Chapter 62: Rumors: In fact, most people in this world cannot see the truth...
The next morning, Wu Sheng arrived with news. "Boss, there's indeed a pharmacy called 'Qubaibing' in West City. It's said to have been open for many years."
Xie Wuhen asked, "Does the pharmacy have any medicine that can mask the pulse?"
"Yes, it's called 'Hide the Sky and Cross the Sea.'" Wu Sheng said, pulling a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve pocket and mumbling, "I spent a lot of time and effort to buy a bottle. It's the only one of its kind in the whole capital, and it's very expensive, a full... ten taels of silver."
Xie Wuhen glanced at him, took out his own purse and threw it to him: "Just do your job well, and you won't lose any money."
Wu Sheng took the purse and said with a smile, "Boss is really considerate."
Xie Wuhen then ordered: "Now that this matter has been confirmed, summon the owner of the medicine shop."
Wu Sheng looked troubled. "I heard from the owner of the drugstore that the boss went out of town two days ago. I don't know where he went or when he will be back."
Xie Wuhen paused, "Then you can just bring over the list of customers who have purchased 'Hidden Heaven and Sea' from the pharmacy."
Wu Sheng sighed, "I've thought of that, but the shopkeeper said that the list of customers who buy the secret medicine in the shop is kept by the boss."
Xie Wuhen had no choice but to order, "Send someone to keep an eye on this pharmacy and see when the owner returns."
Wu Sheng clasped his fists and replied “Yes”.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Liuzi came to the door and reported: "Boss, our people just caught several boys and girls on the street."
Xie Wuhen frowned: "What are you doing with the doll?"
"These dolls are spreading rumors freely on the streets."
"What rumors are spreading?"
Xiao Liuzi choked and dared not speak.
Wu Sheng urged, "What are you standing there for? Tell me, what's the rumor?"
Xiao Liuzi's face turned red from holding it in: "Boss...you should go to the hall and take a look yourself."
Xie Wuhen stopped talking nonsense and walked towards the hall next door.
The hall was abuzz with activity. Several children, aged five or six, were surrounded. Several other officers were demanding, with stern faces, "Tell the truth! Who taught you this ballad?"
The leading boy made a face and said, "I won't tell you, I won't tell you."
The other children also joined in the commotion, shouting, "I won't tell you, I won't tell you."
The usually solemn and dignified Dali Temple suddenly became extremely noisy.
The noise didn't stop until Xie Wuhen suddenly appeared at the door of the hall.
He was dressed in tight clothes and had a stern face. His tall figure was filled with murderous aura, which frightened the kids so much that they dared not to do anything wrong again, and several policemen immediately fell silent.
He strode into the house, glanced at the children, and asked in a deep voice, "Who's the leader?"
The children blamed each other and no one dared to stand up.
His cold gaze fell on the tallest boy: "It's you, right?"
The other dolls murmured in agreement, "Yes, that's him."
The boy had no choice but to straighten his body and said, "Yes, it's me. What do you want?"
Xie Wuhen ordered: "Sing the ballad you sang again."
The boy looked at his companions a few times, feeling a little uneasy and undecided.
He ordered again in a sharp voice: "Song."
The boy shuddered with fear and began to chant a ballad in a whisper, "The great general of the cavalry, cuckolded in his coffin, his widowed wife cheated on her uncle and gave birth to a big fool, the fool hid behind high walls, whitewashing the Xie family's good reputation."
After the boy finished singing the ballad, the hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Even a fool can tell that this is not only about the story of Shaoqing's father Xie Lei being cuckolded, but also about the story of Shaoqing's mother Xu Nanzhi cheating on her uncle!
No one dared to say a word, as anyone who said a word would be in trouble.
Xie Wuhen also remained silent, but secretly clenched his fists, and his arms trembled.
Wu Sheng couldn't stand it any longer and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about, you little brat? Who told you to spread it?"
The boy shrank back in fear. “It was… an old woman who gave us money and asked… to spread the story.”
"If I tell you to spread the word, you'll spread it. If I tell you to eat shit, will you eat it?"
Wu Sheng said as he stepped forward and pushed the boy: "Tell me, do you want to eat shit?"
The boy was so scared that he cried out "wow".
The other babies also started crying, and the originally quiet hall became noisy again.
Xie Wuhen ordered in a hoarse voice: "Let these people go."
Wu Sheng was still furious: "Boss, should we have a trial?"
Xie Wuhen suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Let them go."
Wu Sheng was also startled and immediately winked at a police officer.
The officer understood and sent the children away as quickly as possible.
The house finally quieted down.
Xie Wuhen stopped for a moment, then turned around and went back to the public housing.
Wu Sheng was puzzled and asked tentatively, "Boss, are we just going to let this go?"
He then asked, "Why don't you check who is behind this?"
Xie Wuhen sat back at the desk and replied coldly, "It's the Queen."
Wu Sheng paused: "Queen?"
"Because we were checking where Lady Duofu was going, they were scared."
"Then...what should we do now?"
Xie Wuhen answered simply: "Whatever needs to be done, then do it."
"But how can we defeat the Queen?"
"Don't forget, we are doing the emperor's work."
"What about this ballad?"
Xie Wuhen bit the back of his teeth and said, "Let them spread the word."
Since we all have past stories that cannot be exposed to the light, let’s dig them out and let them see the light.
In just two days, the Xie family scandal spread throughout the capital.
Everyone in the teahouses and taverns said, "What a pity, General Huqi."
Or: "The Xie family is nothing but a splendid exterior and rotten cotton within."
Some even suspected: "Perhaps even the Shaoqing is not the general's son."
Xu Nanzhi knew she was too embarrassed to see anyone, so she simply claimed to be ill and didn't even leave the courtyard.
Su He had also heard the rumors outside and couldn't help but sigh: "This person always follows the crowd and believes everything he hears."
Chunlan echoed, "That's right. Today, someone even threw rotten vegetable leaves and cow dung at the gate of our mansion."
Su He replied: "Let them be, it will eventually calm down after some time."
Then he asked, "Is the old lady okay?"
"What could possibly be wrong?" Chunlan lowered her voice. "Look at that old lady. Although she seems sickly all the time, she's actually very thick-skinned. Even with such a big incident, she remained silent."
Zhang Xiuhua heard this and shouted, "Shut up right now."
As he spoke, he glanced outside the room warily: "No matter how bad the old lady is, she is still the young lady's mother-in-law and the mother of the son-in-law. Outsiders may talk about it for their own pleasure, but we must never say anything."
Chunlan slapped her mouth and said, "I was careless. I won't do it again next time."
Su He made a cup of tea for each of them and said, "Rumors are like the wind blowing by, so there's no need to worry too much."
Then he told Chunlan: "The old lady likes the mung bean cakes you make. Please make some and send them to her."
Chunlan nodded and said "yes".
Zhang Xiuhua sighed beside him, "My son-in-law has been staying in the study for the past two days."
Su He replied: "He is under a lot of pressure, give him some time first."
Zhang Xiuhua sighed again, "That's right, those words outside are really too harsh to hear."
Chunlan echoed in a low voice: "Some people even say that the son-in-law is not of the Xie family's bloodline."
Su He took a sip of tea and looked at the sky outside.
It rained for several days in a row, and it finally cleared up today. A warm breeze blew, blowing locust leaves all over the ground.
She said, “In fact, most people in this world cannot see the truth.”
Zhang Xiuhua replied, "That's right. Apart from us, how many people outside can see the truth about the Xie family?"
Su He smiled helplessly: "Even we may not be able to see the truth."
He also said: "Even if you see some facts, they are not necessarily the truth."
Zhang Xiuhua was stunned: "Then what is the truth?"
Su He reheated the tea and answered the question irrelevantly: "Aunt, you know, my mother is actually the master of making tea."
Zhang Xiuhua was startled, then smiled and said, "Miss, what nonsense are you talking about? Your father is the master of tea making. At that time, Du Yuting valued your father's craftsmanship the most."
"Aunt, you don't know that Dad's cooking skills were actually taught by Mom."
"Did your mother teach you?"
"Because mother is beautiful, if she entered the Du family as a tea master, she would have to go in and out of the front hall and the main courtyard, which would have attracted the attention of other men. So mother taught her skills to father, while she could hide in the backyard peacefully."
Zhang Xiuhua became increasingly puzzled: "Why have I never heard your mother mention this before?"
Su He replied: "Maybe mother doesn't want to give it to herself, nor does she want to cause trouble for aunt."
Zhang Xiuhua shook her head and sighed, still unable to believe it.
Chunlan burst out laughing, "So, Auntie didn't see the truth all those years ago."
Su He then added: "So, we should be less emotional and less likely to follow the crowd." After saying that, she sighed with emotion.
Zhang Xiuhua raised her hands and said, "I don't understand what's going on. I just can't believe that Sister Su hid such a big thing back then."
"Mother also means well, aunt, please don't think too much."
Su He stood up and ordered, "Let's pack up and go to the Dali Temple to visit the uncle."
Zhang Xiuhua didn't think much about it after hearing this and stood up. "Now that my son-in-law is in trouble, it's time for me to show my concern. After all, the Xie family is our refuge now."
The few of them packed up simply, prepared some cakes and ginseng soup, and got on the carriage and left the house.
The coachman Fu Sheng cracked the whip and the carriage sped towards the Dali Temple.
The sun is shining brightly today, and the streets are bustling with people coming and going.
Amidst the noisy shouting, words like "Xie family", "Sir Shaoqing", and "illegitimate child" occasionally floated into the carriage window. Su He pretended not to hear them and sat in the carriage with his eyes closed to rest.
About three quarters of an hour later, the carriage arrived at the gate of Dali Temple.
Unfortunately, the gate was so crowded with people that it was completely blocked and the carriage could not stop.
There were also discussions:
"I wonder what the Shaoqing looks like. Does he resemble the great general of the cavalry back then?"
"If it's a bastard, it certainly won't look like a general."
"Let's see if it looks like it first, otherwise why are we here?"
"After seeing this Shaoqing, do you want to go to the Xie Mansion to see that illegitimate son?"
"I heard that the child born out of wedlock is a fool. What's so good about him?"
…
Su He listened to the discussions outside the car and secretly clenched his fists.
It turned out that these people came to see Xie Wuhen, just like looking at a bird in a cage, like looking at a fish in a pond, with superiority, sarcasm, and moral indifference.
But he is such a proud and conceited person, how could he bear it!
She suddenly felt sorry for him.
Fu Sheng lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Young Madam, there are too many people outside. How about you get out first and I'll find a place to park."
Su He replied "Okay", then lifted her skirt and got off the carriage.
Since there were so many people, she tried to find a way to get them to leave.
——She wouldn't give them the chance to laugh at him!
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