Stealing the Alluring Heroine from the Battlefield [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 7

A hand reached out beside her, helping Awu hold up the corner of the curtain.

Awu gave her a grateful look and focused intently on the scene.

Only now did she notice the man standing beside the pitiful woman. His face was pale and bloated, his body swollen, clearly ravaged by drink and debauchery. He staggered as he walked, yet he still had the audacity to kick the woman.

“Oh my, what has become of the Zhang family?” someone in the crowd gasped.

“I heard he failed the imperial examinations four times. After his parents died and no one was left to manage the family, Zhang Er started spending all his time in taverns and brothels. He’s squandered every last coin and racked up huge debts,” someone who knew the situation explained. The crowd immediately erupted into chatter.

No one moved to help the woman off the ground.

Tears streamed down her face, her eyes filled with a helpless, pleading look. “Husband, Cui’er is our child, the apple of my eye. You must never, ever think of harming her. She’s still too young for such places”

“I beg you, I’ll work hard to earn money, and we can find a way. Husband”

The man remained unmoved, and when she persisted, he kicked her away.

Ah, this is the story of a husband who is utterly depraved and wants to sell his wife and daughter.

The carriage driver quietly pulled over to a corner, parking in a way that allowed Awu to watch the scene while remaining inconspicuous. The commotion drew the attention of several passing carriages and pedestrians, but no one noticed the two women.

“Should we help her?” Rong Yu asked, anticipating Awu might feel sympathy.

Awu pointed at the woman. Despite her haggard appearance, she was still young. Her arms, hidden in her sleeves, were thick and muscular from years of labor.

“She’s stronger than him. Why is she crying and kneeling on the ground?” Awu wondered.

The man looked like he was on his last legs. How long could he withstand a few punches from her?

Rong Yu was taken aback by her question, momentarily speechless. She smiled and reached out to pat Awu’s head.

Awu looked at her blankly.

As they were talking, a man outside the window, who had been watching this corner intently, straightened his posture. After meticulously checking his appearance, he stepped out from the crowd.

He was elegant and handsome, with refined features. “Madam, please rise,” he said.

He stepped forward personally and carefully helped her to her feet.

“Isn’t that the Imperial Scholar? I saw him during the parade!” someone suddenly shouted.

The crowd erupted like water dropped into a hot oil pan. Who didn’t love a dramatic scene of a righteous official saving a woman from the streets?

Kong Xuan looked slightly shy. “Please remain calm, everyone.”

The man, having lost the advantage, now that he heard this was the Imperial Scholar, a calculating glint flashed in his murky eyes as he shamelessly pressed forward.

“Imperial Scholar, this is a family matter—”

Kong Xuan ignored him completely, turning to the frightened woman before him. “Madam, I wish to help you. I can provide you with some silver. Would you consider divorcing your husband and leaving with your child?”

The words “divorce” struck a chord. The woman’s head snapped up, a flicker of desperate hope in her tear-filled eyes.

Kong Xuan looked at her encouragingly. The little girl he’d been holding, who had remained motionless, also lifted her face.

“You fucking—” The man spat out a string of curses.

Time seemed to freeze momentarily, awaiting her decision.

A few seconds later, the woman smiled bitterly and lowered her head. “Young Master, after the divorce, where can I go?”

The man launched into a vile tirade, “Imperial Scholar, you wouldn’t happen to be having an affair with this bitch, would you? That’s why you’re meddling in this. Fine, you hypocritical saint! Look everyone, the Imperial Scholar is having an affair with a married woman”

The crowd erupted in a commotion. Kong Xuan’s fair cheeks flushed crimson, but he couldn’t reason with such a scoundrel.

“She clearly wants it. Why is she saying the opposite?” Awu pointed outside, genuinely bewildered.

Rong Yu admired her innocent face, her voice like an elder’s, indulgent yet tinged with regret. “Perhaps she’s afraid.” Every choice has its own set of difficulties.

Could she truly divorce him? Would he let her go so easily? After the divorce, how would people look at her? What could she do for work? If she kept her daughter, would she ever find a good husband?

All these scenarios terrified her.

She’s stronger than that man and can earn a living. What’s she afraid of? If it were me, I’d beat him until he was spitting blood.

The System quietly observed the scene from within the system space, attempting to find a theory in its database that could explain it.

Host, humans have a theory. When a baby elephant is tied to a stake with a rope, it’s too small to break free, no matter how hard it tries. As it grows into a powerful adult, it remains unable to break the same rope.

Host, do you see that man? He’s this year’s Imperial Scholar, destined to wield great power in court. He’s also a potential target for our strategy.

Awu didn’t hear the last part. She was thinking about the rope.

“Has she forgotten that she could break free long ago?” Awu murmured.

“Hmm?” Rong Yu leaned closer, noticing her unhappiness.

Awu substituted Chasing Wind for the baby elephant in the System’s story and told it to Rong Yu exactly as she had heard it.

Rong Yu looked thoughtful for a moment, then a mocking smile curled her lips.

“Perhaps even if it broke the rope, it couldn’t leave. The outside world might be a sealed room.”

“What about you? Do you have a rope you can’t break?” Awu countered.

“Perhaps,” Rong Yu said with a smile.

Awu lost interest and sat back down. “I don’t like this story.”

She didn’t offer to rescue the woman or show any further interest in the remaining argument.

“Alright, let’s go back then,” Rong Yu said, his voice gentle and indulgent.

Kong Xuan hadn’t expected the woman’s husband to be so unreasonable and troublesome. He’d been dragged into the mess and left in a sorry state. Just as he finally broke free, he discovered the carriage that had haunted his dreams was gone.

Whose carriage was that? he wondered. Its wheels rolled forward, carrying away my longing…

After the farce subsided, two ordinary-looking men arrived and bought Zhang Er’s wife and daughter. The neighbors merely sighed, remarking that he had finally ruined his family completely, and soon forgot the story.

“Master, the person has been taken care of,” Yun Qi said, appearing at the window. She stopped at the look in Rong Yu’s eyes and stood respectfully at the desk.

“That man was such a wimp. He took the money and went straight to a brothel. Unfortunately, someone beat him up—black eyes, bruised face, and a broken leg. He won’t be up and about for at least two or three months.” Yun Qi’s gaze drifted as she spoke. Since her master hadn’t ordered her to act, she didn’t know who had laid hands on him.

“Let this be the last time,” Rong Yu said, dipping her brush to write without looking up, yet her voice carried an tone of knowing everything.

Yun Qi: …

“Yes, Master.”

“By the way, should we tell Miss Awu about this? It might make her happy.”

“Trying to get another month’s salary deducted for meddling again?” the cool voice replied.

Yun Qi: “Heh heh.”

She knew how to calculate. At worst, her master would dock one month’s salary, which she could easily make up with a bonus. The kind and generous Miss Awu, on the other hand, would likely offer a reward. Everyone could see that calculation clearly.

Still, she knew her place. Playtime was playtime, but when her master forbade something, she wouldn’t do it.

At the desk, Rong Yu gazed at the paper before her. On the pristine white surface, a black horse galloped with powerful limbs and a soaring posture. Yet a thin thread, extending from beyond the page, looped loosely around its neck.

What is it that’s holding her captive?

The System was showing Awu a newly released capture character.

Kong Xuan: Born into a humble family, yet exceptionally talented and brilliant. He and Rong Teng maintained a harmonious relationship as ruler and subject, ushering in an era of prosperity for the Great Rong. After his death, he became a celebrated scholar-official, remembered for generations.

Host, you should seize this opportunity and quickly try to win him over.

Awu lay on the bed, eating grapes and playing with a Luban lock. Her slender, pale fingers moved with nimble grace, effortlessly disassembling and reassembling the puzzle.

[ He doesn’t seem that strong ], Awu grumbled.

The System’s reminder immediately brought to mind that clueless young man, who looked easy to fool.

Uh, characters need to grow. He’ll become stronger in the future.

Awu: [ Honestly, I think Rong Yu is a better choice. She’s so powerful right now, what kind of role will she play in the Historical Records? ]

You told me to go after people with power and status. Doesn’t Rong Yu have enough?

Uh…</i> The System struggled, but had to tell the truth: <i>The Historical Records won’t record a princess’s name.

Rong Yu’s prestige had reached its peak seven years prior. As a woman, she had personally led troops to repel enemy invasions, achieving feats many men could not. Yet the Late Emperor and Rong Teng had tacitly agreed on the same approach: bestowing her with honors while gradually stripping away her influence and fading her from public memory.

One day, more military stars would rise, and Rong Yu’s name would be completely erased.

Up to this point, she had accepted this arrangement without objection.

Sensing the Host’s low mood, the System tried to comfort her.

This timeline is still quite backward. It wouldn’t be like this in other timelines.

Awu tossed the Luban lock in her hand onto the table. “Boring. I’m done playing.”

When Rong Teng came to visit Awu again, he noticed she kept staring at him as if he were some exotic creature.

He secretly rejoiced. It seemed that after a few days apart, Awu had already begun to miss him.

The Emperor’s phoenix eyes softened until they seemed to drip with tenderness. “Awu, you’ve been missing me, haven’t you? I’ve been thinking of you day and night, and I hate that you can’t be by my side more often.”

When facing Awu, he sometimes forgot to refer to himself as “Zhen,” acting like a young man smitten for the first time.

“Then take me to the palace,” Awu said indifferently, her eyes fixed on Rong Teng. She was curious how, with the same two eyes and one mouth, he could be considered the “mandated one.”

Rong Teng’s heart fluttered. “Wu’er”

She did have feelings for him!

Though many concerns remained, the thought of Awu made them all seem surmountable.

With renewed enthusiasm, Rong Teng pushed open Rong Yu’s study.

“I’ve been troubling you these past few days, Sister. I plan to take Awu back to the palace today.”

A glaring ink blot landed on the pristine white paper.

Rong Yu looked up. “Is that so?”

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