Best friends dressed up in ancient times to become mistresses? You run, I run too!

“Yun’er, Xia’er, write down the faces of the people who speak, especially those who look very poor.”

Yun'er's eyes lit up.

"What the lady means is..."

Liu Zhiyi curled her lips coldly.

"Since they look down on me for showing my face in public, they probably won't even look at the cloth and cotton I buy with the money I earn from showing my face in public."

"At that time, there will be no need to distribute it to their families."

Yun'er and Xia'er were overjoyed.

"Yes, Madam, we will remember it well, even if it kills us. But Madam, are we really not going to go out and argue with them?"

Those people said some really nasty things.

Liu Zhiyi smiled indifferently.

"The situation is chaotic right now, and going out would mean encountering many unknowns. To be on the safe side, it's better to stay in the carriage and not act rashly."

Yun'er and Xia'er understood immediately. They both lifted the curtains on both sides of the carriage and quickly looked at the crowd.

Liu Zhiyi couldn't help but chuckle.

Just as the crowd was enraged, and some even began to attack the carriage Liu Zhiyi was riding in, another carriage drove up from a distance and stopped when it got close.

Immediately afterwards, the car door was opened, and a graceful figure stepped out.

A gentle breeze made her skirt sway and flutter in a beautiful arc.

The shimmering fabric rippled and sparkled with light as it swayed, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.

He wore a coral-red silk cloak, embroidered with large gardenia patterns in gold and silver thread.

The magnificent golden hairpin on her head swayed gracefully in the air, making her fair face appear even whiter and more radiant with health.

Her delicate chin was slightly raised, like a proud white swan standing tall. Her gorgeous clothes and precious jewelry gave her an air of grandeur that clearly indicated she was no ordinary person.

"My God, I thought that woman was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but here comes another one."

"My goodness, is this some kind of fairy?"

"Who is this person?"

Shen Ningzhu's exquisite fox-like eyes swept over the crowd with a calm and understated yet captivating charm.

She had a cold face, appearing aloof and indifferent.

Looking down at the crowd, his slightly narrowed fox-like eyes flashed with a cold light the moment they landed on them.

He stood on the carriage shaft with his hands on his hips, looking like someone who was not to be trifled with, and started cursing loudly.

"What's going on ahead?"

"You're all alone now, didn't your parents teach you the principle of 'a dog not blocking the way' before you left home?"

"If you like kneeling so much, go kneel before your own ancestors in the ancestral hall. That way, if they have spirits in heaven, they might praise you for being filial. What kind of behavior is it to disturb the peace on the street for no reason? Don't you have any morals?"

Everyone:...

Ah... such a beautiful woman, like a fairy, how come she has a mouth?

The moment he opened his mouth, he instantly fell from grace.

Pei Yun Chu looked at Shen Ning Zhu standing on the carriage shaft, her expression extremely unpleasant.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Shen Ningzhu—"

The other party looked surprised.

"Hey, isn't this our renowned General Pei? What are you up to today?"

Pei Yun Chu's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"This is between Xiaoyi and me. I advise you to mind your own business, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Shen Ningzhu let out an exaggerated scream.

"Oh dear, I'm so scared! Please, General, have mercy! Please don't let me stop my carriage in the street like this, disheveled and carrying a rattan cane."

"After all, I am a woman from an honest family, and I still want to maintain my reputation."

The tone was extremely sarcastic.

"you……"

"What do you mean, 'you'? You're like a toad trying to eat swan meat. You should take a piss and look in the mirror."

"Do you think you can ruin a woman's reputation in the street just because you have some power? Does the woman in front of you even know you? What business is it of yours? She doesn't seem to have acknowledged it, does she?"

Pei Yun Chu felt as if her heart had been submerged in ice water, shivering with cold, and rendered speechless by the rebuke.

The people around looked at each other in bewilderment.

They then remembered that, from beginning to end, the woman in the carriage did not seem to have any attitude towards General Pei; on the contrary, it was General Pei himself who had been talking to himself the whole time.

If the woman today has nothing to do with General Pei, then wouldn't his act of stopping her carriage in the street ruin her reputation?

A woman's reputation is of paramount importance; this is utterly immoral.

Someone muttered to themselves.

"What this woman said was really harsh, but upon closer examination, it made some sense."

“I have indeed not heard of General Pei being entangled with any woman in the capital.”

"You don't know this, do you? There was one three years ago, but I heard that the woman had a bad fate, a beautiful woman with a tragic end."

"Yes, yes, I've heard about that too. Seeing how humble and deferential General Pei was to the woman in the carriage today, do you think this girl might be..."

"Impossible, impossible. That girl has been dead for three years; her body is probably already decomposed. How could it be her? Unless..."

Their eyes lit up, their gazes filled with gossip.

In an instant, a scene had already formed in my mind: a wealthy family looking down on their son's wife because she was not presentable, and secretly driving a poor girl to her death.

The little girl was just lucky to escape death.

Someone lowered their voice mysteriously and said,

"You don't know this, do you? It is said that General Pei thought that the woman was of low status and not good enough for him, so he wanted to take her as a concubine, but she refused."

"After that, the two quarreled for a long time. In the end, General Pei compromised and was willing to marry her as his principal wife. However, the woman was already heartbroken and declared that she would never marry him again in this life."

"Not long after, news spread that the woman had perished in the fire. I also heard that General Pei vomited blood because of this!"

"Yes, yes, I know about that too."

Everyone sighed when they heard this.

If that woman was indeed the one in the carriage, they could understand why Pei Yun Chu had coughed up blood back then.

Who wouldn't be mesmerized by such a beauty?

If someone dies suddenly and peacefully, wouldn't they suffer terribly?

However, General Pei's actions were also unethical. What respectable family would allow their daughter to become someone's concubine? This is simply an insult to that woman.

Some people also said that the other party was a noble family, a family of meritorious officials for generations. Even if she were to become a concubine, she would have no worries about food and drink and would enjoy endless wealth and honor.

It's an extremely good thing; ordinary people like them wouldn't even dare to dream of it.

As soon as these words were spoken, some people immediately objected.

"I'm not trying to be mean, but you country bumpkin, can't you have some self-awareness? Don't you know your place? How dare you compare yourself to that woman in the carriage?"

"That woman is as beautiful as a fairy. She could marry into any family. In my opinion, she would even be fit to be a concubine in the palace."

It's infuriating to see such a nice girl treated so poorly; this marriage is definitely not a good idea.

They all praised Liu Zhiyi for her backbone.

In an instant, the winds shifted completely.

Pei Yun Chu listened to the surrounding discussions and glared at Shen Ning Zhu with resentment in her eyes.

The other person raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of provocation, showing no fear whatsoever. This made Pei Yun Chu's chest heave with anger, and a metallic taste rose in his throat, almost causing him to vomit blood.

Just then, the sound of orderly running could be heard in the distance, along with the crisp sound of armor clashing.