Lu Ye and the others outside the door had also heard the commotion downstairs long ago, but Lu Ye's thoughts were the same as Bai Sheng's.
When several women were arguing, it was inconvenient for the men to intervene. They let the women resolve it amongst themselves. However, since the two young ladies had specifically asked to see the proprietress of Hong Fen Jia Ren, they could not stand by and do nothing.
Bai Sheng, along with A Qiu and Ding Xiang, walked over.
Upon seeing her, Zhou Yanran and Dong Xuerou were stunned for a moment.
There was indeed such a beautiful woman in the world, radiant yet pure, pure yet charming, charming yet elegant. It was difficult to categorize her beauty.
Lu Ye led a group of young men in red, wearing masks, and stood beside Bai Sheng. More than a dozen tall and graceful men surrounded Bai Sheng, creating an imposing aura.
The customers inside the shop all craned their necks to look in their direction.
Lu Ye took Bai Sheng's hand and asked softly, "My dear, what happened? Don't be afraid, your husband is here."
The young men in red behind Lu Ye, seeing public displays of affection up close for the first time, widened their eyes. They all agreed they had learned a lot and vowed to be this shamelessly affectionate when they had wives in the future.
Bai Sheng naturally wanted to give Lu Ye face. She said charmingly, "Husband, it's so good to have you here. Actually, it's nothing much, just that two noble and beautiful young ladies wanted to chat with me."
Watching the two of them being so affectionate, Zhou Yanran scoffed and looked at Bai Sheng, "You are the proprietress of this shop?"
Bai Sheng nodded and smiled, "Yes, ladies, I am indeed the proprietress of this shop. May I ask what business you have?"
Zhou Yanran's tone was rather arrogant, "The things in your shop are quite good, but the place is too dirty. Prostitutes can enter freely, which makes it seem very low-class. From now on, do not allow any lowlifes like prostitutes to enter the shop!"
Lu Ye's deep eyes exuded coldness, and the young men in red behind him also clenched their fists.
Ga Mei, Ding Xiang, A Qiu, and Lu Hua stood together, their hands tightly clasped, feeling a little nervous.
Lu Huo appeared at some point, standing beside them menacingly. The four cubs on his back were inexplicably quiet, their eyes wide open, gazing silently at Zhou Yanran and Dong Xuerou.
The onlookers all looked at Bai Sheng, wondering how she would respond.
Bai Sheng glanced at the charming woman kneeling on the ground, her cheeks red and swollen from being slapped. She then turned to Zhou Yanran and asked respectfully with a sincere expression, "Esteemed young lady, does the law of Da Xia stipulate that women from pleasure houses are not allowed to enter perfumeries? I am just a humble woman, ignorant and unlettered. If such a regulation truly exists, please inform me promptly."
Zhou Yanran was momentarily speechless, clearly not expecting Bai Sheng to say that. While the woman appeared to be asking sincerely, she was actually forcing Zhou Yanran to back down.
As Zhou Yanran didn't know how to respond, Dong Xuerou smiled and said, "As far as I know, Da Xia indeed has no such law. However, Da Xia does divide people into ranks: first officials; second clerks; third monks; fourth Taoists; fifth doctors; sixth artisans; seventh craftsmen; eighth prostitutes; ninth scholars; tenth beggars.
Your shops, whether in terms of interior decoration or goods sold, are not too bad. If they were exclusively for the consumption of the upper class, the shops' status and grade would naturally improve significantly. But if you insist on letting lowlifes mingle here, it will become a chaotic and vulgar place. We are merely reminding you out of good intentions."
Bai Sheng chuckled, "Thank you both for your reminder. Although Da Xia divides people into ranks, in the face of natural creation and the laws of heaven, all people are equal, with no distinction of high or low, noble or lowly.
No matter who it is, whether living in a high position or in the mud, eventually, dust returns to dust, and earth to earth. All mortals must enter the netherworld, without any special privileges or exceptions.
However, in the eyes of creation and heaven, there is a cycle of good and evil, and retribution for karma. Only by being good and not doing evil can one become a favorite of creation and heaven, and be truly considered a superior person."
"Well said, wife!" Lu Ye led the applause.
The entire Hong Fen Jia Ren team present applauded enthusiastically, and the four cubs happily clapped their little hands and giggled.
The charming woman kneeling on the ground looked up at Bai Sheng, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
The customers also felt like clapping, but fearing that these two ladies from prominent families might hold a grudge, they suppressed the urge to clap and cheer.
Dong Xuerou's eyelids twitched, and she smiled unnaturally, "We were merely reminding the proprietress out of good intentions. Proprietress, please don't forget, no matter what, this is Da Xia. As long as you live in Da Xia, you must abide by Da Xia's rules."
Bai Sheng nodded and raised her voice, "You are absolutely right, which is why I abide by the laws of Da Xia and strive to be a law-abiding and well-behaved citizen.
However, the citizens of Da Xia also have a certain freedom. This is my shop, and I respect every customer who steps into it. I do not ask about their origins, harbor prejudice, nor do I discriminate. If the two young ladies cannot tolerate this, I can only apologize."
Before Bai Sheng could finish speaking, Lu Ye clapped enthusiastically again. This time, everyone in the shop began to clap heartily, including those who were peeking from the doorway.
Dong Xuerou looked at Bai Sheng, her gaze gradually turning cold. She curled her lips and said with a smile, "The proprietress is right; we were being overly solicitous this time. In that case, we shall not disturb you further. Yanran, let's go!"
Zhou Yanran snorted coldly and turned to leave. After a few steps, she suddenly turned back, looking menacingly at Bai Sheng, "Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. We'll see!"
Bai Sheng smiled slightly, "Safe travels."
The two maids following behind Zhou Yanran and Dong Xuerou spat on the ground, "Pah! They don't know who they're dealing with!"
Lu Ye's gaze suddenly sharpened. He reached out to the floral arrangement beside him, plucked two petals, and flicked them gently. The petals hit the legs of the maid behind them.
How dare they disrespect his darling with such arrogance! If he didn't want to escalate the situation, he would have ripped out their tongues!
The maid felt her legs go numb and suddenly stumbled forward, falling directly onto the legs of the maid in front of her. Both maids fell face-first onto the ground.
Hahaha...
Everyone present burst into laughter.
Zhou Yanran turned back and cursed, "Idiots!"
Dong Xuerou glanced indifferently at the maids, then let her gaze linger on Bai Sheng before falling into deep thought. Although the proprietress of this shop was not old, she showed no fear even after knowing they were from the Dong and Zhou families.
This woman should be very difficult to deal with.