"Itâs this lady here, said to be the wife of our Prefect. With so many people in Shandong falling ill, Lord Prefect has fallen ill too. Itâs said that someone can cure Lord Prefect, and all they want is for the Prefectâs wife to kneel on the main street for three days."
"Is that so? I hadnât realized Madam Ye was so compassionate and loyal. Lord Ye is truly fortunate."
"Pah, what luck. If you ask me, Lord Ye is no good. Just to save his own life, heâs letting his wife do such a shameful thing, kneeling in public; how disgraceful."
"Exactly, if heâs going to die, he should do it alone; why drag his wife into it? This lady will lose face and wonât even be able to leave her house after this; how embarrassing."
"Thatâs not right to say; is face worth more than life?"
"Regardless, Lord Ye is no good, not showing his face even while his wife is kneeling."
Yang Chuxia listened to the idle chatter, each word entering her ears, feeling anxious inside. Did these people all have something wrong with their brains, defending her righteousness like this?
What did her kneeling have to do with them? Meddlesome fools!
"Where is Lord Ye? He should come and see her. Whatâs a grown man so afraid of? Heâs not fit to be a man!"
Just as another comment reached her, Yang Chuxiaâs gaze shot straight toward the speaker, locking eyes precisely.
"Are you full and bored with nothing else to do? My kneeling has nothing to do with you; whatâs with all the pointless chatter? Youâd best shut your mouth. I donât have much patience, and it would be in your best interest to stop talking ill of Lord Ye. Otherwise, if I get up and am unhappy, he will have to suffer for it. If you want to gawk, then go stand aside and watch properly. If you donât want to watch, then get lost. Keep your mouth shut, is that clear?"
"Besides, from the way you talk, it seems like youâre not afraid of death. Ye San, hand him a knife. Since heâs not afraid of death, let him commit suicide right here. Once heâs dead, Iâll give his family fifty taels of silver."
"You..." The man who had been speaking was almost choked by her retort, thinking to himself how she could fail to appreciate his words. He was speaking for her benefit.
Others also wondered why Madam Ye was acting this way since everyone was speaking out of concern for her.
All right, in this world, there is always that kind of moral high ground, doing things you dislike under the guise of being for your own good.
Just like at this moment, in Yang Chuxiaâs heart, regardless of anything, it wasnât up to others to criticize Brother An.
"Have you people really nothing better to do?" snapped Ye Wu, who had also come out. "Our lady is kneeling for Lord Ye? Sheâs doing it for the people of Shandong! Do any of you have the right to prattle on? So many people in Shandong are ill, and now thereâs a chance for them to be cured. Whatâs wrong with our lady kneeling? Sheâs kneeling for the lives of thousands in Shandong. Our lord doesnât even know the news yet because heâs gravely ill. All of you, shut your mouths tight, or youâll answer to my blade."
The crowd, already winded by Yang Chuxiaâs words, suddenly saw things much clearer after hearing Ye Wuâs speech.
So thatâs it. If Lord Ye could be saved, surely others in Shandong could be saved too.
Thinking this way, they suddenly found Madam Yeâs act of kneeling not so hard to accept.
At that moment, the crowd blocking the way parted, opening up a path.
A lean man in a white robe floated serenely through.