Tianliangyuan

Chapter 17 Immorality

After issuing a warning, Xu Zhaozhao naturally wouldn't be stingy with some benefits.

"If you ever run into financial difficulties while you're out and about, you can come directly to Dingxiang, and I'll have her take you to the accounting office to get the money. Just one thing: you mustn't act recklessly outside using my name or the Marquis's name. If I find out you're abusing your power, I will not let you off the hook!"

"I wouldn't dare! I will only do my best to serve my master and dare not have the slightest disloyalty!"

"Alright, no need for you to keep professing your loyalty. Go now."

Things unfolded exactly as Xu Zhaozhao had predicted.

The news that Xiangmantang braised meat shop and that restaurant both belonged to the Sun family spread like wildfire, and some bolder people even pointed at the gate of the Sun mansion and started cursing.

Even worse, some people secretly threw rotten eggs at the gate of the Sun residence at night!

Sun Qingyang was furious!

"Outrageous! Xu Lin, tell me yourself, is that shop yours or mine? Now that things have come to this, everyone outside is pointing fingers at me, Sun Qingyang, and cursing me, but has anyone ever asked me if that shop is really mine?"

Xu Lin felt a little guilty, but thinking that although it was her business, the Sun family had spent a lot of the money it earned, she immediately straightened her back.

“What do you mean by that, my husband? Although the shop is mine, the manager is a member of the Sun family. If I hadn’t listened to my mother and insisted on replacing the original manager, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be in this predicament now.”

Sun Qingyang was even more furious: "Are you implying that it's all the Sun family's fault?"

"If my mother hadn't distrusted the dowry I brought, how could this mess have happened? That shopkeeper knew the meat was spoiled, yet he still made it into braised meat. He deserved to be beaten!"

Yes, that's right.

The day after the shop was splattered with excrement, the shopkeeper was beaten up again.

Sun Qingyang was furious: "No matter what, the reputation of my Sun family cannot be ruined! Don't forget, there's also Huaizhi."

Xu Lin hadn't paid much attention at first, but after his reminder, she did remember that her son was going to take the provincial examination this year.

If it delays my son's imperial examination, that won't do.

The only option now is to find a way to pin all the blame on the shopkeeper.

Anyway, he was a servant of the Sun family, and the entire family's indenture was in Sun Qingyang's hands, so he didn't dare to deny it.

Finally, someone from the Sun family went to great lengths to escort the manager to the Jingzhao Prefecture, which was enough to restore some of the Sun family's reputation.

Later, rumors spread that those shops actually belonged to Sun Qingyang's wife, Xu Lin, and that they were part of Xu Lin's dowry more than ten years ago.

Now, the Sun family's reputation seems to have improved somewhat, and the world where only Xu Lin was injured has been achieved.

Sun Qingyang was quite satisfied with this, and even secretly sent people to fan the flames, so that all the people in the city would know that it was Xu Lin's dowry shop, not his Sun family's.

Xu Lin was just a sheltered woman, and although she had ways to know the news outside, it wasn't always timely or comprehensive.

Therefore, she acted arrogantly and domineeringly in the mansion, completely unaware of the rumors circulating about her outside.

However, the old lady of the Marquis of Anyang's mansion fell ill immediately upon receiving the news.

"Go, send someone to bring that wretched child back to me! I want to ask her if I gave her too little dowry back then, or if the Sun family can't afford to feed and clothe her anymore, that she would resort to such a despicable idea!"

Wang Ruolan outwardly offered words of advice, but inwardly she was overjoyed.

I've long disliked this sister-in-law. Just because she's the old lady's darling, she's always trying to take things from me.

Let's see if the old lady will still treat her like a treasure this time!

In the Purple Garden, Xu Zhaozhao was once again staring blankly at that pot of 'grass'.

Dingxiang whispered a reminder: "Miss, the rumors outside are getting more and more intense. If this continues, it may affect the reputation of our Marquis's mansion."

"Hmm? That's right. We can let the old lady worry, but we can't let Father and Mother get upset. Tell Zhu Zi to spread the word two days later that the shopkeeper and the accountant are from the Sun family. Remember, do it without leaving a trace."

Xu Lin was summoned to the old lady's presence and given a scolding, only then realizing what kind of rumors were circulating about her.

Xu Lin was furious and couldn't help but hurl insults at him.

"They're all ignorant commoners! I have plenty of good stuff in my hands, why would I do such a despicable thing for a few strings of cash!"

Madam Xu slammed her fist on the bed in anger: "You idiot! You're still here cursing those common people? Don't you think about what you did wrong? How do you think this news got out? Originally, everyone was cursing the Sun family, but now they're cursing you, Xu Lin!"

Xu Lin paused for a moment before seemingly realizing what was happening.

She suddenly remembered the indescribable expressions on the faces of the ladies she encountered yesterday when she took her daughter to choose fabrics. So it was because of this incident.

"Mother, what should we do? The shopkeeper has already confessed that he acted on his own initiative, so why are these troublemakers still trying to pin this on me?"

The old lady's face turned red with anger: "Shut up! How can a lady of high rank speak so rudely!"

Xu Lin shut her mouth awkwardly and looked at her mother with a pleading expression.

Xu Lin herself is brainless, and the old lady has always been well aware of this.

That's why she chose to marry into the Sun family, a family not as prestigious as the Marquis's.

It was all so that her daughter wouldn't suffer any injustice.

As long as the Marquis's mansion remains standing, Xu Lin can live a worry-free life.

Who would have thought that Xu Lin would be so brainless!

"Now that this has happened, we should naturally find a way to resolve it. Your reputation cannot be ruined, and you certainly cannot tarnish the reputation of the entire Xu family of women."

This is truly deadly!

The Xu family has too many unmarried and unmarried girls.

Xu Zhaozhao will be the first to be affected.

The old lady would never allow such a thing to happen.

While the mother and daughter were discussing it, Wang Ruolan rushed over.

“Mother, your daughter-in-law just received news that the rumors circulating outside about Xu Lin’s business actually originated from the Sun family.”

Xu Lin was stunned. Her mother had mentioned it before, but she had thought it was impossible at the time.

But now, even my sister-in-law is saying the same thing?

"Impossible! Has my sister-in-law been deceived by the servants?"

The old lady had anticipated this outcome and completely ignored her, only asking Wang Ruolan, "Is there any concrete evidence?"

"Pretty much. The news first came from the servants of the Sun family, and these servants were all servants born into the Sun family. It is clear who authorized this."

Xu Lin's mind went blank; the first person she thought of was the old lady of the Sun family.

"It must have been my mother-in-law who instigated this. She has always disliked me, but she hasn't dared to make things difficult for me because of the power of our Marquis's mansion. This time, she must be trying to salvage my husband's reputation, so she deliberately harmed me!"