Her attire was indeed eye-catching!
Huangfu Yue found that no matter where she went, a crowd would stare at her. Strictly speaking, everyone she passed would fix their gaze upon her, as if she were a treasure trove.
Huangfu Yue felt a touch of helplessness, tinged with amusement.
However, perhaps due to being stared at so often, she became increasingly desensitized. She didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward.
With the mindset of "you stare if you want, I'll just go about my business," Huangfu Yue strolled through several streets. Along the way, if she saw something she liked, she would take the opportunity to ask the shopkeepers about Fumin County while making her purchases. Before long, she had a rough understanding of the county's general situation.
Fumin County was a renowned large county town in the region. Although it was a county town, it housed nearly thirty thousand people.
Typical county towns had only a few thousand residents, with larger ones housing up to ten thousand. Fumin County's population of nearly thirty thousand was due to its immense prosperity. Many merchants conducted business and wholesale trade there, dealing in all sorts of goods, which attracted a large number of people.
The wealthiest merchant in Fumin County was Jiang Defu, the richest man in the county. Much of Fumin County's property, shops, and land belonged to Jiang Defu.
Huangfu Yue mused that Jiang Defu was likely Jiang Shangyun's father, as they both shared the surname Jiang.
She hadn't expected Jiang Shangyun to be the son of Fumin County's richest man. This not only surprised Huangfu Yue but also left her with some questions.
As the son of the richest man, shouldn't Jiang Shangyun be enjoying his fortune at home, being served by a host of attendants like a pampered young master? Why would he go to the capital to work as a yacha (constable)? It simply didn't seem right.
Perhaps there was some hidden reason?
Because she had been harassed by the county magistrate's son earlier, Huangfu Yue also took the opportunity to inquire about the magistrate and his son. She learned that the county magistrate of Fumin County was named Ren Conglin, who was incompetent, foolish, and insatiably greedy. He constantly sought ways to amass wealth, and to do so, he had long preyed upon the local populace.
He had even imposed special private taxes on the common people of Fumin County, to be supplied directly to him. Wealthy merchants were particularly heavily extorted, having to pay him one hundred taels every month, or their businesses would be jeopardized.
Ren Conglin had a son named Ren Xiaopeng, who was idle all day, enjoyed harassing people in the streets, bullying the weak and strong, and molesting virtuous women. He even abducted women he fancied.
He had once taken a fancy to a pregnant woman. When her husband came to find her, Ren Xiaopeng ordered his servants to beat the husband to death. The pregnant woman, heartbroken by this, committed suicide. A good family was thus destroyed by his actions.
Hearing these accounts, Huangfu Yue ground her teeth in frustration, regretting her leniency earlier. She wished she had finished off Ren Xiaopeng then and there, avenging the poor couple.
"It's her! It's that girl in front, wearing a straw hat and white mourning clothes!"
Just as Huangfu Yue was seething with indignation, contemplating killing Ren Xiaopeng, a man's voice suddenly shouted from behind.
The voice sounded unfamiliar, yet vaguely recognizable, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
The person he was referring to was clearly herself.
She wondered if he was looking for her, or if he intended to do something to her.
With a hint of confusion and curiosity, Huangfu Yue turned her head, only to frown immediately.
It turned out they had come seeking revenge!
About ten feet away, a man resembling a family retainer was pointing at her while speaking to a group of yamen runners.
That man was one of the two servants who had accompanied the county magistrate's son when she had injured him.
Without a doubt, after he and the other servant had taken their young master back, the county magistrate's son, furious about his injuries, or perhaps the magistrate himself, upon learning of his son's plight, had ordered her strict punishment and dispatched people to apprehend her. He was the one leading them to her.
Truly ungrateful. She had spared him and his master, and yet they dared to cause her trouble.
Seeing Huangfu Yue turn to look at them, the retainer became even more certain that she was the one they were looking for. He quickly said to the middle-aged man dressed as a constable beside him, "Constable Jia, it's her! Arrest her quickly!"
As if sensing Huangfu Yue's gaze upon him, the retainer swallowed nervously and shrunk back.
However, remembering that he was accompanied by so many skilled yamen runners, he no longer felt afraid. He straightened his back and neck, puffing out his chest.
"You little wench, how dare you severely injure my young master! You must be tired of living! Now that my master, the county magistrate of Fumin County, knows that you injured his precious son, he is furious and enraged, ordering your capture. You are doomed… These officers I've brought are all masters. No matter how skilled you are, you can never defeat them. Surrender obediently… That way, you might suffer less physical pain." The retainer pointed at Huangfu Yue, shouting boastfully.
Tragically, the young master had fainted from pain before even reaching home. Terrified, he and Chen Bao had rushed back to the county yamen with the young master. As soon as they entered, they encountered the magistrate. Seeing his son unconscious and covered in blood, the magistrate was shocked and immediately asked what had happened. After he recounted the events, the magistrate became furious and summoned Constable Jia, ordering him to bring a group of yamen runners to accompany him to find the impudent girl who dared to injure his young master and arrest her. He, along with Constable Jia and a troop of yamen runners, had searched several streets before finally finding this brat.
"Want to catch me? Wait for your next life." Huangfu Yue chuckled, her voice filled with disdain.
In reality, they wouldn't be able to catch her even in their next lives.
"Such bold words! Everyone, attack together and capture her!" Constable Jia, angered, glared at Huangfu Yue and cursed. He drew the saber at his waist, waved his hand at his subordinates, and charged ferociously towards Huangfu Yue. The other yamen runners immediately drew their sabers and lunged at Huangfu Yue menacingly.
Huangfu Yue sneered, took out her whip, and swung it towards Constable Jia and his men. The next moment, the whip sent Constable Jia and all his subordinates flying.
The retainer and the bystanders were all stunned, staring at Huangfu Yue with their mouths agape.
This young lady was too formidable. With a single whip, she had sent more than a dozen strong men flying, and these men were all formidable martial artists. Who was she?
"Oh my heavens! I didn't expect this brat to be so powerful, and Constable Jia and his men couldn't do anything to her. Before they even got close, she had sent them all flying, and she only used one whip. I need to run quickly; if I'm too slow, I might lose my life!"
Huangfu Yue raised an eyebrow as she saw the retainer, who had been so arrogant moments ago, suddenly take flight.
He ran faster than a rabbit's grandfather!
However, escaping from under her nose was nothing but a dream!
Huangfu Yue lightly tapped her toes, then soared into the air. The next moment, she stood in front of the fleeing retainer, blocking his path. She swung her whip at him, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse several feet away, spitting blood.
Seeing Huangfu Yue approaching him, the retainer suddenly felt as if he were facing the King of Hell. He trembled like a sieve, especially his legs, terrified to the point of wanting to urinate.
"Merciful heroine, spare my life! It was I who was blind and offended you. Please overlook my transgressions and spare my life." The retainer endured the pain, got up from the ground, knelt down, and kowtowed to Huangfu Yue, begging for mercy.
Huangfu Yue stared at him, her eyes cold and filled with killing intent. This despicable servant was clearly no good. He must have committed many wicked deeds while serving Ren Xiaopeng. She truly wished to end him now, acting on behalf of Heaven.
However, considering the crowd around them, killing someone in public was not ideal. She decided to endure for the moment and find her way to the county magistrate's residence that night to eliminate all these sinful masters and their wicked servants, acting on behalf of Heaven.
"I, being merciful, shall spare your life for now and let you go. Go back and tell your county magistrate that his son harassed and attempted to abduct virtuous women. I was merely teaching him a lesson out of kindness. If he has a problem with the minor punishment I inflicted on his son, then the next time I see his son, I will directly take his son's life, so he can no longer harass or abduct virtuous women." Huangfu Yue looked down upon the retainer from above, speaking in a chilling tone.
The retainer dared not refuse and nodded repeatedly in fear.
Huangfu Yue snorted, then flicked her sleeve and left.