On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2105 Trouble at the City Gate

Liu Balang shakily got off the carriage and looked up. He saw several men in black in the alley, all dressed in dark, tight-fitting clothes, their hands and feet bound behind their backs with thick hemp ropes.

Four gray-clad guards were bending over and pressing down on the man in black, their movements swift and steady.

Liu Balang then realized that Sun Qing was not the only one who had come.

Not far away, there were five or six people, all of them tall and with restrained auras. The young master in the lead was handsome, and it was Yan Ruyu.

Her eyes were clear and bright like a cold pool. When she glanced at Liu Balang, she only gave him a brief look before raising her hand and waving.

Sun Qing immediately stepped forward, grabbed Liu Balang by the collar, and made it impossible for him to break free.

Sun Qing dragged him towards the alley entrance, leading him to the intersection where a small blue sedan chair was parked.

Sun Qing released his hand and pushed Liu Balang, helping him into the sedan chair.

As soon as he settled in, the sedan chair swayed gently and moved forward smoothly.

In the alley, the lead guard had finished searching the men in black and walked up to Yan Ruyu to report, his voice lowered: "Your Highness, there are no traces of poison between their teeth, so they cannot commit suicide for the time being."

Yan Ruyu nodded, her gaze falling on the men in black. They were glaring at her fiercely, their eyes filled with resentment, but because they were tightly bound, they could only twist their bodies.

"Take him back," Yan Ruyu said in a flat tone, "to the Su residence for interrogation."

"Yes."

Near the city gate, Huo Changhe was leaning against an old banyan tree, his expression solemn as he watched people entering and leaving the city.

The city gates stood tall, and a constant stream of people came and went, mostly merchants carrying loads, women leading children, and some hurried travelers, all queuing up to be inspected by soldiers.

The three doubles arranged by Liu Jiulang have been killed, and the assassination attempt against Liu Balang was thwarted by the secret guards placed by Yan Ruyu. Now that Liu Jiulang has suffered heavy losses, he will most likely leave Rongzhou.

Huo Changhe thought to himself that Yan Ruyu should have finished dealing with things by now and should be arriving soon.

Sure enough, not long after, Yan Ruyu was seen walking briskly towards them from a distance.

Yan Ruyu looked up at the city gate tower, but before she could see Huo Changhe, she heard a commotion outside the city gate.

The sounds were chaotic, a mixture of women's cries, old men's pleas, and several rough male voices shouting, causing people passing through the city gate to turn around and look, and even the soldiers on guard stopped what they were doing and looked out of the city.

Yan Ruyu paused, exchanging a glance with Huo Changhe who had caught up. Huo Changhe nodded slightly, and the two walked together toward the outside of the city gate.

Outside the city gate was a wide open space, usually a place where carriages and horses stopped and merchants rested, but now it was crowded with people.

In the center of the crowd, an elderly man with white hair was tightly protecting the girl beside him. The old man was wearing a coarse cloth short jacket with worn-out cuffs. His face was full of anxiety and fear, and cold sweat was seeping from his forehead.

The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with her hair in two buns, wearing a light blue cloth dress, her eyes red and tears streaming down her cheeks. She was struggling and crying out, "Let me go! I won't go with you! Grandpa, save me!"

Surrounding them were four hooligans, each one burly and muscular, with their chests bare, revealing the black hair on their chests.

The leader was a man with a scar on his face. He smirked and leered at the girl, speaking in a vulgar tone: "Young lady, don't be ungrateful! Come back with us, and we'll make sure you live a life of luxury. It's much better than suffering with this poor old man!"

"Let her go!" The old man stretched out his withered hand, tightly gripping the girl's sleeve, and pleaded with the onlookers, "Fellow villagers, please help me, save my granddaughter!"

There were quite a few onlookers, mostly people who were about to enter the city or had just left, as well as a few vendors.

They whispered among themselves, their faces showing sympathy, but no one dared to step forward.

Those thugs were burly and looked like tough guys. They usually acted like tyrants near the city gate, and ordinary people wouldn't dare to mess with them.

"That girl looked so pitiful, what a pity..."

"Don't meddle in other people's business, lest you get yourself into trouble."

The whispers reached Yan Ruyu's ears, and she frowned slightly.

Huo Changhe stood beside her and whispered, "Shall I go and do something about it?"

Yan Ruyu remained silent, her gaze calmly fixed on the scene.

Huo Changhe didn't move for a moment.

Seeing that no one dared to step forward, those hooligans became even more arrogant.

Scarface reached out to grab the girl's wrist: "Little lady, don't force your brother to do it!"

The girl trembled with fear and shrank behind the old man.

The old man spread his arms, blocking the girl's path, his voice trembling with tears: "You can't do this! In broad daylight, you're forcibly taking a young woman; aren't you afraid of the law?"

"The law?" The scarred man sneered, shoving the old man. "Outside Rongzhou City, I am the law! Get out of my way!"

The old man was too old to withstand the push. He staggered back a few steps and fell heavily to the ground with a thud.

The girl exclaimed, "Grandpa!"

Just as Scarface reached out to grab the girl, a figure in green suddenly rushed out from the crowd, quickly and steadily blocking the girl's path and deflecting Scarface's hand.

Everyone was stunned. Upon closer inspection, they saw a young girl, not yet twenty years old, dressed in a faded blue dress, with her hair in a simple bun. There were no decorations on her head, yet her spiritedness was undeniable.

She was petite, yet stood ramrod straight, like a green bamboo stalk standing against the wind.

"Stop!" The little girl's voice was clear and bright, with a hint of sternness. "In broad daylight, you forcibly abduct women and bully the elderly. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

Scarface's hand was pushed away, and he immediately became furious. He glared at the woman in front of him and said viciously, "Little girl, who are you? How dare you meddle in my business?"

I advise you to be smart and get out of here right now, or I'll take you with me!

The little girl was not afraid at all, and looked at him with firm eyes: "It is my duty to help those in need."

"You have been bullying the people without cause and forcibly abducting women. If you don't stop, don't blame me for being impolite."

"You're welcome?" Scarface laughed as if he'd heard a joke, turning to the three hooligans beside him. "Did you hear that? This little girl thinks she can be rude to us?"

The other three hooligans joined in the laughter, rubbing their hands together and staring at the woman with hostile eyes: "Big brother, stop wasting time talking to her, just take her with you, she'll keep the brothers company!"

The old man was so frightened that he grabbed the girl's sleeve, his voice trembling: "Girl, you should leave quickly. They outnumber you and you can't beat them."

The little girl glanced at him, her eyes softening slightly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here, they can't hurt you."