My spirit appeared on the road to exile, and I was treated as an ancestor.

Chapter 124 Catching a Thief at the He Residence in the Middle of the Night
Upon hearing his older brother's words, the younger brother's eyes lit up. "If we have money, can we redeem Xiaoqing from her servitude?"

Looking at his younger brother, he was exasperated. "Useless! There's nothing you can't want in the capital. Marrying the daughters of officials wouldn't be a problem!"

Why are you still thinking about that prostitute from Chunxiang Pavilion?
The younger brother listened to his elder brother's words and felt that they made a lot of sense. He immediately had no more worries and followed his elder brother to do it.

When he has money, he can buy a big house, marry a virtuous woman, and take a few concubines. He still likes Xiaoqing from Chunxiang Pavilion, so he will redeem her from there too!
Gu Xingzhao, hidden in the darkness, watched the two with amusement. They were really dreaming; they had even planned out the size of the house they would buy, the type of wife they would marry, and how many concubines they would take.

I initially thought they were after the fireworks, or at most stealing some to sell, or being instructed by someone to do something for money. But it turns out they wanted to take down He Zhen directly, thereby controlling her and gaining control of all the fireworks business behind her.

They have big ambitions; they should be given some incentives.

Gu Xingzhao slowly stretched out his hand, and dark clouds gathered, with lightning poised to strike.
Just as the two men were about to touch the window of He Zhen's house, several old women and guards suddenly ran out from the shadows, surrounded the two men, and quickly tied them up.

The two, one big and one small, had their mouths gagged and stared wide-eyed, whimpering.

Gu Xingzhao was surprised and withdrew his hand. It seemed that He Zhen had prepared for this situation.

As she was thinking this, He Zhen came out of the house and looked at the two people in front of her. "How dare you break into my house at night!"

Having managed the Liu family's internal affairs for several years, he still possesses the air of a head of the household.

The two, one big and one small, were whimpering again.

He Zhen then gestured to the old woman beside him to remove the cloth stuffed in his mouth. The older one immediately started cursing, "What do you mean by breaking into the house at night? You clearly invited my brother and me to your house for a secret rendezvous!"

The younger one chimed in, "That's right! Now that things have been exposed, you're framing us for breaking into the house!"

The old women looked at each other in disbelief. It was clear that the two brothers had broken into the house at night, but now they were turning around and accusing the other party.

Seeing this reaction, the two brothers became even more emboldened and sneered, "If you have the guts, send us to see the officials and let everyone in the capital talk about us!"

He Zhen didn't speak, but the old woman beside her became anxious and whispered to her mistress, "Madam, you can't send her to the authorities!"

Her wife was already divorced and stayed at home, but recently she had been doing business outside and showing her face in public. It is most taboo for a woman to show her face in public. There were already some people in the capital talking about this. If this matter blows up tonight, no matter whether anyone believes what this person says, the wife's reputation will probably be ruined. This is absolutely unacceptable.

A woman's reputation is extremely important, especially for a divorced woman; this matter must not be blown out of proportion tonight.

"Yes, Madam, break their legs and throw them out!" someone nearby said angrily.

He Zhen suddenly asked with a smile, "What's the point of having a reputation?"

The old women were all stunned, and the guards were also confused. What did Ming Sheng want to do with it?
It seems like it can't do much, but that's not the algorithm.

He Zhen: "I've already been divorced once, why would I be afraid of my reputation?"

Those who believe in themselves will naturally believe; those who don't believe in themselves will not change no matter how much you try to persuade them.

The old woman beside her looked troubled. "Madam, if your reputation is ruined, it will be difficult for you to find a good husband in the future."

Although they were formerly part of the Liu family, now that they are working for the Madam, they should prioritize the Madam's needs and consider her needs in everything they do. Since her former husband's fate is unknown, the Madam should remarry.

The two brothers were smug. See? It's easy to handle a divorced woman. They wouldn't take any risks just to protect their reputation.

He Zhen looked at the two old women who had spoken, "I know you are thinking of me and the child, but I will not remarry. My husband will come back sooner or later."

She believed in Liu Xiangbai. Her husband was always a man of his word. Since he had promised to come back for her and their daughter, he would definitely come back. Even if he didn't, she could take her daughter to the north to find her husband once she had earned enough money to spend.

There are many ways for a family to reunite; if you're willing to put your mind to it, nothing is impossible.

Gu Xingzhao secretly admired He Zhen. In this era of male superiority and female inferiority, the thoughts of ancient women were mostly confined to their boudoirs, and they regarded their husbands as their heaven. Therefore, most of them could not live without their husbands. She remembered that in a book she had read before, there was a lady who felt that the sky had fallen after her husband was convicted and exiled. She felt that there was no hope for the future and committed suicide at home.

He Zhen was very insightful and resilient. If her husband couldn't come back, she would earn enough money to search for him. No matter where the family was, it was good.

Seeing He Zhen's firm resolve, the old women refrained from making any further comments about a second marriage. They whispered, "Even if Madam thinks this way, she still needs to consider her reputation. If the men find out in the future and misunderstand, it will be difficult to explain."

"It's alright, he'll believe me."

She was well aware of this about her husband.

The two brothers couldn't hear the deliberately hushed words, but the elder one was shrewd and perceptive. He could read the situation and knew that things weren't so simple. He feared that this little prostitute was really going to send him to the authorities, unlike the easy women he used to be. He immediately became anxious, "Making a scene won't do anyone any good! As long as you let us brothers leave today, we promise to keep our mouths shut and never mention tonight's events again!"

"I won't bother you again!"

The old women in the courtyard thought it was worth considering, since it would be best to resolve this matter as little as possible.

He Zhen, however, found even the sight of the two brothers offensive and coldly ordered, "Gag them and send them to the city defense patrol on the street. Tell them that these two broke into my He residence at night with malicious intent and were caught in the act. I request the government to decide their punishment."

The old woman exclaimed in surprise, "Madam!"

He Zhen raised her hand to stop the people around her from persuading her, "My mind is made up. If there are these two people today, there will be many more people with ill intentions in the future. If we let this go today, others will think that my mansion is so easy to enter. These two people can still stop us, but what about those who are powerful and wealthy?"

Only by severely punishing these two and making a big scene can we show everyone in the capital that even if He Zhen leaves the Liu family and her husband, she can still be a good woman.

Nobody can bully me!
Upon hearing this, the old woman immediately understood; that made sense.

She immediately stuffed the cloth back into the two brothers' mouths, saying, "Don't worry, Madam, we'll take them away right away!"

The two brothers were not about to sit idly by and wait to die; they struggled to escape.

He Zhen pulled out the stun gun, took two steps closer, and stabbed the man. A flash of electricity appeared, and the bigger one screamed in agony, his body convulsed, and he collapsed to the ground.

The surroundings fell silent instantly; everyone was stunned. "???"

What happened?

Here's the second update, please vote for me!