The man, struggling to breathe under Xiao Yunshu’s foot, suddenly raised his head and glared at Wei Qinghan.
Nuannuan was frightened by his ferocious expression and retreated a few steps, burying herself in her mother’s arms with a tearful voice. “Mother, bad man, very bad man.”
Wei Qinghan, seeing the face of the man on the ground clearly, felt as if struck by lightning. Instinctively, she held Nuannuan even tighter.
That man was Li Dafu.
Seeing the mother and daughter like this, Li Dafu sneered and pointed a finger at Wei Qinghan. “You wretched woman, your family took my silver. You belong to me, Li Dafu. How dare you run away?”
Xiao Yunshu’s heart jolted upon hearing this, and she immediately turned to look at Wei Qinghan.
Seeing her pale face and eyes filled with terror, Xiao Yunshu understood most of the situation.
This scoundrel was likely connected to her sister-in-law’s past suffering.
Her anger flared even hotter, and she pressed down harder with her foot. “You insolent brute! In broad daylight, right under the imperial city, how dare you spout such nonsense?”
“Bah! This wretched woman is the runaway concubine I bought!”
As he spoke, his lecherous gaze swept over Xiao Yunshu.
Seeing that this woman was well-dressed and strikingly beautiful, he shamelessly shouted, “Why bother defending this wretch, miss? Why not let me take you in too? I’ll make you an honored concubine and ensure you live in luxury.”
His words caused an uproar on the street.
Instead of getting angry, Xiao Yunshu smiled coldly. Slowly withdrawing her foot, she signaled her guards to lift him up.
“Blind fool! How could a lowly creature like you ever be worthy of this Junzhu?”
Her gaze fixed on Li Dafu’s bewildered face as she spoke each word clearly.
“Open your dog eyes wide and see clearly. This is the Shizi Fei of Wu’an Wang. The child she protects is the legitimate daughter of Wu’an Wangfu. What kind of scum are you to dare bark like this here?”
Wu’an Wangfu? Shizi Fei?
Li Dafu’s eyes widened so much they nearly popped out of their sockets.
He looked incredulously at Wei Qinghan, then at Xiao Yunshu, his mind exploding with shock.
“What nonsense are you spouting!” Li Dafu struggled desperately, his voice hoarse with rage. “Her? Worthy of being the Shizi Fei of Wu’an Wang?”
Li Dafu did not recognize Xiao Yunshu, but who in the capital did not know her?
Whispers rose from the surrounding crowd.
“This villain is truly seeking death, daring to speak so insolently to Yunshu Junzhu.”
“He dares to provoke Wu’an Wangfu? Does he have a death wish?”
…
Li Dafu’s face drained of color as fear finally gripped him.
But then, a thought surfaced in his mind.
It was a fact that the Wei family had taken his money. No matter what, Wei Qinghan should belong to him.
No matter how powerful Wu’an Wangfu was, could they forcibly seize another man’s wife?
Thinking this, he grasped at his last lifeline. “Nonsense! The Wei family took my money, so she is my concubine. Just because your Wangfu is powerful, does that mean you can forcibly take another man’s wife? Is there no law anymore?”
“Stubborn fool.” Xiao Yunshu’s killing intent stirred, and she had no patience to waste more words on this idiot. “Guards, take this madman to the Jingzhao Yin Office. Charge him with assault in public and slandering the imperial clan.”
The Wangfu guards quickly stepped forward and tightly bound Li Dafu, who was still kicking and howling wildly.
Xiao Yunshu turned and walked toward Wei Qinghan, who was still trembling with fear, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up and saw Wangjing Tower in the distance.
Wangjing Tower was the most famous restaurant in the capital, known for its exquisite cuisine. They had originally been heading there.
“Sister-in-law, Nuannuan, Wangjing Tower is just ahead. Shall we go up and rest for a while?”
Though frightened, Nuannuan, being a child, quickly forgot her fear once the bad man was driven away. She wrapped her arms around Wei Qinghan’s neck, snuggling into her embrace.
“Mother, don’t be scared!”
“Auntie chased the bad man away!”
Wei Qinghan’s mind was in turmoil, utterly at a loss. “As Junzhu wishes.”
The three of them went up to a private room on the third floor of Wangjing Tower and sat by the window.
Xiao Yunshu didn’t ask many questions, silently pouring a cup of hot tea for her sister-in-law and adding a bowl of milk custard for Nuannuan.
As soon as Nuannuan caught the sweet scent of the milk custard, she poked her head out from her mother’s arms.
Picking up her little spoon, she scooped a mouthful and held it to Wei Qinghan’s lips.
“Mother, it’s sweet!”
“Mother, eat it. You won’t be scared after eating.”
Wei Qinghan took a sip from her daughter’s hand, took a deep breath, and then turned to Xiao Yunshu.
“Junzhu, that man earlier was named Li Dafu. He… he was right. I was indeed sold to him by my family.”
Wei Qinghan haltingly recounted how she had been sold to Li Dafu, how she had refused to submit even at the cost of her life, and how she had jumped off a cliff with Nuannuan. By the end, tears streamed down her face.
“I didn’t mean to hide it, but… such a shameful matter is truly difficult to speak of.”
With a sharp slap, Xiao Yunshu slammed the table, wishing she could go to the Metropolitan Governor’s main prison and give Li Dafu a few more kicks. “How outrageous! How dare he force you and your daughter like this!”
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions.
“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. This matter isn’t over. I will make sure Li Dafu rots in prison.”
Nuannuan was startled by the sound of her aunt slamming the table and dropped her spoon.
Xiao Yunshu couldn’t help but chuckle, reaching out to pat her head.
“Oh dear, I scared my little Nuannuan. Auntie was just angry at that bad man. Come, let’s eat.”
Exquisite dishes were served one after another.
After what had just happened, neither Xiao Yunshu nor Wei Qinghan had much appetite.
But when Nuannuan saw the table full of delicious food, she immediately forgot her unhappiness.
“Wow, so many yummy things!”
She picked up her little bowl, scooped some soup, and shakily held it to Wei Qinghan’s lips.
“Mother, eat. It’s tasty.”
Then, she scooped another spoonful and held it out to Xiao Yunshu.
“Auntie, eat too. Auntie worked hard.”
With Nuannuan’s innocent and cheerful “feeding,” the atmosphere in the private room finally eased.
By the time the meal was finished, the two adults had mostly calmed down.
After leaving Wangjing Tower, Xiao Yunshu naturally took the mother and daughter to the most famous silk shop and jewelry store in the capital.
True to her nature, Xiao Yunshu pointed at whatever caught her eye and had the shopkeeper wrap it up, spending lavishly without hesitation.
Wei Qinghan held back again and again but finally tugged discreetly at Xiao Yunshu’s sleeve. “Yun Shu, this… this is too extravagant. Nuannuan and I have clothes to wear. That’s enough.”
Seeing the worry in Wei Qinghan’s eyes and thinking of the hardships she had endured, Xiao Yunshu felt a pang of tenderness. She quickly nodded with a smile. “Alright, I’ll listen to Sister-in-law. We’ll buy less.”
But while Wei Qinghan was busy looking at fabrics with Nuannuan, Xiao Yunshu quietly instructed the shopkeeper to pack up several rolls of the latest brocade and a few sets of exquisitely crafted jewelry and deliver them directly to the Wangfu.
By the time they returned to Wu’an Wangfu, it was already evening.
Carrying several thick account books, Xiao Yunshu rushed straight to the courtyard where Wei Qinghan was temporarily staying.
She placed the account book on the table, her expression earnest. “Sister-in-law, you are now the rightful Shizi Fei. Managing the household affairs of the estate should naturally fall to you…”
“No, no, no,” Wei Qinghan said, waving her hands in fright at the sight of the account book. “I come from a humble rural background. How could I possibly manage such a vast estate as the Wangfu?”
“Don’t worry, Sister-in-law,” Xiao Yunshu said with a smile, taking her hand. “Who would want to handle such complicated matters? Rest assured, the daily affairs of the estate are currently being managed by capable people under Elder Brother’s supervision. We don’t need to trouble ourselves with them.”
She pointed to the income and expenditure entries in the ledger. “The reason I’m showing you this today is to tell you that although our Wu’an Wangfu may not have many members at present, we are certainly not short of money.”
“Aside from Father’s official salary, there are the yields from the farmlands, and…” At this point, Xiao Yunshu’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Third Brother was exceptionally skilled in business in his early years and acquired many properties. Our family’s wealth comes from legitimate sources and is spent with integrity.”
“So, Sister-in-law, you must stop thinking about saving money!”
With that, she clapped her hands toward the door.