After leaving the fur shop, Peng Wang gave He Zhiran another thumbs up.
"Sister, I'm really convinced today. If it weren't for you, I could only have sold these fifty wolves for 50 taels. But now, thanks to you, I got more than double the price."
In fact, He Zhiran was not very knowledgeable about doing business. She was merely benefiting from Duo Huo Yi Shi's expertise and understanding some basics about haggling.
Being praised like an idol by Peng Wang, she felt a little embarrassed.
"Big Brother Peng, please don't flatter me too much. I was just lucky."
"Sister, don't be modest. I don't give compliments lightly."
As he spoke, Peng Wang looked at the sky.
"We've been on the road for so long and must be hungry by now. Let's find a place to fill our stomachs first, then I'll accompany you to purchase supplies."
The three strolled along, looking for a place to eat.
Suddenly, a man came flying out of a book store ahead of them, his body slamming heavily onto the ground.
Then, several young men dressed as scholars walked out of the bookstore.
"Fei Nanyu, you poor devil, how dare you call yourself a scholar?"
"If I see you come to the bookstore again, I'll beat you every time."
Fei Nanyu?
Hearing this name, He Zhiran immediately thought of someone.
Historical records stated that after Nan Qi died, Fei Nanyu held court for six years before plotting to usurp the throne.
The Fei surname was rare, and for someone to dare use the royal surname in their name, even if the characters were different, ordinary people wouldn't normally dare to do so.
Therefore, she could determine that the man before her was the famous founding emperor of the Daxing dynasty – Fei Nanyu.
He Zhiran did not know much about Fei Nanyu's past, so she was unclear about what happened before he became emperor.
Seeing the future founding emperor in such a miserable state, He Zhiran's first reaction was that for Fei Nanyu, even if they could not be friends, they must not become enemies.
If the historical records were correct, Mo Jiuye died on the third day after being exiled. The exact cause of death had always been a mystery.
Now that she had come here, on the very first day, she had already changed Mo Jiuye's fate of being severely caned 100 times by Emperor Shunwu. And now, more than three days had passed since Mo Jiuye was exiled from the capital, yet he remained alive and kicking.
This showed that she had already changed Mo Jiuye's fate twice.
The Mo family's enemies were the imperial family. To take revenge, they would inevitably stand in opposition to the imperial family.
In the future, Fei Nanyu would become Da Shun dynasty's greatest enemy.
There was a saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Therefore, He Zhiran greatly valued this opportunity to befriend Fei Nanyu.
At this moment, Fei Nanyu looked very miserable. Blood kept flowing from his broken nose. The shabby clothes he wore were also stained with traces of blood.
He raised his arm and casually wiped his face, struggling to sit up.
Just then, the two scholars had already walked over disdainfully, about to continue beating him.
At the same time, He Zhiran felt a gaze staring at them from above behind her.
She instinctively turned her head back. Behind her was a two-story tea house.
If she was not mistaken, that gaze had come from the second floor.
So He Zhiran looked towards the second floor. She saw the window there was open, but no one was inside her line of sight.
With no time to think further, seeing that Fei Nanyu was about to suffer another beating, He Zhiran dashed forward and stood in front of him.
"I advise you two gentlemen, stop while you still can."
After saying just one sentence, with He Zhiran’s keen senses, she felt that gaze again.
But now was not the time for her to investigate. He Zhiran stared evenly at the scholars.
The two scholars looked at the woman blocking their way. Her clothes were covered in patches and her face was full of dirt.
The taller scholar said contemptuously, "What beggar is this, mind your own business and scram!"
He Zhiran still stood motionless in place, arms crossed over her chest.
"What if I insist on interfering?"
"You're asking for death." The shorter scholar said, raising his hand to slap He Zhiran.
Since He Zhiran had already chosen to intervene, she was prepared to fight back.
Just as she was about to retaliate, Peng Wang charged forward and kicked the short scholar in the stomach.
At the same time, the guard also punched the tall scholar.
Peng Wang didn’t know why He Zhiran wanted to intervene. However, from his understanding of her, she was no rash person and must have her own reasons for doing this.
Therefore, Peng Wang chose to support her unconditionally.
Seeing his boss take action, the guard naturally could not hold back either.
The two scholars were beaten. Clutching their painful spots, they glared furiously at their opponents.
The other scholars also surrounded them, glaring at the group. But no one dared make another move.
"You beggars have guts beating people openly on the street?"
He Zhiran was not angry, but laughed instead. She pointed to Fei Nanyu behind her and said,
"Weren't you guys also openly beating someone on the street? This is called getting a taste of your own medicine. Understand?"
From the scholars' attire, they were probably sons of wealthy families who were used to being arrogant.
Even if He Zhiran was speaking the truth, they would not admit it.
"Who saw us beating anyone? It was you who openly beat scholars before the public, yet you're slamming accusations instead!"
Peng Wang had a fiery temper. Worried that He Zhiran would be taken advantage of by so many scholars, he strode forward and said,
"The three of us personally witnessed you scholars beating someone on the street. If you don't believe us, let's go to the authorities right now for the county magistrate to decide!"
He had already thought this through. After all, he himself held an eighth-rank official post. At worst, he could reveal his identity at the county office, how could he still be afraid of some unlearned scholars?
Hearing about seeing the authorities, the scholars instantly cowered.
What if the county magistrate really upheld justice for Fei Nanyu? Their hard-earned positions as tongsheng might be revoked.
"We didn't beat anyone, why should we go to the authorities with you?"
"Then don't go to the authorities, but you still have to compensate his medical fees, that's a fact." This was He Zhiran's main goal at the moment.
From Fei Nanyu's attire, it could be inferred that he was currently destitute. What he needed most now should be money.
She could give the money herself, but it had to be done aboveboard, otherwise with Fei Nanyu's astute mind he would surely think she had ulterior motives.
Hearing that the matter could be resolved with money, and to avoid escalating the situation, the scholars could only reluctantly compromise.
"How much compensation do you want?"
"There are five of you total. I think twenty taels per person should be just right." He Zhiran said calmly.
"What? Twenty taels each? Fei Nanyu is not even worth it." The short scholar retorted first.
"In that case, let's go to the authorities and ask the county magistrate to decide if he's worth it or not!"
