting, led four people to the patrol house to find the indenture. Yan He took the remaining few people to rescue people in the farmhouse in the north of the city.
After everything was divided, He Yan raised his hands from the corner and asked weakly: "...Excuse me, what should I do?"
Xianchang Hall ordered a total of ten young men to come to Jinling. He Yan was originally dragged here by Lin Shuanghe. Ten people can be divided into two groups, but eleven people are not easy to divide.
"How about...let him stay at the inn? He'd just be a hindrance anyway."
"No," Yan He frowned, "Staying in the inn might hinder us. If we are found by the soldiers and betrayed, our plan will be ruined. He Rufei, you follow me. You are not good at fighting, so you will be on the lookout outside, understand?"
He Yan: "Okay."
She was already an expert at making decorations. She didn't mind at all. He Yan was still a little nervous. Although the young men from Xianchang Hall were among the best in Shuojing, they were in Jinling, a place they were not familiar with. Even if they were protected by their identities, they might not show mercy until their identities were revealed.
This was the first time they were on their own and faced the so-called "big shots".
Hope all goes well.
…
When night fell, the two groups set out.
There was a farm in the north of the city that belonged to the Tong family. It was easy to find. Servants of the Tong family who made mistakes were often thrown to the farm and tortured to death within a few days. Yan He asked someone to buy a few horses and went to the farm at night.
When they arrived at the manor, it was already completely dark. This place was very desolate, surrounded by wilderness, and it was not easy to hide people. However, I think Tong Qiushi had never thought of "hiding". With a patrol brother-in-law, he did everything openly and without any worries. Yan He and the other young men dismounted and asked He Yan to stand guard in the field at the entrance of the manor, saying: "You stay here. If anyone comes, blow the whistle, and we will leave when we find the person. Do you understand?"
He Yan nodded.
She spoke very little. Before leaving, Mrs. He told her that the more she spoke, the more mistakes she would make, so she should remember to be careful with her words.
Yan He and his group quickly disappeared into the wilderness. He Yan squatted in the weeds in the field. There were many mosquitoes in the summer. The parts covered by her clothes were fine, but her neck and wrists that were exposed were soon covered with red and swollen lumps. She did not dare to pull them away, fearing that the noise would attract others and disrupt Yan He's plan. She could only endure it silently.
After a long time, there seemed to be some movement coming from inside. He Yan stretched his neck and saw a group of people coming out. The leader was Yan He. He was tall and had someone on his back. He must be the prince.
He Yan was delighted, he was rescued!
She was about to wave to Yan He when she heard a deafening shout from outside: "There's a thief! Catch the thief!"
"Wang is here to bring help. Catch them!"
There was no telling how many people lived in this manor. It was dark before and He Yan thought it was desolate. But after he shouted, torches were lit in all directions. A quick look revealed that there were probably more than a hundred people.
The plan was always foolproof, but it was so difficult to rescue a person quietly. She was silent and didn't get noticed, but Yan He and his men made a big noise while rescuing people. He Yan was anxious. With so many people, she couldn't fight them head-on, so she had to run. She didn't hesitate any more, and stood up to blow the whistle, signaling them to run.
In fact, Yan He did run away.
Several young men were also panicked by the sudden appearance of the crowd, but after all, they had their usual skills to protect them, so they ran to the place where the horses were drawn, jumped on the horses, and rushed out of the manor. The sound of horse hooves came from near and far, and some people chased after them, while others stayed on the manor.
He Yan was stunned.
They left her behind.
She tried hard to keep up with Yan He and the others, but two legs could never outrun four legs. Even though she shouted with all her might, "Wait for me, Brother Yan..."
But the sound was quickly drowned out by the noise of the crowd.
She ran until she was exhausted and couldn't catch up anymore. Suddenly, someone whipped her from behind. He Yan felt a pain on her back and a bloodstain appeared on her thin clothes. She stumbled and fell to the ground. She turned around and looked at the crowd that was getting closer and closer to her.
The man outside came back and cursed, "Boss, the person ran away."
"Don't worry," the man stared at He Yan with a sly look, "They also caught a little one. If Master Tong wants someone, send this little one up."
"Hey," the man lifted her chin and asked, "Are the people just now your accomplices? Who are they? Tell me their whereabouts and I can spare your life."
He Yan pursed his lips and said nothing.
It's not the right time yet. I have to wait until I get the indenture and the matter is settled before I can say anything. By then, if I reveal my identity, they will be helpless.
But... Yan He and the others will come back to save her, right?
Seeing that she refused to speak, the other party also got angry and kicked her. Unexpectedly, He Yan grabbed her knees and dragged her down. She jumped up from the ground and turned to run.
"Hey, he's still a good fighter." The other person wiped the blood from his mouth and said, "Catch him for me!"
After a long period of training, her skills were not that bad. But she could not defeat a large number of people with bare hands. If Yan He had given her some weapons to defend herself, she would have been more than capable of doing so.
He Yan was beaten and carried to the leader. The leader looked at her, "tsk", and said, "Why are you wearing a mask?"
"Is it because it looks too ugly and you're afraid it'll scare people?" Someone beside him maliciously guessed, "Why don't you take it off and have a look?"
"Yes, with this thing on, you can't even see his face. Take it off."
He Yan was terrified and struggled desperately. When she came to Jinling, Madam He warned her not to let anyone discover her identity. If she took off the mask here, these people would never give it back to her. Even if she met her classmates again in the future, they would only see "He Yan's" face. Then "He Yan" would have to be "He Rufei" for the rest of her life.
Besides... they might not fail to notice that she was a woman.
He Yan shuddered and tried to break free from the shackles.
"Huh? Is he scared?" Someone said, "This dumb guy seems to be a beauty lover. He got anxious when he heard about taking off the mask."
"Now that you mention it, I want to pick it even more." The leader watched He Yan's struggle leisurely and said sinisterly, "Pick it for me!"
He Yan was pushed to the ground. Someone pinched her chin, forced her to lift her head, and tried to pry the mask off her face. However, the mask was equipped with a mechanism, and no one could open it except her. The man fiddled with it for a long time, but the pattern on the mask didn't budge. He was sweating profusely, so he looked at the leader, "Boss, this is not right. I can't take this mask off."
"How is it possible that we can't take it down?" the leader yelled, "I'll do it!"
He grabbed He Yan's neck and tried desperately to pick it, but it was impossible for him to pick it.
He Yan was also in pain. There was a mechanism on the mask. If someone took it off by force, the harder they tried, the more uncomfortable she would feel. The people here had no good intentions towards her and didn't care if she felt any pain. He Yan felt like her brain was about to split.
She wondered, why hadn't Yan He come yet? Why hadn't they noticed she was missing?
The leader pressed her face to the ground, and the smell of mud filled his mouth. Perhaps because the mask covered his face, he couldn't see He Yan crying and panicking, and he was in an even worse mood. He only ordered the two people beside him, "Hold him tightly. If I don't let him suffer a little, he will not know how powerful I am. I don't believe there is a mouth in the world that I can't pry open."
There was a burst of "ping-pong" sounds, as if someone was looking for "torture instruments". Even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs running. He Yan had heard a lot of stories about these private tortures before.
"You little brat," the leader nudged her face with his shoe, "Why don't you tell me? Are you still waiting for your accomplices to rescue you? Don't wait, they won't come back. You'd better be sensible and tell clearly who took Wang Sheng away. You can suffer less."
He Yan was stepped on and couldn't move. She thought bitterly in her heart that Yan He and the others really had forgotten about her.
The wilderness was filled with a pitch-dark night that stretched as far as the eye could see; only the chirping of insects and birds could be heard in the woods.
There seemed to be the sound of horse hooves.
She put her ear to the ground and heard it clearly. She was startled at first, but then hope gradually arose in her heart. She tilted her head slightly with difficulty and looked towards the end of the field.
It seemed that someone was coming on horseback.
They are here? They really won't abandon her! He Yan was immediately overjoyed.
The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer. The people in the farmhouse also heard it. They were stunned at first, and then they raised their torches to look at the person coming. Under the illumination of the torches, a man and a horse were getting closer and closer. Finally, they saw a young man as fast as the wind, wearing a white robe and a silver crown, riding a horse and stepping on the stars.
It’s not Yan He, it’s Xiao Jue.
He Yan's smile froze, and the mask hid her stunned expression.
Xiao Jue pulled the reins and dismounted from his horse about ten steps away from He Yan. He had a long sword on his waist and stood tall. The giant python embroidered with silk threads on his white robe shone brightly as he walked out of the night, like a ray of warm sunlight, illuminating the entire sky.
The young man's eyes swept across the ferocious people in the farmhouse, and finally fell on He Yan who was pinned to the ground.
"Sorry, I'm a little late."
－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－
Yan He came out and got beaten (.