sbdcsierra Chapter 368 You have to believe me, I have absolutely no connection with them.
Chapter 368 You have to believe me, I have absolutely no connection with them.
Gao Mengli straightened up, her tone mocking, "Who is it? Can't you see? It's someone Magistrate Chen is after!"
"Ah...this..."
For once, Magistrate Chen, who was kneeling beside him, showed some rare intelligence.
Shopkeeper Wang was discussing this matter with the prefect, and these two brazenly "eavesdropped." So, what about their relationship with the prefect...?
He suppressed his panic, instantly remembered the key point, and his eyes lit up.
Yes, he, the prefect, and Manager Wang are all the Crown Prince's men. The two of them know the prefect and have a close relationship with him.
That means they are also the Crown Prince's people, they are "family"!
But Manager Wang didn't understand, and his body trembled as he stood there.
Magistrate Chen remained calm, his face instantly breaking into a smile. He kicked his legs and tried to get up, "Oh dear, what a mess! Turns out we're all on the same side. Well then, it's easy to talk things out..."
"Who gave you permission to get up?"
Prefect Li's voice was panicked, and when his gaze swept over Magistrate Chen, his anxiety was undisguised. "What are you trying to pull? I have nothing to do with you, don't talk nonsense!"
Magistrate Chen's smile froze instantly. His knees were still dangling in mid-air, and he seemed frozen in place, his words trembling and incoherent.
"Prefect... Prefect? You... aren't you His Highness's man? We..."
"Clap~"
Prefect Li quickly stepped forward and slapped the county magistrate across the face, sending his official hat flying. "Nonsense! Who's related to you? If you keep making these baseless accusations, believe me, I'll dismiss you right now!"
The magistrate's face swelled up instantly from the slap, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He covered his face and slumped to the ground, too afraid to even cry.
All he could do was kowtow repeatedly: "My lord, spare my life! I misspoke! I will never dare to do it again!"
Manager Wang, standing nearby, was trembling all over and dared not mention "one of our own" anymore.
He just kept lying on the ground begging for mercy, "Your Excellency, have mercy! I was confused! I mistook you for someone else! Please spare my dog's life!"
Prefect Li shook his hand, which had been slapped so hard, and immediately approached Gao Mengli and Lin Xi to explain hastily, "Don't listen to these two's nonsense. I have no connection with them whatsoever, please..."
Could you please not tell General Dou and Dou Weiyi...?
He felt like the sky had fallen!
If he goes to jail, his son-in-law Tang Guangjun probably won't be able to get him out!
But the key to his imprisonment lies with these two people. With just one sentence, he wouldn't have been imprisoned or placed under house arrest, and his son-in-law wouldn't have needed to bail him out.
Prefect Li rubbed his hands together, his face full of ingratiating smiles.
He took a detour before speaking, his tone pleading: "I really have nothing to do with that Manager Wang and Magistrate Chen, don't be fooled by them!"
"Could you two... talk to General Dou and Dou Weiyi about this... so they don't misunderstand and think I'm involved with those people?"
Gao Mengli raised her hand to interrupt Prefect Li, "Alright, take them away quickly, we still need to prepare for the restaurant's opening."
Prefect Li's previously anxious heart was instantly soothed by Gao Mengli's "interruption".
The implication is clear: they don't intend to dwell on this matter, and they certainly won't complain to Dou Weiyi!
The anxiety on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning smile. He hurriedly waved to the constables, "Quick! Take these two troublemakers away!"
The yamen runners who had been swaggering around with Magistrate Chen just moments before dared not slack off in the slightest.
They lifted up the limp Magistrate Chen and the shopkeeper Wang, who looked utterly defeated, and dragged them outside.
"and many more!"
Lin Xi's sudden voice made Prefect Li's heart, which had just been relieved, jump up again instantly.
Lin Xi ignored him and pointed directly at the old woman and child who were still huddled in the corner of the crowd, trying to sneak away: "Why didn't you bring these two scapegoats!"
Seeing that there was no hope of escape, the old woman quickly kowtowed and cried out, "My lord, spare my life! Manager Wang gave me ten taels of silver and told me to come and cause trouble!"
I must have been blinded by greed to dare to frame this restaurant!
"Let me go, I'll never do it again!"
These words made the surrounding crowd blush with embarrassment.
Just now, they felt sorry for the widow and her grandson and spoke up for her. Little did they expect that they would become accomplices in this crime and be framed by others.
Some people couldn't help but lower their heads and whisper among themselves, "We really misjudged them; it was all an act!"
Some people blushed and bowed to Gao Mengli, saying, "Young lady, we were confused just now and misunderstood you. Please forgive us!"
Gao Mengli waved her hand, her tone calm: "Everyone was kept in the dark, so there's no need to take it to heart."
Harmony brings wealth, after all. If she wants to open a restaurant, she'll inevitably have to deal with this group of people.
Once the restaurant is open, she'll make a killing off them, as a form of revenge!
But the sense of guilt among the crowd did not diminish at all, especially among the vegetable vendors at the restaurant entrance.
He even stepped forward, pointing at the old woman being held back by the yamen runners and cursing her.
"You old woman, you have no conscience! You take money and harm people, even leading the children astray!"
The old woman was so scolded by those around her that she didn't dare to lift her head and could only shrink her neck as the yamen runners dragged her away.
Prefect Li frowned and waved his hand at the constables: "Take them away!"
The farce ended after the group left.
The vegetable vendor walked up to Gao Mengli and Lin Xi, looking annoyed. "I'm so sorry, young lady!"
"I was blind just now and didn't see that old woman's true colors. I even chimed in and said a few things to you. Please don't take it to heart!"
As she spoke, she slapped her thigh in frustration, "It's all my fault for being so soft-hearted. I felt sorry for the elderly and children, but I never imagined I was being used as a pawn!"
Seeing her guilty expression, Lin Xi didn't hold it against her anymore and waved her hand with a smile, "Auntie, don't blame yourself. Nobody can see in the back of their eyes. It's not your fault."
Upon hearing this, the vegetable vendor felt that she had been a terrible person before.
Look at how polite she is to others! And then, thinking about her own indiscriminate accusations just now, the vegetable vendor blushed even more.
He rubbed his hands, unable to speak for a long time, and finally simply picked up the entire vegetable basket and placed it in front of the two of them, pushing it forcefully toward Lin Xi and Gao Mengli.
"These vegetables are freshly picked from the field this morning. Take them home and try them. Consider it... consider it my way of apologizing to you!"
This vegetable was meant to be sold to buy eggs for her pregnant daughter-in-law to nourish her body, but she was impolite today, and she didn't have anything good to offer, so she considered it an apology.
She hesitated, rubbing her hands together, afraid the two wouldn't accept it.
Gao Mengli looked up and saw the middle-aged woman in front of her. The patches on her cuffs were worn out, but the stitches were fine and the clothes were clean. She was someone who lived a very careful life.
Looking at the basket of vegetables in front of me, they are lush and green with dew, and the radishes are covered with fresh soil. They are clearly well-tended and growing well.
When they come to the restaurant, they can bring local specialties from Pingyao County, but vegetables are not an option because the transportation distance is too long and the vegetables will wilt by the time they arrive.
Even if you buy land nearby, it will take time for the land to develop...
Gao Mengli gestured for Lin Xi to take the basket inside, then nodded to the woman in front of her, "Okay, we'll accept it."