Mistress Sun

Huai'an City, the teahouse!

Compared to usual days, the teahouse had been noticeably livelier lately. Countless people intentionally or unintentionally left their homes and gathered at the teahouse.

Sipping tea wasn't the main point; listening to the recent major upheavals in Huai'an City was what truly mattered.

"If you ask me..."

In the empty space amidst several tea tables on the first floor, a middle-aged man was holding forth. "It's great that the Lord Duke has come, it's wonderful! Our Huai'an City is finally going to see a complete change of skies."

"Things like this..."

He held a filthy book titled The Deep Love and Confinement of the North City Heir. Throwing it directly onto the floor and stomping on it, he said, "This kind of trash should be burned! Damn it, it nearly killed my daughter..."

The crowd echoed his sentiments, shouting in unison. The scene was quite imposing.

However, right at the climax of the atmosphere, an untimely voice suddenly rang out.

"Trash? Hmph, that's because you simply don't understand the profound redemption of love across class differences! The male lead's domineering nature is the armor that keeps the female lead safe. His paranoia is a deep-seated favoritism carved into his very bones. This is the purest essence of the path of love!"

"This book is actually an epic exploring class differences and redemption."

"If you're uncultured, read more books!"

The speaker was a young man who looked like a frail scholar, yet at this moment, he radiated a fierce aura.

Behind this young man stood many other young men and women, all voicing their agreement.

"You only find it shallow because your level of comprehension is too low. People like you could never grasp the deep meaning within this book!"

"Hmph, don't use your shallowness to recklessly criticize a sacred book of love!"

"To put it bluntly, you are just fickle and heartless. You simply lack the capacity to love in your bones."

"Exactly, a person like you doesn't understand love and romance, lacks basic human decency, and is destined to die alone!"

...

Once this group of men and women opened their mouths, their verbal output was like a surging tide, instantly causing the clamor of the entire teahouse to come to an abrupt halt.

Especially when the crowd recognized that these young people belonged to the Huai'an City Love Mutual Aid Alliance. Given the preferential treatment they usually received in Huai'an City, and the fact that the Lord Duke had not yet burned down the Red Luan Literary Pavilion to make his stance clear, everyone immediately shut their mouths.

They looked at each other, and then, almost by unspoken agreement, they paid their bills and left, leaving the teahouse owner feeling quite depressed.

It was rare to have so many customers, and now they were all gone?

Seeing that they had taken control of the narrative in the teahouse, these men and women immediately moved on to their next battlefield.

Of course, they also left behind patrolling guards to ensure that the public opinion remained unprecedentedly unified in every place they swept through across Huai'an City.

And this was merely one part of the second step of their plan.

If one were to look down from high above, they would clearly see the figures of these men and women scattered all over Huai'an City.

In the middle of the market, several men and women formed a circle. One man stood on a makeshift high platform in the inner circle, shouting loudly.

"Imprisoned Love of the Powerful writes about the Cinderella dream, the hope of every ordinary person. You and I are all ordinary people; we deserve the right to be seen!"

"The Pampered Wife Runs Away Pregnant is the best-selling book of the Red Luan Literary Pavilion, but it is not about being foolishly obsessed with love. It is about a person's perseverance and tenacity in desperate situations! Having a child is not about dependence; it is about continuing true love and holding onto hope!"

...

At the academy, a shouting man cupped his hands like a megaphone.

"Students, you must understand that the work A Lifetime of Red Luan, The Paranoid Marquis appears to be a love story on the surface, but deeply explores class stagnation and the awakening of ordinary people's subjectivity!"

...

Even at the entrance of the government office, people were loudly proclaiming.

"These books have taught us loyalty, devotion, and standing firm for love. Does burning them mean destroying the conscience of Huai'an City?"

...

The members of the Huai'an City Love Mutual Aid Alliance were everywhere. In all sorts of venues, they forcefully pushed the narrative that the books from the Red Luan Literary Pavilion were all treasures and the stepping stones of human progress.

Their shouting created a massive uproar.

At the same time, they distributed various pre-copied arguments to passersby.

If anyone refused, they would persistently follow them and forcibly press the papers into the passersby's hands before giving up.

Through these maneuvers, in just a single morning, the entire Huai'an City was plunged into an ocean of public opinion, surging and crashing like angry waves against a reef.

"These people really don't know the meaning of death!"

Not far away, an old woman watching this scene couldn't help but shake her head, muttering to herself, "The one entering the city right now is Ren Tianye, that ruthless man who founded the Demon Suppression Division..."

"And they... they actually dare to defend these trashy books!"

The old woman was originally just talking to herself, but because of her old age and poor hearing, she completely failed to notice a man walking right past her.

The man immediately stopped, turned around to glare at the old woman, and then started shouting loudly.

With that shout, two more people came up from behind and blocked the old woman's path.

Moreover, more and more people gathered. In no time, there were already over a dozen people.

They surrounded the old woman, all glaring at her with immense displeasure.

"Do you even know what love is? You dare to question the sacred texts of love? You are just an emotionless, cold-blooded animal!"

"I hope you never receive any favoritism in your life!"

"With a face like yours, it's obvious no one cherishes or loves you, yet you can't stand seeing others yearn for deep love and good matches?"

Before the first wave of attacks ended, a second wave surged forth immediately.

"I definitely know this person! She previously disobeyed her parents and didn't even care for her own relatives. She doesn't understand true feelings at all!"

"Yes, I know her too! This old dog bullies the weak and is completely heartless and unrighteous!"

The sheer volume of their shouts drew onlookers from all around. However, it caused a sudden, unusual flash of cold, sharp glint to erupt in the old woman's eyes, though she quickly concealed it.

These men and women did not notice, and instead continued their attacks.

"Brothers and sisters, a person like this deserves to be ruined! Come on, let's go spread the word about her."

"Right! Her mind is twisted. She has no love herself, so she can't stand others having it. She has a naturally wicked heart. Brothers and sisters, let's dig up her information and help promote her."

Someone had already brought out prepared brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, intending to follow their usual routine: marking down the old woman's name and address to post them in the market, teahouses, streets, and other places.

However, among those who had shouted the loudest about knowing the old woman, not a single one could clearly state who she actually was.

The old woman, though her eyes held anger, kept a relatively calm expression. Seeing this, she actually introduced herself.

"My surname is Sun, you can call me Nanny Sun. For the past few decades, I have been working for the Xu family. You can go to the Xu family to verify!"

As soon as the words Xu family came out, these men and women quieted down. After all, who didn't know that in Huai'an City, the only ones who dared to bear the title of the Xu family were the family of the City Lord.

Although the members of the Huai'an Love Mutual Aid Alliance dared to stir up trouble and unify the narrative across the entire city, they did not actually dare to investigate anyone from the Xu family.

Thus, after a brief moment of hesitation, they immediately turned and left. After all, there were other people who dared to slander the books waiting to be dealt with; there was no need for them to waste their anger on an old woman.

Once the crowd had dispersed, Nanny Sun let out another sigh. A look of reminiscence involuntarily surfaced in her eyes, though it vanished just as quickly.

She walked slowly back to the Xu residence, happening to bump into Xu Sha and Yun Wanyi, who were just returning from the City Lord's estate.

Upon seeing Nanny Sun, Xu Sha and Yun Wanyi hurried forward to greet her. Both were incredibly polite to her, especially Xu Sha, whose attitude bordered on pure reverence.

After all, in Xu Sha's heart, even though Nanny Sun was merely a servant of the Xu family, she had always treated him with kindness when he was unloved as a child, bullied by his older brother Xu Shang, and mistreated by the entire household.

More importantly, Nanny Sun would always tell him what true love was and what constituted affection that did not cross the line, intentionally or unintentionally teaching him how to be a normal person.

In the chaotic city of Huai'an, where everyone placed romantic love above all else, he somehow always managed to take her words to heart.

It was precisely because he had listened to her that he now had the opportunity to seize the position of City Lord from his eldest brother, and that he had Yun Wanyi, his perfectly matched and deeply cherished wife.

Yun Wanyi shared a similar experience.

Considered Xu Shang's childhood sweetheart from a young age, she used to visit the Xu family frequently, seeing Nanny Sun often and being greatly influenced by her.

Strangely enough, this influence allowed her to remain a normal person, untangled by the absurd romantic obsessions plaguing Huai'an and Yunjing, which ultimately led to her current happy life.

Therefore, the couple linked arms with Nanny Sun, one on her left and the other on her right.

"Nanny Sun, did you just go out? Why didn't you have someone accompany you? Be careful not to fall."

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Seeing Yun Wanyi and Xu Sha was like seeing her own family. Nanny Sun smiled and said, "My legs are still agile, what is there to fear?"

"It's just that I ran into a little trouble on the road."

With that, Nanny Sun recounted how the members of the Huai'an Love Mutual Aid Alliance had surrounded, cursed, and slandered her.

She then sighed and said, "They only held back their insolence because I said I belonged to the Xu family. However, I'm afraid many people in Huai'an do not have such a backing. If anyone else were to touch their reverse scale, who knows to what extent they would be harassed."

Just yesterday, this very matter had left Xu Sha and Yun Wanyi so anxious and worried that they could not sleep. Yet now, upon hearing Nanny Sun's words, calm smiles appeared on both their faces.

"Nanny Sun, these people will soon pay the price. My wife and I spent half the day bustling about, only to find that the people from the Demon Suppression Division have already made their move."

"Lord Su Jin of the Demon Suppression Division sent word for us to withdraw the City Lord's estate's forces and leave everything to them. He also told us not to act rashly."

"I imagine they are already setting up their trap."

Nanny Sun said, "Told you not to act rashly? Ah, I understand. The Demon Suppression Division intends to let all of them expose themselves..."

"Alas, this Lord Duke does not plan on letting a single one of them off the hook!"

Although Nanny Sun frequently made astonishing remarks, Xu Sha and Yun Wanyi were still taken aback. It had taken the two of them quite a while to figure out this underlying intention of the Demon Suppression Division.

They had not expected Nanny Sun to point it out on the spot.

"This Lord Duke is truly extraordinary. If the opportunity arises, I wonder if this old woman might be able to catch a glimpse of him from afar?"

Yun Wanyi immediately smiled and said, "If you have such a wish, I will definitely help you fulfill it."

"No problem," Xu Sha added. "While we might not be able to arrange a formal meeting with the Lord Duke, if it's just a look from afar, the two of us can certainly make that happen!"

...