Night fell, and Zhong Suqiu suddenly awoke. She found a person beside her who looked exactly like her.
"Who are you?"
"I am you."
Zhong Suqiu was so frightened that she dared not look at her. "Are you a ghost?"
"How could I be a ghost? I am someone who stepped out of a painting."
The next day, Zhong Suqiu told Jun Jiuli about this strange incident. Jun Jiuli comforted her, telling her not to be afraid. She said she had found the person who painted it. Once Tao Zui mastered his martial arts, he would stay by her side to protect her.
"How is that possible? Why would Young Master Tao agree to protect me?"
"Tao Zui owes me a favor, and you are my good sister. I definitely have to help you. He will be staying at the Moonlight Inn recently. If you need any help, you can find him here."
"Thank you so much, Sanniang."
"Between us, there's no need for such politeness."
Zhong Suqiu's face turned red, and she immediately lowered her head. Just then, Tao Zui also arrived at the inn. The two chatted, discussing everything from poetry to philosophy. Tao Zui discovered that Zhong Suqiu was a very learned person.
Meanwhile, Hua Guzi, who could now transform during the day, became restless. She encountered the paper version of Zhong Suqiu from the painting and harbored wicked thoughts.
She deliberately became good friends with the paper Zhong Suqiu with the aim of driving Zhong Suqiu away from Laoshan County. This way, no one would compete with her for Young Master An.
All of this was seen by Jun Jiuli and the other two.
"Sanniang, did you see? That person really looks exactly like me. What are they going to do?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. If they do anything bad with your appearance, I can testify for you. Tao Zui can too."
"Hua Guzi wouldn't do anything bad."
"Alright, then we'll just have to wait and see."
Before long, the two of them were fighting with a group of bandits. Where the paper Zhong Suqiu was injured, Zhong Suqiu also developed bruises in the same spots.
"Tao Zui, they've gone too far. They're living it up, while our Suqiu is suffering!" Jun Jiuli seized the opportunity to sow discord.
Tao Zui fanned himself and apologized to Zhong Suqiu. "I beg Miss Zhong for your forgiveness. They were ignorant and therefore not guilty."
"In what capacity is Young Master Tao apologizing for them? Does Young Master Tao like pretty girls?" Zhong Suqiu said somewhat dejectedly.
Just as Tao Zui was about to answer "yes," he recalled what Shui Sanniang had said that day. He had participated in the poetry and painting bachelor competition. If he told Zhong Suqiu now that he liked someone, it would be too unfair to her.
So he thought for a moment and said, "Hua Guzi is my good friend."
Zhong Suqiu's face immediately brightened, and she generously stated that she would not hold it against them.
"Our Suqiu is truly magnanimous. I see those two are getting further and further apart. Perhaps Hua Guzi intends to send Suqiu away so that no one will compete with her for An Youyu."
"How could that be? I don't like Young Master An."
"But Young Master An likes you, and Hua Guzi likes Young Master An. So she thinks you're blocking her path."
"You don't think so? I see her as a kind person. She shouldn't be so malicious."
"Hua Guzi is just young and doesn't understand things. Shui Sanniang, don't speculate about her in the worst possible way."
"Then we'll just have to wait and see."
Soon, Tao Zui was proven wrong. Because the fake Suqiu and Hua Guzi led bandits to rob the official silver.
"Heh, Tao Zui, can you still wash this off?"
Tao Zui didn't understand what he meant and just frowned in thought.
Suqiu said anxiously, "She's wearing a face exactly like mine. If the official silver is robbed, I'll definitely be implicated."
"Don't worry, I'm here, and everything will be fine."
With that, Jun Jiuli rushed forward, repelled the bandits, captured the fake Suqiu and Hua Guzi, and took them with the escorts of the official silver to the yamen.
Along the way, Hua Guzi kept shouting, "Brother Tao, why have you joined forces with Shui Sanniang? Save me, I don't want to go to jail!"
As for Tao Zui, he had discovered since earlier that he couldn't use his magical arts. It must have been Shui Sanniang's doing.
Jun Jiuli directly provoked Hua Guzi with her words. "Were you planning to take this Suqiu to Yunnan? Then no one would compete with you for your Young Master An. It's a pity a pheasant can never become a phoenix. Young Master An will never like a coarse and ignorant woman like you."
"Bah, you're not Young Master An, how do you know he won't like me? As long as Zhong Suqiu leaves Laoshan County, no one will compete with me for Young Master An. Young Master An will definitely like me."
Zhong Suqiu's face turned red with anger. "You are so rude! I have no interest in Young Master An. I like Young Master Tao. Just because An Youyu likes me, you want to send me away. Aren't you too selfish?"
"I, I, I." Hua Guzi couldn't utter a coherent sentence for a long time.
Jun Jiuli continued, "No wonder Young Master An dislikes you. With such a dark heart, how can you compare to our Suqiu? Have you ever thought that Suqiu grew up here? Her home and her family are all here. If you send her away, how will she live all alone with no one to turn to?"
Hearing these words, Tao Zui also began to ponder. What they said made sense. Why would he like such an unbearable Hua Guzi?
He thought of Suqiu姑娘 living all alone and destitute, and he felt a pang of sympathy. Thus, he admonished Hua Guzi.
"You've gone too far this time. How could you be so selfish? For the sake of An Youyu, you hurt an innocent girl and robbed the official silver. Do you know that's a crime?"
Hua Guzi started to cry. "Annoying guy, even you don't help me. You're even joining them to lecture me."
Seeing her like this, Tao Zui felt a flicker of tenderness.
Jun Jiuli quickly administered a strong dose of encouragement. "Tao Zui, this is for your own good. You must know that there's always someone better, and there's always a higher mountain. Just like you meeting me today. He is saying these things with us so that you can grow. He is doing it for your own good."
Tao Zui suppressed a hint of unease in his heart. That's right, why should he feel guilty because of her tears?
He was clearly saying these things for her own good. Should he always favor her just because she was the person he liked?
If she encountered someone as powerful as Shui Sanniang in the future, she would be doomed. Therefore, Hua Guzi, you must learn to grow.
When they arrived at the yamen, Magistrate Xiong listened to the testimony of the official silver escorts, which proved that Zhong Suqiu was not involved. He then had the fake Suqiu and Hua Guzi imprisoned.
Tao Zui wanted to save them, but Jun Jiuli stopped him.
"People always have to grow. Let her suffer a bit. Anyway, those officials can't do anything to her. She'll run out on her own before long."
After entering the prison, the fake Suqiu accidentally touched water and reverted to her original form. The guards quickly reported it. Upon seeing that Hua Guzi was also gone, Magistrate Xiong had no choice but to draw Hua Guzi's portrait and put out a city-wide wanted notice.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Xiong still wanted to arrange a marriage between his obese son and Zhong Suqiu. He subtly and overtly hinted to Master Zhong to marry his daughter into their family. Otherwise, he would make the real Zhong Suqiu pay for the paper Suqiu in prison.
007: "This Magistrate Xiong is truly wicked. He doesn't even look at what his son looks like. It's like a toad lusting after swan meat."
Jun Jiuli knew that Old Master Zhong could handle Magistrate Xiong, but she still wanted to disgust Tao Zui.
Because Tao Zui was Magistrate Xiong's eldest son, he could not completely let go of familial affection. If he knew that his father wanted to force Suqiu to marry his equally obese half-brother, he would surely feel immense guilt and treat Suqiu even better.
Thus, Jun Jiuli kept talking in front of Tao Zui about how wicked the Xiong father and son were, how they abused their power, and forced Miss Suqiu.
Tao Zui's ears became calloused. He directly found Xiong Xiaopang and gave him a severe beating, along with a scare. Xiong Xiaopang cried and wailed.
He returned home crying and begging his father to stop causing trouble, saying he didn't want to marry Zhong Suqiu. Xiong Xiaopang's mother, seeing her son crying like this, also quickly persuaded Magistrate Xiong to stop.
Tao Zui's feelings for Zhong Suqiu deepened. From his beating of Xiong Xiaopang, it could be seen that he actually cared more about Miss Suqiu than he let on.
After all, our Sister Suqiu's charm is not to be underestimated.