Chapter 66: Thanks
After she rejected him again that day, he lost his mind, thinking that as long as he focused on government affairs, it would eventually pass.
But when their eyes met, he realized that he was deceiving himself again and he would never forget her.
She stood silently in front of the door, leaning her head against it. Although she didn't say a word, Zhao Yan felt the pain from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to go over to comfort her, hug her, and tell her that everything was over and no one would be able to bully her anymore.
He even felt that the punishment just imposed on the Chen family was too light, and he wished he could carry out the punishment himself.
At this moment, Baili ran over first. He picked up the handkerchief in his hand and wiped her tears with a distressed look. He said, "Huatang, it's okay. Don't be afraid anymore. Lord Zhao just punished him severely. Now that he's been imprisoned, he'll be a cripple and will never cause any trouble again."
Xu Fu also nodded in agreement, "Senior Sister, it's okay, they have all been taken away."
Yu Huatang nodded slightly, took the handkerchief, wiped herself for a while, walked over, and when she reached Zhao Yan, she said a little awkwardly, "...Thank you, sir."
I think she has some concerns.
Zhao Yan knew why she was like that and consoled her, "No need to thank me. This is what I should do. They deserved it!"
Baili also came over from behind, supporting Yu Huatang and saying to Zhao Yan, "That being said, my Lord, you exposed their scheme in front of so many people and cleared Huatang's name. This is even more important to a woman than her life. We men may not mind, but if Huatang were to be slandered like this, she would surely be condemned and cursed by thousands of people. This man is so vicious that he dared not sue us after being beaten by us, and is only focused on this. He is truly hateful and deserves to be killed!"
Xu Fu also continued, "Yes, sir. Although Master Baili likes Senior Sister, we in the entire Master Deng Hall can testify that there is absolutely no personal affection between them, and Master Baili is also a well-behaved person. It's these people who are throwing dirty water and trying to harm my Senior Sister!"
Zhao Yan also said solemnly, "I know. I will make them pay the price."
Baili was afraid he wouldn't believe him, so he wanted to explain further, but his words were sincere and his tone was solemn. He was relieved to know he wasn't some corrupt official.
Thinking that Lord Zhao had helped Huatang time and time again, it was only right for him to treat him to a meal as a token of gratitude, so he spoke out of it casually.
Upon hearing this, Yu Huatang shook her head and said, "Lord Zhao is busy, so let's not disturb him anymore." She said this because she felt it was very strange to let Baili treat him to a meal. Even if Xu Fu went along, the relationship would still be awkward.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yan agreed. He said, "Okay, I'll go back and give them some instructions. You go ahead."
Yu Huatang was surprised, and so was Baili Yunzhou, but he reacted quickly and said, "Then I'll take Huatang and the others with me and wait for you tonight."
Zhao Yan nodded, looked at her deeply, and turned away.
After returning to the government office, Lord Yan was surprised to learn that Zhao Yan was not on official business that evening and had something to go out for. Lord Zhao never attended banquets except for necessary social events related to official business.
Zhao Yan also wondered why he agreed. Maybe he wanted to take this opportunity to see her more. Even if these people were present, he didn't mind.
By the evening, Baili Yunzhou had already made arrangements. Originally, they had booked a large square table, but Huatang said that it might be too close. Baili Yunzhou also thought so, so they changed it to a small table for each person, with the table at the first seat being a little wider.
After everyone sat down, Baili Yunzhou personally stepped forward to fill Zhao Yan's glass with wine, then went back to serve the wine and said, "This glass is to thank you for your action today, sir." After saying that, he drank it himself.
Zhao Yan said nothing, just nodded and finished his glass.
Baili Yunzhou was surprised, because Zhao Yan didn't need to drink this glass of wine.
Without giving it much thought, he stepped forward to pour another glass of wine, adding, "This cup is to toast to you, sir, for your integrity as an official. To be honest, sir, at first, I thought another governor had come to exploit the people. Unexpectedly, sir, not only did you help the people punish the all-powerful Jiang Timber, but you also investigated and prosecuted Jiang Huaxiang. You are truly admirable. Later, sir, you offered advice on the livelihoods of the people of Quanzhou and opened up trade with the Turks. Even for matters like lantern lighting and the return of boatmen, sir, you were willing to spend time and effort to have the Lantern Master Hall research, striving to ensure the safety of the people's return."
"Every one of these things tells us that your Excellency is a commendable official!"
After saying that, he drank the glass again. Xu Fu, who was listening at the side, also drank one excitedly as well.
Zhao Yan nodded silently, then raised his head and drank a glass of cold wine.
After that, they talked for a while and drank a few more glasses.
Yu Huatang just felt weird.
Zhao Yan sat in the first seat, and every time he put down his cup, he would look at her a few times. He listened to every word Baili said just now. He remembered that when he first came here, he also had prejudices. He was particularly depressed because of the unknown in this strange place.
Just as Baili said, he never thought that he would be a senior official, but Zhao Yan himself also never thought that he would handle government affairs here so carefully and diligently, and even give justice to the people in a very impartial way.
He thought about it for a long time, maybe it was because she was here.
In this small town, there are female artisans like her who, despite having only a humble position, continue to work hard and demonstrate their strength.
Let him see that she, who is like a moss flower, can also be as bright as a peony.
Here, he saw the persistence of thousands of craftsmen and her determination to make her skills known to the world. People in the world divide industries into different levels.
But when he got here, he realized that even in the most inconspicuous corners, there were people forging ahead.
It was she who illuminated his beliefs and made him more determined to become an official.
But now that he has lost her company along the way, his heart is finally empty...
As early as when he divorced, his mother hired a fortune teller for him.
That person said, the young master's marriage is bumpy, and having children depends on fate.
After hearing this, his mother cried for several days, but he didn't take it seriously at the time. He thought that if a person can't find their true love in their life, it's just like losing someone who understands their feelings. There's no need to cry so much...
But today he finally understood how painful this difficult life was...
He was successful at a young age and enjoyed great success. Perhaps it was because God saw that he had so much that he arranged it this way...
Now he wanted to ask why he was left alone, unable to love or ask for anything...
The banquet was silent, and he was only busy drinking. Finally, Baili slowly stopped, looked around, and when he was sure that there was nothing wrong with the arrangement, he started chatting again.
At this time, he said, "The people in this small town don't have much to talk about. What happened today will definitely cause rumors. Even if we are all innocent, there are always gossips like this. In the end, it may become a tiger with three people. My lord, you are well-read. I would like to ask for your help. Do you have any countermeasures to put an end to this matter?"
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