Night was approaching, but the streets of Taihe Prefecture were still bustling with activity. There were many shops on both sides of the road. There were restaurants, inns, teahouses, gambling dens, brothels, silk shops, jade shops... there was everything.
There were also street vendors selling rouge, cosmetic powder, and dough figurines. People were moving around, and lights were everywhere. It was a prosperous and peaceful scene.
Li Yi happily shuttled through the crowd and looked at everything curiously. No matter what he saw, he felt that it was fresh. Ouyang Bo and Nighthawk followed behind him, bored. They were not interested in shopping with these two men. If it was not for the fact that he wanted to protect Li Yi, he would have long gone to an inn with the four bodyguards to have a drink and chat.
They walked and stopped all the way until they came to a small stage by the roadside. This stage was not big. It was made of yellow soil and was covered with wooden planks. Lanterns were hung around it, making it a little simple. On the stage, a green-clothed person was babbling and shouting Beijing opera. Her expression was sad, and no one knew what she was singing. There were many commoners gathered below the stage, watching the show in a daze. From time to time, a few burly men would take the lead to cheer and give some tips. Every time he made a move, some commoners would also throw out a few coins.
Li Yi looked up for a while and felt a little bored. As soon as he turned around, he saw a fifteen-year-old woman looking around in the crowd with a strange expression. His curiosity was piqued, and he stared at the woman from the side.
This girl was wearing a long white dress and a silk shirt. The long dress swayed back and forth with her steps. She was slim and elegant, and she had some looks. A pair of thin eyes looked around as if they were looking for someone. Looking left and right, he saw a young master standing behind him. He revealed a wretched expression and slowly leaned over. Just as he stood beside the young master.
Suddenly, her expression changed and she screamed,""Aiya! Who touched me?"
This sudden shout attracted everyone's attention. Everyone looked at the woman in confusion. Her pretty face was flushed red and her teary eyes were looking at the young master beside her with a delicate and angry expression.
The young master turned around and looked at the woman beside him. He was stunned for a while before he understood what was going on. He denied," It wasn't me…"
Before he could explain, three burly men jumped out from the crowd and rushed to the woman's side with fierce expressions.
The older man sized up the young master and said angrily,""How dare you take advantage of our little sister, the Three Tyrants of Taihe. I'll really teach you a lesson today.”
Another burly man quickly went up to stop him and said with a fake smile,"Big brother, look at this young master. How can he withstand a beating? If we beat him up badly, wouldn't people say that we're bullying scholars? How about this, let him give his sister ten taels of silver to calm her down and let him go.”
This young master was inexplicably called a lecher who flirted with women on the streets. He was so angry that his entire face turned red and white. When he heard that they actually asked for some money, he was even more furious.
"There are actually people like you who are blackmailing people in the streets. The world is really declining day by day, and the hearts of the people are not as old as before. This Young Master is a magnanimous person and has never done the dirty things you said. If you want to seek justice, we can go to the yamen to seek justice.”
The burly man laughed mockingly." Who do you think you are? If you go to the yamen, you'll have to give much more respect than this. He was really a hothead who didn't know anything.”
The three burly men laughed mockingly. The people who were originally watching the show slowly surrounded them. Seeing that this young master was dressed meticulously, but was actually a lecher who secretly took advantage of women, they revealed a disdainful expression. They all felt unfair for that woman and pointed at her from the side.
The young master looked like a noble family who had little experience in the world. He couldn't help but blush and defend himself,"Don't listen to their nonsense. I didn't take advantage of that woman. I didn't!"
The corners of the burly man's mouth twitched. He said mockingly," Who would admit to doing something bad? I'm in a good mood today, so I don't want to argue with you." As long as you obediently take out ten taels of money, you can leave. Otherwise, hmph! Don't blame me for being rude."
"I don't care about ten taels of silver. Even if I were to tip a beggar, I would give more than this. But I didn't do the dirty things you said. If I give you money, doesn't that mean I admit that I did it? I can't give you the money today.”
The older man spat in anger and said fiercely,"Good, you actually compared us to beggars. I think you're looking for a beating."
Another burly man sneered." Young Master, you're so tactless! You can ask these villagers if you should give them the money.”
The young master was startled, as if he didn't understand the rules of the market. He glanced at the onlookers. The people who were watching the show deliberately avoided his eyes, unwilling to be involved in this matter for no reason. Only Li Yi, Ouyang Bo, and Nighthawk were not afraid. They waited to see this young master's reaction.
The young master's gaze was fixed on Li Yi as he walked towards him. His eyes were as bright as the stars, clear and dustless. His face had the charm of a child who had never experienced the world.
He came forward and cupped his fists." Brother, this little brother is very polite. I wonder if Brother can enlighten me on whether this silver should be given?”
Li Yi glanced at the three burly men and saw that they seemed to have predicted that no one would interfere in this matter. They were smirking smugly.
He replied with a serious expression,"This money should be given."”
When the young master heard this, he became hesitant and seemed to be wavering. He reached into his arms.
Li Yi took a step forward and pointed at the three burly men." However, they should be the ones giving you this money."”
The burly man's face stiffened." What did you say?”
Li Yi smiled sweetly." Why are you asking this young master for money?”
"He dared to flirt with my sister on the street. Shouldn't we give him some money to calm him down?”The novel network didn't jump.
"But who can prove that he flirted with your sister?”
The burly man and the woman looked around. The surrounding commoners only sized them up curiously. No one was willing to come out and speak. Originally, the few of them specialized in this "pengci" business. He would pick places with a lot of people and find some young masters who were afraid that things would blow up and ruin their reputation to extort some money. In the past, it had always been smooth sailing. No rich person would be gossiped about on the street because of this small amount of money. However, today was strange. Not to mention that he met a hothead who did not know what was good for him. And there was a busybody who came, making them angry and annoyed. With so many people watching, where could they find someone who could prove it?
The burly man who always tried to smooth things over asked unwillingly,"Then who can prove his innocence?”
Li Yi puffed out his chest." I can prove that not only did this young master not molest your sister, but he also did not do so. I also saw that your sister failed to tease this young master and bit him instead.”
This caused a commotion.
"Nonsense! Do you want to ruin my reputation with just your one-sided words?" The woman said angrily.”The novel network didn't jump.
Li Yi teased,"Then, based on your one-sided words, can you convict this young master of harassing a woman on the street?"”The novel network didn't jump.
The young master was already at a loss, but when he heard this, he came back to his senses and looked at Li Yi gratefully. She quietly stood beside him, her eyes flashing with excitement. She was prepared to fight the enemy together with him.
The burly man and the woman were both stunned. They looked at each other and were speechless.
The burly man who had been silent all this while said impatiently,""Don't listen to his nonsense. They're in cahoots. Hit him, hit him!"
This sentence made them come back to their senses. He rolled up his arms and sleeves and rushed towards Li Yi and the young master.
Nighthawk moved his limbs happily and said to Ouyang Bo,""I'm bored to death after riding a horse for a day. It's a good time to fight a battle and exercise. Don't snatch it from me! Protect Young Master! Hehe, come on, come to me!"
Nighthawk strode forward and faced the three burly men, beating them up in no time. The three burly men knew that they had encountered an expert. They pulled the woman and dashed out of the crowd dejectedly.
"Brother Ye is really outstanding in martial arts!" Ouyang Bo said with heartfelt admiration.”
"Hehe, it's nothing. It's just three people trying to scam us. Young master, you must be careful when you go out on the streets in the future. If it weren't for our young master's help today, I'm afraid these scoundrels wouldn't have let it go.”
The young master said excitedly," I didn't expect your martial arts to be so powerful. It's all thanks to your help today. Why don't we go have a drink and make friends?!"”
Li Yi had something to do, so he quickly rejected the offer." It's what martial artists should do to help when they see injustice on the road. I don't dare to trouble you."”
"It's not expensive, it's not expensive. I have money, but I don't have friends. In this Taihe Prefecture, I am also alone. I was just looking for a companion! The three of you can tell that you are gentlemen at a glance, righteous and awe-inspiring, just…"
Li Yi shook his head helplessly. This young master looked dignified, but why was there something wrong with his head? Who would rely on others to make friends like him?
Looking sideways, he saw that Nighthawk and Ouyang Bo also made him feel like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The onlookers slowly dispersed, and Li Yi gave the two of them a look. The three of them took advantage of the young master's shaking head and talking non-stop to sneak away.
Before they could walk far, the young master caught up to them, panting.
"Why didn't you guys wait for me? I've already decided to stay in Taihe Prefecture for the next few days. I'm with you!"
The three of them looked at the narcissistic young master with bitter expressions. At first glance, he was the pampered young master of a wealthy merchant family. He was pestering others and even looked as if he had given them a lot of grace.
The young master was smug for a while. Seeing that they were not very willing, he was afraid that the three of them would dump him, so he hugged Li Yi's arm and pestered him,"I'm following you guys. Don't even think about ditching me.”
Li Yi looked at this guy with a headache. He was already fifteen or sixteen years old, why was he so insensible? She did not know what his family background was like. If she used force on him and offended some powerful people for no reason, it would not be worth it. She should figure out his background first. After all, one more friend meant one more path. It would be a good thing if the Li family could befriend more rich and powerful families in Taihe Prefecture.
"Aren't you going to treat us to a drink?" Let's go for a drink."
The young master happily pulled Li Yi along. The four of them walked into a tavern nearby. As soon as the young master entered, he was full of style. He called the waiter over. He did not care what dish it was, as long as the waiter could name the dish, he would order it.
The waiter was so happy that he revealed his big teeth. He wished he could tell them all the dishes. When he saw the four masters in front of him, it was as if he saw gold ingots and money trees.
Not long after, the two waiters in the shop swiftly set up two tables and placed more than 30 dishes on them, causing the other customers to keep looking around. They didn't know where this noble came from to have such a grand banquet.
Li Yi kept urging him to drink with a smile on his face. The young master did not give in much. After a few glasses of wine, his face was already red. During the drinking room, he introduced himself as Zhou Guangda. When asked about his family background, other than saying that his family was in the capital and that his family was big, he was vague about whether his family was an official or a businessman. He had always hidden it.
Nighthawk and Ouyang Bo didn't say much at the side. They were very wary of this unknown young master. After all, there were all kinds of birds in the forest. Who knew if the bird in front of him was a small sparrow or a big eagle, a cuckoo or a parrot?
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Zhou Guang saw that everyone had finished eating, so he quickly called the waiter over and asked for the bill.
When the waiter heard this, he ran back happily and nodded,""The few lords have a total of three taels of silver.”
Zhou Guang's face was flushed red as he said with a smile,"Not much, not much."
He reached out his hand to touch his chest and searched left and right for a long time. He gradually sobered up and his face turned pale. He looked at Li Yi and said embarrassedly,"I'm sorry Brother Li, I lost my money bag.”
Chapter 22-Scamming
Chapter 22: Pengci is played by * members. For more chapters, please go to the website: ..
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