On the street, guards from the Xie family paraded Ba Deshun, Wang Qiao'er, and Deng Fugui.
Along the way, the guards shouted, "These three stole from the Commandery Princess! They are being paraded through the streets as a public warning. Let this be a lesson to you all! Do not engage in such shameful acts and bring disgrace upon your family and friends!"
The common folk pointed and stared.
"Hey, isn't that Mr. Ba Sr.?"
"He even resorted to stealing. It serves him right that the Commandery Princess is having them paraded through the streets."
"Is that Ba Deshun's son next to him?"
"Not his biological son. He's the son of Mr. Ba's mistress, from another man. She brought the boy with her when she moved in. I heard the child abandoned his birth father and already calls Mr. Ba Sr. 'Dad'."
The crowd was overcome with a sense of shame on their behalf.
Wang Qiao'er was instantly labeled a social-climbing, promiscuous woman in their gossip.
