A Good Country Wife
Chapter 422 - 416_1

Chapter 422: Chapter 416_1

The street vendor was originally hesitant about whether to report the incident, as he feared the thugs might seek revenge if they found out it was he who tipped off the authorities. But after Lin Yue’s frightening warning, especially mentioning that the two were a Princess and a Commandery Princess, the vendor didn’t dare take any chances and quickly ran toward the government office without any delay. Since these three individuals had such significant backgrounds, he was certain the thugs would not come to a good end. If these bullies could indeed be eliminated, their own lives would be much better. With this in mind, he quickened his pace even more.

What Lin Yue hadn’t expected was that Princess Yongle’s martial prowess was actually quite impressive; she could easily take down the thugs in just a few moves. Even Commandery Princess Roujia, who looked graceful and refined, was no slouch when it came to fighting, overall much stronger than she was.

With this, Lin Yue was even less worried. No wonder Princess Yongle and Commandery Princess Roujia did not bring any Guards; in broad daylight on the streets of Capital City, there would be no significant bandits to fear, and other minor characters could be dealt with by Princess Yongle and Commandery Princess Roujia themselves.

Although Lin Yue had learned a few self-defense moves, she hadn’t practiced much and wasn’t very sparring with the thugs. She escaped major injury but still got hit a few times, not as skilled as Princess Yongle and Commandery Princess Roujia, who were trained fighters and only dished out beatings. Seeing Lin Yue struggling to keep up, Princess Yongle even came over to help her.

"Mercy, gracious ladies, please! I was blind and didn’t recognize Mount Tai, offending you ladies. Please spare this humble one just once. I won’t dare to do it again," the thugs, thoroughly beaten by Princess Yongle and Commandery Princess Roujia to the point of bruised faces, begged for mercy profusely. They planned to deceive these fierce women for now and, once backup arrived, they would take their revenge, determined to show this young woman a lesson. But seeing their good looks, they thought it might be worth enjoying themselves first before selling them off.

"Spare you? Wishful thinking! Don’t think I’m unaware of the vile nature of you scoundrels. If I don’t properly deal with you, would it be right to leave you to continue harming the common people?" Princess Yongle might not concern herself with state affairs or the Court matters, but she knew she had to care for the people, and the behavior of these thugs was absolutely intolerable.

"Rest assured, gracious lady, I will not dare do it again, nor will I dare to harm the common people anymore. Please spare us just this once," the thugs pleaded, seeing no intention from the female avengers to let them go and inwardly lamenting their misfortune, all the while waiting for their backup to arrive.

"Make way! Make way! What’s all this crowd about, trying to start a rebellion?" A ferocious voice rang out, and the onlookers hastily made room, stepping aside to let a group of soldiers barge through, surrounding Lin Yue, the three ladies, and the thugs all together.

Seeing this, Princess Yongle and Commandery Princess Roujia furrowed their brows, wondering why the government forces were reacting with such high efficiency today. They had barely started fighting before the news had reached them. Normally, it would take much longer for the forces to show up. With the arrival of the government officials, the matter would surely not end lightly, which was somewhat troubling.

Princess Yongle feared nothing except the lessons taught by her Emperor brother. If she were found at serious fault, she might even be punished with confinement within the palace. At this moment, the credit for what was unfolding could not be attributed to Lin Yue. Initially, Lin Yue had been worried about potential mishaps befalling Princess Yongle and Commandery Princess Roujia, but having witnessed their abilities, she was relieved. However, she had already sent her people out, and it was too late to call them back, so things had to proceed as they were. After all, the most that could happen would be the discovery of incidents involving the Princess and Commandery Princess.

As for those ruffians, upon hearing the approach of the government soldiers, they were not alarmed; instead, they showed delight, thinking these soldiers had arrived to back them up. In Capital City, to be a ruffian was not the job of an ordinary person; one had to have a powerful backer, and naturally, the government would often turn a blind eye, or rather add to the tyranny.

When the soldiers arrived, the ruffian leader hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, rushing towards the official and, playing the victim, complained first, "Sir, finally you are here. A few female bandits arrived and, without a word, smashed our stands and inflicted serious injuries on our brothers. Please, sir, seek justice for us."

As the official in charge of the area, Master Zhou knew well the backgrounds of these ruffians—they were backed by the residence of Duke Wei. He could not afford to offend such a powerful patron and usually gave them a wide berth, sometimes even siding with the ruffians. That’s why they had such a reaction upon seeing the government soldiers. However, the messenger had reported that the Princess and Commandery Princess were being attacked by the ruffians and requested a rescue. That was why he had rushed over so hastily. Without confirming the three women’s identities, he dared not act as he usually would; if they were indeed significant figures, he could literally lose his head.

Princess Yongle, observing the shamelessness of the ruffians, could not help but laugh. Of course, she would not stoop to argue with them, as it was beneath her dignity. Instead, she focused her attention on Master Zhou who had arrived, "Oh, is that so? What do you think, sir? Do you believe the words of these ruffians?"

Having been an official for years, Master Zhou may not have significant achievements, but he had a keen eye. One glance at the three women dressed as men revealed their extraordinary demeanor; even their modest male attire could not mask their noble aura. His heart sank, realizing the messenger’s words might indeed be true. If these women were indeed princesses or commandery princesses, and they were injured on his watch, he could not bear the responsibility if blame came down from above.

"Of course I don’t believe them. These ruffians regularly intimidate men and dominate women; their evil deeds are countless. That they are seriously injured today is most likely the consequence of their own actions. Please inform me of the actual situation, so that I may deal with the matter appropriately," said Master Zhou cautiously, using ’I’ rather than ’this official’ or ’your humble servant,’ a choice made after careful deliberation.

Using ’this official’ would be disrespectful to distinguished persons, while ’your humble servant’ would outright admit he recognized their identities. Although he was aware of the high status of the three women, as nothing had been revealed, and they were incognito and disguised as men, it was clear they did not wish their identities to be known. He would not be foolish enough to disclose that, and risk offending them.

"The sir here seems reasonable enough. These ruffians have been tyrannizing the marketplace, oppressing the good citizens. Who knows how many unlawful deeds they have committed? Today, I was merely carrying out justice on behalf of Heaven, aiming to rid us of these scourges. Now that you, sir, are here, I shall leave this matter to you to handle. I hope you won’t disappoint me, for the Emperor we have today is a sage who abhors the oppression of the common people by the powerful," said Princess Yongle meaningfully, noting Master Zhou’s respectful attitude and sensing that he might have realized something.

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