Tianliangyuan

Chapter 188 Trouble is coming

Ms. Xu really has a silver tongue!

In just a few words, the blame was shifted entirely onto Sun Huaizhi.

And Sun Huaizhi is the Marquis's own nephew, so isn't this just a matter between the Marquis's family and his own?

So, is Madam Xu trying to tell the Marquis's family that Liu Qi is innocent?

If there are those who can speak, then there are those who can listen.

Madam Zhang smiled and said, "I will pass on your message, but matters outside are usually decided by Father and the Heir Apparent. I am just a woman and have no say in anything."

Madam Xu smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, young mistress. In any case, my husband is involved, and he will inevitably be talked about behind his back. I hope that you can put in a good word for him when the time comes, since we are all relatives."

"Let the men handle these matters. We women should do our part. I heard that my cousin has already had two sons, and I was thinking of asking you for some advice on raising children."

In this way, the topic was diverted.

Zhang is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Even someone as cunning as Xu is no match for her.

After everyone left, Princess Anhe arrived with her entourage.

"How is it? Did you cause your sister-in-law any distress?"

Madam Zhang chuckled: "I was hoping she'd have the guts! Too bad, she's useless. But I think she came here hoping Father would calm down, or at least not take his anger out on her husband."

Princess Anhe curled her lip: "Why should he? Liu Qi was the one who did wrong, so he should take responsibility."

Madam Zhang smiled and shook her head: "This matter is settled. Father is a marquis and an important official in the court. If you really hold this matter against him, it will only make you seem narrow-minded."

Princess Anhe was unconvinced: "So, we're just going to let Liu Qi do as he pleases?"

"Not necessarily. Look, we didn't do anything, yet Madam Xu was still quite frightened."

That's true!

Princess Anhe thought about it and felt that this was fine. As long as they didn't make a clear statement, it would still be the couple who were worried.

"Sister-in-law is amazing! They need to suffer a bit!"

From the moment Xu Zhaozhao learned of this, she had been plotting how to get revenge.

Liu Qi is related to the Duke of Su's family and also secretly associates with the Prince of Zhong's family, which shows that he is definitely an official in the Prince of Zhong's faction.

Since that's the case, there's no reason for her to hesitate in taking action.

Liu Qi was a very cautious official. During his tenure, he always tried his best to avoid unnecessary troubles. Moreover, he always performed exceptionally well in the Ministry of Personnel's assessments. Otherwise, the court would not have appointed him as the magistrate of Chang'an County.

However, since he has offended the Marquis's mansion, he shouldn't even think about letting things go peacefully.

The people Xu Zhaozhao sent out to investigate haven't returned yet; she's not the kind of person who would just sit and wait for a reply.

So, they simply arranged for someone to cause Liu Qi some trouble.

For example, on his way home from work, Liu Qi was beaten up with a sack over his head.

The beating wasn't too severe; at least no bones were broken, but his face was covered in bruises, which looked quite good.

As the magistrate of a county, Liu Qi naturally could not be absent from work without a reason, so his appearance at the county office naturally attracted countless curious glances.

In addition, Xu Zhaozhao secretly fueled the flames.

And so rumors began to circulate.

One account says that Liu Qi had a jealous wife. Liu Qi took a fancy to a courtesan and intended to redeem her and take her as a concubine, but his wife refused, which led to a fight and injury to his face.

Another account states that Liu Qi had an affair with a married woman, but was discovered by her husband, who beat him severely. Liu Qi, feeling guilty, dared not escalate the matter. He was not only severely beaten but also had to pay a considerable sum of money before the matter was dropped.

Such rumors don't matter for a day or two; Liu Qi can simply arrange for people to investigate and deal with them.

The problem is that the rumors are spreading more and more wildly, threatening to break out of Chang'an County and sweep across the entire capital, which would be bad.

Moreover, Liu Qi's family is truly facing a crisis!

Liu Qi's wife, Xu, actually believed the second rumor circulating outside, because just a few days earlier, Liu Qi had asked Xu for fifty strings of cash, but had not explained what the money was for.

Although Liu Qi was a fifth-rank official in the capital, his salary was limited. With a large family to support, he couldn't possibly rely solely on his salary for all their food, clothing, and other necessities.

The Xu family usually takes care of all of this.

Whether it was the estate or the shops, they could always make a profit at the end of the year, which allowed the Liu family to live a less impoverished life.

However, fifty strings of cash was still a large sum of money for the Xu family.

Xu came from a poor family and received assistance from the Marquis's mansion on several occasions during her childhood. The reason she was able to marry Liu Qi was largely due to the advantage of having the surname Xu.

Xu didn't have much of a decent dowry back then. The businesses she owns now are partly due to the Liu family's savings, and partly due to Liu Qi's own good management and the tributes he received from his subordinates, which allowed him to start expanding his businesses.

There are few industries, and the income is average.

The main problem is that Xu is now hearing rumors circulating outside, and they are quite detailed and convincing. How could she not be angry?

Despite Liu Qi's repeated explanations, Madam Xu remained suspicious and even suggested that a different servant accompany the master to the yamen.

This clearly shows they still don't believe it!

"You foolish woman! If we really arranged it like this, wouldn't that just confirm those rumors? Don't you know what kind of person I am? If I really had a lover, why would I meet him in secret outside? Wouldn't I just bring him into the house?"

Xu choked, realizing that this made sense.

"But everyone outside says it was a woman."

"Shut up! You believe whatever outsiders say, but you don't believe what I say?"

Madam Xu ultimately didn't dare to cause any more trouble. After all, she was just a married woman, and she owed her current success to marrying the right person.

This was just a small matter that gave Liu Qi a headache.

What truly made Liu Qi feel miserable were the many trivial matters in the government office.

He didn't know why, but his orders were not fulfilled, which annoyed him quite a bit.

If his subordinates disobeyed, he could directly reprimand or even punish them. However, if his colleagues did not cooperate, other departments did not work together, and the disobedient subordinates had perfectly legitimate reasons, Liu Qi was completely at a loss.

We can't just replace everyone under us, can we?

Liu Qi isn't stupid; he knows that all the current problems are related to that previous incident.

They thought that once Mr. Xu came to apologize, everything would be over.

However, he never expected that although the people in the Marquis's mansion did not make things difficult for him outside, nor did they say anything bad about him in any situation, they could actually bring him such great resistance.

Left with no other choice, Liu Qi had to compromise.

This time, he didn't mention it to Madam Xu. Instead, he sent a visiting card to the Marquis's residence, hoping that Marquis Xu would give him a chance to apologize in person.

What Liu Qi didn't know was that this whole thing had nothing to do with Xu Han!