Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 151 The Green Hat King
Seeing that Madam Ma was about to commit suicide to prove her innocence, the most nervous person among the countless people present was actually Prince Duan of Dali!
It's understandable that he was nervous; perhaps this prince was kind and compassionate, and couldn't bear to see such a beautiful young woman die on the spot.

But he clearly called her "Xiaokang". If they weren't very familiar with each other, why would he address a woman like that?
As soon as Duan Zhengchun uttered those words, he immediately realized his mistake and quickly withdrew his outstretched hand. He felt a burning sensation all over his body. Without even turning around, he knew that his three daughters would be looking at him with a mixture of surprise and disdain.

Just as he was at a loss, Jiang Mingzhe asked with "extreme surprise": "Oh my, Uncle Duan, you actually know this Madam Ma?"

Duan Zhengchun, his anger now finding an outlet, gritted his teeth and glared at Jiang Mingzhe: "Fine! My dear nephew! You had my foolish son invite me here, was it all for this?"

Jiang Mingzhe stared wide-eyed, his face full of innocence. After a moment of stunned silence, he shook his head vigorously.

He chuckled and said, "Uncle, do you take me for a prophet? I don't even know Vice Chief Ma of the Beggars' Sect, let alone that he has a widow. How could I have predicted that his widow would come here? And that she would be an old acquaintance of yours?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Elder Xu suddenly shouted, "You must have already heard some news and wanted to help your sworn brother Qiao Feng, so you specially sent this guy surnamed Duan here!"

Jiang Mingzhe sneered, "I was too lazy to pay attention to your nonsense, but I'm explaining it to you out of respect for the Beggars' Sect heroes and the seniors like Master Shan, Tan Gong and Tan Po, and Zhao Qiansun."

"I came to Jiangnan to help the Qingcheng Sect in western Sichuan denounce the Murong family for killing their leader. After arriving, I investigated in secret and found that there were many doubts about the matter. If you don't believe me, look at this old man Fengbo'e. He went to cause trouble for the Qingcheng Sect and Qin Family Village, and I broke his hand."

Feng Bo'e arrogantly declared, "That's right, my severed hands are proof. One punch broke both of my hands!"

"As for Brother Qiao, I only met him today. I heard that Yipintang was going to have a fight with the Beggars' Clan. I was so indignant that I volunteered to help. Just then, I saw Brother Bao Butong causing trouble for the Beggars' Clan. We got into a fight, and I broke his hand with one punch."

Bao Butong shouted, "No, no! It's true that you broke my hand with one punch, but don't forget that I faced your longsword with a single blade before. We fought for quite a while, and it's no exaggeration to say that we were evenly matched and respected each other!"

Although he raised objections, he also confirmed Jiang Mingzhe's words.

Jiang Mingzhe ignored him and said directly, "So I've only known Brother Qiao for a day. How could I have gotten the news in advance and why would I speak up for him?"

"As for why I invited Prince Duan here..."

Jiang Mingzhe gestured with one hand towards Duan Zhengchun: "That's because the Xixia Yipintang was established by the Xixia government, and Prince Duan is the dignified Zhennan Prince of Dali. In my humble opinion, how could Xixia dare to provoke both the Song Dynasty and Dali at the same time? With Uncle Duan's arrival, we might be able to subdue them without a fight. I wonder if you are all satisfied with my explanation?"

The beggars and even Shan Zheng and the others nodded in agreement, finding the statement extremely reasonable.

“Speaking of my uncle meeting an old friend in a foreign land,” Jiang Mingzhe suddenly smiled slyly, shaking his head and saying, “I’m afraid it’s just a coincidence. Madam Ma, you’re not destined to be the wife of the gang leader, but you might become the concubine of the Prince of Zhennan.”

Madam Ma, who had initially appeared dignified and ready to die for her cause, suddenly went limp upon hearing these words. The knife instinctively moved away from her neck, and a fire seemed to ignite within her. She couldn't help but glance at Duan Zhengchun.

That one glance was truly captivating, its allure as flowing as water, its tenderness as lingering as butter!

Even the most sturdy men around couldn't help but feel a jolt in their hearts, and many couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "Wow, this woman is so slutty!"

Her previous facade of purity and innocence crumbled instantly.

Elder Xu, however, was unwilling to give up and angrily shouted, "You little scoundrel, you can make up stories and fool others, but how can you fool me? You say you came to cause trouble for the Murong family, but Duan Zhengchun is a prince of Dali Kingdom. Why is he not handling state affairs and instead going to Jiangnan?"

Jiang Mingzhe glanced over and saw Duan Zhengchun with a flirtatious look in his eyes, disregarding the fact that they were exchanging glances with Madam Ma in public.

He laughed and raised his finger, saying, "Senior Xu, that's a good question. Not long ago, the Tibetan Great Wheel King Kumārajīva broke into Tianlong Temple and kidnapped my third brother, Duan Yu, the heir of the Prince of Zhennan. His father, Uncle Duan, has been chasing after us all the way here. With the strength of the Beggars' Clan, this matter should not be difficult to verify! So I originally thought that Uncle Duan had come to rescue his son."

Everyone nodded in agreement, thinking that it made sense, but why did he say "I originally thought"?
Then Jiang Mingzhe raised his second finger and sighed, "But now that I've seen Madam Ma, I suddenly realize that perhaps my uncle learned of Vice Chief Ma's death and, fearing that Madam Ma might remarry, rushed here from Dali day and night, hoping to rescue his son and then immediately visit his old friends." He then spread his hands, "Unexpectedly, fate has been kind to us; Madam Ma actually came to Jiangnan on her own."

After he finished speaking, the Beggars' Clan members looked extremely strange, as if they had eaten shit. Seeing the affectionate behavior between their deputy leader's widow and the Prince of Zhennan, they were afraid that what this person said was not untrue.

At this moment, Zhao Qiansun suddenly burst into tears, saying between sobs, "Duan Zhengchun, I envy you so much! Ma Dayuan, that short-lived bastard, is dead, so hasn't he returned your old lover to you? It's a pity that Ma Dayuan died young, while some old people just won't die no matter how old they get! If he dies too, won't Xiaojuan come back to my side?"

Tan Gong roared in fury, "Zhao Qiansun, even if Ah Hui beats me into a pig's head today, I'll still kill you first!"

He leaped to his feet and slammed his palm towards Zhao Qiansun. Despite his short stature and walnut-shaped face, his palm strike was as powerful as thunder and extremely fierce.

Zhao Qiansun yelled, "You want me to die before you? Don't even dream about it!"

As he spoke, he deftly dodged to the side, then suddenly kicked out at Tan Gong's buttocks. Tan Gong's palm strike missed, but he didn't retract it. Instead, he leaped out, dodging Zhao Qiansun's kick, and turned around to deliver a palm strike.

The two exchanged blows, punching and kicking, displaying their superb martial arts skills.

Granny Tan couldn't help but explode, saying, "The Beggars' Sect is handling an important matter. They invited us here out of respect, just to see your disrespectful behavior as elders? Stop it! If you want to fight back, then fight back. It would be better if you all died!"

Tan Gong and Zhao Qiansun exchanged a blow, both of them being knocked back, panting as they said, "Let's listen to Ahui/Xiaojuan, we'll fight again later!"

Duan Zhengchun sighed, “The word ‘love’ is enough to make people obsessed. Even the three seniors couldn’t see through it until they were old. I, Duan Er, am so obsessed with it that even if it makes me look bad and is ridiculed by the heroes of the world, I will accept it. Xiao Kang, there seems to be a huge conspiracy behind the Beggars’ Sect’s affairs. You don’t know martial arts, so why get involved? Xiao Kang, come back to Dali with me. Although I, Duan Er, am not capable, I can still guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and glory.”

Having said that, he straightened his chest and strode towards Madam Ma.

Elder Bai Shijing leaped forward, blocking Madam Ma's path, and shouted sternly, "Duan Zhengchun, do you really think my Beggars' Sect is without anyone? Brother Ma's injustice remains unaddressed, and I'd like to see who can take his widow away today!"

Duan Zhengchun smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Bai, it's not that I'm ignorant of your place or that I intend to offend your gang. It's just that I can't bear to see my old friend get into danger. When I was young, I was dissolute and unruly, and I wronged a beautiful woman. That was a huge mistake. Now that she's in danger, how can you expect me to sit idly by?"

After saying that, he ignored Bai Shijing, looked at Madam Ma, and said affectionately, "Xiao Kang, come with me."

Madam Ma then came to her senses, the flush on her face gradually fading, and she shook her head slightly: "If I were someone who coveted wealth and status, I would not have married my late husband in the first place. Prince Zhennan, you underestimate me."

A fleeting look of joy crossed Bai Shijing's face as he exclaimed, "That's right, Duan Zhengchun. You may have had some dealings with her in the past, but now she is the wife of our late deputy leader. Are you worried about her safety? Do you look down on the hundreds of thousands of brothers in our Beggars' Sect?"

Jiang Mingzhe also said, "Uncle, you are a knowledgeable man. Take a closer look. This Madam Ma is probably not the Xiaokang you know anymore. She is now a widow. Where does that flirtatious look in her eyes come from? It is a man's responsibility not to forget his old love, but no matter how responsible you are, there is no reason for you to be cuckolded!"

Duan Zhengchun's face showed pain, and he said in a low voice, "Nephew, you don't need to say anymore! Xiaokang doesn't know martial arts. Without her husband, she has lost her support. Even if she is bullied by others, it is not her intention. If we think about it carefully, it is all my fault back then. How can I bear to blame her for this?"

Jiang Mingzhe's eyes widened in surprise. He thought to himself, "That's it. I told you, old man, that you've been a womanizer your whole life, how come you're a cuckold? Damn it, if you want to be the cuckold king among the iron-hat kings, what else can I say?"
After Duan Zhengchun finished speaking, Kang Min's eyes suddenly flashed with a strange light, and she looked at Duan Zhengchun in disbelief. She obviously did not expect that Duan Zhengchun could see that she had no shortage of men recently, and that he did not show any disgust at all!

Bai Shijing suddenly erupted in rage, veins throbbing on his forehead, and cursed, "Duan Zhengchun! You scoundrel! How dare you bully my, my, my Beggars' Sect like this!"

He raised his hand and punched Duan Zhengchun in the face, then reached for a piercing awl at his waist and thrust it fiercely into Duan Zhengchun's abdomen.

(End of this chapter)