Chapter 235: Barbarian Woman
Even before evening, a slight chill had set in.
Clouds were gathering in the western sky, hinting at a possible rain that night.
Gong Changan rode his horse, following behind the two Heirs Apparent at a leisurely pace.
They never seemed to be in a hurry when returning to the palace, but when leaving, they would make their horses gallop at full speed.
Ying Tong once joked about this, calling it “leaving with an arrow-like heart” instead of “returning with an arrow-like heart.”
As they approached Zhuangyuan Bridge, a commotion from the roadside nearby drew everyone’s attention.
They saw a young foreign girl, continuously whipping a man who looked like a shop assistant, making him roll on the ground.
Two other shop assistants, armed with a bamboo pole and a stool, surrounded the girl.
“How can this foreign girl be so unruly? Causing trouble right under the Emperor’s nose,” Ying Bai said, clearly displeased, and reined in his horse.
Ying Tong, however, couldn’t resist contradicting him and remarked, “I think the girl is young, and a foreigner at that. She’s outnumbered. Perhaps she’s the one being bullied?”
Ying Bai, being quite perceptive, realized Ying Tong was intentionally provoking him, though he couldn’t fathom why.
Everything that had happened before was supposed to be in the past. He had been ill recently and hadn’t interacted with Ying Tong much. Why was he upsetting him again?
Gong Changan rode up from behind with a smile, attempting to mediate, “Since there’s still plenty of time, why don’t we go take a look? We can’t tell who’s right and who’s wrong just by watching from here.”
Ying Tong took the lead and rode his horse over; he was someone who loved a good spectacle.
So, the entire group rode over. It was a jewelry shop called Bai Zhen Ge, a well-established name in the Capital City.
Their business had always been good, and with the added crowd drawn by the commotion, they were now surrounded three layers deep. However, Gong Changan and his companions were on horseback, looking down from above, and could see everything clearly.
The foreign girl wasn’t alone; she was accompanied by a maid, also dressed in foreign attire.
The plump shopkeeper from the store, with his duck-like voice, shouted, “I’ve been in business for decades, and this is the first time I’ve encountered such an unreasonable person! She stole something from our shop and won’t admit it, then turned around and attacked us.”
Several guards who had accompanied the two Heirs Apparent out of the palace stepped forward. Although they were in plain clothes, their presence was far from ordinary.
“Everyone step back! Both sides, stop!” the leading guard commanded.
The shop assistants inside the store first put down their stools and bamboo poles, and only then did the foreign girl lower her whip.
“May I ask who you gentlemen are…” the shopkeeper stepped forward, cupping his hands, a smile on his face as he sized up Gong Changan and his entourage.
“You don’t need to know who we are, just know that this matter falls under our jurisdiction,” the guard said with a cold expression.
“Yes, yes,” the shopkeeper replied. As a businessman, he possessed the unique shrewdness of a merchant.
Although the three on horseback were still children, it was clear they were of significant standing.
“Tell us what happened,” the guard asked again.
“This is what happened. These two foreign young ladies came to our shop and browsed around without selecting anything. However, after they left, our shop assistant discovered a string of gold inlaid jade beads was missing.
So, we quickly stopped them, merely wanting to ask if they had mistakenly taken it. Who would have thought this young girl would pull out a whip and start hitting our people,” the shopkeeper said with a dejected expression. “She’s truly unreasonable.”
“You’re spouting nonsense!” the young girl didn’t speak, but her maid retorted, “You wanted to search us, and if we refused, you threatened to hand us over to the authorities!”
“If you refuse to be searched and refuse to report to the authorities, isn’t that a clear sign of guilt?” the shop assistant who had been beaten retorted, covering his face. “You browsed around here for a long time and ended up buying nothing. Anyone with eyes can see you were clearly trying to steal!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the girl swiftly whipped him again, causing him to hop around in pain.
The onlookers also felt that searching a young lady’s person was indeed inappropriate, but this foreign girl was undeniably extremely unruly. Looking at the whip marks on the shop assistant, they were almost all bloody.
“This stalemate isn’t a solution,” Ying Tong coughed and spoke up. “Why don’t we find a few trustworthy women to escort them to a room and search them? Then the truth will be clear.”
“You dare!” The girl, who had been silent until now, raised her whip again. She glared defiantly at Ying Tong, as if she were about to whip him at any moment.
Her behavior naturally enraged Ying Tong, and he sneered, “As expected of a barbarian savage! Not worth pitying!”
“Do I need your pity? You Han dog!” the girl cursed, “I didn’t steal, so why should you search me?!”
“No disrespect!” Several guards stepped forward and surrounded the foreign girl.
“I don’t think she looks like someone who would steal. The coral beads she’s wearing around her neck are quite valuable,” Ying Bai whispered to Gong Changan. “I couldn’t see clearly from a distance before, but now that I look closely at her accessories and attire, she’s likely a noble from the Northern Frontier. It’s best not to escalate this matter.”
“The Heir Apparent speaks wisely,” Gong Changan nodded. “Then how should this matter be handled?”
This incident revealed that Ying Bai’s mind was more delicate than Ying Tong’s. He didn’t speak loudly, not wanting to argue further with Ying Tong and worsen their relationship.
“Gentlemen, you’ve seen it, haven’t you? These barbarians are truly unreasonable,” the shopkeeper said. “The string of beads she stole is worth three hundred taels of silver. If it’s not found today, our shop staff will have to compensate for it. How are we supposed to live?”
“Shut your dog mouth! We already said we didn’t steal your things!” the maid shouted at the shopkeeper.
“If you didn’t steal anything, then let us search you! It will prove your innocence. If we’ve falsely accused you, we’ll kowtow and apologize, won’t that suffice?!” the shopkeeper jumped up and down.
“Whoever dares to search me, I’ll kill them!” the girl said, her eyebrows raised. “He Sa, go find my brother.”
Clearly, her maid’s name was He Sa.
“It’s not possible, Master. If I leave, you’ll be all alone here,” the maid shook her head. “I can’t leave you by yourself.”
“Who is your brother?” the shop assistant who had been beaten shouted. “Is he a king of thieves or a den master? What good will it do if he comes? Do you not believe he’s above the law of the yamen!”
“Changan, I’m not in a position to get involved further in this matter,” Ying Bai said softly to Gong Changan, turning his head. “Can you think of a way to resolve this?”
Gong Changan saw Ying Bai passing the buck to him and had no intention of kicking it back.
He also felt that the girl hadn’t stolen anything. She was around his age, and although people considered her unruly and rude, Gong Changan noticed her unyielding pride in protecting her dignity and innocence without fear.
