Chapter 263: He was lost for words
Xiao Baili was already able to exchange blows with Shi Qingluo, even though she was defeated after more than ten moves.
However, her martial prowess was not considered low.
In addition, she would spend one to two hours every day practicing her whip, so it was naturally not a problem for her to deal with the three hooligans.
The three of them were whipped until they cried and dodged.
"Stop whipping, my great aunt."
They had not expected this frail-looking little girl to be so violent.
If they had known earlier, they would not have flirted with her!
Xiao Baili glared at the person who spoke. "Who's your great-aunt?"
She lashed out another whip.
The three of them immediately admitted defeat. "We were wrong. We were wrong, alright?"
They also knew that they were no match for Xiao Baili.
The crux of the matter was that they could not even get close to her, yet they were beaten until they were covered in wounds.
The burning pain was so intense that they wanted to retreat.
Xiao Baili whipped them a few more times before she snorted coldly. "Scram!"
Her face was cold on the surface, but her heart was a little excited.
She was actually able to beat the three bad guys away.
Her sister-in-law had taught them well indeed.
The three of them rubbed their arms as they rolled and crawled away.
As for the matter of earning money from this scene, they also threw it away.
They were about to be beaten to death. Who cares about that?
Moreover, the person who gave the money back then did not say that this little girl was so powerful.
It was already good enough that they did not ask for compensation.
Seeing the three cowards leave, Zheng Tongfeng secretly cursed in his heart that they were really trash.
Xiao Baili played with the whip.
She raised her eyebrows and looked at Zheng Tongfeng. "Even if you want to be a hero and save the damsel in distress, you should first go back and look at yourself in the mirror."
She then whipped the ground and said with an insincere smile, "With your weak appearance, I wonder how many lashes you can give me."
Zheng Tongfeng's expression became very ugly.
This woman actually said that he was a weak chicken, it was too much.
"You!" He said with a black face, "I saved you out of kindness, but you actually repaid my kindness with enmity. Don't go too far."
Xiao Baili rolled her eyes at him. "You're blind, but do you think others are blind as well? Do you really think I can't tell that you two are in cahoots?"
She added, "If you want to play hero to save the damsel in distress, think of a new way too. You guys are too low-class."
Under Shi Qingluo's long-term influence and personal "education", Xiao Baili's vibes also changed.
Zheng Tongfeng's body stiffened.
Obviously, he did not expect her to actually see through it.
He said somewhat guiltily, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a young master from the capital. How could I possibly know these ruffians?"
Xiao Baili sneered. "The way you speak is very guilty. Whether you admit it or not, it doesn't matter to me."
She played with the whip. "But if you don't get lost, my whip won't be able to resist the urge on you."
Zheng Tongfeng swallowed his saliva. "You... you're simply unreasonable."
She was a fierce woman. He didn't want to marry her.
Otherwise, what would he do if she whipped him every day?
When he thought of this, his scalp went numb.
He still liked women who were as gentle as water. Forget about a tigress like her.
Moreover, the plan had failed.
This tigress definitely had no interest in him.
Therefore, his father could not blame him.
When he saw Xiao Baili raise her hand, he was so scared that he immediately slipped away with his two servants.
He really did not have the fortune to enjoy a woman like her.
Seeing him leave dejectedly, Xiao Baili curled her lips.
What a coward. A man like him actually dared to come out and be the hero.
Who gave him the courage.
Then, she turned to look behind the hill and said, "Have you guys seen enough of the show?"
The two people standing behind the hill looked at each other.
This little girl was really sensitive.
Liang Hengyu walked out and sized up Xiao Baili.
He smiled and said, "Miss, don't misunderstand. We really happened to pass by and saw this show by accident."
Soon, a handsome youth also walked out. "Miss, you're amazing. We admire you!"
They really did not come to watch the show on purpose.
They just happened to see the three wretched men walking towards them.
They also saw Zheng Tongfeng and his servants following behind them sneakily.
They were a little curious and came over to take a look.
Then, they saw that someone wanted to be a hero to save the damsel in distress, so they did not come out to help.
It also caused them to be surprised quite a number of times throughout.
First, they were surprised that a young lady would know martial arts.
The whip even danced like a tiger, whipping away the three ruffians.
Then, they were surprised that she could see through Zheng Tongfeng's act of trying to save the damsel in distress.
She even deliberately pointed it out and let them slip away dejectedly.
Xiao Baili saw the way the two of them dressed and their temperament.
They did not look like they were from the same group.
However, she did not have any intention of getting to know them.
After all, men and women were not supposed to be intimate.
She nodded slightly at the two of them. "Then you two please proceed."
She wasn't in the mood to continue drawing.
She packed her things and left without hesitation.
When the two of them had left, Liang Hengyu instructed his entourage, "Go and find out who this girl is."
Qi Yiyang, who was beside him, smiled playfully. "This girl is interesting. She just looks a little young."
Liang Hengyu rolled her eyes at him. "You and my second brother are indeed cousins."
His cousin was also a flirtatious person who walked past the beauties but felt no charm.
Very soon, his personal attendant discovered it.
"Master, the girl just now is Xiao Hanzheng's younger sister."
He was the fifth prince's personal attendant, so he naturally knew that the second prince and the fifth prince wanted to rope in Xiao Hanzheng.
Liang Hengyu was somewhat surprised. "She's actually Xiao Hanzheng's younger sister?"
He had read the Xiao family's intelligence report.
Aren't Xiao Hanzheng's mother and younger sister both very weak and easily bullied?
From the little girl's appearance just now, he couldn't be convinced that she was weak and easily bullied.
Those who did not know would have thought that she was Shi Qingluo's biological younger sister...
At this moment, he suddenly remembered something.
Before leaving the capital, his second brother had mentioned that Xiao Yuanshi's wife had thought of a way to rope in Xiao Hanzheng and his wife.
It seemed like she was trying to rope in Xiao Hanzheng's younger siblings.
So this was how they did it just now?
One had to say that it was really too clumsy and tasteless.
She actually played such an old-fashioned hero saving the damsel in distress, and the key point was that Xiao Hanzheng's sister had seen through it.
Xiao Yuanshi's wife made him lost for words.
At the same time, he felt that the idea of having his second brother to look for Xiao Yuanshi in the capital was too bad.
This was not trying to win him over, but rather to disgust him.
He suddenly had a headache.
He did not know if his second brother had made the right choice to win Xiao Yuanshi over.
Qi Yiyang saw his cousin's expression and could not help but ask, "Do you know Xiao Hanzheng?"
He was no stranger to Xiao Hanzheng.
Last year in the capital city, he had heard of Xiao Hanzheng.
He had taken on a master, Mr. Hou, and also had a wife, Shi Qingluo, who offered heaven-gifted seeds and had a good relationship with Xi Rui and other dandies who were young masters in the capital.
This year, he was also prepared to give the enke a try.
His family's ancestors came from Nanguang Prefecture, so he came from the capital to take the countryside exam.
He saw that his cousin had been bored in the capital recently, so he called him over to accompany him.
After coming to this prefecture, he heard many people mentioning Xiao Hanzheng.
Xiao Hanzheng was one of the most popular examinees within Nanguang Prefecture as he was one of the top scorers for this year's countryside exam, so he paid more attention to him.
Chapter 264: Deliberately deceive them
Qi Yiyang was the nephew of one of the imperial concubines and Liang Hengyu's cousin.
They were all in the same boat, so Liang Hengyu did not hide anything.
He told him about his second brother's plan to rope in Xiao Hanzheng and ask Xiao Yuanshi to get the task done.
After that, he sighed, "I thought Xiao Yuanshi's wife would come up with some good ideas. I didn't expect her to be so unworthy. Her younger sister who entered my second brother's manor as a concubine was confident that her sister could help my second brother."
He laughed, "I don't even know what to say."
Qi Yiyang did not expect that the so-called hero saving the damsel in distress had something to do with the second prince.
He raised his eyebrows, "With Zheng Tongfeng's this kind of appearance, how could he make Xiao Hanzheng's younger sister be fond of him?"
He and Zheng Tongfeng were both in the Royal Academy, but they were not of similar status.
He was the legitimate son from the british public administrative house, while Zheng Tongfeng was merely the son of a fourth-grade official from the Ministry of War.
Therefore, Zheng Tongfeng would lower his voice and pander to him when they were together.
He was wondering why Zheng Tongfeng, who usually spent his days in the Royal Academy, would come here to participate in the countryside examination.
In his opinion, he was just an elementary scholar, and that was all.
Liang Hengyu sighed. "That's why I said that this idea is bad. I really don't know what Xiao Yuanshi's wife is thinking."
Such an idea was really better left unused.
Qi Yiyang thought of something and smiled. "Since we have to use this method, why do we have to find a fool like Zheng Tongfeng?"
He introduced himself. "Cousin, what do you think of me?"
The little girl from earlier was quite interesting. He had never met such a person before.
Because of this, he became somewhat interested.
He already had a marriage contract. After taking the enke exam this time, he would attend his marriage ceremony.
Although Xiao Baili's status was a little low, she could marry in as a noble concubine.
After satisfying his interest, she could also help the second prince rope in Xiao Hanzheng, killing two birds with one stone.
Liang Hengyu looked at him speechlessly. "You mean, you'll go?"
Qi Yiyang opened the folding fan. "Yes, I'll help my second cousin rope in Xiao Hanzheng."
Liang Hengyu remained silent.
Don't think that he couldn't tell that his cousin was interested in Xiao Baili just now.
He asked, "Aren't you getting married soon? How are you going to do it yourself?"
Qi Yiyang said matter-of-factly, "Having a wife won't stop me from taking in concubines!"
Liang Hengyu was a little speechless. "Come on. It's unlikely that Xiao Hanzheng will let his sister be a concubine."
Although he had never interacted with Xiao Hanzheng before, he had read a lot of information about Xiao Hanzheng because his second brother wanted to rope him in.
Qi Yiyang raised his eyebrows. "He's only an elementary scholar. Even if he enters the civil service examination and becomes an official, he'll only at most be seventh grade or start off as seventh grade. What's wrong with his sister being the concubine of a young master in the public administrative house?"
Although Liang Hengyu also felt that it was fine for his cousin to take Xiao Hanzheng's sister as his concubine, he had a feeling that the chances were not high.
"Xiao Hanzheng is Mr Hou's student. His wife is on good terms with Xi Rui and the others."
He shook his head. "Although he is only an elementary scholar from a village, he has a lot of connections behind him. I still feel that it is unlikely for his sister to be your concubine."
Qi Yiyang said confidently, "What if Xiao Baili falls for me and doesn't want to marry me? Didn't you say that Xiao Hanzheng loves his sister very much? As long as his sister only wants to marry me and no one else, he shouldn't object."
Liang Hengyu thought for a moment and said, "I saw Xiao Baili's reaction just now. She's quite smart."
It meant that she might not fall for his words.
Qi Yiyang thought to himself, who was he looking down on?
He was still confident. "How would I know if I can do it if I don't try?"
He was very experienced in coaxing women.
Liang Hengyu saw him like this. "Sure, go and try. If you really can do it, you'll be a help to my second brother."
Qi Yiyang fanned himself. "Of course."
Just as the two of them were about to leave, Qi Yiyang accidentally saw an earring on the ground not far away.
He walked over and picked it up.
He smiled and shook it at Liang Hengyu. "Look, even fate can't stop it."
"This is not a reason to get close to her. Even the heavens have sent it to me on their own accord."
It was an earring.
It must have fallen off accidentally when Xiao Bai was dancing with the whip.
Liang Hengyu was actually speechless. "As long as you're happy."
However, there was also some curiosity and anticipation in his heart.
Could his cousin really make Xiao Baili marry him?
On the other hand, after Xiao Baili returned, she did not return to her room to rest.
Instead, she went to Shi Qingluo's room.
Shi Qingluo had just woken up from her afternoon nap.
She opened the door and asked with a smile, "You finished drawing so quickly?"
Xiao Baili shook her head. "No, I came back because I encountered something that ruined my mood."
Seeing the excitement in her aunt's eyes, Shi Qingluo pulled her into the room and asked with a smile, "What happened?"
Xiao Baili sat down and recounted what happened at the back of the mountain.
Shi Qingluo had just taken a sip of water and almost spat it out.
"Whose idea was it? It's too bad. Well done, Baili. I want to slap people like them. In the future, if that person who wanted to save a beauty appears and continues to whine at you, you can just slap him. Your brother and I will take care of it. There's no need to be afraid of the consequences."
A shameless hero who wanted to save a beautiful girl dared to target her sister. He should be whipped.
"Okay!" Xiao Baili's heart warmed. Her sister-in-law was really nice.
Shi Qingluo reached out to hold Xiao Baili's slightly crooked hairpin.
Then, she looked at her ear and asked, "Why do you only have one earring?"
Xiao Baili was stunned and reached out to touch her ear. "When I went out this morning, I was wearing a pair. Maybe I accidentally dropped one of them when I whipped others just now."
She stood up. "Sister-in-law, I'll go back and look for it."
Earrings were a personal item. It wouldn't be good to leave them outside.
Shi Qingluo had also thought of this.
Moreover, she was afraid that the person who had set up the plan to save the beauty would take them away.
She stood up as well. "I'll accompany you to look for it."
Hence, the two of them held hands and returned to the mountain behind their house.
They just happened to meet Liang Hengyu and Qi Yiyang, who were walking back from that mountain.
Shi Qingluo saw Liang Hengyu with a glance.
Although she had never come into contact with him before, her memory was very good.
As she had met the second prince once before, she recognized that he was the fifth prince.
Seeing the fifth prince appearing here, she could not help but have a conspiracy theory.
She asked Xiao Baili, "Could they be the ones who wanted to save the damsel in distress just now?"
Both parties were not too far away from each other, so Liang Hengyu Qi Yiyang and also heard what she said.
The two of them sighed, they were not that clumsy, okay?
Xiao Baili shook her head. "It wasn't them."
Then, she changed the topic. "But they've been hiding and watching the show."
Therefore, they did not have a good impression of the two of them.
Shi Qingluo swept a glance at the two of them and asked bluntly with raised eyebrows, "Could they be the mastermind behind it?"
She had said it on purpose for the two of them to hear.
Her little sister-in-law had just been rescued by a hero, and the two of them were hiding to watch the show. How could it be so coincidental?
Moreover, the fifth prince was staying well in the capital.
What was he doing here?
The people around him, judging from their attire, were also from a large aristocratic family.
They were not simple.
Therefore, she wanted to deliberately deceive the two of them.