The rain that lasted for several days finally stopped today.
The streets of the Liu Kingdom's imperial capital were full of traffic and people coming and going.
Vendors shouted, tavern diners chatted loudly, and passers-by also whispered.
The sound was very complicated and noisy, but for Zhou Qianqian and Tang Ruxuan, it was not noisy at all. Instead, they felt that the fireworks in this world warmed their hearts.
Tang Ruxuan was carrying a pole of candied haws on her hands as she and Zhou Qianqian swaggered around the busy market.
"Are you really not going to eat it?" Tang Ruxuan asked Zhou Qianqian, holding half a candied haws in her other hand.
"Just eat it." Zhou Qianqian smiled and did not forget to remind: "Although you have established the foundation, you have not yet cultivated the golden elixir. It is better not to eat too much of this worldly thing. You will need to clean up the turbid qi when the time comes. Put in some work.”
"It's okay, just eat if you want. Otherwise, if you keep thinking about it every day, you won't be able to grasp new ideas. How can you concentrate on practicing?"
Tang Ruxuan stuffed three candied haws into her mouth, her cheeks bulging, and then took another candied haws from the stick on her shoulder... and then injected it with spiritual energy.
Seeing this, Zhou Qianqian shook her head and thought to herself: What a foodie.
"No, no, I don't want to go. Please let me go. My father is sick and I want to stay and take care of him."
From a stall not far away, a woman's shout came.
Tang Ruxuan's ears perked up and she hurriedly took Zhou Qianqian's hand: "Let's go, there's a melon to eat."
The two came to the melon field and saw such a scene.
A delicate woman was being pulled by two petty officials, her delicate face full of resistance and pleading.
"Guan Ye, please, I really can't go. My father is sick, and I still rely on me to earn money from working as a doctor to treat him."
A rather fierce clerk shouted: "It's not up to you. You must leave with us today!"
"Girl, don't resist so much. If you are favored by the emperor and become a concubine, you will be extremely wealthy. This is something that many people can only dream of." Another clerk also advised.
"Master, please have mercy, I really can't go..."
"Stop talking nonsense, this matter has been decided from above."
Tang Ruxuan curiously asked Guayou (an old man) next to her: "Isn't this voluntary? Why is it forced?"
The old man glanced at Tang Ruxuan and explained: "This woman is a well-known beauty. If she is chosen, the local officials and officials will receive a generous reward, so this is the reason for this."
The old man sighed: "If these officials really take her away, her father, who is ill and bedridden, will have to wait for death at home."
Tang Ruxuan continued to ask: "Will the government have no money to give to her family by then?"
"hehe."
The uncle sneered and explained: "These corrupt officials, the money will not be stolen by then. I know the old man in this girl's family. Even if he has money for his family, he can't take care of his life alone."
Zhou Qianqian asked: "Aren't they afraid that this woman will become a concubine and take revenge on them?"
"Haha, none of the concubines now are from the high official clan. It is impossible for ordinary people to become concubines. It would be good to be a beautiful girl."
After hearing this, Zhou Qianqian frowned and said, "There are such evil officials who have suffered so much for these people."
Seeing that the delicate woman was about to be forcibly taken away, Zhou Qianqian wanted to stop her, but Tang Ruxuan took a step ahead.
Tang Ruxuan had already walked up to the clerk and shouted: "Let that girl go!"
The two clerks looked at Tang Ruxuan who was blocking the road and were stunned.
"Which little girl dares to stop an official from doing something!"
Tang Ruxuan persuaded:
"If she doesn't want to, don't make things difficult for her. This is not good, not good!
"You also have a daughter in your family, or maybe a younger sister. You have to be considerate of your own heart. Wouldn't you feel guilty for bullying a weak woman like this?"
The two clerks looked at each other and were amused by the simple woman in front of them.
"If we don't embarrass her, someone will embarrass us. You little girl doesn't understand."
"Old Zhang, what are you explaining to her?" The fierce-looking clerk threatened Tang Ruxuan: "If you don't give way, I will arrest you and replace you later!"
"Okay, let me take her place."
The clerk was stunned. He thought he could scare away the woman blocking the road in front of him, but he didn't expect that he actually wanted to replace her?
Seeing that the clerk didn't reply for a while, Tang Ruxuan put her hands on her waist and asked loudly: "What's wrong? Isn't this girl not as good-looking as her?"
After looking at Tang Ruxuan strangely for several times, the clerk spoke.
"You...are indeed a little bit behind compared to her."
Tang Ruxuan was so angry that she slammed the stick on her shoulder to the ground, rolled up her sleeves and punched hard: "What the hell, can you speak!!!!"
In fact, Tang Ruxuan looked no worse than this woman, but her temperament was just like that of a gangster... The two clerks were very worried that something would go wrong.
"If you replace me, we won't be able to make a difference..."
