Upon hearing his older brother’s words, the younger man’s eyes lit up. “So, once we get the money, I can finally buy Xiao Qing’s freedom?”
His older brother looked at him with disdain. “You’re so short-sighted! In the capital, you can have anything you want. Marrying the daughter of a high-ranking official isn’t out of reach. Why are you still obsessed with that prostitute from Chunxiang Brothel?”
The younger man thought about it and realized his brother was right. With this newfound motivation, all his previous hesitations vanished. He eagerly followed his brother, ready to carry out their plan. Once they had enough money, he dreamed of buying a big house, marrying a virtuous wife, and keeping a few concubines. He could even free Xiao Qing from the brothel and keep her as well!
Hidden in the shadows, Gu Xingzhao watched the two men with amusement. Their ambitions were grand—they had already planned out their future, from the size of their mansion to the number of wives and concubines they would have.
At first, she thought they were just common thieves, maybe after some valuable goods they could sell. Or perhaps they were being paid by someone to carry out the job. But now it was clear—they intended to control He Zhen, using her to take over the flourishing fireworks business she managed.
Their ambitions were high, and Gu Xingzhao figured they deserved a “reward.”
She slowly extended her hand, summoning dark clouds as lightning crackled between her fingers, preparing to strike.
But just as the two men were about to reach He Zhen’s window, several maids and guards rushed out from the darkness, surrounding the brothers. In no time, the intruders were subdued, gagged, and bound.
The older brother’s eyes widened, and he let out muffled cries as he realized their plan had been thwarted.
Gu Xingzhao, a bit surprised, withdrew her hand. It seemed He Zhen had anticipated this and made preparations for such an event.
As she was mulling over the scene, He Zhen emerged from her room, glaring at the two intruders. “How dare you trespass into my home!”
He Zhen carried herself with authority, after all, she has been in charge of the Liu family’s internal affairs for many years. The two brothers, gagged and restrained, could only make frantic, muffled sounds.
At He Zhen’s signal, one of the maids removed the gag from the older brother’s mouth. He immediately started shouting, “Trespass? You’re the one who invited us here! Now you’re trying to frame us for breaking in!”
The younger brother chimed in as soon as his gag was removed. “Exactly! You called us here for a private meeting, and now that things have gone wrong, you’re trying to blame us for breaking in!”
The maids exchanged puzzled glances. It was clear these men had broken in, yet they had the audacity to turn the blame around.
Seeing their reaction, the two brothers grew more confident, smirking. “Go ahead, report us to the authorities! Let’s see what the people of the capital have to say about this!”
He Zhen remained silent, but the maid beside her panicked. She leaned in and whispered, “Madam, you can’t send them to the authorities!”
He Zhen was already divorced, a woman conducting business in public—a situation that invited gossip in the capital. If this incident were to become public, regardless of whether people believed the brothers or not, it would tarnish her reputation irreparably.
A woman’s reputation was everything, especially one who had gone through a divorce. This was not something they could afford to escalate.
“Yes, Madam. Let’s just break their legs and toss them out!” Another maid suggested with anger.
But He Zhen suddenly smiled and asked, “What’s the point of reputation?”
The maids and guards were stunned by her question. Reputation… what was it good for? It wasn’t something they’d ever questioned.
He Zhen continued, “I’ve already been through a divorce. Do you think I’m still worried about my reputation?”
Those who trusted her would continue to trust her. For those who didn’t, no amount of explanation would change their minds.
One of the maids hesitated. “But Madam, if you ruin your reputation, it’ll be hard to find a good second marriage…”
Although they had once served the Liu family, they were now loyal to He Zhen and cared deeply about her future. After all, her former husband’s fate was uncertain, and it was only natural for her to consider remarrying someday.
The brothers smirked to themselves. See? Controlling a divorced woman was simple. For the sake of her reputation, she wouldn’t risk taking drastic actions.
He Zhen turned to the two maids who had voiced their concerns. “I appreciate your worries for me and my daughter, but I’m not interested in remarrying. My husband will return.”
She had faith in Liu Xiangbai. He was a man of his word. If he promised to come back for her and their daughter, she believed he would. And even if he couldn’t return, once she earned enough money, she could go to the northern lands and find him herself. There were many ways for a family to reunite, as long as there was determination.
Gu Xingzhao was quietly impressed by He Zhen’s resilience. In this patriarchal society, women were often confined to the home, taught to depend on their husbands. She had read about a woman who, upon learning her husband had been exiled, felt her life was over and took her own life. But He Zhen was different. She was strong-willed. If her husband couldn’t come back, she would make enough money to go find him herself. No matter the obstacles, she was determined to keep her family together.
Seeing He Zhen’s unwavering resolve, the maids stopped suggesting a second marriage. One of them whispered, “Even if you believe in your husband, you should still be mindful of your reputation. If the Master returns and hears rumors, it might be difficult to explain.”
“It’s fine. He will believe me,” He Zhen replied confidently.
The two brothers couldn’t hear the whispered conversation, but the older one, being sharp, could sense the situation shifting. He realized things might not go as smoothly as they had hoped. This woman wasn’t as easy to manipulate as they thought. Panicking, he shouted, “Making a big deal out of this won’t benefit anyone! Let us go, and we’ll never mention what happened tonight. We won’t bother you again!”
Some of the maids considered the offer. It seemed like an easy way to end the matter quietly.
But He Zhen looked at the two men with disgust, as if merely seeing them sullied her eyes. In a cold voice, she ordered, “Gag them again and send them to the city patrol. Tell the officials these two broke into my home with malicious intent and were caught in the act. Let the authorities deal with them.”
“Madam!” one of the maids exclaimed in surprise.
He Zhen raised her hand to silence any further objections. “My mind is made up. If these two were bold enough to do this tonight, others will try the same in the future. If we let this go, people will think my home is easy to break into. While we can fend off common thugs, what if someone with power tries to take advantage? We need to make an example of them.”
The maids finally understood. He Zhen was right. The only way to protect herself in the long run was to make it clear that no one could mess with her, divorced or not.
Without further hesitation, the maids stuffed cloth back into the brothers’ mouths and prepared to drag them out.
Realizing their situation was dire, the two brothers struggled desperately, trying to escape. But before they could act, He Zhen calmly pulled out an electric baton. She stepped closer and jabbed the older brother with it. A flash of electricity coursed through him, causing him to scream in pain and collapse, convulsing on the ground.
Everyone froze in shock. “What just happened?”
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