After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 53 Where Did This Shrew Come From?
Bai Wanqing's eyes were fixed on the innkeeper. Perhaps because no one expected a young woman to suddenly appear and attack someone, no one had time to stop her.

She used a long stick to knock the innkeeper to the ground, and then struck him repeatedly on the back.

"Ouch! Ouch! Someone come quick! Arrest this shrew!" Bai Wanqing's stick fell heavily, leaving him powerless to fight back, and he could only roll on the ground and wail.

Seeing this, the inn's staff turned around to help, but Du Huan, with the help of the rouge shop's staff, managed to extricate himself and stop the inn's staff.

Bai Wanqing struck the innkeeper a few more times with the stick, and he finally knelt down and begged for mercy, "Grandma, please stop! Please stop!"

"Then tell them all to stop!" Bai Wanqing pressed the stick against the shopkeeper's chest, and the shopkeeper grimaced and shouted, "Stop! Stop!"

Everyone in the dark alley finally stopped fighting. Almost everyone was injured, with Du Huan being the most seriously injured. His face and arms were covered in bruises, and his leg was injured by someone kicking him. He was swaying and unable to stand steadily. Fortunately, he was supported by a fellow worker, otherwise he would probably have collapsed in the next second.

Du Huan was still thinking about Furong, and with a burst of strength, he said to Bai Wanqing, "Furong! Find Furong!"

Bai Wanqing had another person use a stick to hold the innkeeper back, then ran back to the wall and helped Baoyue out.

Baoyue was so frightened that she trembled all over, and her face had long since lost all color.

"Young Miss!" Baoyue said haltingly, "Second Miss was injured by that man named Li San, and he carried her to see a doctor."

"See a doctor?" Upon hearing that Furong was injured, Du Huan felt a chill run from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, and his body even stiffened slightly.

"Where is the doctor from?" Bai Wanqing asked.

Baoyue shook her head, crying, "I don't know! He just carried the Second Miss out, but I don't know where he took her to see a doctor."

Du Huan said coldly, "You three stay behind, the rest of you go to all the clinics and search every corner. Make sure you find Miss Bai the Second."

"Yes!" The waiters quickly tied up the dozen or so people at the inn and went to check the county's clinics. Fortunately, there weren't many clinics, so they should have news soon.

Seeing the severity of Du Huan's injuries, Bai Wanqing suggested, "Young Master Du, you should treat your wounds first!"

Du Huan looked at himself and nodded reluctantly. He still needed to find Furong and take care of her; he couldn't let himself look like this.

After Bai Wanqing had personally arranged things for Baoyue, she came to find Du Huan again. His body had already been covered with wound medicine. "Young Master Du, could you lend me two helpers?"

Du Huan asked, "Miss Bai, what's the matter? Are you going to teach those people at the inn a lesson?"

Bai Wanqing shook her head, her eyes full of worry. "I just learned from Baoyue that the trafficker was angry that Furong was stupid and couldn't fetch a good price. I'm afraid he didn't even take Furong to see a doctor."

Du Huan's pupils contracted upon hearing this, and he immediately stood up despite his injuries. "You mean Furong... might be thrown away?"

"This is just my guess, so I want to go out and look for it," Bai Wanqing said.

"I'll go with you!" Du Huan said, trying to follow without further ado.

Bai Wanqing stopped him, firstly because he was seriously injured and unable to move easily; secondly, if Furong was really in the clinic and there was no one in the inn, who would go to save Furong?

“I was just guessing. You wait here. If Furong is really at the clinic, you have to go and save her,” Bai Wanqing said earnestly.

Du Huan paused, realizing the logic in the statement, and immediately called over two waiters. "You two stay with Miss Bai and make sure she is safe."

Bai Wanqing thanked Du Huan and led her people to the woodshed in the backyard, where the innkeeper and everyone else were locked up.

As soon as Bai Wanqing entered, the innkeeper said fiercely, "You outsiders really don't know your place. Do you know who you've messed with?"

Bai Wanqing glanced at him, but didn't continue the conversation. Instead, she asked, "Tell me, how do those people who traffic girls deal with the girls they don't want?"

The shopkeeper gave a dismissive smile. "I don't know!"

Bai Wanqing had the waiter hand her a dagger. She weighed it in her hand, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Now? Do you know now?"

The shopkeeper never expected that this woman, who looked so gentle and quiet, was actually so wild inside.

"What are you doing! You wretch, how dare you hurt me?" The shopkeeper instinctively shrank back. "I am a relative of the county magistrate. If you hurt me, none of you will leave Huiyang County."

Bai Wanqing remained unmoved by his threats. Instead, she smiled and drew her dagger, revealing a silver blade, and slowly approached the innkeeper.

The shopkeeper thought the woman in front of him was crazy; only a madman would be unable to understand human language and act so stubbornly.

Left with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Bai Wanqing sheathed her dagger and looked at him quietly.

“Any girl that Li San didn’t want would be sent to Chunfeng Pavilion. If Chunfeng Pavilion thought she was acceptable, they would take her in. If not, Li San would leave her in the mountains outside the city to fend for herself.”

Bai Wanqing felt her blood boil. She turned and left the inn, taking two waiters with her to Chunfeng Pavilion. Bai Wanqing appeared calm, but her hands were trembling violently. This was the first time she had ever held a dagger, the first time she had ever pretended to be a villain to threaten someone. She was afraid.

She arrived at Chunfeng Pavilion, which was different from other shops at the time, as it was bustling with people.

This place wasn't a high-class brothel, so the people coming and going were mostly rough men, dressed rather casually, and the girls inside were of all shapes and sizes, a diverse array of beauty.

But in her current state, she can't possibly enter the Spring Breeze Pavilion. What should she do? Bai Wanqing narrowed her eyes and unconsciously bit her lip.

"Put this on!" Lin Yunche appeared behind Bai Wanqing without her noticing.

The two men alertly shielded Bai Wanqing behind them. Bai Wanqing recognized who it was and asked, "Where have you been? Why are you only showing up now!"

Lin Yunche stepped past the waiter and handed a set of men's clothing to Bai Wanqing. "Now is not the time to talk about this. Furong is inside."

Bai Wanqing was slightly surprised, but now was not the time to ask that. She found a secluded corner and, under Lin Yunche's cover, changed into men's clothing. When she reappeared, she was a handsome young man.

"Um... let's go!" Lin Yunche said in a slightly hoarse voice, and Bai Wanqing then noticed that his face was flushed purple.

"Are you poisoned?" Bai Wanqing asked worriedly.

Lin Yunche embarrassingly coughed up blood from his nose. "I didn't, I wasn't poisoned. Now is not the time to discuss this. Let's go inside."

Bai Wanqing nodded, and she and Lin Yunche entered Chunfeng Pavilion.

"Wow! These two young masters are so handsome!" The girls from Chunfeng Pavilion immediately surrounded them, and Bai Wanqing and Lin Yunche were squeezed together.

Lin Yunche suddenly felt a warm sensation on his chest—it was Bai Wanqing's back. He hadn't expected these girls to be so strong, so he consciously shielded Bai Wanqing behind him. But this shielding had an unexpected effect; the two soft spots pressed against his back left him stunned.

Bai Wanqing glanced at Lin Yunche, frowned and said, "Men are indeed all fickle. Since you like it, you can wait here. I'll go in by myself."

After Bai Wanqing finished speaking, she squeezed out of the crowd. Lin Yunche embarrassingly coughed up blood from his nose again, which attracted the girls around him to come and watch the commotion.

"Where did this shy young man come from!"

"Look, look! He's got a nosebleed again. He looks so cute."

Lin Yunche's face grew darker and darker. Just as he was about to get angry, he saw Bai Wanqing mouthing something to him from a distance.

"Hold them back!" After saying that, Bai Wanqing went into Chunfeng Pavilion without looking back.

The Spring Breeze Pavilion was filled with rough men, all of whom looked unwell. The girls who had just been serving them were now flocking to look at the pretty boy at the door.

"Mama Le, where are the girls?" a rough-looking man complained.

Hearing the commotion outside, Mrs. Yue hesitated for a moment before running over from the backyard. "Oh dear, sir, what's wrong! Why are you so angry?"

The burly man roared, "Look at you! Look at you! All the girls at your Spring Breeze Pavilion run away the moment they see a pretty boy! Is this how you do business?"

Mother Yue looked towards the door and saw a handsome but poor young man standing there, attracting the attention of almost all the girls. She quickly apologized to the burly man, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, the girls were being unreasonable. I'll go find them right away."

As soon as Mother Yue left, everyone's attention was drawn to Lin Yunche again, and Bai Wanqing slipped to the backyard of Chunfeng Pavilion with almost no effort.

The backyard of Chunfeng Pavilion is not large, with a total of three rooms, one of which is lit by candlelight.

Bai Wanqing quietly leaned closer and peeked through the crack in the window at the scene inside.

A thin man was about to tear off Furong's clothes. Furong was pale and seemed to have fainted. Bai Wanqing couldn't bear to watch any longer and rushed in from outside the door.

"Stop!" Bai Wanqing shouted angrily, forgetting to hide her identity as a woman and the consequences of her impulsiveness.

The thin man stopped moving, turned around to look at the newcomer, and his eyes gleamed.

It's truly a blessing from heaven; one sickly child didn't fetch much money, but now another one has been delivered right to his door.

Li San stood up and leered at Bai Wanqing. Bai Wanqing ignored his disgusting gaze and ran to Furong's side first.

Pale-faced, cold-bodied, and with a weak pulse, Furong's condition was really bad and she had to be taken to the clinic immediately.

Bai Wanqing helped Furong up and carried her on her back, intending to go out, but Li San blocked her at the door.

"Hmph! Once you've entered my door, Li San, it won't be so easy for you to get out!"

After saying that, Li San pounced on the two of them.

(End of this chapter)