"Wen Xiaoxiao?"
"Wen Xi?"
Zhao Shuning immediately connected the dots.
What a coincidence!
Didn't Wen Xi say that his cousin was the gentlest person and had a loving husband, which was why she had traveled far and wide to settle down with that Wei Qian in Chaozhou?
But now?
Why was the situation like this?
"Wei Qian, I helped you become a well - known merchant in Chaozhou. When you achieved success and amassed millions in assets, you kicked your first wife to the curb and married that Li Xuan instead. Wei Qian, karma comes around. One day, you'll die because of your selfishness."
Wei Qian wanted to lash out, but he held back.
Just as the host of the auction had said, Wen Xiaoxiao was now just a commodity. He was still counting on Wen Xiaoxiao fetching a good price at the auction so that he could reap a handsome reward.
"I'm not going to argue with you. You've always kept me on a tight leash. Isn't it normal for a man to have concubines? I gave you a chance, but you're just too narrow - minded. You didn't recognize your own place. Since you couldn't tolerate Xuanxuan, there's no place for you in the Wei Mansion anymore."
"Now all you can do is pray to be bought by a good family. From now on, you won't be the Lady Wei of the grand mansion. You need to learn to rein in your temper. A woman like you, without any talent or virtue, other than being a bit gentle, has nothing to offer. You were never a good match for me. With all my knowledge, I've felt so stifled being with you all these years."
Zhao Shuning listened to the man on the stage and couldn't help but feel disgusted.
Wen Xi had been kind to her. And Wen Xiaoxiao was Wen Xi's younger sister. Helping her was just a matter of doing a good deed.
Moreover,
She couldn't stand the man's current demeanor.
But before Zhao Shuning could step onto the stage to intervene,
From the stands below,
A scholar clenched his fists and suddenly roared,
"Wei Qian, one day, you'll meet a bad end!"
His voice, though a bit tremulous with fear, was extremely powerful.
The crowd had been engaged in a noisy discussion.
The scholar's roar instantly drew everyone's attention to him,
Including Zhao Shuning.
Following the sound, she saw the scholar quickly make his way to the front.
At a glance, the scholar was dressed shabbily. His clothes were tattered, and his plain robe was patched in many places.
He had a handsome and delicate face.
His black hair was neatly tied up with a wooden hairpin.
The moment he appeared, four words popped into Zhao Shuning's mind:
Frail Scholar.
And indeed, that was the case.
The scholar had no spiritual power or mental strength at all. But in the face of this auction house guarded by several spiritual pharmacists, he still had the courage to stand up. His bravery was truly commendable.
"Mu Er?"
Wen Xiaoxiao on the stage called out.
Seeing that the woman knew the man below, Wei Qian's face darkened even more.
"Good for you, Wen Xiaoxiao. You shameless woman. You've been having an affair behind my back. No wonder I always wondered why you were so nice to me. I bet you felt guilty for what you did to me, so you pretended to be a virtuous wife to deceive me!"
"Wei Qian, you've gone too far. You even dare to call yourself a scholar. All the books of sages you've read must have been eaten by dogs. Lady Wei is such a kind - hearted person. How could you slander her like this? A petty and vulgar person like you was never worthy of Lady Wei in the first place. You should just go and live with the snakes and vermin!"
The scholar's scolding was resounding.
"Who do you think you are to speak here? Who the hell are you?"
"I - I've come to take Miss Wen back."
When arguing with Wei Qian earlier, the scholar had been full of anger.
But now,
When he mentioned Wen Xiaoxiao,
The scholar's face flushed bright red.
As soon as he said this,
Not only was Wen Xiaoxiao on the stage stunned,
But the people below also looked at the scholar provocatively.
"Mu Er, all these years, all you've done is write couplets, letters, sell firewood, and a bit of sesame oil to earn some pocket money. What else do you have?"
"Exactly. We've seen how you've been living all these years."
"The place you live in was just a wood - shed built by the servants of the Wei Mansion out of pity for you by Lady Wei. You live in such a shabby place. How could you even have the nerve to come to this auction house?"
"Yeah. This oil - seller comes to my bun shop every three days to buy a bun. When he's hungry, he'll break the bun into pieces and eat a little bit with some water."
"Mu Er, you're living such a hard life yourself. Don't meddle in the affairs of the wealthy families."
The scholar's face was flushed red.
The next moment,
He reached into his bosom and took out a string of freshwater pearls.
"I have money. I can redeem Miss Wen."
The scholar's voice was loud.
The string of freshwater pearls emitted a faint pink glow in the sunlight.
It was obvious at a glance that they were rare items.
Wei Qian had been wearing a sneering expression.
But when he saw this,
He suddenly stood up on the stage.
Then, with a furious look on his face, he rushed towards Wen Xiaoxiao.
He raised his hand high.
One could imagine that if that slap landed on Wen Xiaoxiao's face, her fair complexion would instantly turn red and swollen.
"Smack!"
Everyone stared with wide eyes.
Wei Qian's hand didn't land on Wen Xiaoxiao's face.
Instead, a woman suddenly appeared on the stage.
The woman had a good figure, sharp eyes. Her left hand was behind her back, and her right hand firmly caught Wei Qian's hand just as it was about to fall.
"Who are you? How dare you interfere in my business?"
When Wei Qian looked up and saw the woman's face, he couldn't help but put on a smile.
He added, "Little beauty, why are you causing such a ruckus?"
The woman on the stage was none other than Zhao Shuning.
Zhao Shuning just gave Wei Qian a faint smile.
The host of the auction immediately stood up.
"Guards, get rid of this uninvited guest."
The spiritual pharmacists around the auction house all stood up at once.
But when they were about to go on stage to "escort" the woman off,
They found that the woman was surrounded by abundant mental strength.
They couldn't even get close to her.
The host of the auction obviously realized something was wrong and quickly got up. Just as he was about to bend down and clasp his fists to say something,
He heard a crisp "crack" sound from the stage.
Then,
The woman gently lowered her right hand.
Immediately afterwards, Wei Qian let out a pig - like howl.
He hugged his right hand.
First, he knelt on the ground.
Then, the intense pain in his wrist made his face turn deathly pale. He hugged his hand and rolled back and forth on the stage, howling in agony.
Zhao Shuning clapped her hands.
Right in front of everyone,
She spun around gracefully.
Jumped off the high platform.
And said to the stunned scholar, Mu Er, "You go on."