Song Qiming returned carrying a bucket, and no one else knew what was inside.
But Song Ada was carrying a fish back home. From the village entrance to his house, he passed over a dozen households, and it was inevitable that someone would see it.
A commotion immediately erupted on the road, the voices growing louder and louder.
People who had originally been staying indoors with their doors closed ran out, saw the fish, and upon asking learned that Song Jinzhao had caught a whole cartload of fish in the river and was planning to take them to the city to sell.
Immediately, a dark crowd of seven or eight people charged towards the riverside path, only to find not a single soul in sight.
Judging by the cart tracks on the ground, they must have already turned and gone far away.
"Aiya, how could they have left so quickly," Tudan's Father frowned and stamped his foot in frustration.
The others stood dejectedly on the spot, regretting they had arrived a step too late.
The road was slippery with snow. By the time Old Man Song and the others reached the city gate, the straw sandals on their feet were completely soaked through with snowmelt.
The guards at the gate saw the cart full of fresh fish, and their eyes instantly gleamed brightly. Their fingers, pale from the cold, rubbed repeatedly against their long spears, and a faint, murky light flickered in their shifting eyes.
"Entering the city in snowy weather costs three coppers per person. The cart counts as ten people."
Old Man Song's face stiffened, then he bent at the waist with an apologetic smile. "Sir Officer, there didn't seem to be this rule last year when entering the city."
For so many years, they had never had to pay to enter Xining City.
Ten people meant thirty coppers, plus the four of them—that was far too much money.
The guard crossed his arms, his toe tapping threateningly on the ground.
"Opening the gate for you in heavy snow, and you think you can enter without paying a hardship fee? Dream on!"
A whole cart of fish... they should hand over at least half.
Song Jinzhao raised her head, her rosy cheeks emerging from the furry collar of her wrap.
"The city gate is always open. Whether we come or not, you still have to stand guard. Who gave you the nerve to privately extort money from the common people?"
Oldest Song and Second Song fearfully tugged at Song Jinzhao's sleeves. "Don't say anything."
As common folk, they couldn't fight with officials. It was better to pay to avoid disaster.
Ignoring Oldest Song's attempts to stop her, Song Jinzhao stubbornly met the guard's fierce gaze.
All four guards were unfamiliar faces. Could they be newly transferred?
The guard got a clear look at Song Jinzhao's face, and a flash of amazement crossed his greedy eyes.
He had never seen a farm girl with such fair, delicate skin.
Wrapped in a coat of furry rabbit fur, her defiant expression only added to her delicate, soft beauty.
Song Jinzhao's brows furrowed slightly; she felt like digging his eyeballs out.
Having such scum serving as officers at the city gate was bound to bring harm to many people.
"Not bad-looking, little girl. Deliver half the cart of fish to my house, and I, your officer, will be magnanimous and let your insolence slide."
Just as the man's grubby hand was about to touch Song Jinzhao's cheek, Old Man Song hurriedly stepped between them, forcing a bitter smile. "Sir Officer, my granddaughter is ignorant. I will deliver the fish to you."
Old Man Song was filled with regret. He should have just sold the fish cheaply in the village; it would have been better than getting into trouble now.
The guard unhappily pointed his spear at Old Man Song, ordering arrogantly, "Get lost. I want her to deliver it personally."
Such a fine piece of goods would surely be a delight to play with.
Despite his fear, Old Man Song didn't move an inch.
Oldest Song and Second Song silently moved closer to Song Jinzhao. If it really came to a fight, they would abandon the cart and run.
The other party's intentions were too clear; they absolutely could not let their niece fall into the tiger's den.
The lustful guard was furious. He swung his spear, slashing it down towards Old Man Song.
"A few lowly peasants dare to oppose me? You're looking for death."
A flash of cold steel crossed her vision. Song Jinzhao swiftly pushed Old Man Song aside from in front of her, grabbed the spear shaft, yanked it backwards, and simultaneously lifted her leg to deliver a powerful kick.
The man never expected Song Jinzhao to know martial arts, nor to be so strong.
Caught off guard, his body was kicked flying back dozens of meters, slamming into the city wall.
He fell to the ground, his chest aching terribly as if his internal organs were about to be shattered.
Seeing this, the other three immediately attacked Song Jinzhao, three sharp spearpoints aiming as if to take her life.
With a wave of her hand, an iron awl from the cart was firmly grasped in Song Jinzhao's hand.
Spear met rod, ice chips fell, and sparks flew.
Old Man Song and the two brothers stared dumbfounded at Song Jinzhao fighting the guards evenly, feeling a surge of pride mixed with terror at the colossal trouble they had stirred up.
"Clatter-clatter-clatter~" The sound of chaotic, rapid hoofbeats, like a sudden storm, came from the distance.
Oldest Song looked back and saw a cavalry unit approaching the city gate in a mighty formation.
"Jinzhao, run! Stop fighting!"
With so many reinforcements, they definitely couldn't win.
Song Jinzhao kicked one man flying far away, used her elbow to strike another in the chest, and with two swift shoulder throws, slammed the remaining two heavily onto the ground.
Qin Guo saw a fight at the city gate from afar.
At first, he thought bandits from Shuobei had bypassed Yunzhong City to raid Xining. But as he drew closer, he realized it was just four commoners.
The one doing the fighting was a girl, who looked to be not yet of marriageable age.
"Who is causing trouble here?"
Second Song drew a sharp breath, closed his eyes, and felt as if the sky were falling.
Song Jinzhao turned to meet Qin Guo's cold, sharp eyes. He looked like a general.
Covered in the dust and damp of a long journey, had he come from the border?
"This commoner is Song Jinzhao. I am not causing trouble, but defending myself."
Qin Guo raised an eyebrow, two creases forming between his brows.
"General, don't be deceived by this lowly peasant! This humble one was merely conducting a routine inspection when she assaulted me. Such commoners deserve death!"
Why did he have to return right at this moment? The four guards were now panicking internally.
Old Man Song hurriedly knelt on the ground, pleading for mercy. "General, it's not my granddaughter's fault. I beg for your mercy, sir."
Song Jinzhao's fine brows lifted slightly. They hadn't even presented their case yet, and he was already begging for mercy? Were they that afraid?
"This commoner is a villager from Songjia Village. Today, I came with my grandfather and two uncles, dragging a cart of fresh fish to sell in the city. Upon reaching the gate, these four officers demanded an entry fee: three coppers per person, and thirty coppers for the cart."
"I have traveled to the city many times and have never been charged money, so I was unwilling to pay. They then demanded I deliver half the fish on the cart to his house for free, and made lewd remarks and advances towards me. In a moment of desperation, I had no choice but to fight back. I beg the General to investigate clearly."
Judging by his appearance, he didn't seem like the type to bend the law for personal gain. Otherwise, he wouldn't have held back after she had beaten his men.
Qin Guo's face darkened instantly, turning as hard as iron. He coldly interrogated the guards, "Is what she said true?"
As the New Year approached, the Shuobei bandits were becoming restless. To ensure the safety of the cities, the garrison troops at all thirteen border cities had been replaced with soldiers from the army.
Qin Guo had never imagined that men under his command would commit such acts of oppressing the common people and violating military discipline.
How could the guards dare to admit it? "General, don't listen to this lowly girl's empty words."
Song Jinzhao retorted, "I am just a commoner. If you hadn't bullied me, why would I pick a fight with an official for no reason?"
Oldest Song raised his hand to swear an oath. "General, every word my niece said is true. If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."
Second Song, seeing that Qin Guo seemed like a decent man, also found the courage to speak.
He cried, tears and snot running down his face, "General, he saw how pretty my niece is. Taking half the cart of fish wasn't enough; he insisted she deliver it personally. She's an innocent girl! This is enough to drive someone to their death!"
Hiding in the alleyway inside the city gate, Hunter Liu watched the favorable situation and swiftly ran out, kneeling on the ground to plead his grievance.
"General, these soldiers seized two wild hares from this humble commoner when I entered the city. I beg you to uphold justice for me."
The faces of the four soldiers turned ashen. Seeing Qin Guo look at them with a gaze that seemed ready to devour them, they lowered their heads in terror.
"Where are the hares?" Qin Guo roared angrily.
The soldiers, scared witless, knelt on the ground trembling. "In the guardhouse."
"General, the hares have been found." Shortly after, Qin Guo's subordinate returned carrying two white hares.
Song Jinzhao glanced down at the four men collapsed on the ground. Two white hares were worth two hundred and twenty copper coins. How greedy.
Qin Guo took a deep breath, feeling his face had been thoroughly shamed. How could such scum exist in the army?
"Sixty military cane strikes each. After the punishment, throw them into the Forlorn Hope Battalion."
"Spare us, General! Have mercy, General!" The four were dragged away, weeping and begging.
The Forlorn Hope Battalion was where military convicts sentenced to death were sent. In battle, they served as human shields, destined to die on the battlefield.
Hunter Liu, holding the two hares, left after expressing a thousand thanks.
He had caught these hares braving the heavy snow, only to have them seized upon entering the city. Furious but afraid to resist, he had been forced to swallow his anger.
He never expected to run into Song Jinzhao having a conflict with them as he was leaving the city.
Now, things had turned out well. Having recovered his loss, he needed to hurry and sell them at the Foodie's Delight.
