20demayo Chapter 431 Rumors
Chapter 431 Rumors
Xu Chengyao's legs were immobile. Clutching the two copper coins, he watched the old woman walk away shakily, cursing Luo An eight hundred times in his heart.
He finally understood that this matter had nothing to do with Kua Xusheng, but only with the three dishes at noon.
It's unclear how long Luo An intends to make him kneel, or how much money he'll demand before letting him go. If it's not enough to meet Luo An's expectations, will he be forced to kneel indefinitely?
It's all his fault for trusting Luo An too much; otherwise, how could he have fallen for Luo An's trap so easily? What a disgrace! What a disgrace!
Xu Chengyao threw the two copper coins back into the broken bowl, resignedly lowered his head, and prayed that he would not run into any acquaintances.
After lunchtime, more and more people went up and down the mountain. The broken bowls filled with more and more copper coins, and occasionally even some silver pieces.
At first, Xu Chengyao remained unmoved, but later he realized that after piling up half a bowl, no one would throw any more in. So he collected the broken silver and copper coins in the bowl, leaving only two copper coins as bait.
People, once they are in a certain position, will naturally do the things that the position does, and the eldest prince is no exception.
Xu Chengyao lowered his head further and further, his peripheral vision only able to catch glimpses of various shoes, but his ears could hear sounds from all directions.
"Have you all heard about that unscrupulous doctor from Dongyang named Xu Chengyao?"
In unison: "I've heard." "I've heard." "I've heard."...
"It's been spread far and wide, even the beggars on the street know about it. I've long heard that the doctors at Heaven on Earth are the most heartless, and it's absolutely true."
"That's right, that's right. The Qian family had such a large fortune, but he ruined it all. They're so pitiful."
"The eldest daughter-in-law of the Qian family is also unlucky; she lost her family fortune right after giving birth."
"She can only blame her bad luck. It's Aunt Feng and the second young master who benefited, as all the shops in Qinzhou belong to them."
Someone lowered their voice: "Hey, I heard it was the second young master who conspired with that Xu Chengyao. The eldest young master was forced to leave, the second young master got the shops, and Xu Chengyao got the money."
"How wicked people can be! A doctor of such high standing has become so shameless. I hope I never run into him, or I'll unleash my dogs on him."
……
As the voices of the group faded into the distance, Xu Chengyao finally looked up slightly.
People are indeed foolish, and rumors from the streets can be terrifying. The two of them kindly saved the young master's family, only to be falsely accused instead.
Why is he being called a heartless doctor, Xu Chengyao? How did it become him? It was clearly Luo An who saved him.
By the way, when Luo An entered the Qian family, he used the name Xu Chengyao.
Xu Chengyao was initially very excited, thinking that Luo An would make him famous. Now he realizes that it was all wishful thinking on his part.
How could someone as petty as Luo An think that way? He had already foreseen that there would be rumors later, and that someone was deliberately using his name.
Why does it have to be Xu Chengyao's name? It's just a name, can't I just make one up? You say you're my brother, and your mother is my aunt, and this is how you treat me...
If the food is bad, come to Zheng Chu, not me. I don't manage the imperial kitchen. Why don't you send Zheng Chu to beg? Why don't you send Lord Fu to beg? You're making a prince like me beg? How am I supposed to face the world after this?
"How old are you and me? You're in your twenties, and I'm only ten. If I were any younger, I'd be big enough to be your son. You're such a grown man, bullying a little kid, don't you have any conscience...?"
Xu Chengyao felt more and more aggrieved and heartbroken as he thought about it. He could no longer hold back his tears, which rolled down his cheeks, fell into the bowl, and splattered on the copper coin, scattering like flowers.
Xu Chengyao silently shed tears for a while, then felt somewhat humiliated. He rubbed his face and eyes hard with the back of his hand, only to realize that something had gotten into his eyes. He then remembered that Luo An had just sprinkled incense ash all over him.
Xu Chengyao was covered in incense ash, his face smeared with tears, and the rubbing turned his face into a mess. Dejected, Xu Chengyao hung his hands, determined to stay as far away from Luo An as possible from now on.
Several young women were walking down the mountain, chatting as they went:
"Qianqian, congratulations on your Haoran's promotion. Unlike our Haoran, who hasn't moved an inch in four or five years."
"It's not a promotion, it's just a change of post. If we're talking about it, it has to be the Qingfeng family. The Crown Prince appointed the Qingfeng family to review memorials in the Taiji Hall."
"Qingfeng, I really envy you. Your in-laws are kind and wealthy, your husband is young, promising, and handsome, and you had a big, healthy son with your first child..."
"No, it wasn't a specific person chosen. They just randomly selected him from a group of people drawn from the Hanlin Academy."
"Qingfeng, don't be modest. There's no such thing as a coincidence. Even if it were a coincidence, your family is the youngest among that group, so your future is truly limitless."
"That's right, that's right. Mingyue, I mentioned to your sister-in-law last time that I have a cousin who isn't married yet. Qingfeng, you didn't forget to tell your sister, did you?"
"I haven't forgotten. How could I forget what you asked me to do? I told you before that my sister has someone she likes, and they're getting engaged on the nineteenth of this month."
"You mean that Su guy? You're in Qinzhou, and he's in Wudong County. It's not appropriate for you to be so far apart. My cousin is different. Our extended family has lived in Qinzhou for generations."
"The engagement can be canceled after it's finalized. If you two are too embarrassed to do it directly, I can ask someone to speak on your behalf; it will absolutely not harm the relationship between your two families. Given our relationship, if Mingyue marries into our family, she will definitely not be treated unfairly. Mingyue, what do you say?"
Zhang Mingyue's voice was calm yet brooked no argument: "Thank you for your kindness, Sister-in-law Manman. However, marriage is a major life event, a matter of parental consent and matchmaker's word. How can we arbitrarily change our minds?"
Liuguang and I have known each other since childhood, we know each other inside and out, and everyone is quite satisfied with this marriage. On the 19th, we prepared food and drinks at home to welcome our two sisters-in-law as guests.
……
The four of them sat in a row, with Zhang Mingyue at the very edge. She was somewhat impatient with He Manman and avoided looking at them, when she saw Xu Chengyao look up at her.
Xu Chengyao only wanted to see what Zhang Mingzhi's younger sister looked like, but his gaze met Zhang Mingyue's, and he quickly lowered his head to avoid it.
Zhang Mingyue had been doing business with her father since she was a child, so she had met many people and had a good eye for people. This little beggar looked dirty and disheveled, but his eyes had a calmness and sharpness that were beyond his years.
The clothes look torn, but they were clearly deliberately ripped, not naturally worn out from prolonged wear. If I'm not mistaken, the fabric is a subtly patterned, shiny brocade.
The Su family included a bolt of dark-patterned, lustrous silk brocade as part of the engagement gift. The gift-giver specifically mentioned that this material was unavailable in Wudong County and had been specially purchased from Qinzhou, making it extremely valuable.
The little beggar knelt with his head down, but his posture remained upright, a posture that had been naturally cultivated over time, without a trace of the wretched and impoverished air of a street beggar.
Zhang Mingyue walked up to Xu Chengyao, bent down and tossed a silver ingot onto the grass beside the bowl, and continued walking forward without stopping.
Xu Chengyao glanced at the silver ingots in the bowl and looked at Zhang Mingyue's back: The Zhang family, who run a pharmacy, are indeed wealthy; even Zhang Mingyue, a woman, is so generous.
Zhang Mingyue walked about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) before suddenly stopping and turning back, just in time to meet Xu Chengyao's gaze. As if she had thought of something, she turned back.
Xu Chengyao was stunned: What was she planning to do? Did she change her mind and want to take the gold ingot back?