Chapter 3, Question 003: Are you polite?
The woman's words startled the officer.
He immediately understood.
One hand wandered to the woman's slender waist, while his eyes brazenly scanned her up and down.
"As luck would have it, there's still a bowl left. Would you like to try some, my lady?"
The woman asked again, "Are there any more cakes?"
The official feigned hesitation, but his hand lingered on the woman's waist.
Taking advantage of the latter's distraction, he pinched her hard on her lower back.
A soft moan escaped the woman's lips.
That soft, gentle call was like a feather tickling the heart, making one's ears burn and tailbone tingle.
"Hiss—this young lady's voice is so captivating, it's enough to make one's soul fly away. If she went to the brothel, she could become the top courtesan in no time..." The officer loosened his grip. "As for pancakes, we do have some, but that depends on how well the young lady serves you."
Although the woman was slovenly and had a repulsive odor, the conditions on the road to exile were harsh, and who wouldn't smell bad in the sweltering heat? Besides, the official hadn't been with a woman in a long time, so someone offering herself up was exactly what he wanted.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
No wonder his colleagues all loved escorting female prisoners; it turned out that not only were the rewards generous and the work easy, but there was also such a romantic encounter along the way.
Who knew—
The woman raised her hand and placed it on the back of his hand, then gently removed it as he looked on in confusion.
What do you mean by that?
Just as the official was about to lose his temper, the woman calmly said, "I am already a woman who has given birth to a son and a daughter. In terms of looks, how can I compare to those young, inexperienced maids? If I'm worried about not serving you properly, perhaps—"
As she spoke, she turned her gaze toward Shen Tang.
The officer immediately understood and sneered, "What a vicious woman! She serves you soup and bread?"
"My lord, you may not know this, but this girl was born to me."
"You gave birth to her?"
His expression clearly showed disbelief.
What kind of mother would push her daughter into a man's arms and abuse her for a bowl of meat soup or a piece of bread?
“The young man who spoke first is right. Things have come to this point, and it’s only a matter of time before she ends up in a brothel and suffers abuse. Rather than let this girl’s virginity be given to some lowly commoner and leave her with a lifelong regret, it would be better to ask you for a favor. If you are satisfied, she can suffer less on her journey.”
The woman's singing, recitation, and acting seemed genuine and heartfelt, leading uninformed people to believe she was a loving mother.
The official was completely bewildered by these words.
Such a wonderful thing?
Not only did he enjoy the pleasures of love, but he also did good deeds and accumulated good karma?
Shen Tang: "..."
Are you polite?
How could a woman with a bone age of at most twenty give birth to a daughter who is eleven or twelve?
If you want to be a brothel owner and harm her, just say so. How dare you have the audacity to act as her mother!
Absolutely intolerable!
Unable to keep up the act any longer, Chen Tang slowly woke up, staring intently at the woman with his dark eyes.
The officer's gaze swept between the two men: "Why isn't she close to you?"
The woman said, "This child was born with a brain disorder, sometimes acting crazy and sometimes mentally challenged. He has always been carefully cared for, and he has delicate skin and tender flesh, so taking care of people is no problem for him..."
"Why is his surname 'Chen' and not 'Gong'?"
These female prisoners were not to be touched by just anyone. Out of caution, the officers glanced at the tattoo on Shen Tang's ear.
She wasn't surnamed Gong, and she was quite young. Considering the list of prisoners, she was probably just a maid.
Unexpectedly, the woman immediately retorted, "She is my eldest daughter with my deceased husband before I was taken into the Gong family, so naturally she takes my deceased husband's surname. The master took pity on her and allowed me to take her into the family to raise her."
Official: "..."
Since she's not an important female prisoner, we might as well take her.
He chose Shen Tang.
As for this woman...
We're still far from Xiaocheng, there will be plenty of opportunities.
He kept his promise and gave the woman a bowl of still-warm meat soup and a flatbread.
After greeting his colleagues on night watch, he pulled Shen Tang to the back of a small hill in the distance.
The night was dark, and only a blurry black shadow could be vaguely seen.
The night watchman joked, "When you're done, let the young master have some fun too. Don't think about eating alone."
"That's natural; when it comes to benefits, we can forget everyone else but our brothers."
Shen Tang's fingers, hanging by her side, curled up as her thoughts began to wander.
If we refuse now and anger these officials, the situation may become unmanageable.
But if it's in private—
On the contrary, it is an excellent opportunity.
One low-ranking official is much easier to deal with than a group of them.
Despite not having a complete memory, Shen Tang's intuition tells her that Mo Liu Gong Shi is her younger brother!
Her eyes flickered slightly, then she silently lowered her eyelids, trying her best to portray a mentally challenged person with a brain disorder.
When Shen Tang was taken away, the woman was gulping down meat soup. She looked up and met a pair of deep, dark eyes that seemed to see right through her soul, leaving her nowhere to hide.
The woman felt her hair stand on end from being stared at.
He muttered under his breath, "Madman."
Behind the small slope was a patch of wild grass, the grass as tall as a person's waist, dense and sultry.
Because Shen Tang was "born with a brain disorder," the officials were not afraid that she would run away.
He knelt on the ground, his expression anxious as he bent down to undo his belt.
"Well--"
A dark shadow seemed to flash before the officer's eyes. Before he could react, a thick hemp rope was tightly strangled around his neck from front to back.
Sneak attack!
How could he have imagined that Shen Tang would suddenly launch an attack when he was caught off guard?
But even at his worst, he was still a low-ranking official; dealing with a female prisoner trying to escape would be a piece of cake for him.
He immediately activated his martial spirit.
His arms visibly swelled several sizes, his muscles hard as rock, brimming with explosive power.
This force was equivalent to five stones, enough to easily smash her head, break her hands and feet, and crush all the bones in her body.
The officer broke the thick hemp rope effortlessly, turned and struck with lightning speed, preparing to capture Shen Tang. However, Shen Tang's punch was even faster, almost leaving afterimages. It was fast, ruthless, and accurate, hitting him directly in the chin. A faint sound of water sloshing in his brain could be heard.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Tang pressed down on him fiercely, restraining his wrist with one hand and choking his roar in his throat with the other.
Click, click—
He acted without the slightest hesitation.
Two sounds of bones cracking rang out almost simultaneously.
Shen Tang: "..."
Looking at the official whose head was tilted at an odd angle, she felt a moment of unreality as she relaxed.
A low-class gentleman...
That's it?
That's it?
She rolled over and crawled to the side.
"This is... way too fragile..."
While they had the advantage of a surprise attack, it went a little too far.
Now that things have come to this, she has no time to think about it anymore.
They quickly searched the officers, looting everything of value and food, and then fled in the opposite direction.
Getting away is the priority.
Once she is discovered and caught, she will only have two options.
Either she could take down all the officials by herself, including that third-rank official Zan Niao whose abilities were unknown, or her intuition told her that this path was not very optimistic.
Either she gets beaten to a pulp and taken back, and her fate will likely be worse than death.
As for that woman—
I'll find an opportunity to visit the Xiaocheng Jiaofang (a type of entertainment venue) later!
Shen Tang gritted her teeth and ran wildly in one direction, not even caring that the gravel on the ground was chafing her feet.
Who would have thought—
She had barely escaped for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn when she faintly heard the sound of horses' hooves behind her, rapidly approaching.
The sound of horses' hooves?
Wait, the exile team didn't have any carriages or horses, so where did this sound of hooves come from?
Before she could even decide whether the person was an enemy or a stranger, a strong sense of crisis spread from her vest to her entire body. Without thinking, Shen Tang rolled to her right, and as soon as she came to her feet, she saw an arrow deeply embedded in the spot where she had just been standing.
Looking in the direction from which the arrows came, they saw a mounted officer, his face filled with murderous intent.
Shen Tang: "...Damn it!"
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(End of this chapter)
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