Chapter 549

She cursed inwardly using an idiom she had just learned from Sang Shunhua: "Snakes and rats in the same nest!"

This made her think it was bad, and she regretted running away even more: "Are they going to gang up to bully me? It's over, it's over! If I had known this, it would have been better to marry Jia Hui as a concubine!"

【394】 Cheng Shaoshang: My fiancé's name is really useful! Prince Zhongshun takes a fancy to Cheng Shaoshang.

However, to her surprise,

and to her great relief,

upon learning that Cheng Shaoshang was actually Jia Hui's betrothed concubine,

the expressions of these bailiffs changed immediately!

"Hello, Miss Cheng."

"These thugs actually dared to harass you; they are truly courting death."

"We will immediately take them to the prefecture office and ask the Jingzhao Governor to punish them."

They all hurriedly bowed respectfully to Cheng Shaoshang.

Then they immediately controlled and arrested Zhang San and the others.

Cheng Shaoshang was even more shocked!

She never expected

that even the Jingzhao Prefecture

would have to give Jia Hui face!

It was truly too powerful!

This made her feel a bit excited.

"Good, then you should teach them a lesson; I am kind-hearted, so just give them eighty or a hundred strokes."

Hearing this,

"847"

Zhang San and the others were terrified!

The bailiffs smiled bitterly inwardly; eighty or a hundred strokes is kind-hearted? Then how terrifying would you be if you were evil!

They were so scared that cold sweat broke out.

They hurriedly dragged Zhang San and the others back to the government office.

They were truly going to handle it impartially, not daring to release anyone privately.

If Jia Hui were to ask about it later,

they wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.

Seeing Zhang San and the others being violently dragged away, being beaten and scolded along the way, and crying bitterly,

Cheng Shaoshang felt extremely relieved!

"Hmph, that's what you get for wanting to bully me."

Cheng Shaoshang waved her hand happily.

But after everyone had left,

she was suddenly stunned: "Oh right, I forgot to ask them to send someone to take me home!"

At this time, it was already dark!

There were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road.

She was all alone, and the few people she occasionally saw also hurried past quickly.

Because there was usually a curfew at night.

All cities with government institutions implemented a curfew at night. This was a strict provision of the laws of successive dynasties.

For example, the laws of the Tang Dynasty stipulated the crime of violating the night curfew.

The "Palace Guard Ordinance" of the Tang Dynasty stipulated: Every night, when the water clock in the government office finished, the closing drum would be beaten six hundred times; every morning, after the fifth watch and third quarter, the opening drum would be beaten four hundred times. Anyone walking on the streets in the city without cause after the closing drum and before the opening drum would violate the crime of night curfew and be whipped twenty times.

If it was for official business like delivering letters for the government, or private matters like weddings, funerals, or buying medicine and seeing a doctor for illness, they could walk after obtaining the consent of the street patrols, but they could not leave the city.

In the Great Dry, the law changed this to a night curfew. The regulations were clearer: the evening drum would be beaten at the first watch and third quarter, prohibiting travel; the morning bell would be beaten after the fifth watch and third quarter before travel was allowed.

Those walking on the street during the second, third, or fourth watch would be whipped forty times; in the capital, it was even more, fifty times!

Those who violated the curfew shortly after the first watch and before the fifth watch would be whipped thirty times, and forty times in the capital.

Only illness, childbirth, or death could allow passage.

Of course,

in reality, the powerful had privileges.

But Cheng Shaoshang was not powerful.

Her father was a mere low-level captain, not worth a fart as a powerful person.

In the Divine Capital,

if you weren't ranked fifth or above, or didn't start with a third-rank title,

you wouldn't dare call yourself powerful.

And the first watch refers to the time between 19:00 and 21:00.

Now that it was dark, it meant it was about 17:00 or 18:00.

If Cheng Shaoshang couldn't find her way home,

she would be beaten if caught by the government.

Therefore, Cheng Shaoshang was a bit anxious: "Hurry and find someone to ask for directions."

"Boom!!"

Just as she was about to find her way, the sky thundered and lightning flashed, and soon it started to rain.

The rain was neither big nor small, but it was enough to soak Cheng Shaoshang like a drowned rat.

"Ahhh!!"

Cheng Shaoshang completely collapsed!

Why was she so stupid to run away!

Intense regret made her hide under a nearby roof.

Still, quite a bit of rain fell on her front,

making her look very disheveled.

This made a certain high official who was coming out of a brothel and passing by in a sedan chair look bright-eyed.

"What a pitiful, delicate beauty."

"Come, bring her to me; she will serve me in bed tonight."

A middle-aged man in his thirties in the sedan chair looked at Cheng Shaoshang with bright eyes and ordered.

"Yes, Prince!"

The Chief Clerk of Prince Zhongshun's mansion received the order.

He hurriedly brought two servants over.

"Little lady, you're in luck; my Prince has taken a fancy to you, come with us..."

The Chief Clerk came to Cheng Shaoshang with a haughty air.

He looked at Cheng Shaoshang with the expression of someone bestowing a favor and saying she was lucky.

The so-called Chief Clerk was actually the Prime Minister of the Prince, in charge of Prince Zhongshun's mansion.

Cheng Shaoshang frowned and said with disgust: "I'm not going!"

Chief Clerk Pan was shocked and angry: "Do you know who my Prince is? He is Prince Zhongshun! He is the Emperor's own brother!"

From the titles "Zhong" (Loyal) and "Shun" (Obedient), one could hear that they represented him being the Emperor's confidant.

The fact was indeed so; Prince Zhongshun was the Emperor's own brother.

The most ruthless is the imperial family; Prince Zhongshun could gain such trust from the Emperor undoubtedly because he had contributed greatly to supporting the Emperor's ascension, wholeheartedly following the Emperor as a loyal subject.

Back then, Prince Zhongshun had contributed greatly to the Emperor's ability to eliminate the Crown Prince and become Emperor himself.

Therefore, this Chief Clerk Pan had his own capital to be arrogant.

In his view,

for his Prince to give a little girl who didn't even have a maid or attendant a chance to serve him in bed was absolutely a huge favor.