Chapter 11: Rogue

As they sat there, the people nearby cast strange glances at the two of them. Although Xiao Min was a bit puzzled, she understood the reason in her heart.

I suppose this appearance of mine must have frightened them!

While she was thinking this, two beggars in tattered clothes walked toward them.

"Miss, you are a generous person, please have mercy. Bestow some food upon us!" One of them looked at the exquisite pastries on the table, swallowed hard, and pleaded with Xiao Min.

However, before Xiao Min could speak, the waiter from the shop nearby shouted with extreme impatience, "Get lost already! You're delaying my business!" He unpleasantly chased the two beggars away.

Xiao Min watched the cowering figures of the beggars and sighed; it was true, in such a bustling street, they were sound of limb and body, yet they had resorted to begging.

Sighing was one thing, but feeling one of the beggars staring straight at her made Xiao Min feel a bit uncomfortable. She didn't know why.

Perhaps it was because she was used to those professional beggars in the modern world, whose monthly income was several times higher than her own, and she felt a bit of resentment! She shook her head.

Coming back to her senses, she pleasantly tasted the delicacies on the plate.

"You brothers don't know, but on this cargo run, I went to the Northern Yue Kingdom, and I was frozen to the bone!" A man wearing a hat with a slightly large nose complained to his friends at the table, who were also merchants.

"The Northern Yue Kingdom has fertile land; there are quite a few good things there!" The merchant who looked refreshed and was wearing a blue cloth shirt was not to be outdone.

"It is said that the war between the Northern Yue Kingdom and our Ling Shui Kingdom has been tense recently, and the Emperor will soon send someone for a marriage alliance!" The big-nosed man in the hat carefully raised his head, glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention, and continued.

The other two were quite excited upon hearing this news, but their faces instantly turned gossipy. "Brother, you truly have good connections, but I wonder if this news is reliable?"

...

Xiao Min was listening intently and did not notice that Yue Niang had been attracted by the masks being sold outside on the street. Watching those colorful masks dancing in the wind, Yue Niang couldn't help but move toward them.

She didn't expect that, with her gaze entirely captured by the masks, she wouldn't notice the person coming toward her.

"Bang—!" The two collided head-on.

"Damn it, who the hell doesn't have eyes and dares to block my path?"

A young man, whose eyes seemed to be growing on the top of his head, cursed without any decorum and brushed off his clothes as if he had been contaminated by something unlucky.

The onlookers nearby quickly dodged to the side. Everyone knew that this arrogant young man was none other than the brother-in-law of the Prime Minister Xiao—the man revered like a god—and the brother of the Prime Minister's pampered wife who held the reins of the household!

This fellow was usually good for nothing, relying on the protection of the Prime Minister's wife to cozy up to the powerful in the Imperial City. He would eat whatever he could get his hands on, and if he couldn't, he would resort to flattery and fawning!

As a result, everyone detested him, yet they were helpless against him.

The few men following him immediately stepped forward to curry favor, bowing and scraping. "Master, are you alright?..."

Hearing the onlookers' murmurs and pointing, Xiao Min realized that Yue Niang had been surrounded, and she immediately rushed over in a panic.

"Are you alright? Are you alright?" Xiao Min checked Yue Niang with concern, fearing she had been hurt.

Seeing the ugly woman who had suddenly appeared, the arrogant man was clearly stunned.

A moment later, when he came to his senses, his eyes were clearly filled with disgust.

Finally, his gaze landed on Yue Niang, and it immediately became full of glinting, lecherous light.

His small eyes darted around. "Forget it, running into me today can be considered fate!" He swallowed his saliva and gave a look to his lackeys.

The lackeys understood and immediately stepped out, threatening with malicious words. "Do you see? Today you've met our wise and mighty Master Lin. If it had been anyone else, hmph!" He let out a cold snort.

Xiao Min looked innocently at the two men who were putting on this act, but she did not speak.

"Hmph, our Master Lin is in a very good mood today. If this great beauty can come and have a few drinks with our Master Lin, then today's matter will be settled!" He spoke as if he were a great philanthropist, and this outcome seemed like a form of charity.

Finally revealing his true colors, Xiao Min rolled her eyes in silence. These good-for-nothing second-generation heirs.

She muttered to herself in her heart.

However, before she could refuse, they had already tightly surrounded them.

The small-eyed man with a wicked grin stepped forward, shoved Xiao Min aside, and without waiting for her to speak, he arrived at Yue Niang's side, clicking his tongue in praise.

"Yo, what a graceful woman. Although she's a bit old, this snow-white skin, tsk tsk, is simply comparable to a young girl's!" His lecherous, smiling eyes were almost squinted into a slit.

"I just wonder how it feels to touch?" After saying this, he reached out to touch Yue Niang, but she dodged. Seeing Yue Niang like a frightened little rabbit, the crowd laughed without any restraint.

Lin Suli acted as if he had picked up a massive bargain. He waved his hand at his subordinates and, unable to wait, was the first to walk toward the "Ke Lai Xiang" restaurant.

The lackeys behind him understood. They tossed Xiao Min aside and reached out to grab Yue Niang to drag her inside. How could Xiao Min agree to such an act of forced abduction?

She rushed forward, pulled Yue Niang behind her, and glared at the group. Not to mention that she could not allow such a thing to happen right under her nose.

Let alone the fact that she was already in a precarious situation; if she didn't protect Yue Niang well today, she feared her future days would be unbearable.

Xiao Yuntian's warning voice echoed in her mind.

She puffed out her chest and looked at the man's hooligan-like demeanor without a shred of fear. Xiao Min knew that under the Prime Minister's nose, as long as she didn't die today, she wouldn't have to bear the consequences. She stood there with a heroic air, as if saying: "If you have a problem, come at me!"

Watching Xiao Min like a hen protecting her chicks, Lin Suli curled his lips into a sneer, though his face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. This stinking girl really didn't know what was good for her.

"I was only interested in the beauty behind you because I was in a good mood today. As for you, with that ghostly appearance of yours," his small eyes scanned Xiao Min from head to toe.

"Even if you were given to me, I'd find you an eyesore!" After saying this, he laughed wildly at the men behind him.

"If you guys don't mind, you can just pick her up and use her!" His lecherous laughter and that one sentence made the guards behind him look as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

They weren't wealthy young masters; they usually had to pay quite a bit of silver to enter a brothel...