As Xu Xian was thinking this, an absurd idea suddenly popped into his mind.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, could it be plotting a rebellion?
Before he could think it through, Qiao Xiuyu in front of him stopped.
It turned out that a young woman was selling herself to bury her father. She was frail and delicate, and seemed about to collapse in the rain. She spoke in a soft, gentle Jiangnan accent, and knelt on the ground, crying with tears streaming down her face. She was a pitiful sight, and more and more people gathered around, all looking at her with pity.
Xu Xian frowned, not recalling any women from out of town visiting the city recently.
Seeing Qiao Xiuyu stop and watch, Bai Lu couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and glare fiercely at Qiao Xiuyu's back—Could it be that the Seventh Young Master has taken a fancy to this girl?
She wasn't the only one who thought so. When the onlookers saw Qiao Xiuyu, this god-like young man who seemed to have plenty of money, they couldn't help but say, "It seems that this Lady Su is saved."
Upon hearing this, Lady Su stopped crying, somewhat bewildered, and then looked ahead in the direction everyone was looking.
A handsome young man, with delicate features and rich attire, was looking at her with a furrowed brow. Lady Su was stunned for a moment, then shed two lines of tears and kowtowed, saying, "If this young man is willing to pay to buy me, I am willing to serve you like a slave and do everything in my power!"
Seeing this, Xu Xian secretly tugged at Bai Lu's sleeve: "Seventh Young Master, you wouldn't have taken a fancy to this Su Niangzi, would you?"
Bai Lu gave a cold laugh: "He can give it a try."
Xu Xian: "..."
At this moment, Qiao Xiuyu, the focus of everyone's attention, slowly spoke. His voice was beautiful, like wind rustling leaves or rain falling on jade steps, but the words he uttered...
"Are you dreaming?" Qiao Xiuyu asked, somewhat puzzled. "You look like someone who can't lift a finger or carry anything. What could you do if I bought you?"
Su Ling: "..."
She lowered her head, her face contorted—last time in the suburbs this bastard refused to help her in her time of need, and this time he's gone even further. Listen to him, is he even speaking human language? Wouldn't a normal gentleman, upon seeing such a delicate and frail woman, think of taking her home to be his companion?
Thinking this, she cried even more beautifully: "I know I am a weak woman, and although I cannot do any rough work, I can still serve my lord..."
This is a blatant hint.
The people of Sichuan are known for their boldness but also for their simplicity. We've heard bold statements before, but to hear them in public like this is truly, truly shocking.
Qiao Xiuyu was even more puzzled: "Why do you always think about being someone's slave? I only stopped because I saw that your father didn't seem to be dead, and I took a few more glances out of curiosity. How did you start blaming me?"
He paused, then shook his head and sighed amidst the shocked and idiotic stares of Su Ling and the audience, his voice laced with disdain: "I would never let someone like you get close to me. Who knows if you're just trying to swindle me out of money or sex? Do you know why my wife and I have such a good relationship?"
Su Ling shook her head blankly, feeling that she was falling behind Qiao Xiuyu's train of thought.
"Because my wife said she likes a man like me who upholds traditional male virtues!" Qiao Xiuyu proudly straightened his back. "I always listen to my wife the most. She said that handsome men should protect themselves when they are out in public and not let reckless women take advantage of them!"
As he spoke, he glared at Su Ling warily: "I've seen plenty of people like you who are scheming, plotting, and cheating people out of their money and sex."
Su Ling was dumbfounded. No one had told her that the lover of the Heyang County Princess was this kind of person!
She wasn't the only one stunned; all the onlookers present were also dumbfounded.
Xu Xian stared at Qiao Xiuyu in disbelief, while Bai Lu smiled with satisfaction. In the silence, she clapped vigorously and cheered, "Good! Well said! One more!"
Everyone: "..."
Damn it, how come there's a straight man in this comedy?
When Qiao Xiuyu saw Bai Lu, he waved his hand modestly: "I can't say any more. Male virtue is a family secret passed down by my wife's family and cannot be passed on to outsiders."
Everyone: "..."
Thank you, but they weren't really interested in listening.
Qiao Xiuyu lifted his foot to leave, but after taking two steps, he seemed to remember something and turned back, saying, "Oh, right..."
Su Ling's eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed. She asked with little hope, "Does my lord intend to take me away?"
Qiao Xiuyu shook his head and smiled amicably: "It's nothing serious. I just saw that your father opened his eyes, and although he closed them again quickly, it seems he's not quite dead yet. This Lady Li doesn't need to sell herself to bury her father."
After saying that, he thought for a moment and added, "You're welcome, I'll be going now."
Su Ling: "..."
Grass (a type of plant), her surname is Su, her surname is Su, her surname is Su!
Xu Xian snapped out of his daze and cleared his throat from behind. His voice was particularly clear in the silence, and everyone turned around to recognize him as their magistrate. They quickly paid their respects.
Xu Xian walked over, looked at Su Ling, and then addressed the onlookers: "I've been watching for a long time. This woman is a fraud. Her father is not dead at all, and she has no need to sell herself to bury him. I suspect that she will take the money and leave with this... I don't know if he is her father's man. This is a new type of scam, so everyone must be careful in the future!"
Everyone suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!"
Su Ling: "..."
She got up somewhat numbly, then pulled up her subordinate who was lying on the ground pretending to be a corpse, and left the city in a daze.
Upon seeing this, Xu Xian quickly said, "See, I told you, this is a fraud!"
Bai Lu almost burst out laughing, but managed to hold it in and chimed in, "Excellent! Lord Xu is insightful and discerning!"
Xu Xian, under Bai Lu's gaze, unconsciously puffed out his chest, his face filled with pride: "After I return to my residence, I will personally draft an anti-fraud guide and distribute it to everyone!"
Su Ling, who hadn't gone far, was speechless.
Haha! What kind of men are these?!
Su Ling, a ruthless and merciless woman who served as the Left Protector of the Blood Flower Palace, lived a life of constant danger and never imagined that she would make a significant contribution to the anti-fraud campaign in Shu Prefecture today because of two foolish men.
Okay, okay!
Su Ling staggered away, unaware that Bai Lu was looking back at her with an unreadable expression.
...
Bai Lu frowned as she looked at the ankle of the woman surnamed Su, which was inadvertently exposed during her movements and had a red spider lily tattooed on it.
Aside from criminals, ordinary people would never get tattoos, let alone a woman, and the designs wouldn't be the kind of tattoos criminals would have.
It looks like the mark of some large organization.
Bai Lu secretly kept this in mind, then walked towards Xu Xian, who was still enthusiastically promoting anti-fraud efforts, and smiled, "Lord Xu, we should go now, I still need to buy some books."
Xu Xian then came to his senses, bid farewell to everyone, and left.
Before leaving, he couldn't help but boast to Bai Lu, "Look at me, I'm truly a good official who loves the people like his own children!"
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