Tianliangyuan

Chapter 342: Going with the flow

Everyone here is a respectable person, so naturally they won't gossip.

But the news still spread throughout the capital a few days later.

Rumors varied, but in the end, every word of that day's conversation was spread out, including Xu Zhaozhao's order to send wine to the guests in the other two private rooms and her reminder.

The most common rumor circulating is that Cui's daughter is shameless and seduced someone else's fiancé.

Of course, besides that, some people say that Princess Anle is nothing special, and she also has to bow her head in the face of the powerful Cui family.

After several days of investigation, the Cui family head concluded that it was a waiter at the restaurant who, along with two foreign merchants, spread the word.

As for the foreign merchant, with so many guests coming and going in the restaurant every day, how could they possibly find out which one it was?

They did manage to catch the waiter, but to their surprise, when they found him, he had been severely beaten and his leg was broken. Now, the Cui family really had no way to explain themselves.

Moreover, the Cui family was in the wrong to begin with.

The waiter initially thought that it was a member of the Cui family who had attacked him. When he saw the Cui family, he kept kowtowing and admitting his mistake, saying that he would never dare to do it again.

How can we let this kind of thing escalate?

In the end, Cui Chong ordered his men to release him and also gave him two strings of cash for medical treatment, thus quelling some of the rumors.

Cui Qin's reputation is ruined, but the Cui family's reputation cannot be ruined.

With the help of the Cui family, the matter was quickly suppressed. They even deliberately spread another rumor, saying that Cui Qin was rescued by Song Sanlang while traveling. Although the two had no romantic relationship, they had physical contact. Song Sanlang did not want to ruin Cui Qin's reputation, so he took the initiative to propose annulment.

In short, they're trying to shift the blame to something accidental or unintentional.

As for how many people believe it, that remains to be seen.

Cui Xuanzheng had actually suspected that Xu Zhaozhao had deliberately set a trap for him.

However, he did indeed confirm that Xu Zhaozhao took her two sisters-in-law out to buy jewelry and look at some rare items before finally going to that restaurant. All of this was done after Cui Qin had someone investigate, and she herself offered herself up.

So, what does this have to do with Xu Zhaozhao?

As for the rumors that followed, Cui Xuanzheng, Cui Chong, and others did not believe they were related to Xu Zhaozhao.

The reason is simple: Xu Zhaozhao herself was also hurt by the rumors. For example, it was said that although she was a county princess, she was no match for the well-established Cui family, or that even if she was a county princess, she still had to bow down to the Cui family.

Even worse, some said that Xu Zhaozhao was timid and cowardly, that the Cui family was clearly bullying her too much, but she was trying to settle things peacefully, and that she was too soft-hearted and would definitely not be able to support the Duke of Huguo's mansion in the future, etc.

For rumors like these to even be circulating, the Cui family must be out of their minds to suspect that Xu Zhaozhao was behind it all.

But in fact, it was Xu Zhaozhao who ordered this to be done.

She just did it rather subtly, and the rumors about herself, those that weren't too serious, were naturally spread by people she arranged.

Later, Xu Zhaozhao knew who was behind some of the unpleasant rumors without even having to investigate.

She wasn't in a hurry, and even deliberately made things convenient for the other party, so that he would arrogantly believe that everything was under control.

This gives the other party the illusion that Xu Zhaozhao is easy to deal with.

Sure enough, some people got carried away very quickly.

Dingxiang was a little angry: "Master, are we just going to let her do whatever she wants like this?"

"Don't worry, it won't cause any major trouble. Besides, this rumor, although unpleasant, has actually helped me a lot."

Dingxiang was puzzled, and Xu Zhaozhao saw no need to explain.

You can't say that she had such a good reputation and was so good at making money.

If this continues, it's hard to guarantee that people won't become suspicious.

That's just right.

The presence of some unpleasant rumors can at least make those in power feel more at ease with her.

No one in a position of power likes a perfect crown prince or subordinate.

A person without any weaknesses or flaws is hard to control.

Therefore, looking back at history, you will find that many people who were favored and given important positions by the emperor had some minor flaws.

All kinds of.

For example, some are arrogant, some neglect their domestic duties and are afraid of their wives, and some are lecherous and greedy, etc.

In short, a superior will only be willing to use a piece if it has weaknesses, because he feels he can control it.

Xu Zhaozhao was not a court official, so there was absolutely no need for her to consider these things.

However, her father and brother were military generals, and she married another military general, both of whom were of prominent status.

Her father was known for spoiling his daughter, and her husband had made a promise to marry only one wife for life. Therefore, her weakness meant that her father and brothers had weaknesses, and her husband had weaknesses.

This is something that those in power are happy to see.

No one can be too perfect, or they will invite trouble.

So now that a little bug is desperately trying to ruin her reputation, Xu Zhaozhao is going along with it. It seems like the bug is trying to destroy her reputation, but in reality, it's doing Xu Zhaozhao a big favor.

With Xie Chan's marriage arranged, the next step was to prepare the betrothal gifts.

If the daughter is from a prominent family, her mother will start saving up her dowry from the moment she is born until she gets married.

Xu Zhaozhao is such an example.

However, if she is an illegitimate daughter, it depends on whether she is favored by the emperor and whether her birth mother is wealthy.

Clearly, Xie Chan's birth mother was just a servant girl and didn't have much money to spare, so she couldn't have saved up many nice things for Xie Chan.

According to the rules of the Duke's Mansion, the dowry for a concubine's daughter upon marriage is the corresponding amount, and this is one of them.

As Xie Chan's biological father, Xie Xiaolin naturally had to prepare a gift for her as well.

Whether the gift is generous or not, it is always a token of a father's affection.

As the eldest sister-in-law, Xie Zheng and Xu Zhaozhao naturally had to prepare a set as well.

According to the Duke's family rules, once the betrothal gifts from the Zheng family arrive, they will be slightly adjusted or replaced before being sent to the husband's family in their original quantity. This is considered a sign of how much Xie Chan is valued.

In many families, the betrothal gifts sent would be directly taken into the family coffers and would not be given to the concubine's daughter as part of her dowry.

When a woman gets married, everything she needs for her future life should be prepared.

The better off a family is, the more things they prepare, even down to their coffin after death.

Because Xie Chan's birth mother came from a humble background, the matter of her dowry had to be entrusted to Xu Zhaozhao.

Jia also repeatedly tried to win over Xu Zhaozhao, behaving humbly and only hoping that her daughter could have a glorious marriage.

Xie Xiaolin, a grown man, prepared a dowry mainly consisting of silver and jewelry. He didn't understand or care about other household items.

After consulting with the old lady, Madam Yu began preparing some necessities.

For example, bowls, plates, and other utensils.

As for the furniture used during the wedding, the Duke's mansion had already ordered people to prepare it, such as the canopy bed, embroidered stools, etc., which were all ready-made and would only need to be brought to the Zheng family.