SFS Chapter 160 Guan Zhou's Surname is Xie En, Longevity Tablet
Chapter 160 Guan Zhou's Surname is Xie En, Longevity Tablet
The imperial edict indicated that Shen Qingtan was sent to Guanzhou to manage the disaster situation, resettle the victims, and relieve the court's worries.
Emperor Jing'an was overjoyed and issued a special decree to commend Shen Qingtan.
Wasn't Shen Qingtan assassinated and missing?
How could they have gone to Guanzhou?
The second master was dumbfounded. He had personally heard the Duke forcing Zhao Yi to divorce his wife, and the grandfather and grandson argued about it in the study.
If Shen Qingtan really went to Guanzhou, Zhao Yi can tell the Duke the truth.
Either Zhao Yi was keeping it from the Duke, or the grandfather and grandson were deliberately putting on an act for him.
He glanced at the imperial edict discreetly, and another thought arose in his mind—Emperor Jing'an was protecting Shen Qingtan.
The second wife thought the same way, her heart filled with resentment and bitterness.
Shen Mingzhu stared intently at Shen Qingtan, noticing that she held the imperial edict in both hands, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
She thought that Shen Qingtan's good days were over after marrying Zhao Yi.
On the contrary, Shen Qingtan's life became more and more pleasant after marrying Zhao Yi.
Even though Shen Qingtan's reputation was ruined, Zhao Yi was willing to fight against his family for her sake.
This was the married life she had always longed for: kind in-laws and a loving and respectful husband. In the end, she groveled before her in-laws, receiving not a single word of concern from her husband.
Shen Mingzhu looked at Zhao Jue with a bitter expression, only to see him staring intently at Shen Qingtan. Those eyes, which had been cold when facing her, now burned with a fierce intensity when they looked at Shen Qingtan, even filled with a sense of certainty.
She knew perfectly well that Zhao Jue had married her only to consolidate his power and position. Once she was no longer of any use, he would discard her like trash, not even bothering to give her a perfunctory greeting.
Now that he's seen Shen Qingtan's abilities, does he regret it?
Shen Mingzhu thought maliciously that even if Shen Qingtan died, her tombstone would still bear the surname Zhao Yi.
"Eunuch Cao, thank you for your trouble." Shen Qingtan didn't care about the second branch's thoughts. She took a small box the size of a palm from Zhao Yi and gave it to Eunuch Cao: "Please have a pot of wine."
Eunuch Cao had a very good impression of Shen Qingtan. The last time he came to deliver a reward, Shen Qingtan gave him a piece of jade.
He had no other hobbies in his life except for jade.
She catered to his preferences, which shows she put thought into it.
Moreover, there was a silver note in the box, specifically for him to treat the eunuchs who ran errands to a drink.
“Grandma Zhao, rumors stop with the wise.” Eunuch Cao glanced at the crowd watching the commotion and comforted them, “You have a righteous heart, and your good deeds will surely be rewarded.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingtan looked at the people standing to the side.
The people blushed, and when faced with Shen Qingtan's gaze, they avoided it, too ashamed to look directly at her.
Shen Qingtan was a highly renowned noblewoman in the capital, and later married into the Duke's mansion, becoming the wife of the eldest grandson.
She, a woman from a prestigious family, was involved in a scandalous elopement. Many people spread rumors and even embellished the story, doing everything they could to slander her.
Now the tables have turned; she didn't elope with anyone at all, but instead went to help the disaster victims in Guanzhou.
Emperor Jing'an even bestowed rewards upon them.
This confirms that the matter is true.
Some people, however, were skeptical, lowering their voices to say, "Who doesn't know that Second Master Zhao is deeply favored by the Emperor? He would rather give up the title of Duke than divorce his wife. What if the Emperor issues such an imperial edict to cover up her shame in order to please Second Master Zhao?"
"Really? I heard that Second Madam Zhao assisted the prefect of Guanzhou in arresting several unscrupulous merchants, confiscating their property, and seizing a huge sum of silver. Moreover, this sum of silver has already been transported to the capital."
"Let's just wait and see if this batch of silver will come."
No sooner had they finished speaking than they saw someone riding a fast horse approaching. As the horse drew near the Duke's mansion, they quickly pulled on the reins and dismounted.
"My lord, twenty commoners from Guanzhou have come to the capital with the officials escorting the silver. They have come specifically to thank Second Master and Second Madam."
The man, panting heavily, said, "I met them at the city gate and inquired about their situation. They heard rumors about Second Madam in Guanzhou and were furious that their benefactor had been slandered by petty people. So they volunteered to go to the capital to clear Second Madam's name. Prefect Ning was moved by their sincerity and gave them a travel permit."
Even the Duke was stunned when he heard this.
Before he could speak, a commotion was heard in the distance.
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a dozen or twenty strong men walking briskly toward him.
The two strong men at the head each held a longevity tablet in their hands.
Upon seeing this, the people quickly made way for them.
The Duke's Mansion was solemn and dignified, with two stone lions at the entrance exuding majesty.
The able-bodied men felt a sense of unease upon seeing this.
Especially when meeting high-ranking officials for the first time, one can't help but feel a little timid.
But thinking of the criticism their benefactor was receiving, they mustered their courage and stepped forward, kneeling upright on the ground.
"Second Master, Second Madam, if it weren't for you, we would probably still be suffering from the exploitation of unscrupulous merchants and enduring hunger and cold. Now we have a house to live in, food to eat, and money to make clothes to wear."
The young men came to clear Shen Qingtan's name, but when they talked about these heartbreaking things, their eyes welled up with tears.
"We will never forget your great kindness and virtue, and the Second Master. The clan has specially erected a longevity tablet for you two benefactors, and our clan members will pray for your long life every day."
"Please get up quickly, there's no need for such a grand ceremony," Shen Qingtan said hastily. "We hire you to farm, and once the crops are grown, they can be exchanged for silver for us. It's a win-win situation."
"Second Madam, why are you so humble? The Great Zhou is vast and rich in resources. You can earn much more money hiring people to farm elsewhere than you can in Guanzhou." The leading young man said sincerely, "You can't bear to see the people suffer, so you're helping us out."
Another person said, "Even if what you say is true, you are still a great philanthropist. You don't collude with those unscrupulous merchants, you rent our land, provide us with meals, and even pay us wages. For us who are struggling to make ends meet, aren't you like a second parent to us?"
As soon as they finished speaking, they kowtowed to Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi, expressing their gratitude to the two benefactors for giving them a meal.
Shen Qingtan gave the servants a look, signaling them to help the burly men up.
"We appreciate your kindness, Second Master and I." Shen Qingtan said, "You must be tired from your journey. Go to the inn to wash up and have some food to rest."
Zhao Yi instructed Jiang Mu: "Take the villagers to the inn of Yongkang Trading Company."
Jiang Mu responded.
The burly men's faces were dark red, and they looked extremely embarrassed.
Their coming to express their gratitude only caused trouble for their benefactor.
After expressing his gratitude once again, he left with Jiang Mu.
The skeptical citizens were filled with shame upon witnessing this scene.
The people of Guanzhou might suspect that Shen Qingtan had bribed them based solely on their gratitude, but when they saw the longevity tablets in the hands of the able-bodied men, which were erected by their clans, they were completely convinced that Shen Qingtan had truly gone to Guanzhou to provide disaster relief.
Moreover, the silver being transported from Guanzhou had already arrived in the capital. In such a short time, they had heard the news.
Moreover, whether Shen Qingtan hired people to farm in Guanzhou or not can be found out simply by sending someone to inquire.
They really didn't need to come up with such a flimsy excuse that could be so easily exposed.