Chapter 76 Settlement

He added to the stunned Xiang Qiao, "And if the force is too great and it backfires on its master, even if it is a divine weapon, the master will break it."

"Your Majesty... is not a kind person who is unwilling to be ruthless."

On the first day he met the emperor, he began observing him.

He seemed to seldom get angry and was not the tyrant that the scholars from aristocratic families described him as.

Perhaps it was because in his eyes, what they did was just a minor incident and no need to pay attention to it.

But there are some bottom lines that must not be crossed.

He could not afford the king's suspicion.

"So Qiao'er, you don't have to put up with those people for my sake."

Xiang Qiao was frightened. "Then I, didn't I cause you trouble before?"

Tong Huai'en wiped away her tears, "No, you didn't try to win the hearts of your husband."

"Tell me, who are these gossipers? Let's go to their homes now."

The daughter-in-law of Zuo Jianyi doctor was one of those people who disliked Xiangqiao.

She was the daughter of a minor official, and only by marrying up could she become the second young master's wife of the Qin family.

As a result, a lowly woman was lucky enough to pick a potential stock and got married in advance, becoming the official's wife and being on equal footing with her.

Even his status was higher than hers, because although her grandfather was the fourth rank Zuo Jianyi Doctor, Xiangqiao's husband was the fifth rank Zhongshu Sheren.

But Xiangqiao is the wife of a fifth-rank official, and she is the daughter-in-law of a fourth-rank official.

This relationship is far too much.

Mrs. Qin Ershao felt aggrieved.

She learned women's virtues and training since she was young, and was favored by the Qin family because of her outstanding virtue, appearance, eloquence and skills.

The result is that he is not as good as a lowly woman who has learned all the tricks of a foxy woman.

And she lives in harmony with her husband.

So when she saw Xiangqiao, she couldn't help but feel jealous.

He spoke with a gun and a stick, and made innuendos about her background everywhere.

I finally felt relieved when I made him leave with a livid face.

But after everyone left, she couldn't help but worry again.

She was worried, but after waiting for more than half a month and no one came to settle the bill, she was completely relieved.

She said, it was just a few words of quarrel, and she didn't even curse directly.

Is she going to do something to her just because Mrs. Tong was upset by a few unintentional words she said?

She had been in the social circle of officials' wives since she was a child. As long as there was no great hatred, once the minor frictions and conflicts were over, they would still be in harmony when they met again.

It's as if nothing that happened before had ever happened.

She had suffered a lot of such bullying before, so why couldn't she, who came from a prostitute background, bear it?

And she won't be nice to me next time we meet.

This kind of person doesn't deserve her kindness.

Many officials and their families have mocked her recently, but the law cannot hold them accountable.

Can they really go against a large group of people and go door to door to seek justice?

Just as she was thinking about it, a servant from the main courtyard came to call her: "Madam Second Young Master, the master wants you to go to the main courtyard."

Madam Qin Ershao looked at the sky. It was already evening. Grandpa wanted her to go to the main courtyard?

What happened?

She tidied her makeup and hair a little, then hurried over at the urging of the servants.

After passing the screen wall, without any obstruction, she could see the scene inside the house.

Grandpa sat at the top and my husband sat on the right.

One of the two people sitting in the guest seat on the left was Mrs. Tong, whom she looked down upon.

The man next to him must be the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Tong Huai'en.

He is indeed the third place winner in the imperial examination. He is so handsome and elegant.

Compared to her own husband's appearance, there was a huge difference.

She felt even more aggrieved. Why was her life so good?

What are they here for?

Could it be that he really was looking for her to settle the score?

That's impossible. Although her grandfather is not Tong Sheren's superior, his official position is higher than his.

They would not go straight to their colleagues and slap them in the face for some trivial matter between women.

Mrs. Qin Ershao didn't believe that there was really a man who loved his wife so much. She believed that men were selfish and fickle.

But I still have some concerns.

After she came in, she greeted him: "Hello, A'an."

"Hello, Mr. Tong and Mrs. Tong."

It was Xiangqiao's first time to fight, and she was a little nervous.

Tong Huai'en nodded coldly as a return gesture.

After saying hello, she walked towards the seat next to her husband.

Doctor Qin stopped her.

"Second brother, please don't sit down yet. I have something to ask you."

When Mrs. Qin Ershao heard that she was not allowed to sit down, she secretly thought it was not good.

I guess it's about accountability.

But when it comes to family matters, I won't embarrass her in front of outsiders.

unless……

Unless you want to give an explanation to the guests.

She thought a lot in her mind in an instant, and realized that the only thing that offended them was that incident.

Just because of some roundabout slander?

She just thought it was ridiculous.

Qin Erlang also spoke at this time: "Father, it's just a few words of argument between women. If you want to reprimand her, that's fine, but isn't it too harsh to make people stand there?"

The wife of the second young master Qin was pretty, and Qin Erlang liked his wife very much. Seeing this, he couldn't help but plead for her.

He turned his direction towards Xiangqiao again.

"Mrs. Tong, my wife has realized her mistake and will not make the same mistake again next time."

"Do you think it's okay to just let it go?"

They had just heard what happened. Not to mention that she was just blaming Huai, she was the one who was in Huai's position.

Even if he really insulted her directly, he didn't think his wife was wrong.

What did the lady say? It was because she was born in a lowly family that she was not even qualified to be a concubine in the Qin family.

It's just that he met a fool who was bewitched by her and married her home. I'm afraid his ancestors would be so angry that they would die again.

Xiangqiao clenched her palms, and with all her courage, she shook her head gently.

At this point, she couldn't back down.

Tong Lang has brought her here. Does he want her to take a look and then let them go?

People have to pay for what they say.

Qin Erlang was speechless and wanted to say something else.

Doctor Qin stopped him: "Shut up first."

"Second brother, you have committed a verbal offense and provoked Madam Tong. Do you admit this?"

Of course not.

"Grandpa, I just scolded the maid a few times. How did I offend Madam Tong?"

"Perhaps Mrs. Tong is a delicate person who tends to overthink things, and because she has had similar experiences, she is hurt?"

She just touched the maid when she was drinking tea, and then scolded the maid whose clothes were wet.

Say something like: "Who are you showing off your wet chest to? Do you think everyone is lucky enough to seduce a man and turn him into an official's wife overnight?"

As long as she denies it, there is no evidence to prove that she was targeting Mrs. Tong.

Tong Huai'en asked, "Since you know that my wife has had a similar experience, and you still speak out, it doesn't count as unintentional, right?"

Mrs. Qin Ershao was stunned for a moment.

No, shouldn't one hide such experiences with inferiority complex and not say a word so that others can slowly forget about them?

How come you guys said it so openly?

Doctor Qin made a verdict: "You are guilty and should be punished. Go to the ancestral temple tonight and reflect on your mistakes in front of your ancestors."

"Aye?"

Qin Erlang didn't understand.

It was just a quarrel, why should he be punished so severely?

Of course you cannot stand in front of your ancestors, you have to kneel.

What this sentence means is to make her kneel in the ancestral hall for a whole night.

It's just getting dark now, and I have to kneel until dawn for six full hours. How can a woman endure this?

"Father, you are a fourth-rank official, and you are being bullied by a fifth-rank official. And you are helping him to discipline your own family."

"Does your superior have any shame in doing this?"

"Shut up, rebellious son!"

"Since you don't realize your mistake, then you should kneel in the temple too!"

Doctor Qin was so angry at this stupid son that he almost died.

It is true that a higher-ranking official can crush people, but can he be the same as Tong Huai'en?

Tong Huai'en was a man highly valued by the emperor, and the fifth rank was just his starting point.

But he is already old, and he was promoted to the fourth rank bit by bit through his seniority.

His higher grade had no convincing effect in front of Tong Huai'en.

Seeing that he will rise to a high position in the future, why don't you take the opportunity to curry favor with him now, but make an enemy of him?

The Zuo Jianyi Doctor was even glad that he started the rebellion now.

He gave his second son's wife a little punishment and let it go.

If Tong Huai'en was the kind of person who would take revenge even after ten years, he would secretly bear the grudge for the rest of his life.

He would have died by then, and there was no telling what would happen to these two hateful idiots.

"Tong Sheren, my son is not sensible. What do you think of my explanation to you?"

Don't ever bear a grudge against them.

Tong Huai'en nodded with satisfaction, and took his wife to the next house.

There are so many idiots these days.

The story of Tong Huai'en taking his wife to seek justice from house to house became a big curiosity in the capital.

Some looked down on him for being narrow-minded, some envied Xiangqiao for marrying a good husband, and some laughed at those who were punished for squeezing Xiangqiao.

The historian Yu submitted an impeachment memorial to the emperor regarding Tong Huai'en's behavior.

Bei Heng opened it and took a look. The gist of it was that Tong Huai'en was impeaching for making a mountain out of a molehill and having evil intentions.

The emperor wrote "read" on it and sent it back.

There was no action taken.

What else can I do?

It's just a small matter, it's good enough to reply to you and say I've read it.

Yu Shi should have been so moved that he cried his heart out. He didn't even read the message and replied, he even responded to it to show that he knew.

After this incident, no one dared to gossip about Xiang Qiao anymore.

They all knew that Tong Huai'en was a man who protected his wife like his own life, and no one was afraid of offending him.