As Liu Ming'an and Jiang Ning walked out of the magistrate's office, He Zhenhu was still waiting to receive his punishment.
Aunt Li Er and Li Xiangyun saw the two of them come out first and immediately approached them.
"Liu Ming'an, where's Zhenhu? Why are you out here while he's still inside?" Aunt Li Er demanded with a hostile expression.
Liu Ming'an replied as he walked, "Don't worry, he's been sentenced to twenty lashes. He'll be out once they're done."
"What?"
Aunt Li Er and Li Xiangyun's eyes widened in disbelief. Wasn't He Zhenhu just taken in for questioning? How did it turn into a beating?
Liu Ming'an couldn't be bothered with them and led Jiang Ning towards the Hundred Knowledges Tower.
"Liu Ming'an, stop right there! Explain yourself clearly. Did you lie to the County Magistrate? What does my son have to do with your house burning down? How can an educated person like you be so wicked..."
Aunt Li Er pursued them relentlessly, and seeing that Liu Ming'an was ignoring her, she reached out to grab his arm. But before she could touch him, someone seized her hand.
It was the veiled girl beside him.
Aunt Li Er struggled with all her might but found that the girl's grip was incredibly strong. She couldn't break free no matter how hard she tried.
"Let go of me, you rotten-faced bitch!" Aunt Li Er shouted, furious and out of options. She even lowered her head, attempting to bite Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning frowned in disgust, twisted Aunt Li Er's arm, and spun her around.
Aunt Li Er cried out in pain, "Ah! It hurts like hell! You rotten-faced bitch, when Zhenhu comes out, I'll make sure he teaches you a lesson—"
"Smack!"
A powerful slap landed on her face. At the same time, Jiang Ning released her grip. Aunt Li Er was instantly knocked to the ground, half of her face red and swollen, with blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
"Mother!" Li Xiangyun, who had been standing nearby, was startled and quickly went to help Aunt Li Er up, looking at Jiang Ning with a mixture of hatred and fear.
Aunt Li Er was stunned by the blow, but Li Xiangyun's cry brought her back to her senses. Known for her sharp tongue and mean-spirited nature, she was feared by all the young women in Lotus Flower Village. Now that she had been struck, Aunt Li Er, having regained her composure, lunged at Jiang Ning like a madwoman, clawing and screaming, "You little wretch! How dare you hit me? I'll fight you to the death!"
Jiang Ning wrinkled her brow in disgust, caught her hands again, and delivered another slap to the other side of her face.
"What are you doing? How dare you hit my mother!" Li Xiangyun saw Aunt Li Er being struck again and pounced forward as well.
The moment Jiang Ning saw this woman, she recalled the scene of her dropping her pants that day. Filled with revulsion, she didn't even want to touch her. Instead, she kicked Li Xiangyun in the stomach, sending her stumbling backward and crashing into Aunt Li Er, who had just managed to get up.
"Try anything else, and I'll end you both!" Jiang Ning threatened coldly, her patience exhausted.
Both women were bullies who only picked on the weak. Seeing that Jiang Ning was not to be trifled with, they could only slink away, supporting each other as they returned to wait at the entrance of the magistrate's office.
After dealing with these two, Jiang Ning noticed that Liu Ming'an was standing at the end of the street, anxiously looking around.
Jiang Ning walked up to Liu Ming'an and patted him on the shoulder.
Liu Ming'an jumped, startled, but relaxed when he saw it was Jiang Ning. He smiled and asked, "Are you done?"
"Why are you standing here? Ashamed of my rough behavior?" Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes and asked in an unfriendly tone.
"How could I be?" Liu Ming'an grabbed her hand, his face showing a hint of grievance. "Jiang Ning, you're wronging me. I was keeping watch for you."
Jiang Ning: "..."
Did she really need Liu Ming'an to keep watch for her?
"This place is too close to the magistrate's office. If anyone passed by, I could warn you in time," Liu Ming'an explained earnestly.
"...I appreciate the thought," Jiang Ning replied, then added, "Let's go to the Hundred Knowledges Tower now."
As they left the street, Jiang Ning looked back and saw the two women supporting a limping He Zhenhu as they walked in the opposite direction, seemingly still wiping away tears.
"What's the deal with those two just now?" Jiang Ning couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, them? They're quite troublesome," Liu Ming'an explained casually. "The older one, Aunt Li Er, is He Zhenhu's mother. She's a very unreasonable person. The younger one, Li Xiangyun, is both Aunt Li Er's niece and He Zhenhu's wife. She's just as unreasonable, and both of them love to gossip about others while being incredibly petty themselves."
"So how did you offend Li Xiangyun before?" Jiang Ning asked again.
Liu Ming'an didn't want to repeat those unpleasant words to Jiang Ning, so he simply said, "Just a little verbal dispute." But as soon as he said it, he suddenly realized: how did Jiang Ning know he had offended Li Xiangyun?
Remembering what Third Great Aunt had told him, Liu Ming'an turned to Jiang Ning and asked uncertainly, "She mentioned seeing a ghost before. Could it have been..."
Jiang Ning admitted nonchalantly, "It was me. She came to cause trouble in the middle of the night, so I just gave her a little lesson."
Realizing that Jiang Ning had been protecting him for a long time, Liu Ming'an's mood soared.
As people bustled about the main street, Liu Ming'an looked around and then pulled Jiang Ning into a nearby alley.
"What are you doing? Weren't we going to the Hundred Knowledges Tower?" Jiang Ning asked, puzzled by Liu Ming'an's actions.
The person holding her hand stopped, turned around, and reached out to remove her veil.
Jiang Ning's vision suddenly darkened as Liu Ming'an's face loomed close. Then, a gentle kiss landed on her lips.
Liu Ming'an closed his eyes, the corners slightly upturned, his long eyelashes resting on his lower eyelids. This close-up view made Jiang Ning's heart skip a beat.
"Jiang Ning, thank you," Liu Ming'an said tenderly after parting from her lips, his eyes full of warmth.
Jiang Ning pursed her lips, looking at Liu Ming'an's intense gaze, and awkwardly averted her eyes. "Don't waste time, let's go to the Hundred Knowledges Tower first."
Without waiting for Liu Ming'an to react, she snatched back her veil, put it on, and headed towards the main street outside the alley.
Liu Ming'an called out "Wait for me" with a smile and quickly followed her.
Inside the Hundred Knowledges Tower, the Boss listened to their request, then held up his right hand showing three fingers, followed by both hands showing ten fingers each.
"Thirty copper coins, and I'll tell you the route to Qushui City," the Boss said.
Liu Ming'an glanced at Jiang Ning, and seeing no objection, quickly paid the money.
The Boss happily accepted the coins, took out a piece of paper, and began writing while explaining, "Qushui City is very far from Lingshan Town, spanning nearly half of the Liang Kingdom. To get there by carriage would take about half a month. First, you need to spend two to three days to reach Wine Selling Town, then five to six days to enter Maozhu County. From Maozhu County, follow the main road for about four days to reach Zhuangzhu Village, and finally, after passing through Zhuangzhu Village, another four to five days will bring you to Qushui City."
The Boss finished writing and handed the paper to Liu Ming'an, then added, "If you and your wife are planning to go to Qushui City, I can offer some free advice."
"Please, go ahead," Liu Ming'an said politely.
"Wine Selling Town is famous for its alcohol. I send a carriage there every fortnight to buy wine and resell it to the various taverns in Lingshan Town, like Fusheng Restaurant. All their wine comes from my Hundred Knowledges Tower, and I make a profit on the price difference. If you two want to go to Qushui City, for 100 copper coins, I can have my people take you along when they go to buy wine, giving you a ride for part of the journey."
"When do you usually send people?" Jiang Ning asked.
"On the first and fifteenth of each month."
Liu Ming'an was set to take the provincial examination on the sixteenth of this month, with results coming out at the end of the month. If he passed and became a recommended scholar, they could leave on the first day of the next month.
The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other's thoughts.
Liu Ming'an smiled politely at the Boss, "That works. We'll come to find you on the first of next month."
"We usually leave after lunch, around the hour of the Snake. Please come on time," the Boss said.
"Alright."