Chapter 100 Today's turmoil is half true and half false, which makes people believe it more
"Grandmother, Second Aunt, Cousin, Jinniang kowtows to you."
Jinniang had already taken off the dress given by the old lady and put on the old clothes she wore when she first arrived. She was carrying a bundle in her hand, her eyes were red and swollen, and the scar on her forehead was even more noticeable.
"Jinniang has heard about what's going on outside. Jinniang doesn't want to embarrass everyone. This matter started with me, so it's my turn to end it. I'm going back to Fujian now. As long as I'm gone, these things will no longer happen. Over time, they will just disappear into thin air."
After saying that, she kowtowed three times in a row, stood up and was about to leave.
Jinniang's behavior was truly unexpected. Not only the old lady, but even Rong Shi had to swallow back the doubts that were about to be expressed.
It would be too inhumane to mention that the beggars' rumors were related to Jinniang at this time. After all, Jinniang was the "victim" now.
"Who let you go? Who allowed you to leave? If you hadn't sacrificed your life to protect him, your cousin would be the one injured now. By leaving, you're playing into the hands of those who spread the rumors!"
The old lady was leaning on a cane, tapping the ground repeatedly, showing her anxiety.
She had originally kept Jinniang by her side to clean up the mess for Cheng, to prevent Jinniang from ever really thinking of repaying her kindness. Although she had not taken the initiative like Cheng, she had tacitly agreed to Cheng's actions. Naturally, she hoped that Heng'er would have a smoother and more stable future.
But who would have thought that over these days, Jinniang would actually impress everyone. Every morning, she was the first one waiting in the house, and together with Chaoxia, she would help her get up. Every afternoon, Jinniang would accompany her to eat vegetarian food, chant sutras, play mahjong, and massage her shoulders and legs. She was tireless and meticulous in everything she did.
The old lady had always been informal and disliked setting rules in public, but she was old after all, and could not resist such thoughtful and heartfelt filial piety. The initial wariness she had felt was quietly worn away during their day-to-day interactions.
She was a very good judge of people and was adept at distinguishing truth from falsehood. But this time, Jinniang's unwavering docility, her tactful words, and her daily presence by her side had caused her usually calm and composed heart to develop a few selfish thoughts and biases.
Now, the rumors outside are clearly saying that Heng'er "abandoned his cousin who saved his life and wanted to marry the Shangshu's daughter." So, if Heng'er married Jinniang, would the rumors be self-defeating?
The old lady closed her eyes, as if she were thinking, or weighing the pros and cons. After a long silence, she opened her eyes and looked at Du Heng solemnly: "Heng'er, Grandmother asks you, if no one supports you, are you willing to embark on this official career path alone?"
Du Heng understood the implication of his grandmother's words and knelt down again, his eyes calm. "Grandmother, I dare to ask you, Grandmother, in these ten years of studying, have you ever relied on anyone's hand, or walked anyone's path?"
Without waiting for his grandmother's reply, he continued, "Ever since I started learning, my grandson has written essays stroke by stroke, word by word, and won the first place in the imperial examination. In four months, I will surely use my pen and ink to make it onto the list of top scorers again, worthy of my hard-earned education."
He said firmly, without hesitation, "My grandson is used to walking alone. If there are others around, it would be like having an extra pair of crutches for no reason, and it would be difficult for him to move forward."
At this point, he simply brought up the matter of the Xu Mansion as well: "Today's incident is half true and half false, which makes people believe it even more. Since my grandson has never been engaged to the Xu family, it is better to take this opportunity to make things clear with the Xu family to avoid harming innocent people."
Upon hearing this, the old lady felt at ease and her expression softened. "Now that you understand, Grandmother is relieved. I will discuss the matter of the Xu Mansion with your mother."
She ordered Du Heng to stand up, and ordered someone to help Jin Niang up. She said to Jin Niang gently, "Did you hear what your cousin said? He has his own ideas about the turmoil outside. You can stay here peacefully. Grandmother will take care of the rest."
Before she could finish her words, Du Heng spoke up. His tone was calm, yet with a hint of interruption, as if to comfort Jinniang: "My cousin has been wrongly implicated this time, and I owe you an apology. As Grandmother said, please rest assured for the time being. I will give you an explanation after the storm has subsided."
When the word "explain" came out, Jinniang's heart moved slightly.
His words were so straightforward that she didn't dare to believe them completely, but she couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. She had indeed put a lot of thought into it, but the good news came a little too quickly.
She suppressed the throbbing in her heart, took a deep breath, and let the tears well up again. She whispered, "Cousin, you said yesterday that the Spring Examination will be moved up, and this April is crucial. The only way to quickly resolve these rumors is for me to leave. Cousin, Jinniang doesn't want to delay you any longer. Please let me go back to Fujian!"
Du Heng sighed, looked at her, and said in a serious tone: "Cousin, do you really think so?"
Jinniang didn't understand why, but she nodded anyway. Tears streamed down her face, and she wondered if her cousin would feel more sympathy for her, seeing her so tearful.
Du Heng sighed and said, "Since you care about me, then listen to me. Please stay in peace in the mansion. I will handle this matter properly and will not cause you any more trouble. After that, I will also devote all my efforts to preparing for the Spring Examination and will not worry those who are worried about me."
The old lady was slightly startled by this. She had originally assumed her grandson had no feelings for Jinniang, but his words today seemed to hold a deeper meaning. Could it be that these two had already harbored feelings for each other? Otherwise, why would Jinniang risk her life to block the attack?
When I think about it this way, it all seems to make sense.
She thought to herself, if this is true, it's not a bad thing. Let's just leave the Xu Mansion matter at that.
Rong was already intelligent, so how could she not notice something was amiss? Seeing her mother-in-law's tired expression eased slightly by Heng'er's promises, she temporarily suppressed her suspicions and personally helped the old lady back to her room to rest.
When everyone was leaving, a servant came to report that a Mr. Yuan had come to give a gift to his cousin as agreed yesterday, and was now waiting in the side hall to the side of the hanging flower gate.
At this time, Du Heng was the only one left in the main hall. Upon hearing this, he stopped the servant who was about to report to the Second Madam and asked in person, "Which Young Master Yuan is this? And to which cousin is this gift for?"
The servant said respectfully, "Sir, Master Yuan came to the mansion yesterday and claimed to be a former student of the Second Madam's father."
Du Heng's heart skipped a beat, and the face with a pair of slightly upturned eyes and a provocative smile on the corner of the mouth appeared before him.
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