tallest building

Chapter 235 Barbarian Woman

It was already a bit chilly before evening.

Clouds gathered in the west, foreshadowing a possible rainstorm that night.

Gong Chang'an rode his horse behind the two princes, walking at a leisurely pace.

They were never in a hurry to return to the palace, but when they left, they always made sure their horses ran as fast as they could.

Ying Tong once joked about this, saying "eager to leave" rather than "eager to return."

As they approached Zhuangyuan Bridge, a commotion arose from the roadside not far away, drawing everyone's attention.

A young girl from another ethnic group was seen wielding a leather whip, beating a man who looked like a shop assistant until he rolled on the ground.

Two other men, holding bamboo poles and stools, surrounded the girl.

"How can this foreign woman be so unruly? How dare she run wild under the emperor's nose!" Ying Bai said, feeling very uncomfortable, and reined in his horse.

Ying Tong couldn't help but disagree with him, saying, "I think that girl is so young, and she's from another ethnic group. She was outnumbered. Could she have been bullied?"

Ying Bai was a fairly perceptive person. Seeing Ying Tong's behavior, he naturally realized that Ying Tong was intentionally targeting him, but he didn't know why.

The past is clearly over, and I've been sick these days, so I haven't had much contact with him. How did I upset him again?

Gong Chang'an smiled and came up from behind to smooth things over, saying, "Anyway, it's still early. Why don't we go over and take a look? We can't tell who's right and who's wrong just by looking at it like this."

Ying Tong rode over first; he was someone who loved watching a good show.

So the group went over, and it turned out to be a jewelry shop called Baizhen Pavilion, which was a well-established brand in the capital.

Their business had always been good, and now, with the added crowd of onlookers, the area was packed with people, three layers deep. However, Gong Chang'an and his companions were on horseback, giving them a commanding view.

The foreign woman was not alone; she was accompanied by a maid, also dressed as a foreigner.

The fat shopkeeper, with his hoarse voice, shouted, "I've been in business for decades, and this is the first time I've encountered such an unreasonable person! He stole things from our shop, refused to admit it, and even beat us up."

Several guards who had accompanied the two princes out of the palace stepped forward. Although they were dressed in civilian clothes, their imposing manner was unmatched by ordinary people.

"Everyone, move back! Stop fighting on both sides!" the leading guard shouted.

The shop assistant put down his stool and bamboo pole first, and then the girl from another ethnic group put down her whip.

"May I ask who you gentlemen are...?" The shopkeeper stepped forward with a bow, smiling obsequiously as he sized up Gong Chang'an and his entourage.

"Don't worry about who we are, just know that this is our business," the guard said coldly.

"Yes, yes." The shopkeeper was a businessman, with the shrewdness unique to merchants.

Although the three people on the bus were still children, they were clearly someone important.

"Tell me what happened?" the guard asked again. "Here's what happened: these two foreign girls came into our shop, browsed around but didn't choose anything. But after they left, our shop assistant discovered that a string of gold-inlaid jade beads was missing."

So they quickly stopped them, only to ask if they had taken the wrong thing. Who would have thought this little girl would pull out a whip and start hitting their people? The shopkeeper, looking distressed, said, "This is utterly unreasonable."

"You're talking nonsense!" The little girl didn't speak, but the maid next to her said, "You want to search us, and you even said you'd take us to the authorities if we didn't let you search us!"

"You won't let us search you or report this to the authorities. Isn't that a clear sign that you're guilty?" the beaten shopkeeper retorted, covering his face. "You've been picking and choosing here for so long, but in the end you don't buy anything. Anyone with eyes can see that you're clearly trying to steal!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the girl lashed out at him with her whip, causing him to jump up and down in pain.

The onlookers also felt that it was indeed inappropriate to search the girl's body, but this foreign girl was indeed very unruly. Look at the whip marks on the waiter's body, almost every one of them drew blood.

“This stalemate isn’t working,” Ying Tong coughed and began, “Why don’t we find a few reliable women and bring them into the house to investigate? Wouldn’t that clear the innocent?”

"How dare you!" The girl, who had been silent until now, raised her whip again, glaring defiantly at Ying Tong as if she were about to lash him out at any moment.

Her naturalness infuriated Ying Tong, who couldn't help but sneer, "Just as I thought, a barbarian! Not worth pitying!"

"Do you think I need your pity? You Han dog!" the girl cursed. "I didn't steal anything, that's all! Why are you searching me?!"

"Don't be rude!" Several guards stepped forward and surrounded the foreign girl.

“I don’t think she’s the type to steal. The coral beads she’s wearing around her neck are quite valuable,” Ying Bai whispered to Gong Chang’an. “We couldn’t see clearly from a distance before, but now that we’re looking closely at her accessories and attire, she’s probably from a noble family in the Northern Frontier. It’s best not to make a big deal out of this.”

“Your Highness is right,” Gong Chang’an nodded. “Then how should this matter be handled?”

This incident shows that Ying Bai is more thoughtful than Ying Tong. He didn't speak out because he didn't want to argue with Ying Tong and worsen their relationship.

"Gentlemen, you've all seen it, haven't you? This barbarian is utterly unreasonable," the shopkeeper said. "The string of beads she stole is worth three hundred taels of silver. If we don't find it today, our staff will have to compensate us. How are we supposed to survive?"

"Shut your dog mouth! We've already said we didn't steal anything from you!" the maid shouted at the shopkeeper.

"You didn't steal anything, yet you let us search you! To prove your innocence. If we've framed you, we'll kowtow and apologize, won't that be enough?!" the shopkeeper exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"I'll kill anyone who dares to search us!" the girl said, raising her eyebrows. "Heyi, go and find my brother."

It is clear that her maid's name was He Sae.

"No, mistress, I have to leave. You'll be all alone here." The maid shook her head. "I can't leave you alone."

"Who is your brother?" the beaten man shouted. "Is he the king of thieves or the master of a den? What can he do even if he comes? I don't believe he can be above the law!"

"Chang'an, it's inconvenient for me to get involved in this matter again." Ying Bai turned to Gong Chang'an and whispered, "Can you think of a way to break this deadlock?"

Seeing that Ying Bai had kicked the ball to his feet, Gong Chang'an did not intend to kick it back.

Because he also felt that the girl hadn't stolen anything. She was about the same age as him. Although people thought she was unruly and rude, Gong Chang'an noticed her fearless pride in protecting her dignity and innocence.