Chapter 28 1/2

“After all, didn’t we already have a meeting on the first day of the month? It’s not the fifteenth today, so why another meeting? And everyone has to go.”

“Do you think Li Zheng wants to convene the meeting to find out who talked about that matter?”

“What’s there to fear? It’s not like we’re the ones who said it. Anyway, I heard it from someone else. This embarrassing matter, others can’t hide it, so why call for a meeting and ask the whole village? It’s like they’re afraid some people might not know, isn’t it a big joke if they can’t find out?”

After lunch, the villagers received the notice and gradually headed to the Ji family’s house. Along the way, those who met up with others speculated about why Li Zheng urgently summoned the villagers for a meeting.

The Yu family also received the notice. Even though the relationship between the two families was bad, for such a major event like a meeting, they still had to attend. After all, the village’s major affairs were known through meetings.

If they didn’t go, they would undoubtedly embarrass Li Zheng in front of the whole village. If everyone didn’t attend the meeting, it would be as if the entire village was in trouble.

Mrs. Sun actually didn’t want to attend the meeting. Seeing the suddenness of this meeting, with no prior notice, she felt uneasy.

But with the Ji family issuing such an urgent notice, the Yu family, no matter how powerful, still had to give Li Zheng some face in such a big matter.

Thinking about it, she decided to go alone. Lately, Lingxiao had been preoccupied with the Ji family’s affairs. With the upcoming imperial examination in the new year, there wasn’t much time left to review the textbooks. If they kept going like this, it would be difficult to achieve good results in the spring examination. Then, it would be hard to explain to the Xue family.

But the Ji family’s servants specifically instructed that everyone had to go. Mrs. Sun was unhappy about it and scolded the servants. The two idiots were waiting for her to finish scolding before urging her and her daughter to go early. It was really infuriating.

On the way, Mrs. Sun saw the villagers whispering, and their eyes seemed to sweep over them, making her feel even more unsettled.

“Lingxiao, is this meeting directed at our family?”

Yuan Lingxiao adjusted his sleeves. He hadn’t even had time to tidy up properly because of the urgent call. He was still thinking about seeing Taoyu when he went to the Ji family.

“How could it be aimed at our family? Mother, stop being so suspicious.”

Mrs. Sun pulled at Yuan Lingxiao’s sleeve and whispered, “But that matter…”

“Mother!”

Yuan Lingxiao raised his voice slightly. “Are you worried that others don’t know? Why do you keep mentioning it?”

Seeing her son’s reaction, Mrs. Sun wisely kept silent.

Before long, almost all the villagers had arrived at the Ji family’s house according to the notice.

Ji Yangzong held the roster and called out names one by one. This time, because everyone was required to attend, there were even more people gathered in the Ji family’s yard than last time, and those who couldn’t fit inside stood crowded at the gate.

Not knowing what the matter was about, some children tagged along with their parents out of curiosity, running around the courtyard, making it seem like a chaotic bird’s nest.

Huo Shu stood under the eaves of the Ji family’s house, arms crossed, watching as the Yu family mother and son joined the crowd. His gaze was unusually cold.

He reached into the Ji family’s kitchen and took out a long kitchen knife, running his fingers along the blade to test its sharpness.

“If Mrs. Wang can clarify the situation today, the reputation of the Yu family will be ruined. Do you think the Xue family will hold a grudge against us because of this?”

Hearing the sudden concern beside him, Huo Shu put the knife aside. He lowered his gaze and saw the little boy approaching. He looked worried.

He said slowly, “Don’t worry. If the Yu family loses its usefulness to the Xue family, they won’t pay attention to them anymore.”

“Hmm?”

Taoyu looked at Huo Shu somewhat puzzled, not fully understanding his meaning.

“There are many scholars in the world, and the Xue family has more than just Yu Lingxiao as their students. If he doesn’t behave well and causes gossip, the Xue family won’t bother to defend him just because he’s a successful candidate.”

“But if he becomes a Jinshi, then it’s hard to say.”

Huo Shu looked at Taoyu and said, “But he won’t pass.”

Taoyu raised her eyebrows. “Huo Big Brother isn’t an official from the Ministry of Rites, how can you be so sure he won’t pass?”

Huo Shu withdrew his gaze and said, “I’ve read people’s fortunes under the bridge. If I say he won’t pass, then he won’t pass.”

Taoyu narrowed her eyes at his words. No one like him reads fortunes under the bridge, and who would dare to have their fortune told there?

But at this time, they could still joke around.

Huo Shu seemed to hear the little boy’s low hum. He was about to say something when Ji Yangzong’s voice rang out.

“Today, summoning everyone in haste has delayed some of the villagers’ work, and I guess some of you might be resentful. However, even if some of you are dissatisfied, there is something that must be announced. The situation is serious. If we let this kind of behavior continue to spread in the village, I’m afraid the village will never have a peaceful day again!”

The noisy courtyard gradually quieted down under Ji Yangzong’s powerful voice. Those who brought children pulled them over and gestured for them to be quiet. Everyone’s attention turned to Ji Yangzong.

“The village has always been full of rumors, and I know everyone loves to gossip, but it’s never caused any harm. However, recently, someone maliciously fabricated rumors to slander others. This behavior is truly chilling!”

The people in the courtyard started to murmur. Those who participated in gossiping about the Ji family felt guilty and lowered their heads.

Those who were unaware became more alert and wanted to know what gossip could make Ji Yangzong so angry that he summoned the entire village to listen to his lecture.

Mrs. Sun’s heart was already in her throat when she heard this, but she still held onto a glimmer of hope that the Ji family didn’t have evidence.

It wasn’t until she saw Mrs. Wang and her ruffian son being called out by Ji Yangzong with a disgruntled look that she felt her entire body turn cold.

Yu Lingxiao saw Mrs. Wang’s embarrassed expression and widened his eyes in disbelief, feeling frozen in place and unable to move.

“The Yu and Ji families recently announced the cancellation of their engagement, each going their separate ways. But someone with a big mouth fabricated stories about the two young people being intimate before their engagement, crossing the line! Baselessly slandering someone’s innocence and tarnishing their reputation, this is to smear the reputation of unmarried children!”

Ji Yangzong scolded Wang Pinyue, “Wang Pinyue, my Ji family doesn’t care about face anymore. You must clarify today in front of everyone. What grudge do you have against the Ji and Yu families? Why do you want to smear the reputation of the Ji family’s children and prevent them from getting married! Inciting trouble in the village!”

When the villagers learned that today’s meeting was about this matter, they suddenly became interested. They never expected Wang Pinyue to have the audacity to fabricate stories about the Ji and Yu families.

Even the village leader had the courage to bring the matter out into the open, as if the rumors about his own son weren’t spreading widely enough.

Although there were some who enjoyed watching the drama, the farming families sympathized with the Ji family. A good young man, with his engagement broken off, now facing such malicious rumors, it seemed like someone had deliberately wanted to prevent him from getting married again.

If their own daughters or sons were subjected to such rumors, they would feel utterly helpless. Even though they hadn’t been directly affected, knowing that such malicious intent existed in the village made them fear for their own future.

Some women and men who had been gossiped about by Wang Pinyue couldn’t help but curse, “Wang Pinyue, you’re also a woman, how could you harm the young men and women of our village like this?”

“Ji Yangzong has always treated you well. Even though your son acts like a bully in the village, Ji Yangzong hasn’t kicked you, an old widow, out of the village. Yet you still repay his kindness with such malice.”

“Shameless! Evil people like you will never have a good ending!”

Wang Pinyue had always been thick-skinned, but she couldn’t withstand the relentless barrage of insults from the villagers. She ended up agreeing to Huo Shu’s words once again.

She hurriedly exclaimed, “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me!”

“You’re the one in the village who talks the most. If it’s not you, then who else could it be? Caught red-handed and still trying to deny it! You deserve to go to prison, only then will you learn to be honest!”

Li Jintiger saw the crowd cursing more aggressively and roared, “My mother is straightforward. Whatever she has to say, she says it! She enjoys lively conversations, but she wouldn’t fabricate gossip out of thin air!”

“Yes, yes.”

Wang Pinyue repeatedly agreed with her son, but the villagers weren’t buying it. Someone even threw vegetable leaves, narrowly missing Wang Pinyue. Startled, Wang Pinyue looked at Yu Lingxiao in the crowd and shouted, “It’s the Yu family! Yu Erlang told me to say this to others!”

Sun Yuanniang saw Wang Pinyue pointing directly at Yu Lingxiao and panicked. She rushed towards Wang Pinyue, shouting, “Crazy woman spouting nonsense! My son is a scholar. How dare you slander him! I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Wang Pinyue, seeing Sun Yuanniang running towards her with bloodshot eyes, cried out and hurriedly ran towards Ji Yangzong, “Li Zheng, everything I said is true! You have to support me!”

Ji Yangzong quickly stopped the frantic Sun Yuanniang and pretended to dissuade her, “Madam Sun, don’t be hasty. Wang Pinyue, don’t believe her slander!”

“What I said is all true!”

Wang Pinyue quickly took out some silver coins from her pocket, “On the eleventh day of the month, Yu Erlang from the Yu family found me, gave me ten silver coins, and told me to spread the gossip about the Ji family’s child marrying into the Zhou family. Yesterday, the Zhou family father and son came over, and I did as Yu Erlang instructed.”

“I spent two hundred wen at the Song family restaurant in the city that day, bought some cloth and two hairpins, which cost two taels in total, leaving eight taels of silver.”

Wang Pinyue continued to spill the beans, “This morning, Yu Erlang from the Yu family suddenly found me again, telling me to spread more rumors, and gave me another ten taels of silver. All the money is here.”

“Otherwise, as a widow, how would I dare to speak ill of the Ji family? Yu Erlang is a scholar, and if he tells me to say these things, I dare not disobey!”

As Wang Pinyue ranted, the spectators in the courtyard became more intrigued. As they heard the whole story, they all looked towards Yu Lingxiao and the frantic Sun Yuanniang, who wanted to tear Wang Pinyue apart.

Yu Lingxiao was completely dumbfounded. He didn’t expect Wang Pinyue to act so upright in front of him in the morning and then expose everything to the whole village in the afternoon. He felt as if his feet were frozen.