Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Ayan lowered his voice, leaned closer, and said something that almost made Tao'er choke: "Sister Tao'er, don't we have sleeping potion?"

"Just throw some on them, and they'll all be knocked down without anyone noticing!"

Huanhuan nodded vigorously, raised her little fist and shook it hard, saying, "Sister, knock them out...knock them out."

Tao'er looked at Ayan's still-childish but angry face, and then at Huanhuan's indignant expression, wishing she could rush up herself. She felt both annoyed and amused.

These two little rascals are both incredibly bold and eager to stir up trouble.

She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

Forget it.

Since we've run into this, we can't just stand by and watch a perfectly good girl be ruined.

Tao'er couldn't stand the behavior of wicked men bullying weak women!

Besides, it's not like she's without the ability to defend herself.

The powder hidden in her sleeves could easily knock out seven or eight strong men with a flick of her wrist; these servants weren't exactly top-tier martial arts experts, so they were nothing to worry about.

"Ayan, Huanhuan, you two stay in the carriage and don't come out until I get back."

Tao'er stood up, her face calm, but her tone left no room for doubt.

Ayan opened his mouth to speak, but Tao'er glanced at him and he immediately shut up, behaving as obediently as a kitten whose neck was being pinched.

He pulled Huanhuan and ran towards the carriage. After climbing onto the carriage, he made sure to pull the curtain closed tightly, leaving only a narrow slit, and pressed his eyes against the slit to look out.

"Uncle Zhang, please keep an eye on those two and don't let them leave the carriage."

"Don't worry, young lady, I will protect you and your husband."

Tao'er straightened her clothes and walked calmly from the carriage towards the crowd.

Today she wore a simple moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a light blue half-sleeved garment over it. Her jet-black hair was draped behind her head, adorned only with a simple plum blossom jade hairpin.

As Tao'er walked in, Young Master Zhao was about to order his servants to beat the woman.

Although the woman's hair was a little messy, she didn't seem to have suffered much, as she had already broken free.

Standing on the opposite side from that Young Master Zhao and his group, there was a sense of tension and impending conflict between the two sides.

"Young master, since the young lady is unwilling, you should just give up!"

If the government officials come, you won't get away with it either.

"That reckless bastard dares to interfere with my affairs..."

Young Master Zhao subconsciously raised his hand halfway, then put it back down. When he saw Tao'er, he clearly revealed a look of amazement and greed in his eyes.

Tao'er ignored him, her gaze fixed on the woman, a faint smile on her face: "Miss, I'm in need of a maid. If you're willing to come with me, I'll pay for your father's funeral. What do you say?"

As she spoke, she took out a five-tael silver ingot from her sleeve and handed it to the woman, her voice gentle.

The woman suddenly looked up, her bloodshot eyes staring blankly at Tao'er. Her lips trembled, and she opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a strange, sarcastic laugh came from beside her.

"Wow, where did this beauty come from?"

Young Master Zhao, fanning himself with a folding fan, slowly strolled over to Tao'er, his triangular eyes scrutinizing her from head to toe.

His gaze seemed glued to Tao'er.

He exuded a frivolous aura that made people want to vomit.

Tao'er turned her face away in disgust, forcing herself to suppress her nausea.

The man tilted his head, snapped his fan open, and covered the lower half of his face, revealing only a pair of squinting eyes. His voice carried a creepy ambiguity: "Young lady, you don't know who I am, do you?"

Let me tell you, there's nothing in Wangou Town, Jiangyuan County that I, Zhao, can't handle.

You want to buy this girl?

What a coincidence, I've also taken a liking to it.

How about this...

He took a step forward, his tone lewd, "You come back with her and I'll take you as a concubine, and you'll live a life of luxury."

She'll become your concubine; if you like, she can stay and serve you.

The onlookers pointed and whispered, some sighing, some envious, and some regretful.

Tao'er still had a smile on her face, but her hand in her sleeve had already gripped the small packet of medicine powder.

She made the powder herself; it worked incredibly fast. Once it touched the skin, it would make people dizzy and weak, and she could take down this whole group of lackeys in no time.

She was figuring out how to scatter the powder without harming innocent people when suddenly a figure flashed before her eyes.

That woman who sold herself to bury her father had strength from who knows where.

He flashed in front of Tao'er with incredible speed, spreading his arms to block her, like a human wall that had suddenly been erected.

"No one is allowed to touch her!"

The woman's voice was hoarse yet firm, as if it were roaring from her chest, carrying a fierce determination to destroy everything in the process.

"She is my master!"

"If any of you touch her, I'll fight you to the death!"

Tao'er was taken aback. The woman was half a head taller than her, probably about 1.7 meters tall.

"Girl, come behind me, I have a way to deal with them."

Tao'er instinctively reached out to pull her, trying to push her behind her.

After all, she was the one who wanted to save people, so how could she let others protect her instead?

However, with this pull, Tao'er almost lost her balance.

The woman remained completely still.

Tao'er refused to believe it and pulled even harder, but the woman still didn't budge. Tao'er herself was sore from the force of the rebound.

She stared wide-eyed at the "weak woman" in front of her, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her.

This girl is probably stronger than an ox.

Even if I hadn't intervened, this girl wouldn't have been bullied by them.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Young Master Zhao threw his head back and laughed so hard that he almost lost his grip on his fan.

"What are you two doing?"

A deep bond between master and servant?

That's hilarious!

"You two little wenches dare to challenge me?"

He stopped laughing, the remaining smile on his face turning into a ferocious expression. He abruptly closed his folding fan and waved it forward: "All of you, get up here!"

Take them both back to your mansion!

"Tonight, I'll taste these twin beauties!"

Four or five servants rushed over in unison.

Tao'er clenched the packet of medicine powder in her hand, preparing to take action, when the figure in front of her moved first.

The woman charged out like a tiger unleashed from its cage.

The first punch landed on the chest of the servant in front, sending him flying backward as if hit by a carriage. He crashed heavily into the two men behind him, and the three of them rolled around in a heap, thumping and scrambling around in disarray.

The second punch followed immediately, slamming into the shoulder of another servant. The bone cracked, and the man screamed and doubled over, half of his body numb.

The third and fourth punches came down as fast as raindrops, each one landing with a resounding thud, making one's heart pound with fear.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, four or five servants were all lying on the ground.

Some clutched their stomachs and screamed in agony, some covered their faces and rolled on the ground, and some simply rolled their eyes back and fainted.

Tao'er stood there, still clutching the unopened packet of medicine powder in her hand, her mouth slightly agape, staring blankly at the scene before her.

The curtain on the carriage behind her was lifted a little wider, and Ayan and Huanhuan's heads were squeezed together, their four eyes wide open like copper bells.

Ayan opened his mouth wide, unable to speak, while Huanhuan looked at the strong woman with admiration, her little finger digging a hole in the carriage curtain.

Even the coachman, Old Zhang, was dumbfounded, while still trying to shove the two children's heads back into the carriage.