Chapter 209 1/3

“We’ve just arrived in the capital, so it’s impossible for us to have anything to do with your wife!”

“Stop, we are scholars!”

Fan Weiyan’s two scholar friends tried to intervene, but the man attacking Fan Weiyan didn’t listen at all. “I saw it with my own eyes, how can it be false?” He gave Fan Weiyan two more slaps, making his face swell.

Onlookers pointed at Fan Weiyan, whispering among themselves. The attacker spoke with a local accent, and they believed that no one would falsely accuse another of such an affair. Thus, they thought Fan Weiyan most likely had indeed seduced the man’s wife!

As for Fan Weiyan being a scholar… They wouldn’t dare offend a scholar, but watching a scholar being humiliated was highly entertaining!

Jin Xiaoye was watching the commotion. She knew Fan Weiyan had just arrived in the capital and couldn’t have seduced that man’s wife, but she found pleasure in seeing Fan Weiyan beaten. When the Li family was affected by the flood in Yu County, Fan Weiyan had divorced his wife to avoid trouble, which Jin Xiaoye could understand. However, not allowing his wife to take her dowry when divorcing her was another matter altogether.

If Fan Weiyan had any conscience, he should have taken care of his ex-wife and daughter after the divorce, finding them a place to settle, instead of abandoning them without knowing their whereabouts.

Shopkeeper Mu’s gaze shifted and landed on Jin Xiaoye, who was watching the commotion with excitement. Her lips curled into a smile.

Her fondness for Jin Xiaoye, the Shopkeeper of Jin Ye Embroidery Workshop, grew stronger.

Shopkeeper Mu’s gaze returned to Fan Weiyan. The man accusing Fan Weiyan of having an affair with his wife was one of her subordinates. While it wasn’t easy to kill a scholar, giving Fan Weiyan a lesson was a simple matter.

Fan Weiyan had already explained multiple times, but it was useless… He had no choice but to shout, “I am Li Zhao’s son-in-law! I am the son-in-law of Li Zhao, who wrote ‘On Water Management’!”

His words stunned the surrounding people. “Li Zhao? The county magistrate who was wrongly killed?”

“He is the son-in-law of the Li Zhao from the plays?”

“Then this guy probably really made a mistake. Li Zhao’s son-in-law wouldn’t do such a thing, right?”

…

After Fan Weiyan announced that he was Li Zhao’s son-in-law, the onlookers began to speak up for him.

The book “Record of Escape from Famine” was famous, but mainly among scholars. In some remote provinces, even scholars might not have read it. Ordinary people knew little about it, and many had never heard of the book or “Li Zhao.” But the capital was different.

Shopkeeper Mu, determined to clear her father’s name, had the story turned into a play after reading “Record of Escape from Famine” and had troupes perform it all over the capital. The public, preferring plays over tragic stories told by storytellers, became familiar with Li Zhao and regarded him as a rare good official.

Now, this good official’s son-in-law was being beaten!

Immediately, people stepped in to stop the fight. “Wait a minute, maybe you’ve got the wrong person?”

“A scholar wouldn’t seduce your wife, would he?”

“Even if what you said is true, it would be bad if something happened from the fight. You should report it to the authorities.”

…

The man beating Fan Weiyan was aware of his surroundings. He had received word that Shopkeeper Mu was coming, and his attack was to show Shopkeeper Mu. Now, seeing a signal to stop from his companion, he said, “You’re lucky!” and disappeared into the crowd.

Fan Weiyan, beaten and lying on the ground, felt incredibly unlucky but had no choice but to endure it. At this moment, government officers, patrolling the dock area, arrived hastily…

Seeing that a scholar was involved, they wasted no time in helping Fan Weiyan up, intending to take him to a clinic.

Fan Weiyan climbed up from the ground, glaring at his surroundings. He noticed Jin Xiaoye sitting in a sedan chair and Zhang Zao standing beside it, his anger and hatred toward Li Qingzhi intensifying.

As Fan Weiyan left, the people continued to discuss the incident about Li Zhao’s son-in-law.

Shopkeeper Mu closed the sedan curtain, trembling with anger. Fan Weiyan, Fan Weiyan… How dare he tell people he is Li Zhao’s son-in-law!

The sedan bearers lifted her chair and moved forward, but her mind was far from calm.

Finally, leaving the dock area and in a quieter place, she spoke, “Ayi.”

The strong man walking with Shopkeeper Mu leaned in, “Miss?”

The man, He Yi, used to be an ordinary resident of Yu County. When Li Zhao first arrived in Yu County, He Yi, then thirteen or fourteen, came to file a complaint, accusing a playboy of driving his sister to death. Li Zhao investigated and brought the perpetrator to justice, though it caused him considerable trouble—the playboy’s family harassed Li Zhao for over ten days.

During this time, Li Zhu (Shopkeeper Mu) met He Yi. Despite their vastly different social standings, they had no further interaction until the Fan family tried to kill Li Zhu. She escaped and reunited with He Yi, whose parents had died in the flood, and together they found Lu Qingxi’s people and came to the capital…

“Ayi, give Fan Weiyan some trouble,” Li Zhu said coldly. “No major trouble, but make him unlucky. Today, have someone throw urine on him; tomorrow, have someone throw rotten eggs at him… The more misfortune, the better.”

“Don’t worry, Miss. I’ll take care of it,” He Yi assured.

Li Zhu peered out of the sedan towards the dock again and added, “Ayi, find me a fortune teller.”

Fan Weiyan caused her daughter’s death; how could he live so comfortably? She would make him unlucky and have a fortune teller tell him it was due to karma for causing a death.

“Yes, Miss,” He Yi replied.

Li Zhu lowered the curtain and took a deep breath in the sedan. She would ruin Fan Weiyan.

Jin Xiaoye did not know that Fan Weiyan’s beating was orchestrated by the “Shopkeeper Mu” she liked so much. After watching the spectacle, she returned to the inn.

Since arriving in the capital, Li Laogen had been too scared to go out, fearing he might get lost. He wanted to show off his good lodging to those who shared the dormitory but was intimidated by their imposing stature and unfamiliar dialects. So he just watched longingly, not daring to approach.

However, when it was time to eat, Li Laogen eagerly sat at the table, ready to enjoy a good meal and show off!

Jin Xiaoye returned to the inn and saw Li Laogen waiting at the table. Seeing her, he immediately said, “Xiaoye, can we eat now?”

Indeed, it was time to eat. Chang Zhan’s two apprentices had already prepared lunch. “Madam, it’s cold, so we made hot soup noodles. You can start eating. We’ll cook fresh noodles for the master and young master when they return.”

They chose to make noodles for lunch, partly because they didn’t know when Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye would return. Unlike a full meal with rice that needed everyone present, noodles could be prepared and eaten whenever the diners arrived.