Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng the Second should be the two women in the middle of the pavilion.
Madam Cheng trembled as she said, "Don't come any closer. I'll give you money, I'll give you all the money, please let us go. If you're willing to let us go, I'll have the Cheng family send another ten thousand taels of silver later."
If a woman enters a bandit's den, her reputation will be ruined.
The bandit leader said, "Madam Cheng is teasing us! If we let you go back, you'll report us to the authorities. Besides, our second-in-command said he doesn't want any money, he just wants Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng to come up the mountain as guests."
Madam Cheng was on the verge of a breakdown; what she feared most was that these robbers wouldn't take the money.
Miss Cheng was quite young, and upon hearing this, she burst into tears. The bandit glared at her and chuckled, "This little wench certainly knows how to cry, brothers, don't you think?"
The words were somewhat lewd, but the tone wasn't. Youqing felt that the bandit was more like joking, but it still frightened Miss Cheng, who dared not continue crying.
The bandits laughed it off, and then quickly tied up the guards and maids.
"Please come in, Mrs. Cheng and Miss Cheng."
The bandits had a clear purpose. When they passed by Youqing, they only threatened her, saying, "You look like a refined person. Don't talk nonsense when you get back, or you'll get yourself into trouble."
Judging from their expressions, they didn't seem to intend to rob Youqing. The bandits were about to pass by, and Youqing was still struggling with whether or not to find out what was going on. After all, these bandits didn't seem to be evil people, and they probably had some personal grudge against Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng.
Before she could make up her mind, Miss Cheng, who was being held captive by the bandits, spoke up: "Why don't you tie him up?"
The "he" here refers to Youqing.
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Miss Cheng. Madam Cheng wished her daughter were mute. If the robber hadn't tied her up, and the man had reported it to the authorities, they might still have a chance to be saved. But if the robber had actually tied her up, their chances of being saved would have been even slimmer.
Looking at Miss Cheng, Youqing thought to herself, "This Miss Cheng is truly a 'wonderful person,' able to say such things. She's both stupid and vicious."
The robbers standing nearby exchanged disdainful glances and said, "Miss Cheng's personality is as vicious as ever. Although we are bandits, we don't rob just anyone. We don't touch innocent people. Don't think that everyone is like you and your daughter. We are not as shameless as you."
Upon hearing this, Youqing's impression of these robbers improved considerably. She was quite lucky; the caravan she had traveled with from the capital was very experienced, and they had all passed without encountering any robbers. This time, she was traveling alone, and although she did encounter some robbers, they turned out to be principled ones. No wonder she was so lucky.
Youqing smiled and said, "This brother is very loyal."
After saying that, Youqing looked at Miss Cheng and said, "I have no grudge against you. What are you thinking that you would want to put a stranger in danger?"
Miss Cheng lowered her head and remained silent.
It was the leader of the robbers who spoke up: "I see you are a civilized person. Although we are robbers, we are also principled and have a sense of morality. We do not rob ordinary people or good officials. Madam Cheng and her second daughter have done a lot of bad things, but the Cheng family colluded with the government officials, and the person who reported it to the authorities had no choice but to do this. Please don't meddle in other people's business."
Upon hearing this, Youqing began to believe that the robbers were not lying.
"I'm certainly not one to meddle in other people's business, but won't what you're doing attract the attention of the authorities and lead to a crackdown?"
Ordinary people wouldn't make enemies of the government. As he just said, the Cheng family has close ties with the government.
The robber sneered, "The Cheng family has shady dealings with the government and they're in cahoots. But it's not worth the Cheng family using their connections with the government for Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng. Besides, we're just inviting Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng to the mountain to catch up. We'll release them in a few days."
If a wife is gone, he can remarry; if a daughter is gone, he can have another. This is the way Master Cheng behaves.
Besides, what if they report it to the authorities? Given the Cheng family's behavior, if they release Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng on their own initiative, the Cheng family will probably complain that they are being tactless!
Having entered the bandits' den, the mother and daughter were now wondering how they would conduct themselves when they returned to the Cheng family.
After thinking about it carefully, Youqing finally understood the robbers' intentions, which explained why they weren't afraid of her reporting them to the authorities.
"May I ask what heinous things Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng have done?"
If they were to "succeed," in such an environment as ancient times, the mother and daughter would likely lose their lives upon returning home. After all, once they entered a bandit's den, who in the Cheng family would dare believe that they were still innocent?
These days, a woman's reputation and chastity are more important than her life.
So she still wanted to ask, if their crimes didn't warrant death, they should be saved if possible. She couldn't just listen to one person's opinion. Of course, if Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng were truly heinous and the authorities couldn't handle them, she naturally wouldn't continue to meddle.
The leader of the robbers smiled and said, "You're so kind. It's no trouble to tell you something. The Cheng family is very famous in this area. It's common for the son of Madam Cheng to abduct women on the street."
Madam Cheng opened several cosmetic shops, causing all the cosmetic shops on the surrounding streets to close down. Not only did the cosmetics she sold ruin one's skin, but when people went to the shops to demand an explanation, the shop owners simply beat them up and threw them out.
A long-established shop refused to close down, and as a result, a fire destroyed it all. Two employees inside the shop were also burned to the ground.
Miss Cheng was used to being domineering and wouldn't allow anyone on the street to be prettier than her. Once, she encountered two beautiful sisters on the street, and she had them beaten until their faces were swollen. In the end, she even used a knife to slash their faces.
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