The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

"No!"

"Sister Jiang!"

"Xue'er!"

Kang Mingyan and Shen Yu exclaimed in surprise at the same time, wanting to rush forward, but it was too late.

At this critical moment, dozens of students rushed out of the study room, surrounded Jiang Zhenxue, and were all indignant and furious!

"Stop! You bunch of troublemakers, are you trying to drive Manager Jiang to his death?!"

"Manager Jiang has devoted himself wholeheartedly to us students, yet you stand here slandering him. Where is your conscience?!"

"Exactly! We study diligently every day, striving for academic success, and our tea costs only a few coins a cup. How could it be worth one tael of silver? You are clearly spreading rumors!"

"Our academic progress is entirely due to the convenience provided by Manager Jiang, yet you accuse her of harming us? I think it's you despicable people who truly want to ruin the future of students from Puxian!"

The students' voices converged into an unstoppable torrent, instantly drowning out the shouts and curses of the troublemakers. Their identities and their words were more powerful than any explanation.

The rioters were completely dumbfounded. They never expected that these scholars, who usually only knew classical Chinese, would stand up together in such a united manner for the sake of a woman.

Seeing the scene before her, the woman who had started the tantrum no longer dared to cry out and tried to scramble back into the crowd.

Jiang Zhenxue slowly lowered her longsword, looking at the students who had spontaneously defended her, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. But when her gaze fell on the group of troublemakers again, it instantly turned into a cold blade.

She sheathed her sword, walked step by step to the woman, looked down at her, and spoke as softly as a breeze, yet the woman trembled like a leaf.

"You can leave."

"But remember, this is not over yet."

"Go back and tell your master, does he think that ruining my reputation will make me get out of Puxian?"

A breathtaking smile curved the corners of Jiang Zhenxue's lips.

He was wrong.

"He relies on his father's power to act arrogantly and domineeringly in Pu County. Does he really think he can control everything? Just because others don't dare to touch him doesn't mean I don't dare."

"Tell him that his family's business and his father's official reputation had better be spotless, without a single blemish. Otherwise..."

She paused, then spoke clearly, word by word:

"Otherwise, I will show him what it means to be utterly disgraced and what it means to have his family destroyed."

The woman was terrified by the chill in Jiang Zhenxue's eyes and scrambled away into the crowd. The farce ended abruptly, leaving only a mess and whispers in the street.

"Xue'er, you just... you really scared me to death!" Kang Mingyan leaned against the door frame, patting his chest with lingering fear. "How could you joke about your own life like that? And those words you said were truly hurtful. If Lin Ruyu had caught us doing something wrong and reported us to the authorities, we..."

"If I hadn't said that, would today's matter have been resolved?" Jiang Zhenxue handed the longsword back to Shen Yu, her voice tinged with weariness. "Ming Yan, to deal with a thug, you have to use methods even more ruthless than his. He wants to ruin my reputation, so I'll let him know that I, Jiang Zhenxue, am not a pushover."

"But you can't say you want to ruin his family!" Kang Mingyan stamped his feet anxiously. "He's the son of a prefectural magistrate. How can we possibly fight him in Lizhou Prefecture? If your words get out, it will only make him resent us more. What if he tries something underhanded when he can't do it openly?"

Kang Mingyan's words represented the most basic survival principle in this world—the common people should not fight against officials. He was genuinely worried about Jiang Zhenxue, fearing that her momentary impulsiveness might bring about her own destruction.

"Mingyan, I appreciate your kindness." Jiang Zhenxue looked at his anxious face and softened her tone. "But have you considered that from the moment he sent people to cause trouble, we've had no way out? Tolerance won't make him stop; it will only make him more demanding. Today it's blocking the door and shouting insults; tomorrow it could be arson and violence. If I don't teach him a lesson once and for all, our shop will never have a moment's peace."

Shen Yu stood to the side, silent until now, but spoke up, his voice soft yet unusually firm: "Sister Jiang is right. A jackal will not show mercy to a sheep because it yields; it will only find it more delicious."

Jiang Zhenxue gave him an approving look. This child, though young, was much more insightful than Kang Mingyan, that bookworm.

She turned around, walked behind the counter, sat down, poured herself a cup of tea, and said calmly, "Since I said those things, it wasn't on a whim."

She looked up at Kang Mingyan, who was still deeply worried: "Why do you think the son of a prefect would dare to use so many methods to deal with a small merchant like me in broad daylight?"

Kang Mingyan replied without hesitation, "Naturally, it's because he relies on his father's power and is used to acting arrogantly and domineeringly."

"You're right." Jiang Zhenxue's fingertips gently caressed the cool teacup. "The fact that he dares to be so unscrupulous proves that in his heart, his father, the prefect, is an all-powerful backer. It also proves that this Prefect Lin's reputation is probably not as clean as it appears."

A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips: "Lin Ruyu bullies others by abusing his power; he's a master of political maneuvering. I'm just an ordinary citizen; I can't outmaneuver him. But what if I could bring down his biggest backer? Without his father's protection, what would he have left?"

Kang Mingyan gasped, staring at Jiang Zhenxue in disbelief: "Xue'er, you...you want to bring down a mere prefectural magistrate? How is that possible! We have no power or influence, we can't even see his people, how could we..."

"I didn't say I was going to file a complaint with the emperor." Jiang Zhenxue interrupted him, her tone eerily calm. "Mingyan, you don't understand, and you don't need to understand, the ways of officialdom. Your family's network of connections shouldn't be used in this matter, lest it backfire. You just need to focus on your studies as usual and help me maintain the appearance of the study."

She knew that although the Kang family were merchants, they had deep ties with the government and would inevitably be constrained in their actions. They wouldn't risk offending a powerful prefect for her sake. She could only rely on herself in this matter.

Kang Mingyan opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him further, but Jiang Zhenxue stopped him with a look. He sighed dejectedly, knowing that nothing he said would be of any use, and could only say, "Then you must be careful, and never be reckless."

"I understand." Jiang Zhenxue nodded, then turned to look at Shen Yu, who had remained silent.

"Xiao Yu".

"Sister Jiang, I'm here," Shen Yu replied immediately.

"I have something very important that I'd like to entrust to you." Jiang Zhenxue's expression turned serious.

Shen Yu bowed without hesitation and said, "Sister Jiang, just give the order. Even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, I will go."

"It's not that serious." Jiang Zhenxue was amused by his alarmed expression, and the tense atmosphere in the room eased a bit. "I don't need you to charge into battle. I need you to be my eyes and ears."