usatvline Chapter 112 Selling Oneself to Bury Father
Chapter 112 Selling Oneself to Bury Father
Chapter 112 Selling Oneself to Bury Father
The carriage stopped abruptly, the force of its forward motion causing Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran to stumble forward. Gongsun Yuan's maid, Chunli, scrambled to her feet and immediately yanked open the carriage curtain, shouting outside:
"How dare you drive like that? You'll be in big trouble if you hurt the lady or the young lady!"
The coachman outside the carriage realized he had made a grave mistake. Remembering Li Dani's final fate, he quickly pointed ahead and said, "It wasn't my intention to bump into you, Madam and Miss. Someone suddenly ran out from the side of the road, and I was afraid of running someone over, so I hurriedly stopped the horse!"
Ye Pianran stood up with the help of her maid, her brows furrowed tightly. She looked in the direction the coachman had pointed and, sure enough, saw a girl dressed in plain clothes, covered in wounds, beside the carriage. She seemed to have been frightened by the Marquis's carriage as well, lying on the ground trembling, looking completely shaken.
The carriage ahead seemed to sense something was amiss and stopped. Then, a guard from Marquis Anshi got off the carriage and went to Gongsun Yuan and the others' carriage to ask, "The Marquis sent me to inquire what happened and why you suddenly stopped?"
Just as the coachman on behalf of Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan was about to reply, two more lewd-looking thugs suddenly emerged from the crowd and rushed towards the girl who had fallen beside their carriage.
"Damn it, this little bitch is hiding here! Quick! Grab her!"
Hearing their voices, the girl trembled slightly, snapping out of the shadow of almost being run over by the carriage. A look of terror appeared on her innocent face as she struggled to her feet and desperately tried to escape. But she was too late; one of the thugs grabbed her wrist.
"Run! Now let's see where you run to! Come on, come back with me!" the thug said menacingly, dragging the girl back.
Upon hearing this, the girl's face turned deathly pale. She struggled violently, crying out, "No! Let me go! You're abducting a woman! That place is a brothel! I'd rather die than go with you!"
"Forced marriage? You little slut, you sold yourself to bury your father. I've already paid you the money, so you're mine now. Stop pretending to be a virtuous woman and come with me!"
"I don't want to! Let me go!"
Their argument was so intense that passersby stopped and gathered around, pointing and whispering. Taking advantage of the thugs' distraction, the girl lowered her head and bit hard on the wrist of the man holding her. The thug cried out in pain and released his grip. The girl immediately turned and ran back to the carriage. She knelt down with a thud, her face streaked with tears, and looked at Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran inside, crying out:
"Madam, Miss, please save me!"
Seeing this, the bitten thug spat viciously, rolled up his sleeves, and lunged at the girl again. Ye Pianran's gaze turned cold, and she said to An Shihou's guards:
"Kou Guang, take them down!"
"Yes!" the guard replied, drawing his long sword and charging forward. This personal guard of Marquis Anshi was quite skilled; the two thugs were nothing but good-for-nothings, easily subdued by the guard in just a few moves. But the two thugs were still defiant, shouting at the guard:
"Damn it, how dare you lay a hand on me! Do you know who I am?!"
With a sudden burst of strength, the guard snapped the arms of the two thugs, and said coldly, "Then do you know who's sitting in that carriage over there?"
"Kou Guang, don't waste your breath. The Shuntian Prefecture government office is not far ahead. Just hand these two over to Lord Feng for disposal," Ye Pianran said.
"Yes, Miss," the guard replied, grabbing the two cursing thugs and heading towards the Shuntian Prefecture government office.
Seeing that Ye Pianran had indeed come to her aid, the young girl was so moved that her eyes reddened, and she repeatedly kowtowed to Ye Pianran, saying:
"Thank you so much for your kindness and help, Miss! Thank you!"
The onlookers were delighted to see the guards of the Marquis's residence deal with the villain in no time, and they cheered and applauded.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "That's the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion! She truly has the heart of a Bodhisattva!"
"Yes, yes, she truly deserves the praise of even the Emperor. She is the epitome of a woman in our Great Xia!"
"Is that the lady of the Marquis's mansion? She's really recovered! It must be the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion's filial piety that moved Heaven to cause such a miracle!"
Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan: "..." Hearing the whispers around them, the mother and daughter exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. Ye Pianran gently patted Gongsun Yuan's hand, telling her to stay in the carriage, while she stepped out, pulled down the curtain to shield Gongsun Yuan, and, under the gaze of everyone, bent down to help the girl who was repeatedly kowtowing to her feet.
"I simply cannot stand seeing people acting as accomplices to evil. There is no need for you to bow so deeply to me, young lady. Please get up."
The girl clung tightly to Ye Pianran's sleeve, refusing to get up, and choked out, "If I hadn't run into you, Miss, I think I would have been sold to a brothel by those two! You are my savior, Miss, and I deserve this great favor!"
Ye Pianran took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped away the girl's tears, avoiding the wounds on her face. She said, "Alright, those two have been sent to see the authorities. No one should bother you anymore. Take this money and bury your father." As she spoke, she secretly slipped a money pouch into the girl's hand where no one could see.
The girl was taken aback and asked, "How did you know I was going to bury my father, Miss?"
“You are dressed in plain clothes, which means there is a funeral in your family. Also, when those two people were struggling with you, they mentioned the word ‘selling yourself,’ so I know you must have encountered some difficulties,” Ye Pianran said. “Judging from your accent, you seem to be from the Shu region. After you bury your father, don’t stay in the capital. Go back to your hometown and settle down properly.”
Having said that, she turned to return to the carriage. Unexpectedly, someone grabbed her sleeve tightly, and the girl knelt down again, choking back tears as she said:
“Miss, you saved my life, drove away the bad guys for me, and gave me so much money. If I leave like this, wouldn’t I be an ungrateful person? Now I am all alone in my home, and I have nowhere to go. Since you have given me money, you have bought me. From now on, I belong to you. Please don’t send me away or despise me. Let me stay by your side and serve you!”
The crowd hadn't dispersed yet, and with so many eyes watching, Ye Pianran found herself in a difficult position. Aside from the unspeakable secret she carried, she already had two maids, Ling Shu and Ling Yi, serving her. Those two maids, both in her past and present lives, had been extremely loyal to her, and she didn't want to add anyone else to her side.
Seeing that Ye Pianran didn't speak, the girl's expression was extremely aggrieved. She looked at her dirty body, lowered her head and said pitifully, "Miss, do you think my body is dirty?"
"Of course not..." Ye Pianran said helplessly. Oh well, one more person in Lanxin Courtyard won't make a difference. Just arrange for her to do some menial work and keep this girl out of the way of her room.
"After you bury your father, take this jade pendant and come to the Marquis of Anshi's residence to find me," Ye Pianran said, taking off the pendant from her waist.
The girl gripped the jade pendant tightly and flashed a bright smile. "My name is Yue'er, and from now on I will be your maid. I will serve you wholeheartedly!"