Aunt Wang walked out of the alley, first casting an admiring glance at the imposing carriage beneath the archway, then calling out to the young servant with the child in tow: "Fugui, since you're here, why didn't you come to the house to let us know?"
Wang Fugui jumped down from the carriage, his face wreathed in smiles, and said politely, "I made an appointment with the young master a few days ago. He told me to wait here today."
"Ah, the young heir will probably still be a while." Aunt Wang, thinking of how clingy the two inside were being, felt a bit of sympathy for Wang Fugui and asked, "Has the marriage been settled over at the manor?"
"Yes, it's settled!"
Aunt Wang patted the boy's head and sighed. "The young master really should begin his schooling soon. Staying here won't do."
If only the young master could be acknowledged by his family, he wouldn't have to remain in such a filthy place.
No matter how good Xie Zhaozhao's temper was, seeing these people still made her burn with resentment.
In her previous life, the conversation had probably gone much the same—
"The marriage is settled?" "Mm, settled!"
And then their schemes against her had begun, one by one, hadn't they?!
She withdrew her gaze and said to Yunhe, "Let's go. Slowly."
On the main street, bewildered refugees watched her carriage pass with a mixture of envy and resentment.
In years past, these people had been like migratory birds—arriving in winter, leaving in spring. But this year, even in the warmth of the third lunar month, these refugees still lingered in the capital.
Driven by the need to survive, refugees drifted until they became outlaws beyond the reach of the law.
"Stop hitting him! Keep going and you'll kill him!"
"Tsk, robbing people in broad daylight on the street."
"What about the authorities? Isn't this the capital? Why is no one doing anything?"
A crowd was fighting by the roadside, with a large circle of onlookers gathered around.
Some watched with numb detachment, finding a pathetic sense of superiority in the spectacle; others weakly urged them not to beat anyone to death.
Xie Zhaozhao immediately told Yunhe to stop the carriage.
She instructed, "Go see what's happening."
Yunhe jumped down from the carriage, went to inquire, and returned to report: "Miss, a group of men are robbing and beating two scholars who came from out of town."
Through the Shadowless Gauze curtain, Xie Zhaozhao saw a band of burly, ferocious men tearing at and viciously kicking two young men.
One of them was pinned to the ground, while the other was pressed against a wall by the chest, his clothes clutched in a fist.
In Nancheng, the lowest district of the capital, refugees were sheep—but they were also beasts of prey. When they encountered fiercer beasts, they became sheep; when they encountered weaker sheep, they became wolves.
To these vicious men, the two helpless young out-of-towners were sheep they could kill at will.
The one on the ground was a bloody mess from head to toe, clutching a small bundle tightly to his chest and rasping, "Spring examination… books… no, not worth anything…"
"Let go! Give me the bundle!"
Not content with robbing him of his bundle, they stripped off his clothes and shoes as well.
Then one of them had a flash of inspiration and shouted, "This lad's not bad-looking. Grab him—sell him to the Qingfeng House."
"Right, right, that's a good idea. Don't kill him—drag him off."
Street brawls were so common that everyone was used to them. Fearing these neighborhood bullies, no one stepped forward to intervene.
The young man pressed against the wall had disheveled hair, half his face stained red with blood, his face swollen like a winnowing basket—a truly horrifying sight.
He shouted at the young man on the ground, "Ling Xun, give it to them—save your life…"
"Xiangsheng, you… go…"
Ling Xun? Xiangsheng? Zhang Xiangsheng?
Though Xie Zhaozhao, confined to the inner chambers, never met men outside her family, noble ladies of the capital were not merely well-versed in feminine virtue and decorum—they were also knowledgeable in astronomy, geography, current affairs, politics, and the secrets of great houses.
Others she might not know, but Ling Xun—her, she knew.
He was the new Zhuangyuan (Top Scholar) of the twentieth year of Emperor Hui's reign.
It was said that when he came to the capital for the Spring Imperial Examination, he was robbed on the street by a gang of street bullies, beaten within an inch of his life, and then sold into the Qingfeng House.
A woman named "Tu Qianyue" brought people to drive off those street bullies and kept the injured Ling Xun at her home to recover.
Later, Ling Xun went on to win the top spot in the examination with outstanding talent, becoming a capable minister of state. Emperor Hui essentially groomed him as a second Gu Shaoyu. This man rose steadily through the court, encountering almost no setbacks.
Ling Xun repaid kindness with loyalty, eventually rising to the position of Minister, devoting himself wholeheartedly to Tu Qianyue.
But two years before Emperor Hui's death, for reasons unknown, the powerful minister Ling Xun suddenly hanged himself at home.
And Zhang Xiangsheng was Ling Xun's fellow student. This time he was also beaten quite badly and was likewise saved by Tu Qianyue. He placed first among the second-rank Jinshi (Successful Candidates) in the Spring Imperial Examination, was assigned to Jiangnan, and within ten years rose to the rank of a fourth-grade official.
In Jiangnan, Zhang Xiangsheng provided all-around official support for Tu Qianyue's business empire.
Xie Zhaozhao smiled faintly. Others might not know who Tu Qianyue was, but she knew all too well.
Today, she had come specifically for Ling Xun and the other one.
Without hesitation, Xie Zhaozhao said to Yunhe, "Save these two young men."
Yuanyuan lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, stepped out of the carriage, and said to the guards, "Seize those ruffians."
Yunhe and the other four guards charged over with drawn blades, shouting, "Stop!"
The street bullies turned to see Xie Zhaozhao's luxurious carriage, the imposing guards riding tall horses with gleaming swords in hand, and scattered in panic.
They didn't know who sat inside the carriage, but in such an ornate carriage, there must be a high-ranking official or noble.
They feared officials, and they feared death!
The street bullies fled for their lives, but Yunhe and the others still caught the two ringleaders, kicking them hard until the two lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long while.
Yunhe summoned the street warden of the southern district, had the two thrown into prison to suffer a good beating first, then ordered them to confess their accomplices for severe punishment.
Because they had startled the young lady.
That crime was more serious than their beating of the two scholars.
Yuanyuan got out of the carriage and called people from the nearby medical clinic to carry Ling Xun and Zhang Xiangsheng inside.
"We are of the Xie family. Use whatever good medicine you need—don't worry about the silver." Yuanyuan took a silver ingot from her purse.
The clinic's physician smiled with extreme sycophancy, nodding and bowing as he said, "Please rest assured, young lady. We will do our utmost."
Xie Zhaozhao also left one guard behind, instructing him to bring the two back to the Xie estate once their conditions stabilized and hand them over to the household physician.
Today she had come to the southern district precisely to rescue those two. With her goal achieved, she turned back home.
The luxurious carriage departed the southern district, and people were still clicking their tongues in admiration—those two out-of-towners had stumbled onto incredible luck, being saved by the Xie household.
The scene on the street was still being excitedly discussed by idle loafers. At the household in Tianhou Alley, the black wooden door opened, and a woman poked her head out to look left and right, pouting with a face full of resentment.
A young man stepped out from behind her through the doorway.
He pushed her back inside and softly shushed her: "Be good. I'll be back soon."
"Then you mustn't truly fall for her."
"Don't worry. My heart holds only you."