After being exiled, she married a rough man, and the sickly beauty was spoiled

After entering the city gate, a winding river stretches before your eyes, and an arched stone bridge on the river connects the east and west streets.

Under the west end of the bridge, there is a stage covered with bamboo poles. Behind the blue curtain, someone is performing a puppet show. Amid the sound of gongs, two carved wooden puppets sometimes walk and jump, sometimes fight. The puppeteers follow the movements of the puppets, switching from high-pitched and passionate singing to gentle and moving tunes. It can be said that the small piece of wood carving is depicted with a wry smile, pretending to be a sheng, a dan, a chou, and a jing. Several strings are pulled to make it very lively, performing the joys and sorrows.

Song Huiling mingled in the crowd and clapped for a while. After the soldiers next to him crossed the bridge, he slowly moved away from the crowd.

There are many shops in the city, and people are constantly coming and going. There are always long queues in front of any small shop. Song Huiling is very confident in his cooking skills. If he really makes some food to sell in the city, he will definitely make a lot of money. Isn't this how the heroines in farming novels make their fortunes?

But ideals are full and reality is skinny. After understanding the situation, she was so depressed that she couldn't walk.

All shops in the city, including the inconspicuous street stalls, must be properly registered and have a license before they dare to do business. If ordinary people want to set up stalls at will, they will not only have to pay a huge fine, but also be beaten with a stick.

When asked about the conditions for obtaining a license, Song Huiling just wanted to die on the spot.

The military, political and civil power of Qingyuan County is firmly in the hands of the garrison troops. Not only do you have to know the people in charge, you also have to pay an extra two taels of gold to the military commander.

Song Huiling does have a husband who is a military leader, but seeing how poor their family is, it seems unlikely that he is capable of managing things.

As for two taels of gold, what does that mean? It is roughly equivalent to 100 grams of gold today. Recently, the price of gold has soared to more than 700 yuan per gram, which means that she only set up a street stall and had to pay more than 70,000 yuan for the stall fee before making any money. In this case, it seems better not to do this food business.

Song Huiling sat dejectedly on a stone staircase at the corner of the street and pounded her calves, which were sore from walking. Suddenly, the aroma of shortbread wafted into her nose and her stomach growled. She didn't have a penny on her body, so she held her empty stomach and took a deep breath of the shortbread aroma, which caused her throat to spasm and she started coughing.

How about putting out a broken bowl and begging for a few copper coins to buy some bread? Song Huiling was thinking sadly, when suddenly, a gentle male voice sounded behind him.

"Lingmei, is that you?" Song Huiling pointed at herself with her index finger. Was he calling her? She turned back in the direction of the voice with a suspicious look on her face.

When she saw who it was, her eyes suddenly widened, and she stood up excitedly and ran towards the man: "Brother, why are you here!"

The man was dressed in grey cloth with patches all over his body, but it did not diminish his cool and elegant demeanor in the slightest. His narrow eyes were like the gurgling spring water, warm and gentle.

Song Huiling's eyes were sore and tears rolled out. She deeply experienced what it meant to meet fellow villagers, and her eyes were filled with tears.

But when that person opened his mouth again, her tears were forced back.

"Sister Ling, you and I haven't seen each other for only half a month, and you've become so estranged from me that you don't even want to call me Brother Shengsui?" The man's eyes were filled with deep disappointment, and his fists were clenched tightly, as if he was trying his best to restrain himself.

Song Huiling woke up and realized that this was not her senior brother, but the original owner's sweetheart, Xie Yunsui. He and the original owner had been studying in the same private school since childhood, and they were indeed senior and junior brother and sister.

She paused, took a step back, and said politely but distantly: "Thank you, Master. Now that I am married, there is no need to mention the past."

Xie Yunsui was fine, and Song Huiling was very surprised. The original owner was too thoughtful, and would not ask questions when he had something on his mind. He would just keep it to himself and lose sight of it as he thought about it.

Song Huiling was well aware of the differences between men and women in ancient times. Not to mention that she was married now, even if she was unmarried she would not call a strange man "brother", a title with such obviously ambiguous connotations.

Xie Yunsui's expression changed slightly, and he took a big step forward and grabbed her wrist: "Sister Ling, did that person force you?"

Song Huiling felt pain, and when she looked up, she met a pair of scarlet eyes that seemed to be filled with tears: "Sister Ling, please bear with it a little longer. The emperor doesn't have much time left. When the fifth prince succeeds to the throne, I will be able to resume my position, and you will still be my wife then."

"Shut up!" Song Huiling covered Xie Yunsui's mouth in a hurry. Did he really have no idea why he was exiled to the center of Guizhou? She was afraid that if he continued to speak wildly, he would be killed by the city wall or beheaded immediately, and she, the unlucky one, would be implicated.

Xie Yunsui seemed to not understand what she was saying, and he grabbed her other hand as well. With a determined look in his eyes, he stared at her: "Sister Ling, believe me, even if you are no longer a virgin, I will not despise you. After returning to Beijing, we will forget everything in Qianzhong and live a good life."

Song Huiling really wanted to curse. This was pure sexual harassment. She really didn't think that Xie Yunsui loved the original owner. He just had a possessive desire. If he really loved her, he would consider her situation, be patient and restrained, and would not do anything to embarrass her.

"Let go of me. How can you pull and tug on each other in the street? Don't force me to scold you!" If her body had not allowed it, Song Huiling would have slapped him long ago. With her small body now, not to mention a normal adult man, even a weak chicken could knock her away.

Not only did Xie Yunsui not let go, he even tightened his grip: "Sister Ling, are you really so cruel to me?"

Song Huiling tried her best to break free but couldn't. If she had known, she would not have gone out alone. If the hard way didn't work, she would try the soft way. She resisted the urge to feel sick and shouted, "Brother Sui, you hurt me, can you let go first?"

As expected, Xie Yunsui frowned and let her go, with guilt in his eyes: "Sorry, Lingmei."

Song Huiling quietly took a small step back, ready to turn around and run, but when she turned around, she saw a familiar face in the crowd.

He Zhan had a gloomy expression on his face. He walked towards her through the crowd, followed by a subordinate.

The two men stood in front of her, one in front and one behind. He Zhan's lips suddenly curled up, and his smile made people shudder, like the devil who was asking for her life: "A married woman secretly met with a man outside her family. According to Dayan law, what should she be punished for?"

The men behind him looked extremely uncomfortable, as if they had witnessed their boss's dirty laundry. When He Zhan asked them questions, they lowered their heads and stammered, "According to the law, they should be thrown into a pig cage to set an example..."

Song Huiling's face turned pale. She had angered the villain. She had even thought about where to bury herself. No matter whether He Zhan believed it or not, she would still defend herself.

But before she could open her mouth, Xie Yunsui suddenly stepped forward, holding her behind his back with one hand, confronting He Zhan, not giving in at all: "It has nothing to do with Lingmei, I forced her, if you have anything, come at me."