Four people sat facing each other.
Xue Shizi slapped the table with his fan and said sternly, "You two, how dare you not bring any attendants and come to this chaotic Ximen market? You're living too comfortably, thinking of being kidnapped and sold off, huh? Your life is too carefree, thinking of being chopped into pieces and thrown into a dark alley's garbage heap, huh?"
He Le'an was frightened by his words, and only heard Xue Huiyu pouting: "I've been out for a short time, don't cheat me, there are terrible crimes happening everywhere in the world, it's not just Ximen Street that's dangerous"
"Do you know how many young men and women, children and infants go missing every month on the day of the Western Gate Fair? Only a tiny number are found again. Some are sold into brothels, some are taken to distant mountain villages or remote forests, while others become foreign slaves - if they're lucky, they'll be servants; if not, they'll be brutally used and then killed and discarded."
Xue Shizi tapped Xue Huiyu's head with his fan and said, "It was just the 15th of last month. Several rich families' daughters were kidnapped and suffered at the hands of scoundrels, some died, some went mad; several people were robbed, it's fine to lose money, but what if they encountered robbers who wanted their bodies? You'd be in such a commotion, dragged into a small alley, truly making heaven deaf and earth unresponsive."
"Don't scare people." Xue Hui covered her forehead, which was throbbing with pain, and hummed softly. Suddenly, she smiled brightly and said: "The two brothers have come to join in the fun, so let's just make them our bodyguards, shall we? Along the way, whatever catches your eye, we'll buy it!"
He Le'an looked at Xue Huiyu with a slightly flustered expression, but Xue Shizhi had already happily agreed: "I won't be polite."
Thus, the two became a beautiful four-person group, strolling through the increasingly lively market. They looked around here and there, playing with this and that, and were having a great time. But...this joy did not include Xue Shi Zi, who was carrying a lot of things like a servant boy, nor Yue Jun Wang, who had also fallen victim to this situation.
Xue Huiyu pulled He Le'an into the crowd to watch people performing acrobatics, and they saw children who were only seven or eight years old, risking danger by jumping up and down and even through fire rings to win a few rewards. The two of them felt a surge of sympathy and generously gave out two gold bars weighing ten taels each, but didn't know that wealth in a crowded place would attract attention, and thus caught the eye of some evil people.
The people around suddenly clashed, and the crowd was frightened and pushed. He Le'an and Xue Huiyu were swept away by the rioting crowd before they could react, and when they came to their senses, they couldn't find each other's whereabouts anymore.
He Le'an wasn't a novice at sneaking out at night, so she didn't panic, but the people around her were in chaos and kept pushing and shoving. Just as she was about to be knocked over, someone used something box-like to support her waist, and when she suddenly looked up, she saw Prince Yue's face, which still had no expression, staring at her from behind.
She turned her head and saw him grab the hand of an ordinary-looking man, snatch back her purse, and fling away the terrified man. With a very smooth motion, he then stuffed her purse into his own bosom...
Without waiting for her words, he had already used his wide sleeves to wrap around her wrist and pulled her to the empty space beside him.
Despite the din in her ears, she could still hear her own heartbeat loud and clear.
It is undeniable that she likes this person.
But she had cracks in her heart and wasn't worthy of such a wonderful person.
He Lian, who was lost in thought, bumped into the back of the person who had suddenly stopped, and her fragile nose hurt so much that she teared up. She glared at Yue Wang, who turned around, but he said seriously: "You poked me."
He Le'an was left speechless, only to hear him say again: "The technique of throwing oneself into someone's arms is too poor." Before she could react, the sleeve that had wrapped around her wrist loosened and a warm palm grasped her hand tightly, pulling her forward with an irresistible force.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle, his low voice transmitted to her ear one word at a time, "I have obtained my parents' permission, if you want to marry an ordinary man as your husband, then I won't be this duke. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. This life will have no concubines, no secret chambers, no back palace fighting for favor, just the two of us together, opening a small restaurant, and living a peaceful life."
I don't know if it's the pain in my nose or the scalding warmth that stimulates the cracked heart, but tears finally condense into pearls, one by one silently sliding down his stunned face. He Lian looked at him with his own brave and upright figure, pursed his lips, took a silent breath, and said, "I don't deserve your kindness to me."
"It's just me being selfish," said Duke of Yue, "I don't want my heart to be uncomfortable."
He halted his footsteps, turned around and said: "Rather than you marrying one and I killing one, it's better to just marry you directly, it's more convenient." He raised his hand to wipe away the tears on her cheek, hooked his lips into a smile and said: "I don't eat people, but I've never said that I won't kill people. If you dare to shave your head and become a nun with a monk, I will destroy all the temples and Buddhist monasteries in the world, making it so that no place can accommodate you, forcing you to only stay by my side."
