Following Jiang Mengzhen’s suggestion, Hao Cheng decided not to mention the incident of the broker office attempting to swindle her silver coins for now. She simply accused the broker office of using those sellers to tarnish her innocence.

The reputation of scholars is extremely important in this world, especially for scholars who have not yet entered officialdom. Before the imperial examination, any groundless rumors could ruin her future prospects.

It wasn’t strange for Hao Cheng to accuse the broker office of such an important matter. As the plaintiff cried injustice, the person in charge of the broker office naturally had to appear in court. Mr. Li had instigated the matter, so naturally, he was also summoned to resolve it.

As soon as he entered the courtroom, Mr. Li wailed and pleaded for help: “Our broker office has always followed the rules and never heard of tarnishing someone’s reputation! Your Honor, please help us! Even if this scholar thinks our broker office is not following the rules by not refunding her deposit after three failed transactions, it’s just a matter of a few dozen taels of silver. We don’t want it anymore.”

Mr. Li adamantly insisted that Hao Cheng was just reluctant to part with those few dozen taels of silver. He claimed that her accusation was baseless and it was her own fault for not keeping her end of the bargain, which led to several instances of last-minute cancellations.

When one person speaks ill of another, it might be due to personal enmity. But if many people speak ill of someone, others will naturally believe that the person is truly bad. Hao Cheng likened buying a house to this principle. One seller breaching the contract might be blamed on that seller, but if several sellers backed out on her, then it must be her fault. Why would people who were previously on good terms with her suddenly change their minds?

Mr. Li had a loud voice and was persuasive. He managed to deceive those around him. If Hao Cheng had a weaker temperament and got flustered, she might have ended up being labeled as a person of questionable character by him.

However, Hao Cheng stood firm, holding the “Law of Jin Kingdom” firmly in her hands, her posture upright, her thoughts clear, and her words articulate. She presented herself as a person of integrity, leaving everyone with the impression that she was a decent person.

“This is why I asked Your Honor to clear my name. Inside the broker office, there is an agreement signed by me and several homeowners. I believe inviting them here wouldn’t be difficult.”

Seeing Hao Cheng’s determination, Mr. Li felt a hint of disdain. Those homeowners had been arranged by him long ago. Hao Cheng was too young and naive, thinking that everyone was a good person and would stand up for her.

He immediately responded, “That’s fine. Once those homeowners arrive, we’ll know the truth.”

However, when those homeowners arrived, they changed their testimonies, claiming that Mr. Li had threatened them to change their minds. Otherwise, they had initially wanted to sell their houses, and there was no reason to cancel the deals. Who wouldn’t want to make some money?

Mr. Li was furious. “Hao Cheng conspired with these sellers to slander the broker office!”

Hao Cheng responded, “Earlier, I said that we would know the truth once the homeowners arrived. Did you know that the Law of Jin Kingdom states that if someone tarnishes the reputation of a scholar, they should be fined fifty strokes of cane?”

Fifty strokes of cane meant risking one’s life. Mr. Li widened his eyes, “How could there be such a law? You must be lying!”

Hao Cheng wasn’t lying. In reality, the law was quite lenient towards scholars. But for those in power, most laws protecting ordinary citizens were just empty words. Mr. Li, being a mere commoner, was just taking advantage of his connections.

Hao Cheng raised the book in her hand, “The Law of Jin Kingdom is here, personally formulated by the founder. Mr. Li violated the law and showed disrespect to the founder. Your Honor is incorruptible, how could you protect such a blatantly law-breaking troublemaker!”

When she mentioned the incorruptibility of the county magistrate, her words were clear and almost sounded like she was reciting poetry, ensuring that everyone inside and outside the courtroom could hear her clearly.

Seeing the county magistrate frown, she continued with conviction, “I will be leaving soon to prepare for the imperial examination. However, this place is my roots. If my reputation is tarnished for no reason, my future prospects will be ruined. If Your Honor does not clear my name today, I will throw myself off this courtroom to prove my innocence!”

Hao Cheng was, after all, a scholar. If the county magistrate dared to protect the broker office, disregarding the law, she would risk her own life. In this world, the weak feared the strong, the strong feared the clever, and the clever feared the reckless. Scholars had a one-track mind, and who knew if she would actually go through with it.

At this moment, the person in charge of the broker office suddenly came forward to absolve himself. This matter was instigated by Mr. Li, and they had nothing to do with it.

There were unwritten rules in the industry, often conflicting with the law. Most people didn’t care because they didn’t want trouble. However, Hao Cheng was determined to uphold the law, and if the law ruled against her, then she would be the one to lose.

So when Hao Cheng reported the case, Jiang Mengzhen spent two gold leaves, changed his appearance, and went directly to the person in charge of the broker office. After clarifying the facts and using threats and inducements, broker office had no choice but to blame Mr. Li based on Jiang Mengzhen’s account.

Those homeowners were also persuaded by Jiang Mengzhen. Although he lacked martial skills, he was well-versed in the art of manipulation. Strategists could influence rulers with just their tongues. Although he had limited resources, with a persuasive tongue, he could easily convince these people to change their minds.

The county magistrate was used to compromising, and seeing that the broker office was pushing Mr. Li forward, he decided to take advantage of the situation and punished Mr. Li on the spot.

Mr. Li was ordered to apologize to Hao Cheng. She graciously declined to have Mr. Li beaten and instead had him compensate her fifty taels of silver for the damage to her reputation and mental distress. The broker admitted their lax management and refunded Hao Cheng’s deposit, offering to introduce her to another house without taking a commission.

By the time Kou arrived, the lively scene had already ended. He saw Mr. Li, who was scolded by the broker, spat at him, “Who told you to be my brother? You don’t need to worry about my daughter’s marriage anymore.”

It was a loss without any gain, and Mr. Li ended up in a mess for no reason. But the compensation Hao Cheng received would have to be extracted from Kou.

With money won and face saved, Hao Cheng was naturally happy. That day, she prepared a feast for Jiang Mengzhen to thank him for his great help.

After the meal, Hao Cheng took the initiative to take care of the aftermath, waiting for Jiang Mengzhen to sleep peacefully in the house before she packed her belongings and left quietly in the middle of the night.

Jiang Mengzhen had indeed helped her a lot this time, but seeing his actions made Hao Cheng more worried. The other party might come from a distinguished background, while she was just a commoner.

Jiang Mengzhen appearing at the foot of the mountain was already suspicious. Even if she wasn’t implicated in any murder case, if the other party’s family came looking for her, thinking that she had tarnished their reputation, she would lose her life for nothing.

She had saved Jiang Mengzhen once, served him for days, and didn’t covet wealth. She had done her best. She hoped that the other party would remember her kindness, that they would part ways amicably, and wouldn’t cause any more trouble.

The next day, when Jiang Mengzhen woke up, the room was still the same, with yesterday’s leftovers still warming in the steamer. But Hao Cheng was gone, along with her belongings and identification documents. However, Jiang Mengzhen’s belongings were untouched, and even the gold leaves he had given to Hao Cheng were returned in full.

Reading the content on the cloth, he almost laughed out loud. However, the cooing of pigeons outside interrupted his thoughts. A gentle breeze passed through the curtains, and several pigeons fluttered in through the window.

A gray pigeon landed on Jiang Mengzhen’s table, staring at him with its adorable green eyes. The young man retrieved a letter from its red legs.

It was a short note, densely written in small characters:

“My dear Hengzhi, your book ‘The Legend of Li Ying’ under the name of Mingxin Jushi is widely circulated in the capital. The bookstore has had a good harvest this time, and I hope my younger brother will produce new works soon. I have arranged for a theater troupe to turn it into a major play, and it will be ready to celebrate Grandfather’s sixtieth birthday soon.

Although I hope you are well and return soon, six out of ten of the matters you entrusted have been investigated. They involve many connections with Prince Jing’an, and the current situation is tumultuous. I hope you will stay in Xinghua Village for now and not be too anxious.

Yours sincerely, Cousin Bingxin”