Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

Huo Baohong finally understood why his sister-in-law wanted to sever ties with his family.

Why do I say he doesn't deserve to be Huo Zhennan's brother?

An exile revealed his true colors.

He is no match for his elder brother; he is inferior in every way.

He watched blankly as Ding was beaten, and watched his proud eldest son faint without any ambition.

Looking at the two daughters' tightly closed bedroom door.

He finally coughed up the mouthful of blood he had been holding back for so long.

Good! Well done! Their whole family is ungrateful! Ungrateful wretches!

“Jiang Chu, I’m too weak. Go and save your sister-in-law. You must save her. Don’t be afraid to die. Learn from your uncle. If you go to jail, I’ll be with you. If you get beaten to death, I’ll be with you too.”

This was the first time Huo Jiangchu had heard his father openly acknowledge his uncle.

In fact, he had known all along that his father greatly admired his uncle. Every time he heard someone talking about his uncle's bravery, he would secretly feel happy when no one could see him.

But for some reason, the two of them maintained a complete estrangement.

"Father, I'm not afraid of death. I'll go and bring my sister-in-law back."

Huo Jiangchu walked past Ding Shi without even glancing at the ground.

Ding, who was being beaten on the ground, could only watch helplessly as her son walked past her expressionlessly.

You're not allowed to go, you're not allowed to go...

She tried to shout, but her mouth was slapped so hard she couldn't open it.

Li Yuzhi held down Ding's arms, Huo Jingya held down her legs, and Sang Ning slapped her mouth repeatedly.

The Ding family paid off all the debts they owed in their lifetime today.

Master Hong's real name is Hong Shengtian.

These women were unfamiliar with the area, and it was nighttime, so blindly searching around would obviously be unwise.

Sang Ning decided to go to the prefect's office for help.

Bai Yi was drinking with someone when he heard that Sang Ning and the others had arrived. He immediately had them brought into the mansion.

However, only Sang Ning was allowed to enter.

Under the dim lantern light, there was a small stone table with two people.

A plate of radish strips and a plate of meat of unknown origin—that's what we'd call snacks to go with drinks.

Sang Ning knew that Liangzhou was poor, but he didn't know that even a prefectural governor of a city was this poor!

When she entered, the winding corridor, artificial hills, and flowers she had imagined were nowhere to be found.

I thought it would take forever to walk there, but it turned out to be an endless walk.

“Didn’t you want to see the person who found the water? Here it is,” Bai Yi said to the person opposite him.

The person was wearing a large hooded black robe, and his face was completely obscured by the light and shadow.

But as soon as he turned his head, Sang Ning sensed something was off.

Until he spoke, it turned out to be a genuine female voice.

She's a beautiful woman!

The Prefect has made something of himself!

"Young lady Sang is so young, yet she understands the ways of water conservancy. It's truly admirable," the woman said.

"No need to admire me, no need to admire me. Let's talk another day." Sang Ning ignored the woman's probing gaze and turned to Bai Yi.

"Sir, something has happened to my eldest cousin's wife. Could you help us find Master Hong? I heard he's quite influential here and has close ties with the government."

"Hong Shengtian?"

"Yes, sir! Please help us, or something bad might happen if we're late."

After hearing Sang Ning recount what had happened, Bai Yi glanced at the woman opposite him, but seemed troubled.

"Although I am the prefect, I cannot interfere in this matter. Moreover, you have probably misunderstood. Master Hong would not force a woman."

You won't force women?

What nonsense is he spouting!

Trying to whitewash someone who runs a brothel?

Sang Ning was somewhat annoyed.

"If it's inconvenient for you to come forward, could you please help me find out where Master Hong is tonight?"

“You don’t need to look for her. If your eldest sister-in-law is unwilling, Master Hong will not keep her. She didn’t go home, so it must be of her own free will.”

Voluntary your mother!

"Sir, haven't you ever heard of the phrase 'forcing a good woman into prostitution'? A woman is forced by her in-laws, by the world, cursed and bullied, and finally takes her own life, only to be told: No one forced her, she did it voluntarily!"

Sang Ning grew angrier and angrier, finally bursting out with a curse: "What the hell is this voluntary! Who doesn't want to live a peaceful life! If you men were any better, how could you have driven a kind and gentle woman to this state!"

I'm so angry! I'm so angry!

Women may be physically weak, but they are not weak!

Who saved that stinky man when he was about to die? Who fetched the water for the whole family?

If she collapses, the knife that kills her will not be the cruel humiliation from the outside world, but the betrayal from her loved ones.

"I told you no one forced her!" Bai Yi was also annoyed.

What kind of man is useless?

When defending against foreign enemies, who charged ahead? Who guarded the vast city of Liangzhou? The mines and wastelands were all held up by men!

"Don't think you're so great just because you're in charge of the Huo family now. This world is inherently male-dominated. If there weren't men standing up for women, they wouldn't even have a chance to survive; they would have been torn apart long ago!"

Sang Ning was furious and forgot his identity.

He retorted angrily: "Yes, yes, yes, men are powerful, men are amazing, men shine brightly, so they shouldn't come out from under women's legs!"

Bai Yi: "..."

I'm so out of my mind, arguing with a young woman like this.

The woman beside him couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Don't worry, Madam Sang. Master Hong really won't do anything to women. The brothels in Liangzhou City aren't as bad as you think."

It's simply giving desperate women a way out. You know, if no one stands up for them, it's truly tragic when women are bullied and don't get what they deserve.

"So I have to respect Master Hong as a real man?" Sang Ning mocked.

I felt sad.

You see, brothels aren't scary; what's scary is that even a prefect is protecting them, and what's even scarier is that the women themselves think it's justified for such things to exist.

Bai Yi took a breath and explained, "Mrs. Sang, you come from a wealthy family, there are some things you don't understand! The country is in a difficult situation right now, and many women are out here to make a living. Once the disaster is over, they will still have to go home and live their lives as usual. So, the brothels are actually there to protect them."

Sang Ning understood their way of thinking to some extent.

As long as it hasn't been publicly sold, you can still deceive yourself into thinking it's coming back, right?

But is it really so?

Don't be naive, just look at Mo Cuiyu and you'll know.

After the disaster, it will be women who are abandoned and driven to their deaths.

"Moreover, you may not know that your eldest cousin's wife had already made a deal with the yamen runners on the way to exile. Since she accepted it at the time, it won't be so difficult for her to embark on this path later. Whether it was for her family or for her children, it was her choice."

Bai Yi frowned in disgust as he recalled the conversation he overheard between the two constables in the tavern.

It's truly unbearable to hear.

They said that woman was born with a perfect body and was the most exquisite woman they had ever been with.

And they even commented on her voice...

Judging from her tone, the woman didn't seem to mind at all.

"Bai Yi! You are the most incompetent and arrogant prefect I have ever seen!"

"The moment you rationalized prostitution, your thinking was already twisted! You kill without shedding blood; you are devils disguised in the guise of goodness!"