Chapter 160: Guanzhou people express gratitude and longevity tablets

The content of the imperial edict indicated that Shen Qingtan was going to Guanzhou to deal with the disaster, resettle the victims, and solve problems for the court.

Emperor Jing'an was very pleased and issued a special decree to commend Shen Qingtan.

Didn’t Shen Qingtan get assassinated and disappear?

How could he go to Guanzhou?

The second master was dumbfounded. He heard with his own ears that the Duke forced Zhao Yi to divorce his wife, and the grandfather and grandson quarreled in the study about this.

If Shen Qingtan really went to Guanzhou, Zhao Yi could tell the Duke the truth.

Either Zhao Yi was hiding it from the Duke, or the grandfather and grandson were deliberately putting on a show for him.

He glanced at the imperial edict secretly, and another thought arose in his mind - Emperor Jing'an was protecting Shen Qingtan.

The second wife thought the same, her heart was filled with jealousy and resentment.

Shen Mingzhu stared at Shen Qingtan, seeing her holding the imperial edict in both hands, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

She thought that Shen Qingtan's good days would be over after she married Zhao Yi.

On the contrary, after Shen Qingtan married Zhao Yi, her life became more and more smooth.

Even if Shen Qingtan's reputation is ruined, Zhao Yi is willing to fight against the family for her.

This was the married life she had always dreamed of: kind parents-in-law and a husband who loved and respected her. But in the end, she had to serve her parents-in-law servilely and received no caring words from her husband.

Shen Mingzhu looked at Zhao Jue with a bitter taste in her mouth, only to see him staring at Shen Qingtan with a burning gaze. Those eyes that were only cold when facing her, now filled with heat and even a determination to win when they were looking at Shen Qingtan.

She knew very well that Zhao Jue married her only to consolidate his power and position. When she became useless, he discarded her like a worn-out shoe, not even willing to pay her any attention.

Now that he has seen Shen Qingtan's abilities, he must be regretting it, right?

Shen Mingzhu thought viciously that even if Shen Qingtan died, the surname on his tombstone would still be Zhao Yi's.

"Eunuch Cao, thank you for your help." Shen Qingtan didn't care about the second wife's opinion. He took a small box the size of a palm from Zhao Yi and gave it to Eunuch Cao: "Please get a pot of wine."

Eunuch Cao had a very good impression of Shen Qingtan. The last time he came to give a reward, Shen Qingtan gave him a piece of jade.

He had no other hobbies in his life except jade.

She catered to his preferences, which showed that she put her heart into it.

There was also a silver note in the box, specifically asking him to treat the eunuchs who ran errands to a drink.

"Second Madam Zhao, rumors stop with the wise." Eunuch Cao glanced at the onlookers and said soothingly, "You have a righteous heart, and the good deeds you do will naturally be rewarded."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingtan looked at the people beside him.

The people all blushed, and facing Shen Qingtan's gaze, they avoided his gaze, feeling guilty and not daring to look him in the eye.

Shen Qingtan was a very famous noble lady in the capital, and later married into the Duke's Mansion and became the wife of the Crown Prince.

A lady from a prominent family like her was involved in a scandal of eloping. Many people spread rumors, even exaggerating and slandering her to the utmost.

Now the situation has been reversed. She did not elope with anyone at all, but went to help the disaster victims in Guanzhou.

Emperor Jing'an even gave rewards.

It can be seen that the matter is true.

Some people, however, were unconvinced and lowered their voices, saying, "Who doesn't know that Second Master Zhao is deeply favored by the Emperor? He would rather give up the title of Duke than divorce his wife. What if the Emperor, in order to fulfill Second Master Zhao's wish, issues such an imperial decree to cover up her shame?"

"No way! I heard that Second Madam Zhao assisted the prefect of Guanzhou and arrested several unscrupulous merchants. They confiscated their property and seized a huge amount of silver. This silver has already been shipped to the capital."

"Let's wait and see if there is this batch of silver."

As soon as they finished speaking, they saw someone riding a fast horse coming. When he was approaching the Duke's Mansion, he hurriedly pulled the reins and dismounted.

"Master, twenty commoners from Guanzhou have come to the capital with the officials who are transporting the imperial silver. They have come here specifically to express their gratitude to the Second Master and the Second Mistress."

The man panted and said, "I met them at the city gate and made inquiries. They heard rumors about the Second Mistress in Guanzhou and were furious that their benefactor had been slandered and defamed by such a villain. So they volunteered to go to the capital to clear the Second Mistress's name. Prefect Ning was moved by their kindness and gave them a pass."

Even the Duke was stunned when he heard this.

Before he could speak, he heard a commotion in the distance.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a dozen or twenty strong men walking towards him quickly.

The two strong men in the lead each held a piece of longevity and wealth in their hands.

When the people saw this, they all made way for him.

The Duke's Mansion is solemn and majestic, and the two stone lions at the entrance are full of majesty.

Seeing this, the young men felt nervous.

Especially when meeting dignitaries for the first time, one can't help but feel a little shy.

But when they thought about their benefactor being criticized, they plucked up their courage and stepped forward, kneeling upright on the ground.

"Second Master, Second Madam, if it weren't for you, we would probably still be being exploited by profiteers and suffering from hunger and cold. Now we have a house to live in, food to eat, and money to make clothes to wear."

The young men came to clear Shen Qingtan's name, but when they talked about these sad things, their eyes couldn't help but turn red.

"We will never forget the great kindness you and Second Master have shown us. Our clan has specially erected a longevity tablet for you two, and we will pray for your blessings and longevity every day."

"Hurry up and get up. There's no need for such a grand ceremony." Shen Qingtan said quickly, "We hire you to farm the land. When the crops grow, you can also exchange them for silver for us. It's a mutually beneficial relationship."

"Second Madam, why are you so modest? The Great Zhou is vast and rich in resources. You could earn much more money by hiring people to farm elsewhere than you would in Guanzhou." The leading young man said sincerely, "You can't bear to see the suffering of the people, so you lend a helping hand to us."

Another person said, "Even if it's true, you're still a kind person. You haven't colluded with other unscrupulous merchants. You've rented us land, provided us with food, and even paid us wages. For those of us who barely have enough to eat, aren't you our adopted parents?"

As soon as they finished speaking, they kowtowed to Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi together to express their gratitude for the meal.

Shen Qingtan winked at the servants, indicating that they should help the strong men up.

"Second Master and I appreciate your kindness." Shen Qingtan said, "You've been tired from the journey. Go to the inn quickly to wash up, have some food and rest."

Zhao Yi instructed Jiang Mu: "Take the villagers to the Yongkang Commercial Bank's inn."

Jiang Mu agreed.

The strong men's faces were dark red and they looked very embarrassed.

They came to express their gratitude, but ended up causing trouble for their benefactor.

After thanking him profusely again, he left with Jiang Mu.

The skeptical people were ashamed when they saw this scene.

Just based on the people of Guanzhou expressing their gratitude, they might suspect that Shen Qingtan had bribed them, but when they saw the longevity tablets in the hands of the middle-aged men, which were set up by the clan, they completely believed that Shen Qingtan really went to Guanzhou to provide disaster relief.

Moreover, the silver that Guanzhou was transporting had already arrived in the capital. After a while, they heard the news.

Besides, whether Shen Qingtan had hired people to farm in Guanzhou could be found out by just sending someone to inquire.

There was really no need for them to come up with such a lame excuse that could be easily exposed.