A commotion broke out on the outskirts of the crowd. Gan Li looked up and saw the Zhao family's steward leading several burly servants through the crowd. Behind the steward was the anxious-looking village head.
She sneered. The news travels fast! She had barely finished speaking when they arrived with their men to put out the fire.
This also confirmed her earlier guess: Master Zhao was unhappy and wanted to make things difficult for her.
Gan Li became wary. This Master Zhao was so narrow-minded and vindictive; she would have to be more careful in the future.
As soon as Butler Zhao stopped, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fellow villagers, today's matter is a misunderstanding! There is nothing wrong with the Gan family's popsicles. The previous incident was all a deliberate slander!"
The crowd immediately fell silent, all turning to look at Butler Zhao. Someone asked:
"Steward Zhao, why is your Wanshun Restaurant meddling in other people's business instead of just selling food and drinks?"
Upon hearing this, some people began to have doubts. Wan Shun Lou had no connection with the Gan family, and upon closer examination, they were actually enemies. So why was Wan Shun Lou speaking up for the Gan family this time?
Is there something fishy going on here?
Butler Zhao, as expected of someone capable of being a butler, was also quick-witted. Faced with everyone's questions, he didn't shy away from bringing up the previous incident:
"There were some rumors circulating in town about our Wanshunlou restaurant... I'm sure everyone has heard them, but they're completely unfounded! My master was furious when he heard them and ordered a thorough investigation to find out who was slandering our Zhao family."
So I started investigating from the source, and unexpectedly found out about the Gan family's popsicle poisoning incident. My husband felt something was amiss and told me to keep an eye on it. Sure enough, we found out that it was actually a case of someone deliberately slandering us!
Although my master had no prior acquaintance with the Gan family, he didn't want to stand idly by and allow innocent people to be wrongly accused after learning of this matter. Therefore, he specifically ordered me to help the Gan family clear their name.
After Steward Zhao finished speaking, the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, their previous doubts replaced by praise for Master Zhao.
"So that's how it is! I knew it! Master Zhao isn't that kind of person!"
"It seems that this Master Zhao is truly a great philanthropist!"
"That's right. His daughter's affair with Chen Xiucai was a big deal before, but I didn't expect him to not hold a grudge and repay evil with kindness."
When Steward Zhao heard that his words had worked, he was extremely pleased with himself.
Before coming, the master specifically instructed that he had suffered too much at the hands of Gan Li, and that even if he wanted to clear her name this time, he also had to help his own family regain its reputation.
This put Butler Zhao in a difficult position. He had only met Gan Li a few times, but he inexplicably felt that she was not someone who could be easily fooled. If he openly clarified things for the Zhao family, she would definitely not let it go.
I racked my brains before I came up with this roundabout way of speaking.
It seems to be working very well now. Even if he doesn't mention what happened before, people will think of it and praise the master for not holding grudges and for his good character, which has inadvertently earned him a good reputation.
If the master knew, he would surely praise him for his efficient work.
While Steward Zhao was smugly thinking about it, Gan Li let out a cold laugh.
She glanced coldly at Butler Zhao, thinking to herself, "As expected, there's not a single good person in the Zhao family. They're just trying to clarify things, but they're trying to use this opportunity to reverse their previous reputation."
If Master Zhao has earned a reputation for repaying evil with good, then wouldn't Gan Li be an ungrateful wretch?
However, since Butler Zhao didn't say it explicitly, she couldn't really confront him directly. After thinking for a while, she came up with a plan. She looked at Butler Zhao with a grateful expression and praised him:
"Master Zhao is indeed a man of high moral character and clear about right and wrong. Although I have some disagreements with his daughter, I have to admire Master Zhao's character."
She paused, then said with a regretful expression:
"Speaking of this, I can't help but think, Mr. Zhao's character is so noble, yet the daughter he gave birth to is..." She sighed with regret.
Upon hearing this, the onlookers recalled the affair between Master Zhao's daughter, Zhao Juan, and Scholar Chen, and couldn't help but wholeheartedly agree with Gan Li's words.
"That's absolutely right, isn't that exactly it?"
"Yes, what kind of good person would seduce a married woman? How could a good man like Master Zhao have such a daughter?"
Upon hearing this, Gan Li seemed to realize her slip of the tongue and quickly tried to cover it up: "It's better not to say that. Perhaps Miss Zhao has been misled..."
"Come on."
The onlookers were not buying it at all, and said directly:
"They're about to get engaged. If Miss Zhao were being deceived, she would have dumped Scholar Chen long ago. Why would she be engaged? It's clear she's willing."
"That's right, I think so too."
As everyone chimed in with their opinions, they became even more convinced that Zhao Juan was morally corrupt.
Seeing the situation turn around, Gan Li finally felt relieved. But when she thought of Zhao Juan, a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
Although she hadn't seen Zhao Juan since arriving here, she already felt a strong aversion to the person.
That day, when the original owner returned from the Gan family, she overheard Chen Danian discussing his marriage with Granny Lü outside the door. She then learned that Zhao Juan was not unaware of Chen Danian's character, but she was confident in her wealthy family and believed that she would not end up like the original owner. Therefore, she was very eager to marry Chen Danian.
But she had a condition: after marrying her, Chen Danian had to be devoted to her and could no longer care for his two children.
How could Chen Danian agree to this? His daughter was one thing; she was destined to be an outsider from birth. But his son was different—Chen Yaozu was the eldest son of the Chen family! How could he possibly ignore him?
He was unusually assertive for once, and Zhao Juan, who truly loved him, had no choice but to back down when she saw his tough stance. However, she was still angry inside. Since she couldn't touch Chen Yaozu, she vented her anger on Gan Tian.
She ordered Chen Danian to marry Gan Tian off within a year of their marriage, regardless of age, appearance, or disability; as long as someone was willing to take her, he didn't need to be picky...
Ganli felt a surge of hatred when she thought about this.
Gan Tian is only eleven years old, yet Zhao Juan is already forcing Chen Danian to marry her off, even going so far as to say "regardless of age, appearance, or limpity!" As a woman herself, how could she not know that this is tantamount to ruining Gan Tian's entire life?
What's even more infuriating is that Chen Danian actually agreed.
Chen Danian was the culprit behind all of this, but it's not unjust that Zhao Juan had such malicious intentions. So, Gan Li not only felt no guilt when she tricked her, but was also refreshed.
Public opinion shifted instantly, leaving Steward Zhao dumbfounded and unsure of what to say in his defense.
What did he say? Gan Li didn't lie at all, and she kept praising his master and even defended his young lady. If he cursed her, he would only anger everyone.
Denying it is unrealistic; it would be too easy to be proven wrong!
He was sweating profusely and kept giving the village head meaningful glances.
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