The dishes were cleared away, and the shopkeeper served hot tea. Before the two could speak, they were interrupted by the commotion outside.
Following the sound, they saw a tattered mat rolled out in a street corner, with a person lying on it covered in burlap. A young woman in hemp clothes knelt beside it, a bundle of weeds tucked into the white cloth wrapped around her head. A sign planted nearby boldly displayed the words: “Selling myself to bury my father.”
“I have relied on my father since childhood. He fell gravely ill, and we exhausted our family fortune on treatments. Now I truly have no money to bury him. I beg you, kind passersby, to help. I am willing to become a servant to repay your great kindness.”
The frail girl wore a sorrowful expression, clasping her hands in supplication as she repeatedly bowed, appearing utterly pitiful.
A crowd gradually gathered to watch, yet no one stepped forward. In these times, no one’s money came easily—funeral expenses could sustain a family of several for two years.
So I’ve encountered this classic isekai trope. Liu Qingwu silently complained about the absurd scene.
Her amusement growing, she turned to Jiang Yueheng beside her: “Huaijin, shall we go down?”
“No need.” Jiang Yueheng lowered his head to sip tea, his posture unmoving.
“Hmm?” Liu Qingwu couldn’t help showing a puzzled expression.
“Three points are suspicious. First, the girl claims poverty, yet her clothes are clean and new. Second, her hands show no signs of household labor. Moreover, if she genuinely sought to sell herself for her father’s burial, why not ask for silver instead of repeatedly offering servitude?” Jiang Yueheng glanced at the intently listening girl and stated his judgment, “This resembles acting more than genuine desperation.”
“That makes sense.” Liu Qingwu pondered this and found it true.
Having finished the meal and tea, Liu Qingwu wondered what else to do and proactively suggested going down to observe the “selling oneself” spectacle.
As they descended the stairs, Li Yong had already settled the bill, while Lianxin and Cuiguo automatically followed. The party of five marched over imposingly.
Their arrival immediately caught the frail girl’s attention. She discreetly assessed their clothing, particularly the leading man—handsome features, dark green silk embroidered with exquisite subtle patterns, a warm-hued jade pendant at his waist that appeared valuable.
The other man among them was clearly dressed more modestly, likely an attendant. Of the three women, the one in front wore refined attire and radiated curiosity. She thought to herself: These are perfect targets! I’ll focus on them.
Objective set, the frail girl didn’t hesitate, subtly shifting toward the five. She turned slightly, striking a practiced pose of delicate vulnerability.
“Sir, Madam, please have mercy and help this humble girl. I’m willing to work like an ox or horse to repay your kindness.”
Finding herself suddenly part of the drama, Liu Qingwu felt amused. She remained silent, quietly watching Jiang Yueheng to see how he would handle it.
Jiang Yueheng instantly understood what the girl beside him was thinking—her eager anticipation was practically visible.
“Are you certain you’re truly selling yourself to bury your father?”
The frail girl was speechless. What did he mean? Could he have seen through her act?
“This young master, my father passed away from illness, and I truly have no money to handle his funeral arrangements. I beg you to take pity on me. This humble girl is willing to serve you like an ox or horse to repay your kindness.” Pretending not to understand, she calmly looked at the crowd before bowing deeply again. Clad in white mourning clothes, her entire figure appeared even more frail.
The onlookers couldn’t stand watching this anymore.
“What’s wrong with this man?”
“This poor girl is selling herself to bury her father. Instead of showing compassion, he’s here spouting nonsense.”
“Isn’t this just making fun of her?”
“Exactly!”
An elderly woman nearby directly spat to the side: “Pah! What a waste of the handsome face heaven gave him!”
Liu Qingwu was thoroughly amused. Though she restrained her laughter out of consideration for Jiang Yueheng, her round eyes still curved into crescent moons, which didn’t leave much dignity intact anyway.
“You keep saying you’re selling yourself to bury your father, so why won’t you accept money? If you took money, with so many kind people here, everyone contributing a little would have long gathered enough for the burial expenses.”
Hearing Jiang Yueheng’s words, the crowd began to understand.
“That’s right, why won’t she take money?”
“Well said,” a middle-aged man in the crowd nodded thoughtfully. “If the purpose is to get money for burying her father, even if no one person can provide the full amount, everyone pooling together would certainly suffice.”
“True, true.”
There were also those who enjoyed stirring trouble, hiding in the crowd and shouting: “Miss, if you genuinely want to bury your father, why refuse money? If you need money, we can all contribute some for you!”
The kneeling woman froze instantly, her face shifting through colors like a dye workshop – pale then green, green then pale.
Haha, this farce was getting more and more interesting. Liu Qingwu secretly lamented the lack of melon seeds. Watching drama without snacking on melon seeds meant missing half the fun.
The woman’s heart sank immediately.
She and the man lying on the ground weren’t father and daughter but husband and wife. Neither were they from Shengjing, originally being members of a bandit group from some southern mountain. After government forces suppressed the bandits, the two escaped together. Having spent all their money, they came up with this scheme. Relying on the woman’s delicate features and frail appearance, they had successfully deceived several households along the way with their “selling myself to bury father” act. Whenever someone believed the woman’s story and took her home, after learning the situation, the two would work together to steal the family’s wealth.
After each theft, they didn’t dare stay long, moving to a new city after every target. They had smoothly made their way to Shengjing this way.
Having just arrived in Shengjing, they had lain low for some days. Unfortunately, the stolen money was quickly spent, hence their return to old habits.
The commotion grew louder, the noise attracting more attention as passersby gathered around.
Seeing the crowd swelling and wanting to avoid complications, the woman quickly adopted an expression of sudden realization: “The young master speaks wisely. Previously, this humble girl feared lacking experience and being unable to handle things alone, thus I sought a kind person’s direct assistance.”
Then turning to the crowd, she pleaded: “I beg all kind-hearted people to show mercy and spare some silver to help this humble girl bury my father. I will be eternally grateful for your great kindness.” After speaking, she kowtowed deeply.
Seeing her still unwilling to give up, Jiang Yueheng stated bluntly: “As the humble Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, I recently received a suspicious case from local authorities. Similar theft incidents have occurred in multiple southern regions—a man and woman posing as father and daughter use the act of selling oneself to bury a father to deceive people into bringing them into homes, then steal their property…”
Before he could finish speaking, the “corpse” lying on the ground suddenly sprang to life and dashed toward a gap in the crowd.
“Ah—!” Screams pierced the sky.
Li Yong, standing nearby, swiftly pinned the fleeing man to the ground: “Still trying to run?”
Seeing this, the woman beside him stopped kneeling and tried to slip away unnoticed along the wall, but alert bystanders blocked her path.
“Stop! How dare you flee after swindling people!”
“Report them to the authorities immediately!”
The crowd was furious. Just then, a patrol team attracted by the commotion rushed over to restrain the culprits. The leader approached the five individuals, cupping his hands in respect: “This humble official pays respects to Lord Jiang. Thank you for ridding the people of this scourge.”
“No need for formalities. Take them away.” Jiang Yueheng offered no further words. The officers complied, escorting the two swindlers away.
Liu Qingwu watched with great amusement. Jiang Yueheng considered asking her about it but swallowed his words at the last moment.
Since Jiang Yueheng had duties to attend to that afternoon, Liu Qingwu did not linger. After bidding farewell, she boarded her carriage to return home. On the way, she sent someone to buy pastries to distribute among the various courtyards upon her return.