Yan Qingqing, however, was in no hurry and went back inside to dress up carefully.
She wore a relatively gorgeous dress, or rather, a dress with a brighter color than anything else. It was embroidered with dark peony patterns and was double-sided.
After thinking for a moment, she took out the hair ornament she had bought from the prefectural city last time and put it on.
She had only worn this twin lotus hairpin once, when Magistrate Ling came last time, and she wore it to show that she valued him.
I dressed up so nicely today so that these people would ridicule me less.
She had never met the prefect's wife and didn't know what kind of person she was, but she knew a little about the family members of Prefect Shen.
Especially Aunt Chen and Second Miss Chen, they have a feud.
And then there's Madam Shen. Although there's no connection between them, it's hard to guarantee that Aunt Chen or Miss Chen might try to bribe her, or that the two sisters might whisper in her ear and pressure Magistrate Shen.
Since ancient times, the common people have never fought against the officials. Yan Qingqing now understands the helplessness of being powerless in ancient times, so she can only be on high alert to deal with the situation.
After getting dressed, Yan Qingqing took Ruyi and Ruxue to the peony garden.
Because that poem is now more popular in the peony garden, these distinguished guests went straight to the peony garden after they arrived.
Moreover, once they arrived, this group of people revealed their identities, as if afraid that others wouldn't know they were nobles from the prefectural city.
The highest-ranking official they had ever received from their two gardens was Magistrate Ling, but Magistrate Ling was personally accompanied by Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangping and Li Xiang'an. Moreover, Magistrate Ling was so approachable that they were all proud to see him up close.
But these ladies were different. They arrived without buying tickets and acted arrogantly, treating the garden workers like their servants.
So all they could do was send Ah Da back to inform Yan Qingqing.
When Yan Qingqing arrived, the ladies were throwing a tantrum, and village chief Li Kaishan was kneeling below with a group of people.
The woman who got angry was about forty years old. She had an ordinary appearance, and her face was covered in makeup as if a layer of white paint had been scraped off.
She lashed out at Li Kaishan and the others, saying, "Why hasn't the owner of this garden shown up yet? Does he look down on me and Madam Liu?"
Let me remind you, Madam Rongben, that both Madam Liu and I are of official rank. I am a fifth-rank official, and Madam Liu is a fourth-rank official. We are both ladies of the imperial court.
You country bumpkins have probably never seen such a high-ranking official in your entire lives; this is an honor for you.
Not only did you fail to serve us the finest wine and food, but you also dared to accept money when I sent someone to fetch it.
Yan Qingqing thought that Madam Shen was incredibly stupid. No wonder she was suppressed by a concubine and couldn't turn the tables. With her appearance and brains, it was no wonder she couldn't possibly outwit the two sisters.
Yan Qingqing now suspects that Madam Shen may have been set up when she sent Miss Chen to Magistrate Shen's bed.
Seeing Madam Shen's arrogant words, Aunt Chen tugged at her sleeve and said, "Sister, please calm down. These people don't know manners and don't mean to disrespect you."
Madam Liu glanced at Aunt Chen and then smiled silently, seemingly having no intention of interfering.
As expected, Madam Shen became even angrier after hearing Aunt Chen's words, and cursed at Li Kaishan and the others, "Well, you bunch of unruly commoners dare to disrespect me! It seems you want to go to the prison in the prefectural city!"
Upon hearing this, Li Kaishan and his companions broke out in a cold sweat and could only beg for mercy.
Yan Qingqing couldn't stand it anymore. If she didn't step in, Li Kaishan and the others would probably be scared out of their wits.
Yan Qingqing walked up to the group, bowed, and said, "Greetings, ladies. You have come all the way from the city. I apologize for any neglect you may have shown me."
Madam Shen's eyes flashed with surprise when she saw Yan Qingqing.
Because Yan Qingqing was well-maintained, with smooth, fair skin, jet-black, lustrous hair, and elegant attire, she possessed a more refined air than these people from the prefectural city. This instilled a sense of inferiority in them.
The Chen sisters, standing behind Madam Liu, clenched their fists, their faces filled with barely suppressed anger.
Madam Liu probably guessed Yan Qingqing's identity, and a look of amazement flashed in her eyes.
After Madam Shen came to her senses, she asked somewhat angrily, "Who are you? Why don't you kneel and bow to us when you see us?"
Yan Qingqing replied in a flustered manner, "Please forgive us, Madam. We are just country folk and don't know any manners."
Moreover, this humble woman does not know which official's residence each of these ladies belongs to, and hopes that the lady will enlighten her.
This also allows us to witness the official authority of you gentlemen through the majesty of your ladies.
Madam Shen listened and proudly began to introduce the matter, while Madam Liu's expression changed and she looked at Yan Qingqing with a complicated expression.
When it was Madam Shen's turn to introduce her, she finally spoke up and said, "Alright, Madam Shen, these people have been kneeling for so long."
They didn't do anything seriously wrong, so please let them get up.
Yan Qingqing was somewhat surprised to hear this. It seemed that Madam Liu and Madam Shen were not on the same side.
Upon hearing this, Li Kaishan looked up at Yan Qingqing. Yan Qingqing gave him a wink, and Li Kaishan quickly said, "Thank you for your kindness, ladies." Only then did he stand up shakily.
Perhaps because he had been kneeling for too long or because of his age, Li Kaishan lost his balance and fell to the ground after standing up. Yan Qingqing reacted quickly and caught him.
Then, with concern, she asked, "Uncle Village Chief, what's wrong? You can't be hurt. You're the village head, someone who receives a salary from the imperial court. If something happens because you've been kneeling for too long, how will the ladies explain it?"
This will also affect the reputations of those officials in the future. I've heard about it all. These ladies are all from the provincial capital; they have official titles, yet they wouldn't dare to swindle us out of a few taels of silver."
After saying that, she winked at Li Kaishan. Upon seeing this, Li Kaishan exclaimed, "Alas, I can't do it anymore. This is not the fault of the ladies. I'm just too old and useless."
"You're right. It wouldn't matter much if I, an old man, died. But if it tarnished the reputations of my wives, that would be a grave sin for this old man."
As soon as he finished speaking, he showed signs of fainting. The person next to Li Kaishan, who was very perceptive, supported him and shouted loudly, "Village Chief, Village Chief, please don't let anything happen to you! If anything happens to you, our Canghe Village will be in chaos!"
A shout immediately rang out from the surrounding area.
Yan Qingqing took a moment to glance at these distinguished guests, whose faces were as black as soot from the bottom of a pot.
Especially Madam Shen, whose face was hideous, and with the excessive white makeup on her face, she looked like a ghost.
Yan Qingqing suddenly felt a chill, thinking to herself that it was no wonder that Magistrate Shen didn't like her; if she were a man, she wouldn't like her either.
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