It was no wonder she met Tao Hua today; it turned out he was sent by the Fourth Prince to deliver a message.
Ji Zi Zhao understood that any resolution would ultimately depend on the Emperor's decree.
The marriages of the various princes were still being held up, which indicated that Consort Xi was still putting up a fight.
However, the previous events had been executed flawlessly, leaving Consort Xi with no clues even if she wanted to investigate.
Thus, Ji Zi Zhao was not in a hurry. Good outcomes were worth waiting for.
What she hadn't expected was that such a minor matter would require the Fourth Prince to specifically send someone with a message.
Outside the carriage, a sudden clamor arose.
Ji Zi Zhao came back to her senses, reached out, and lifted the carriage curtain. She then realized the carriage had already entered North Street.
Due to the snow the previous day, many merchants had stayed home to hibernate, and there were not many pedestrians on the street.
And it was on this snowy, deserted street that a man was repeatedly lifting his foot and then bringing it down heavily.
Beneath the man's foot was a frail woman.
The woman seemed to have been beaten for a while, her disheveled hair obscuring her face, making it impossible to see her features.
This street was not as bustling as the main thoroughfares. Occasionally, a few residents peered out their windows upon hearing the noise. However, upon seeing the scene on the street, they showed no surprise. Instead, their expressions conveyed a sense of weary familiarity.
Those who dared to look whispered amongst themselves, their voices carried by the cold wind into the carriage.
It appeared the woman lived on this street, as the surrounding residents were no strangers to her.
The man, who was originally the woman's husband, had divorced her some time ago. Unexpectedly, the woman had become hysterical, pestering the man day in and day out.
Some also said that the woman had been a servant in the man's household. She had used improper means to get together with him, and he had no feelings for her. The fact that he had given her a title at the time was already a great act of kindness.
"How many times have I told you, if you continue to pester me, I will not be polite!" On the street, the man's curses drowned out the murmurs of the residents. His arrogant tone, like his repeatedly raised foot, heavily trampled on the woman's emaciated body.
Yet, no one intervened.
In fact, everyone was privately discussing the woman's transgressions.
It was Tao Hua, slumped on the low table, who finally couldn't stand it and said, "What's with this man? Beating a woman who can't even lift a chicken to this extent. Is he sick?"
Ji Zi Zhao replied, "Didn't you hear the surrounding residents say that the woman was the one pestering the man?"
Tao Hua snorted, "There is no love without reason, and no hatred without cause. If this man didn't owe this woman something, why would she bother pestering an ungrateful wretch all day? Unless this woman is sick, but if she is sick, it's even more reason not to resort to violence, isn't it?"
Ji Zi Zhao looked at Tao Hua with surprise, never expecting him to have such upright values.
In this patriarchal society, women were mere breeding tools, held in low regard.
This was why even princesses sent for diplomatic marriages in previous years had to endure hardship at the hands of foreign royalty.
Just like now, the woman was suffering domestic violence, yet she still had to bear the accusations of others.
Ji Zi Zhao had no choice in the era she was born into.
However, Ji Zi Zhao had never conceded to everything that transpired within it.
"The woman's hands are covered in calluses, and she indeed looks like someone who toils all day. Looking closely at her neck, it's not difficult to see that the woman is only dark-skinned. As far as I know, even the servants in charge of menial tasks in the noble households of the imperial city are required to change shifts regularly, so they wouldn't be exposed to the sun to this extent."
Ji Zi Zhao narrowed her eyes and examined the woman's skin further. "Looking at the firmness of her skin, she should only be seventeen or eighteen years old. But the servants in charge of menial tasks in the various households of the imperial city are all over twenty-five."
Tao Hua pondered, "What if she's a servant from the countryside?"
Ji Zi Zhao shook her head. "Even less likely if she's from the countryside. Wealthy country landlords have plenty of laborers and would not spend extra money to hire redundant help. Wealthy people like to enjoy themselves, but they aren't fools."
Tao Hua nodded, half-understanding what he heard.
But as he nodded, he felt something was amiss. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Ji Zi Zhao let out a cold laugh. "This man is lying through his teeth."
"Even if he's lying, it doesn't seem to have much to do with you. Don't tell me you're going to interfere. That's their private business. Who do you think you are?" Tao Hua was right; private matters were indeed difficult to interfere with, especially since the surrounding residents had already decided, based on preconceived notions, that the woman was entirely at fault.
Ji Zi Zhao looked at Tao Hua, her smile deepening. "What if private matters are reframed as public matters?"
Tao Hua...
He felt a chill down the back of his neck.
Immediately after, Tao Hua felt his collar tighten, and he was lifted into the air.
Tao Hua, being held by the collar by Ji Zi Zhao, was bewildered.
You can disrespect me, but can't you respect my profession?
Have you ever seen an assassin acting as a vigilante?
Ignoring Tao Hua's murderous glare, Ji Zi Zhao called out to Fu Bao, who was driving the carriage ahead, and alighted from the carriage with Tao Hua.
All attention was focused on the man and the woman; no one noticed Ji Zi Zhao's arrival.
Ji Zi Zhao, of course, made no grand gestures. After quietly dismounting, she walked towards the man's back. When she was a few steps away, she stopped again and gently tossed Tao Hua, who was in her hands...
Tao Hua crashed into the man's calf. He turned back and glared fiercely at Ji Zi Zhao. You venomous woman, don't expect me to join you in this troublesome endeavor...
Ji Zi Zhao paid no mind to Tao Hua's threat and instead moved her lips with a smile. "Or perhaps I should send you on your way first?"
Tao Hua was stunned.
This woman was too ruthless! She would kill him when she couldn't outtalk him!
As an assassin who had failed his mission, he couldn't utter a single word of protest even if Ji Zi Zhao killed him.
Tao Hua knew the principle of "where there's life, there's hope" and immediately wrapped his arms around the man's leg, wailing, "Brother, it hurts! It hurts! Brother, you bumped into me so hard!"
The man's calf ached from being bumped. Hearing Tao Hua's cries, he frowned impatiently. "Kid, get off me! You're the one who bumped into me! Let go quickly. If you injure me, I'll deal with you!"
Tao Hua...
Oh my, you're quite arrogant, aren't you?
Back in the day, the first person who dared to speak to me like that had grass three meters high growing on his grave.
Tao Hua was not afraid of the man glaring and threatening him, but he couldn't help but fear the Ji Zi Zhao behind him, who could toy with him to death without batting an eye. However, simply letting go was not his style. He looked down at the calf he was clinging to, and Tao Hua bit down hard.
The man cried out in pain and instinctively grabbed at Tao Hua, who was clinging to his leg.
It was precisely at this moment that Ji Zi Zhao spoke, "I wonder what my younger brother has done to provoke you, sir, into such a public display of violence?"