Chapter Forty-Four: The Resplendent Celestial Empire

"My goodness! So that was Miao Cuihua, who commands a full thirty percent of the escort business in Fuxu Town all by herself? I've only ever heard her name, never seen her in person. Now that I've seen her, she's even more impressive than the rumors say—truly a heroine among women!" Almost instinctively, Zhang Wu moved to stand beside Ding Li, his jaw agape in awe as he watched the departing figure of the formidable woman.

"Escort agency?" Ding Li was momentarily taken aback. He turned to Zhang Wu, his brow still furrowed, the confusion on his face only deepening. "Brother Wu, you know Sister Miao? Then do you know if she has a son named Fang Shiyu? A formidable one?"

"Son? Fang Shiyu? Not at all!" Zhang Wu was even more surprised by the question. He stepped back twice, looking at Ding Li as if he were a strange creature, his face full of puzzlement. "Li, where did you hear that? You can't just spread rumors like that! Old Master Miao only has one daughter, and the entire Miao Escort Agency is in Miao Cuihua’s hands. Besides, she’s not married yet—supposedly for the sake of some family secret. So there's no way she could have a son named Fang Shiyu! And even if she did, with the Miao family's standing in Fuxu Town, the child would definitely take the Miao surname, not Fang!"

"Oh, I suppose you're right..." Ding Li nodded in understanding, though he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. But he quickly let it go. It was just a coincidence, after all. Fang Shiyu lived more than a thousand years later—there’s no way he could have transmigrated here like Ding Li, let alone run into him by chance.

"Hey, Li..." Only after Miao Cuihua’s figure had completely vanished did Zhang Wu come back to his senses. He nudged Ding Li, who was still lost in thought, and nodded toward the woman still sitting in a daze on the ground, quietly sobbing. In a low voice, he asked, "So, what do we do now?"

"Uh..." Ding Li snapped back to the present, realizing the situation was still unresolved. After a moment’s thought, he held out a hand toward Zhang Wu. "Got any money? Lend me some!"

"Of course I do!" Zhang Wu instinctively reached into his breast pocket, then paused, looking at Ding Li in surprise. "Why? You're not planning to give it to that woman, are you?"

"Of course! What, you think I’m going to take you out for meat and wine? If you’re going to help someone, you help them all the way. Don’t you feel sorry for this orphaned mother and child? Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, you know! As a man, you should have compassion!" Ding Li shot him a look and pushed his hand forward again. "Come on, hand it over. We’re already involved, so there’s no point holding back now!"

"It's not like I said I wouldn't give! How am I not compassionate?" Chastened, Zhang Wu felt as though he were heartless for abandoning the mother and child. He quickly handed over all the money he had, then watched as Ding Li approached the woman. Scratching his head in confusion, he suddenly realized, and called out in a low voice, "So you’re the only compassionate one? Using my money to look generous, and then saying I’m not compassionate? If money’s useless, why don’t you give her your own?"

Ding Li only smiled lightly at the grumbling behind him, ignoring it as he crouched beside the woman. He weighed the small pouch in his hand; given Zhang Wu’s status, even if it was only a handful of silver scraps, it was easily six or seven taels—enough to support an ordinary family for a quarter of a year.

Yet Ding Li showed no hesitation, acting as if he were spending someone else’s money without a second thought. He gently placed the pouch on the woman’s knee and, his expression grave, said in a low voice, "Miss, I’m not good at comforting people, but life must go on. After all, you have your child. Here’s some silver for you—spend it sparingly, and it should last several months."

Though he spoke softly, his words sent a shock through the onlookers who had not yet dispersed. When they saw the gleaming silver inside the pouch, their eyes betrayed a flash of greed, for it was no trivial sum.

But the woman on the ground was unmoved. Her dull gaze glanced at the pouch, then shifted away. After a brief pause, she shook her head in despair, forcing a bitter smile. It was unclear whether she was replying to Ding Li or merely talking to herself. "Thank you, sir. But it’s useless, useless... I’m just a weak woman with a child. Even if I take this money, once it’s gone, how can I go on living..."

"Miss, you still have to get by for now. Please, take it, or I won’t be at ease..." Ding Li frowned, understanding the truth behind her words, but not knowing what else to do. He tried to comfort her again, and after hesitating, added gently, "Look, my name’s Ding Li. I work at the Zhang Trading House. If you ever need help, come find me there, just mention my name. I’ll do whatever I can for you. The Zhang Trading House—you know it, right?"

As he spoke, the woman glanced at her child, as if struck by an idea. Suddenly she turned, her eyes regaining a spark of hope. She moved back and knelt before Ding Li, kowtowing repeatedly. Her sorrowful voice was tinged with a desperate plea. "Sir, please, I know you’re a good man! Help my child and me, I can do anything—laundry, cooking, cleaning! I ask nothing else, only that you let us eat and help my child grow up. Please, I beg you..."

"Hey, hey! Don’t—don’t do that!" The sudden turn of events left Ding Li flustered. He wanted to help her up, but with so many eyes watching, he could only wave his hands awkwardly, urging, "Miss, please, don’t be like this. Get up, let’s talk this out properly."

To Ding Li's relief, a few women who had stayed behind hurried over and helped the sobbing woman to her feet. But then, to his dismay, the women turned their accusing gazes on him, as though he were the heartless husband who had abandoned his wife.

"Sir, you look like a young master from a wealthy family. Surely your household can afford to feed two more mouths, can it not?"

"Exactly! Since you can spare so much silver at once, surely you can spare a little food? And really, how much can a woman and child eat?"

"I—no, that’s not what I meant..." Beset by their ‘accusations,’ Ding Li could barely defend himself. He turned to Zhang Wu for help, but Zhang Wu only gave him a meaningful smile, shrugged, and looked away.

"Sir, I beg you!" Seeing the crowd on her side, the woman broke free from their grasp and threw herself at Ding Li again, looking up at him with tearful desperation. "Please, take us in! I’ll do anything, just don’t let my child starve!"

"This... this..." Ding Li was completely at a loss. He had no qualms about fighting or giving away money, but taking in a woman and her child—especially when he already had a woman at home—made him deeply uncomfortable. Why should he raise another man’s family?

"Miss, get up first and wipe your face. Come with us in a while," Zhang Wu said suddenly, appearing from nowhere with a handkerchief he’d borrowed from someone. His face was expressionless, but his words left everyone—including Ding Li—in stunned silence.

The woman was quickest to react, hastily kneeling again to thank both Ding Li and Zhang Wu. One of the women took the handkerchief from Zhang Wu and, with the others, helped clean the woman’s face.

"Brother Wu, what are you doing?" Ding Li, finally able to catch his breath, wiped the sweat from his brow and asked in a low voice, "You agreed to this—what am I supposed to do now?"

"What? Aren’t they right? Are you really going to begrudge a mother and child a meal? You just gave them months’ worth of food, didn’t you?" Zhang Wu replied carelessly, unperturbed by Ding Li’s anxiety. He shot Ding Li a dissatisfied look, recalling the lecture about compassion, and added, "Didn’t you just say, ‘If you help someone, help them to the end; saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda’? If you walk away now, that’s two lives—fourteen stories' worth!"

He stressed the last sentence, leaving Ding Li no choice but to force a bitter smile.

"Fine! It’s done, so be it!" Ding Li shook his head, resigned. He was just about to turn away when a brash, clamorous voice caught his attention.

"Adulterers! Don’t you dare run! Today I’ll see you thrown in jail!"

The crowd that had been preparing to leave stopped in their tracks. The man in the green robe had returned, and this time, he was flanked by a detachment of city guards in shining armor—clearly, he had brought reinforcements.

"Officers, it’s him!" The green-robed man, wary of Ding Li’s strength, kept his distance but glared venomously as he addressed the officer among the guards. "Officers, you must do me justice! This brute assaulted me in broad daylight and abducted my woman, and now he dares slander me! I have suffered so much!"

"Heh! At least you know you’re a scoundrel," Ding Li retorted, having long forgotten Zhang Wu’s warnings from earlier. Even faced with the city guards, he didn’t flinch, stepping forward with righteous indignation and looking down on the green-robed man with utter contempt. "Shameless villain, still you dare argue!"

"How dare you! Who are you to speak here?" The tall officer at the head of the guards strode forward, his voice stern and commanding. He raised his saber with his left hand, his right gripping the hilt, ready to draw.

"Preposterous!" Ding Li, undaunted, took another step forward, his eyes flashing. "Under the glorious Heavens, why should I not speak?"