Chapter 142 Not a Hero
The capital city was in chaos, with all sorts of people gossiping everywhere.
Shangguan Jin and her family didn't miss out on a single melon at the suburban estate.
Oh, and they're eating watermelons from the bottom of their hands.
Hua Wanli has been coming here almost every day lately.
He went out early in the morning and told Shangguan Jin and the others about what had happened in the capital yesterday.
Then they would take a horse-drawn carriage back in the evening.
"You...you were here with us all day yesterday, how do you know so much?" Shen Qingyue asked curiously.
Hua Wanli smiled.
"I was here during the day, but I went back at night, and then Qiu Niang and my brother told me what the people in the teahouse had said during the day."
I'll tell you again tomorrow!
Shangguan Jin and the others understood.
So they weren't the only ones watching the drama unfold!
And so, Hua Wanli made this trip every day without fail.
Shangguan Jin also learned that the Crown Prince's faction and the Prince of Qin's faction had already launched a propaganda war in the capital.
The Duke of Anguo first spread rumors that the people who filed the complaint were all the Crown Prince's men, in order to suppress the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.
Then the Crown Prince, not to be outdone, also declared that a clear conscience fears no accusation, and that the person who made the accusation had already mentioned many others.
And they pointed the finger at Duke Anguo as the mastermind behind it all.
Immediately afterwards, the Duke of Anguo also released some information.
For example, one of Prime Minister Xu's protégés suffered a loss in the Ministry of Justice, which made Prime Minister Xu resentful and led to this incident.
As for the claim of swapping death row inmates, that's completely untrue.
Then, the Crown Prince's side also made their statement.
Whether something has happened or not is not something they can determine just by opening and closing their mouths; the truth will soon come out.
......
At first, the people on both sides were just shouting at each other from a distance.
Later, as things developed, it almost turned into a debate between the two sides.
Then, they almost came to blows and started arguing.
Because of the cold weather and the recent heavy snowfall, the two naturally chose the Chunbuwan teahouse as the venue for their argument.
In the lobby on the first floor, the two sides' chosen arguing experts engaged in a heated debate.
The other onlookers gathered around, drinking tea and snacking on sunflower seeds and peanuts.
They also occasionally share their own opinions and views.
As for those guests who prefer to stay on the second or third floor, they even set up their tea-drinking area in the corridor.
Each private room has a small table and a few chairs at the entrance, where the tea ladies and gentlemen quietly brew tea for the guests.
The guests were all craning their necks to look down at the first floor.
In just a few days, Chunbuwan's revenue has skyrocketed.
Shopkeeper Qiu Niang smiled broadly every night when she checked the accounts.
As for the concern that those people might start arguing and then flip the table?
Haha, that doesn't exist!
On the first day, when the people were arguing, they accidentally broke a teacup. Shopkeeper Qiu Niang chased after them and demanded fifty taels of silver from them. After that, everyone became more civilized.
Even if you're arguing until you're red in the face, you still have to carefully and gently place the teacups and other utensils aside.
Therefore, in this battle of public opinion in Beijing, "Spring Festival Gala" became the first battlefield.
......
That day, the snow that had been falling for three days had stopped.
There are already countless snowmen piled up in the estate of the Duke of Dingguo's manor.
Shangguan Jin and the children were grilling something to eat inside the house.
A charcoal stove with a round iron plate on top.
Beside Shangguan Jin were sliced and marinated mutton, pheasant, roe deer meat, and venison.
There was also a bowl of washed sweet potatoes.
Shen Qingyue and her siblings, Dongmai, Aunt Xin, and the Seventh Prince all sat around Shangguan Jin.
"The old lady had some pheasant soup and is resting now," Lin's mother said quietly as she came over.
"Remember not to let the old lady sleep for too long, and send her some leaf-shaped snacks or something."
"Have Aunt Qiu and the others wake the old lady up at the appointed time and play cards with her, otherwise she won't be able to sleep well tonight," Shangguan Jin instructed.
Lin's mother agreed to all of them.
Shen Qingyue watched as the meat on the hot plate began to curl up and sizzle with oil, its aroma slowly wafting out.
"Mother, the meat tastes so good roasted like this! How did you know to do it this way?"
Shangguan Jin was taken aback.
It's just barbecue, is it that difficult?
“Oh! Your father told me about this before. He said that when they were in the north, when it got cold, he and his soldiers would roast meat like this,” Shangguan Jin said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Shangguan Jin ignored them and used her chopsticks to flip the meat on the hot plate.
He served the grilled meat to everyone.
The children ate with great pleasure, especially Shen Qingrui and the Seventh Prince, who were so hot that they were panting and couldn't bear to spit out the meat.
"Madam, do you think the imperial family will speak up now that things are in such a mess in the capital?" Aunt Xin asked in a low voice as she placed two roasted sweet potatoes on the edge of the hot plate.
What does the imperial family manage?
The more lively the celebration, the happier the family is.
"Maybe they'll get so caught up in the argument that they'll blurt out all the shameful things they have to hide at home!" Shangguan Jin said while picking at the grilled meat.
Aunt Xin tilted her head and thought about it, and she also felt that it made sense.
When you're arguing, you might forget what you were saying or just bring up some trivial family matters.
This must be what Dongmai meant when she said... she speaks without thinking.
"It seems that the boy who tattled really did a good job!" Aunt Xin said with a smile.
As soon as Aunt Xin finished speaking, Dongmai put a piece of roasted meat into her bowl.
"Make a contribution? Make what contribution? You still think that kid is a great hero!"
"Tch, another big idiot!"
Aunt Xin...
"He... at least he sued the government as a commoner, and he even put aside his own family for the greater good, suing his father as a son. How can he not be considered a hero?" Aunt Xin asked.
Dongmai snorted twice through her nose.
You're really short-sighted!
If that kid really is ridding the people of a scourge, then I will definitely respect him as a great hero.
But is that really the case?
Why didn't he make a scene immediately when he found out about these things?
If he had made a scene earlier, there might have been fewer death row inmates who had to be switched!
The truth is that the guy only thought of causing this scene after seeing his fiancée being humiliated.
What's this called?
It's definitely not about being a paragon of righteousness!
In the words of the woman, he's a complete idiot, his brain is full of water, he's sick.
And he was quite ill.
Dongmai talked on and on until everyone stopped eating and started staring at her before she finally came to her senses.
"Am I... wrong, Miss?" Dongmai looked at Shangguan Jin.
"That's right! If your motives aren't pure, you can't be considered a hero."
"At most, he can be considered an whistleblower," Shangguan Jin said with a smile.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
That's right. If one's motives are impure, one cannot be considered a hero.
Dongmai felt embarrassed by everyone's stares, and her face turned a little red.
"Miss, it's already this late, is Miss Wan Li still coming...?"
"Madam Shen, I'm here! Hurry! There's new news."
Did you know? Right that night, that tattletale got his throat slit...
Before she even arrived, Hua Wanli's voice could be heard coming from outside.
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