Helen Howard threw her small money pouch at his feet in annoyance and said.

William Young poured out the last copper coin inside, then pinched it between his fingers and held it up in front of his face, looking through the square hole in the middle toward the riverbank, following the movement of a blue-cloth sedan chair. The sedan had just come out of the temple, carried slowly onto Hongren Bridge by four porters, accompanied by two young maids and four servants. It was likely carrying the wife of some official.

"Then I'll go borrow a little from someone, you don't mind, do you?"

he said.

"I do mind!"

Helen Howard said.

She certainly knew what William Young meant by "borrow."

"Not even robbing the rich to help the poor is allowed?"

William Young continued watching the sedan chair as he spoke.

The sedan was already on the bridge, and their little sampan was about to pass under it. But just then, accompanied by panicked shouts, two angry yellow oxen came charging from the opposite side, one after the other, chased by several farmers.

"Quick, get back!"

Terrified screams erupted overhead.

The sedan porters hurriedly retreated, but the bridge was nine arches and twenty-five zhang long, and there were two donkey carts already on the bridge behind them.

"Climb over the railing!"

Amid the chaos, a girl's commanding voice rang out.

Immediately after, a young lady lifted the sedan curtain. The porters scrambled to set the sedan down, and the oxen had already stormed onto the bridge. The porters, servants, and maids all screamed and ran to the bridge railing, climbing over it. The young lady also climbed over the stone railing, standing on the narrow stone ledge outside, barely enough for half a foot. The two yellow oxen crashed into the sedan, toppling it over. The falling sedan landed right on the girl's left hand, which was gripping the railing. She cried out in pain and pulled her hand back, but her foot slipped, and she plummeted downward. Fortunately, her right hand still clung to the railing, leaving her dangling in midair. She turned her head in terror to look at the muddy river surface nearly a zhang below...

"Save her, quick!"

Helen Howard shouted, hurriedly pushing the boat forward.

The little sampan immediately moved beneath her. William Young looked up and stretched out his arms. Almost at the same moment, the girl's right hand could no longer hold on and slipped from the railing. Then William Young saw an exquisitely embroidered long skirt blossom above his head like a flower. Before he could see the center of the flower, it had already descended upon him like a giant rafflesia...

Under Helen Howard's dumbfounded gaze, the girl looked down in confusion at her own skirt.

She lifted it up as quickly as possible.

"Miss, you must be frightened!"

Freed from darkness, William Young said gently.

The girl's mind was probably a complete blank at this moment.

"May I put you down?"

William Young tilted his head to avoid the object pressing directly on his face and continued to speak gently.

"Ah!"

Feeling something strange on her thigh, the girl suddenly let out a piercing scream...

Three minutes later.

"You're not going to kill me to silence me, are you? I swear I didn't see anything."

William Young asked the girl nervously.

By now, she had straightened her clothes and regained the dignified elegance of a noble lady, standing on the riverbank watching her servants clean up the sedan wrecked by the oxen. But at his words, her pretty face immediately flushed red, and her eyes flashed with murderous intent. However, her trembling hands betrayed her effort to restrain herself. Clearly, she was imagining dismembering William Young over and over in her mind—or perhaps replaying the scene from earlier.

She signaled with her eyes.

"Thank you, kind sir, for your help. If not for you today, my lady would surely have been injured. If you ever need assistance, you may come to the Fang residence in Fangzhuang outside Yongding Gate. My name is Grace."

The young maid beside her said gratefully.

The naive little sister Grace finished speaking, and the young lady took a deep breath. William Young could see that the object that had just pressed down on his head was now heaving rapidly beneath the beautiful silk. As soon as Grace finished, the young lady turned and left without hesitation. The maid quickly bowed to William Young and hurried after her.

"That's it? And she calls herself a noble lady—didn't even say thank you. I haven't even eaten today!"

William Young grumbled behind them.

The young lady stumbled, then turned and glared at him, before hurling a money pouch at him and running off, abandoning all pretense of elegance.

"Let's go, we have money for food now!"

William Young tossed the money pouch in his hand with satisfaction.

Helen Howard remained motionless.

"What's with that look? Didn't your heart stir even a little when I flirted with such a young and beautiful lady?"

William Young leaned forward to look at her and asked.

"Fang family, the Fang family!"

Helen Howard said, still in shock.

"Which Fang family?"

William Young asked in confusion.

"Grand Secretary Fang, the current prime minister, Fangzhuang outside Yongding Gate."

Helen Howard said.

"Uh, Fang Congzhe, who toiled for the country? So that was his granddaughter?"

William Young said.

"His granddaughter would of course live in the city at the Grand Secretary's mansion, not outside the city. Fangzhuang is the ancestral home, where his brothers live. His elder brother teaches in the countryside—he's the famous old Mr. Fang. Every scholar in Shuntian Prefecture dreams of becoming his student!"

Helen Howard said.