The street where Qianjin Hall stood became lively again, like during New Year celebrations.

There were even people who hadn’t finished breakfast, holding their bowls as they stood in the crowd looking inside.

“…Last time it was said someone died and caused trouble, is it the same this time?”

Newcomers inquired.

“No,” someone told them.

“Then what is it?” the person asked in confusion.

But the previous person didn’t answer, or more accurately, they weren’t quite sure why there was trouble again either.

What was going on with this Qianjin Hall? Had they accidentally worshipped the wrong patron deity and turned into a theater troupe?

“Why can’t we smash it?” a man said loudly, looking at the Qianjin Hall people glaring at him angrily. “This is our Marquis Dingxi household’s property. Forget smashing it – even if I tore it down, what business is it of yours?”

“This belongs to Young Madam Qi…” a disciple couldn’t help but shout, covering his face – clearly he had been beaten in the earlier conflict.

The man had been waiting for exactly this response. Hearing it, he laughed loudly.

“Young Madam Qi?” he snorted. “I wonder which family’s young madam that would be? Our family doesn’t have a young madam!”

What?

The disciples present were all somewhat stunned, and the clamoring immediately quieted down.

“This sir, please come over here. We can talk about whatever it is slowly,” Liu Pucheng said hurriedly, with some nervousness.

Most of the Qianjin Hall disciples didn’t know about Qi Yue’s divorce. Although it was divorce rather than being cast out, to the world there was no difference – they would only think the woman was at fault.

He couldn’t let this man announce this matter in broad daylight in front of everyone. How would Lady Qi be able to establish herself in the future…

Although this matter couldn’t be hidden forever, he could conceal it for as long as possible. At least it couldn’t be loudly proclaimed in such a setting.

Liu Pucheng felt uneasy and apprehensive as he bowed to the man.

Seeing Liu Pucheng’s reaction, the man couldn’t help but feel smug.

He was originally just an ordinary steward in the household, usually in charge of the carriage and horse business. Such external affairs normally wouldn’t fall to him, but early this morning everyone in the compound was running around in chaos. It turned out the Marquis wanted someone to lead people out to handle business, but couldn’t find anyone.

The head steward was said to have overindulged last night and had diarrhea this morning, unable to get up. Several other capable stewards either had sprained ankles or were suffering from colds and headaches – in short, they were either deathly ill or had mobility issues. Anyway, they just couldn’t go out. The Marquis Dingxi was furious and cursing at home. Everyone wasn’t stupid – even a blind person could see they were dodging the assignment.

What kind of assignment was it? Worth all this – it was just smashing a shop bought by the former young madam, just a young madam who had been thrown out! This woman was arrogant, but that was before, when she had the Marquis and the Marquis Dingxi household backing her up. Now that she’d been swept out the door, she was not only nothing, but an enemy of the Marquis Dingxi household. What could she be arrogant about now!

The man looked down on those usually high-and-mighty stewards who had plenty of opportunities for profit. See, when they were truly needed, they all turned cowardly.

The man had volunteered to lead the household guards, though the guards selected were also of mixed quality. But for a small shop, it was sufficient.

Look, what was there to fear? What could these people do? This was their property – what business was it of theirs!

Surely after returning from this, his position could be changed.

“Why go over there to talk? What can’t be said here?” the man said coldly, looking toward the crowd of onlookers. “This shop was originally bought by Marquis Dingxi’s young madam, so naturally it belongs to our Marquis Dingxi household, doesn’t it?”

Of course it was. The idle spectators cheered in response – when watching excitement, the bigger the better.

“Then we can do whatever we want with this shop, right?” the steward said loudly, raising his head high. “Moreover, now the young madam has become a cast-off wife of our Marquis Dingxi household.”

With these words, the noisy crowd suddenly quieted down.

What?

Liu Pucheng raised his hand to rub his face, feeling only bitterness in his mouth.

Poor child…

“You’re lying!” a disciple was the first to react, unable to help shouting loudly.

The steward laughed coldly.

“Have you ever seen anyone lie about such a thing?” he said.

Indeed, no one had…

The quiet crowd immediately erupted in noise again.

Heavens, that divine physician young madam had been cast out!

Heavens, the Marquis Dingxi household didn’t want her anymore!

The street immediately boiled over.

This was when Qi Yue walked over. Yuan Bao, following behind her, had a pale face. He turned to look at Qi Yue, but saw this woman’s expression was calm.

“Yuan Bao, see that one there? The one sticking his neck out – beat him hard!” Qi Yue turned her head toward him, pointing at the smug man in the center, and said.

She wanted to add another sentence – “don’t be afraid, I’m here” – but before she could open her mouth, Yuan Bao had already charged in.

“…How can we not smash my family’s shop? Forget smashing it, even if we tore it down for fun, what’s the— ow…” the man was speaking smugly when suddenly someone charged at him head-on. Before he could see clearly, he was heavily struck on the head with a broom. The twigs and dust made the man choke and stumble.

“Who…” he shrieked, having just shouted one word when the broom came crashing down on his head and face again.

Only then did the guards react, raising their clubs to move forward, but the guard at the front stopped, and those behind, not understanding why, crashed into him.

“What’s wrong? It’s just a half-grown kid – are you scared already?” those behind laughed mockingly.

Those in front weren’t laughing, but were looking toward the crowd.

“Young Madam…” they said in low voices.

Although Yuan Bao was a child, he had mixed with street laborers after all. The steward had to exert considerable effort to wrest away the broom, and by then he no longer had his earlier smugness. His hat had been knocked off, his hair was disheveled, his face was scratched, and his head, face, and body were covered in dirt.

“Ptui.” The steward spat out the dust in his mouth. Before dealing with the attacker who had been kicked aside, he looked back angrily at those who hadn’t come to help for so long. “Are you all dead?”

The guards all hung their heads and looked away.

Yuan Bao was about to attack again.

“Yuan Bao, that’s enough,” Qi Yue called out.

Hearing this voice, the steward looked over and only then saw that at some point, a woman had appeared standing in front of him, holding a door bar planted on the ground. Beside her stood a man dressed as a household servant, holding a bench and watching with hostile eyes.

“Young…” seeing this woman’s half-smiling expression, the steward instinctively started to kneel and call out, but caught himself with a start. “Lady Qi…”

He straightened up and said in a bland tone.

“How can you incite violence?” he said loudly. “What do you want to do?”

Qi Yue’s gaze swept to the side – the Qianjin Hall people were disheveled, the craftsmen all looked alarmed, and looking at the shop behind them, the interior that was already messy from construction was even more chaotic, with various craftsmen’s tools scattered about and the doors and windows they had been making broken and scattered.

Qi Yue took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“…Lady Qi, this is…” the steward was still speaking loudly when the guards behind him suddenly turned their heads away, as if they couldn’t bear to watch.

“What do I want to do?” Qi Yue walked up to the steward, saying as she raised her hand and swung the door bar at him. “What do I want to do! What do I want to do!”

She spoke while her hands had already struck out viciously several times in succession.

The steward hadn’t expected this woman to attack without saying a word. He hurriedly raised his hands to block, but still took several hits and retreated several steps. Fortunately, Qi Yue didn’t pursue him to continue beating. He stood his ground in panic and dishevelment.

Someone in the crowd was the first to laugh, and the laughter spread.

Well beaten! the idlers shouted again. They didn’t care who was beating whom – as long as someone was getting beaten, it was entertainment.

“Now do you know what I want to do?” Qi Yue planted the door bar on the ground again, looking at the steward and asking.

The steward touched his scraped forehead, both angry and ashamed.

“Are you all dead?” he turned around fiercely and scolded.

The guards hung their heads and looked away.

“Fine, fine.” The steward pointed his finger, cursing “useless,” then said, “Afraid of her? What’s there to be afraid of? She’s no longer the young madam of our Marquis Dingxi household!”

This was indeed the truth… some guards shifted slightly, hesitating as they moved to the steward’s side.

With one taking the lead, the others followed.

Only then did the steward breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at Qi Yue, both sides formed a standoff.

“Lady Qi, I’m not wrong, am I?” he said resentfully. “Out of consideration for you being a woman, I won’t argue with you, but you better watch yourself next time. Our Marquis Dingxi household is not easy to talk to!”

His words had barely finished when Qi Yue raised her hand again and swung the door bar at him.

Fortunately, the steward was prepared and ducked to avoid it.

Although the guards were beside him, none moved to stop her. Instead, they also ducked down to avoid.

The crowd burst into laughter again.

“You!” the steward was furious with shame and embarrassment, glaring as he shouted.

“What about me? I didn’t watch myself again. How exactly are you planning to not be easy to talk to?” Qi Yue asked with a cold smile.

This woman! This woman should be hiding at home crying! Should be too ashamed to see people! How did she have the face to come out and beat people!

“Now you know why our Marquis Dingxi household didn’t want her!” the steward suddenly shouted loudly to the crowd. “This kind of evil woman! She had to be cast out!”

The discussion in the crowd grew louder, and more people pointed at Qi Yue.

“Lady Qi, don’t say any more,” Liu Pucheng said, his expression worried.

The other disciples were the same – besides worry, there was more sadness, grief, and anxiety.

Cast out… thrown out…

No longer had the status of the marquis household’s young madam…

Then in the future…

“So what?” Qi Yue stepped forward and stood at the doorway. “You can just randomly smash my shop?”

“This isn’t yours! This belongs to the Marquis Dingxi household!” the steward shouted with a cold smile.

“Didn’t you ask clearly before coming?” Qi Yue looked at him with a cold smile. “Whose money bought this shop?”

Whose money? In any case, it couldn’t be an outsider’s money. As long as it was someone from the Marquis Dingxi household, then it belonged to the Marquis Dingxi household!

“Lady Qi, such talk is meaningless. You’d better step aside quickly so we can finish our business and return to report. The Marquis is still waiting,” the steward said coldly.

Qi Yue stood at the doorway looking at him.

“You dare!” she said lightly.

Yuan Bao picked up the broom and came over, and the man holding the bench hesitated before also coming to stand with them.

The steward’s face turned red. Playing general, are you?!

You three – the small ones small, the woman a woman. If I’m intimidated by you, I don’t need to go back!

“Men, smash it!” he waved his hand and shouted loudly.

The guards looked at each other but no one stepped forward.

“Don’t you know your own surnames?” the steward said angrily. “Whose rice are you eating?”

This phrase worked. The guards finally stepped forward.

“Lady Qi, step aside,” the steward said arrogantly, raising his head.

Behind him was a line of guards with clubs, and with his words, the clubs were positioned for attack.

Qi Yue said nothing, just stood motionless.

The street suddenly quieted down as everyone watched this confrontation between obviously unequal opponents.

The lively atmosphere suddenly became heavy and tense. Timid people even held their breath.