Chapter 110: More Important Than Life

The groom couldn’t help but feel threatened. Although he was displeased, he still ordered the others, “Today is my wedding day. I’ll give each of you five taels of silver as a reward!” Then he urged his horse forward to continue on.

The beggar chuckled slyly, his expression changing immediately. “Wishing the groom and bride a long life together, may their hearts be united forever, and may they soon have a noble heir!”

So the five happily each took five taels of silver.

In truth, their earlier threat was just idle talk. These beggars were a scattered group, not united, and certainly wouldn’t all agree. He was just trying to intimidate them! But he was clever—he and his four brothers had earned a total of twenty-five taels, which was no small sum.

Yun Zui’s eyes flickered with admiration—what a clever beggar! Perhaps they were even easier to cultivate than ordinary commoners.

There were 173 beggars on this street alone, so the entire imperial city must have thousands of them!

Unlike the peaceful modern era, ancient times were fraught with war and hardship. Many had lost their skills due to war or family downfall, leaving them destitute.

Perhaps Yun Zui could start by recruiting from among them to build her own influence.

After paying the bill, Yun Zui quickly descended the stairs.

In a small alley, she spotted the five beggar boys, each about five foot three to five foot seven tall, and immediately followed them.

After receiving their silver, they bought a steaming roasted chicken. The five boys salivated for a long time but none of them ate. Even though their stomachs growled with hunger, they only took a bite of a steamed bun.

So frugal!

They twisted and turned through the alleys until they reached a dilapidated courtyard overrun with weeds—clearly an abandoned, rundown place.

The surrounding walls were broken, and the roof had a large hole. It was obviously a dangerous, deserted building.

Yun Zui followed carefully, making sure not to reveal her presence.

The five entered the courtyard, and immediately a child ran out.

“Brother Tianming!” came the youthful voice of a boy.

In that instant, Yun Zui seemed to understand: this “Tianming” was likely the older brother of these children, who took care of or sheltered many of them.

“Gou’er, why did you come out? Don’t do it again. What if you get kidnapped by traffickers?” Tianming scolded the boy.

The seven-year-old named Gou’er frowned and said, “Brother Tianming, Xiangbao is sick again!”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tianming’s expression changed at once. He and the other four boys quickly ran toward the open house.

Yun Zui silently shifted her position, realizing her guess had been correct.

The six of them entered the house, and soon a fourteen-year-old boy ran out. Yun Zui recognized him as one of the boys who had stopped the sedan chair with Xiao Tianming.

Xiao Qier stopped in his tracks when he saw Yun Zui standing outside, his expression wary. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Yun Zui smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you going to call a doctor? Why aren’t you going?”

Xiao Qier was stunned—he hadn’t expected Yun Zui to see through them so easily.

“Who are you? How do you know?” His guard didn’t lessen in the slightest.

Yun Zui raised an eyebrow at the boy who looked no older than fourteen and countered, “Is my identity more important than Xiangbao’s life?”