Chapter 61 His Anger and Helplessness
All the words that the strong man wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
Pei Jingxu on the side widened his eyes, shock flashing in his eyes.
——Is Rong Jianxue really not worried at all that she had poisoned the porridge?
The man turned the porcelain bowl upside down and showed it to everyone present.
He still looked at the burly man in front of him, and said in a cold voice: "According to what you said, I should be poisoned now."
The strong man opened his mouth, unable to utter a word for a moment.
The man glanced at the man lying on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Jiang Hui, take these two to the Dali Temple and make them confess their accomplices."
Without waiting for Jiang Hui to accept the order, the man who had been "playing dead" on the ground saw that the situation was hopeless, and hurriedly spat, kneeling down to beg for mercy: "Master, spare my life, Master! We were momentarily bewildered and just wanted to play a joke on Madam Pei..."
"A woman's life and reputation are at stake, how can you joke about it!?"
After saying that, Rong Jianxue glanced at Jiang Hui.
Jiang Hui understood, grabbed the two men in each hand, and escorted them out.
Seeing this, several men in the refugee group fled in shame.
Rong Jianxue swept his gaze over the crowd, his voice cold and stern, "Everyone, I guarantee on my reputation as the Crown Prince's tutor that there will be no problems with the porridge. The Pei family took pity on you all being displaced and sold all the food in the grain shop at a low price out of compassion."
"I hope you won't trust the bad guys and hurt her feelings."
Upon hearing this, everyone bowed to Pei Jingxu to apologize and kept calling her "female Bodhisattva".
Pei Jingxu lowered his head and looked at Rong Jianxue cautiously.
——So, he came to testify for her...?
Rong Jianxue did not stop. He glanced at Shen Qianfan beside him and said in a cold voice, "Follow me."
Shen Qianfan bowed slightly and followed Rong Jianxue's footsteps.
Pei Jingxu looked at the two people leaving and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Shen Qianfan, ah Shen Qianfan, it all depends on your performance from now on.
--
East courtyard, study.
“Nonsense!”
Rong Jianxue threw the scroll in his hand towards Shen Qianfan, his face as cold as if covered with frost.
Shen Qianfan stood in front of the table with a submissive attitude, listening to Rong Jianxue's teachings.
"You knew that buying her grain at a low price would make the grain merchants resent her, yet you still chose to drag her into this. Your Highness, have you completely forgotten the gentlemanly etiquette I taught you?!"
Shen Qianfan bowed slightly: "Master Shaofu, please calm down. I am at my wit's end. My father is eager to see results. In the entire Chang'an City, only the food in the Second Lady's grain shop is enough to provide relief for the refugees."
"Pei doesn't even understand these things, how could you bribe and deceive her? If the doctor wasn't here today, do you really want her to apologize to those people?!"
Shen Qianfan didn't seem to think it was a big deal, and his tone sounded light and casual: "It's just a matter of kowtow and admitting the mistake. After finding out the truth, the student union will clear her name."
“Shen Qianfan!”
Rong Jianxue was really angry and actually called the prince's name!
As the Prince's tutor and a favorite of the emperor, Rong Jianxue naturally has these status and privileges.
However, he had always been self-disciplined and respectful, and had never called the prince by his name.
But today, he broke his vow.
Hearing Rong Jianxue calling him like that, Shen Qianfan finally realized that something was wrong. He bent down and bowed to Rong Jianxue to listen to his instructions.
"She's just a woman, and life is already difficult. Even if you clear her name later, the world will criticize her, and gossip will be devastating. How can you compensate her?"
Rong Jianxue understood the injustice that women suffered in this world. The belated truth was not a comfort to her at all, but more like a slow torture.
The man's finger bones turned slightly white, and he held the Buddhist beads in his palm with his fingers curled up.
"Master Young Master is right in teaching me this. It was the student who spoke nonsense."
Shen Qianfan lowered his head, his long eyelashes hiding the expression in his eyes.
He paused, then said, "Sir, it wasn't me who tricked Second Madam into selling the grain at a low price. Second Madam made some conditions with me."
Rong Jianxue's throat tightened slightly, and her voice deepened: "What are the conditions?"
Shen Qianfan looked up with some doubt and met the man’s gaze: “Didn’t the Second Lady tell the gentleman?”
"She was willing to sell the food to students at a low price because the students agreed to her terms."
There was a flicker of emotion in Shen Qianfan's eyes: "Second Lady said that the reputation of helping refugees should be shared with you half."
For a moment.
Rong Jianxue felt a little dizzy, as if thunder had exploded in his mind. He frowned slightly, as if he hadn't understood what Shen Qianfan said. "What did you say?"
"It seems that the Second Lady really hasn't told Master Young Master," Shen Qianfan's eyes were more interested, but he smiled, "At the beginning, the student found the Second Lady and wanted to make this deal with her. The Second Lady said that she could sell the food to me at half price, but if the refugees asked which family helped them, they had to mention the name of Rong Family Dalang."
"In other words, Master Young Master, the Second Lady is using her own food and money to build a good reputation for you."
--
That night.
It was already evening when Pei Jingxu returned to Rong Mansion.
As she walked into the mansion, she saw a man in a black robe walking towards her in the corridor.
"S-Sir?"
A hint of panic flashed across the woman's eyes. She lowered her head and hurriedly saluted him: "I have met you—"
“Why do you do this?”
Rong Jianxue spoke, his voice hoarse and low.
"What?" Pei Jingxu's eyes were filled with confusion. "What do you mean, sir?"
Rong Jianxue's throat tightened. "If you won't let me teach you how to do accounting, then why are you trying to gain a good reputation for me?"
Pei Jingxu realized it belatedly and looked away in panic, lowering her head: "I don't understand what you are talking about, sir."
"So, you're willing to sell the grain at a low price not for him, but for me?"
Pei Jingxu said anxiously, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. I simply didn't want to embarrass Master Yuanzhou, so I agreed to his request. I had no other motives..."
Rong Jianxue lowered her voice, her dark eyes deeper than the moonlight. "Pei Jingxu, you avoid me and secretly make a deal with him to help me gain fame. What exactly do you want to do?!"
Pei Jingxu lowered his head and curled up his frail body.
for a long time.
He heard the woman's low, trembling voice.
"What do I want to do? What can I do?"
She suddenly raised her eyes, staring at Rong Jianxue with tearful eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks like stars in the night sky: "My Lord, everyone is criticizing me. Miss Chen said I shouldn't bother my husband, and Master Yuanzhou suspected that I wanted to climb into your bed!"
"What can I do!"
She roared softly, and the sound was deafening to Rong Jianxue's ears.
"My husband is dead, so I don't care about my reputation. But my Lord is still unmarried, so how can you let someone like me...a scourge like me drag you down..."
"I don't care how they humiliate me, but you are a kind-hearted person, and I can't just go in and out of your study all day and let you suffer those criticisms and humiliations for nothing!"
As he spoke, Pei Jingxu lowered his head, tears falling onto the stone floor.
"This is all I can do... I can only stay away from you, my lord, and help you restore some of your reputation..."
"If it weren't for your kindness, you and I wouldn't have had any contact..."
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