Originally, Ernie Zhao was at her most emotional, and Zhao Yueniang turned pale with anger, but when Ji Changze showed up, everyone present was in a daze.
In just a few seconds, Zhao Yueniang came to her senses and looked at her cousin in disbelief: "You actually stole my things?"
My cousin Zhao Meiniang was also in disbelief.
But all eyes were on Ji Changze who exposed her so openly.
It's not that she hasn't thought about what she would do if someone discovered this, but she never thought that the person who exposed her would be Ji Changze who stole the things and gave them to her.
Zhao Erbo's voice was loud. When she came over to make a scene, there were already people watching the fun. At first, she was just cautiously peeking her head in, but she didn't expect to see Zhao Meiniang stealing something from her cousin's house. She didn't hide it immediately. Just crane your neck and look at it openly.
Watch and discuss at the same time.
"I recognize that hairpin. It belongs to Mrs. Liu. Yueniang's father bought it when she first got married. Mrs. Liu's treasure is like something. No matter how hard her life was before, she was not willing to give it to her. Wow, the second wife of the Zhao family is really over the top, even if she comes to make trouble every day, she even steals other people's things."
"It stands to reason that the second wife of the Zhao family is living a good life, so why would she come to steal things?"
"Don't you know? Haven't Zhao Laoer and Wang been making trouble all the time and want to marry Yueniang to get the money themselves? Zhao Yueniang also has a strong personality. She would rather pick up a refugee herself or let the government match her. They want it, but if the family has no money at all, and she has enough food for her mother, she will have no choice but to... "
The person who said this said, and gave the person next to him a "you understand" look.
In fact, many people in the village can see clearly what the second wife of the Zhao family is thinking and planning. After all, everyone knows who these two couples are. Zhao Yueniang's father had just passed away, and these two people were making trouble. He wants to divide his brother's property.
His wife and daughter are still there, so what's the point of being a brother
That is to say, Zhao Yueniang's mother, Mrs. Liu, was too soft-tempered and failed to hold on, so they took advantage of her. Later, Zhao Yueniang grew up and began to take care of family affairs. They couldn't get it, so they began to smear Zhao Yueniang's reputation in the village.
Many people knew what was going on, but they were just watching the excitement and had no intention of taking care of it. The second wife of the Zhao family was not easy to get along with. They were not related to the Zhao Yueniang family, so why would they risk offending the second wife of the Zhao family? risk to help her.
But if they don't take sides, it doesn't mean they won't watch the fun.
The people watching the excitement outside were whispering and pointing at Zhao Meiniang and Zhao Erbo Niang. When had Zhao Meiniang been looked at with such disdain when she was so old? Her face turned red.
She didn't care about anything else and spoke the truth:
"What did I steal! It was obviously given to me by Ji Changze!"
For a moment, all eyes fell on the young man named Ji Changze who was picked up by Zhao Yueniang.
The people in the village didn't have a deep impression of him. After all, his throat was injured and he couldn't speak. After he was able to go to the ground, he just wandered around and didn't get along with others.
A homeless refugee, they had no interest in seeing what kind of person he was.
But today, at a glance, I found that the young man who was taken in by Zhao Yueniang was actually quite good-looking.
It's not that he looked very handsome, but where he stood, his demeanor was completely different from that of the people in the village.
How can I put it, obviously the nose and eyes are in the same place as everyone else, but they just look much more coordinated than others.
He was wearing a piece of clothing that Zhao Yueniang's father had worn when he was alive. It was a little too wide, so he looked thinner. His face was pale, his eyebrows were slightly twisted, and he looked at Zhao Meiniang who identified him with a confused look. .
It seemed that he was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted. He quickly waved his hands and shook his head to indicate that it was not him.
He is a good-looking man, and even his anxious look of being wronged is very pleasing to the eye, especially his harmless attitude, which is so polite and polite that he really doesn't look like someone who can lie.
Zhao Yueniang regarded Ji Changze as her future husband. Seeing how anxious and speechless he was at the moment, Zhao Yueniang immediately stretched out her hand to protect him behind her.
He glared at Zhao Meiniang angrily: "I'm afraid you are telling lies with your eyes open. Nagasawa watched you steal this thing. If he really stole it and gave it to you, then tell me why he wanted to expose you on the spot. "
Zhao Meiniang: "I, I, he gave me this thing, he stole it."
Zhao Yueniang looked at her coldly: "Since he came to our village, he either stayed at my house to recuperate or went to hang out in the mountains. I have never seen him go anywhere else. Since you said he gave it to you, then let me ask You, where did He give it to you, why did He give it to you.”
Zhao Meiniang: "..."
What did she say
Do you want her, a woman, to directly tell Ji Changze that he likes her
If she spoke out, her reputation would be lost.
She could only defend herself by insisting on the truth; "How do I know why he gave it to me? In short, it was what he gave to me."
Ji Changze coughed dryly, attracted everyone's attention, pointed at Zhao Meiniang very weakly, and then shook his head at Zhao Yueniang, indicating that he did not recognize her.
His pale and handsome face was full of innocence and confusion, with a hint of anxiety, and he was quite sincere.
With this look, let alone Zhao Yueniang, even those who were watching the fun felt that Ji Changze was innocent.
"Yes, if he really stole it for you, why would he expose it directly to your face, give it to you and then snatch it back from you? He has nothing to do."
"Everyone has made it so clear. If someone sees you stealing with your own eyes, even if you want to frame someone, don't go to him."
"My dear, my cousin, life is already very difficult for your cousin's family. Don't cause trouble for others. Look, it's time for you to get married soon. It's such an unpleasant reputation to spread."
Those who watched the excitement did not take it too seriously. Everyone seemed to be trying to persuade them with good intentions, but in fact they were all sarcastic.
Zhao Meiniang was so furious.
"That's what he gave me!!! How much money does my family have? The house on the west side is full of food. How can I afford such a small thing?"
Mother Zhao also hurriedly paid tribute to her daughter: "That's right, my daughter has always been in need of food and clothing since she was a child. I spend at least half a tael of silver just to buy clothes for her every year. The rouge she uses comes from the county shop. The box costs dozens of coins, how can you afford such a small thing?"
As soon as these words came out, those who were pointing fingers stopped talking.
Second Aunt Zhao felt relieved and her eyes became proud.
She was very good at controlling the situation, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get so many benefits from Zhao Yue's family. Every time Liu wanted to fight, she could quickly control the situation.
For example, Mrs. Liu told him that her husband had left the family and had worked hard for all the property. She said that when her brother-in-law separated the family, the two elders had given him money, and they had both noses and eyes.
She couldn't produce evidence that the second elder had given any money, but Mrs. Liu couldn't produce evidence that the second elder had not given any money.
After going around and around, Mrs. Liu was bypassed by him.
It's the same now. When people say her daughter steals things, she directly says how much the clothes her daughter is wearing cost and how much makeup her daughter costs, to show that Zhao Meiniang doesn't need to steal anything at all.
Their family is so rich, how could they care about such scraps of metal
When the situation was about to be brought under control, Ji Changze still stood behind Zhao Yueniang, silently pointing to his eyes and then to Zhao Meiniang.
"What are you making nonsense of! It's obviously you!! You gave it to me!!!"
Zhao Meiniang was very angry by his actions. She stepped forward to argue, but was dragged back by Zhao Erbo's quick eyes and hands.
Ji Changze didn't care what tricks Zhao Erbo Niang used, he was just standing there anyway, and it was Zhao Meiniang who stole it from him.
The onlookers who had just been deceived by Mrs. Zhao were distracted by Ji Changze and began to start conspiracy theories again.
"Can't you steal things if your family has money? The youngest son of the old Hu family in West Village is not only stealing things everywhere, but his family is much richer than the second son of the Zhao family."
"I just said that their idea was to steal the money from Zhao Yue's family. She has no money, and now she can't make any money. In order not to go hungry, she has no choice but to marry into her second uncle's family. ”
"Sang Tianliang, if Zhao Laosan is still alive and sees his brothers and his family bullying his wife and daughter, he will definitely not do it."
When Ji Changze saw that these gossipy villagers started talking according to his plan, he started to stand back pretending to be innocent again.
Even if Zhao Erbo Niang stopped Zhao Meiniang, it would be useless.
They were too arrogant in doing things before and did not hide what they wanted to do. This was the handle of the scene. As long as the onlookers were given a reason, they would naturally be able to extend their actions.
Second Aunt Zhao didn’t know what to do either.
She said how could it be possible for our family to steal things if we have money? People said you were not doing it for money, but for people.
She said it was from Ji Changze, and Ji Changze looked like he was lying.
Even she began to wonder if her daughter was too anxious and stole things from Zhao Yue's family.
But it is impossible to admit this.
If Zhao Meiniang admitted to stealing things, how could she get married
Looking at Zhao Meiniang next to her, she still looked like "I have been wronged". Her face was red with anger and she looked at Ji Changze as if she had been quenched by poison.
She was also a little angry inside.
What's the use of pretending to be like this? I didn't know to discuss it with her before stealing something. I just stole it and let Ji Changze see it. It's okay. I actually stole something and put it in my arms. Come to Zhao Yue’s mother’s house.
Doesn’t she know how to hide it better
Didn't she know how to avoid people when she stole things
If she was found, couldn't she say she picked it up? She still had to slander Ji Changze, the person who accused her, so even a fool wouldn't believe it was Ji Changze.
Why did you give birth to such a stupid daughter
But now, I have no choice but to endure this tone.
Just divert your attention first.
"It is impossible for our beautiful mother to steal things, but this person slandered our beautiful mother as soon as he came up. Yueniang, you have been hiding him in the house to raise him, you are not planning to marry him, this person does not have a house. You're not married, you don't even have a household registration, and now you're directly accusing your cousin of stealing things. If you marry him, be careful of being defrauded of money and sex."
As an unmarried girl, Zhao Yueniang must not talk about getting married. When she said this, what would Zhao Yueniang do
She said that Erbo Zhao was talking nonsense. If she denied it, how could she marry Ji Changze
Have you admitted that you want to marry Ji Changze? How could a yellow-flowered girl find a husband for herself? If she dared to speak out, she would be the talk of the village in the next three years.
Zhao Yueniang didn't know how to answer for a moment. Ji Changze, who had been standing behind her, suddenly stood up and pointed at Zhao Meiniang, then the hairpin, and finally his eyes.
Second Bonnie Zhao: “…”
After Ji Changze finished pointing, he coughed a few times and stood behind Zhao Yueniang again.
Anyway, no matter what Ernie Zhao said, he would always act like this.
Trying to beat around the bush with him, tsk tsk.
Zhao Yueniang was reminded and reacted: "Second aunt, what we are talking about now is that Meiniang stole money from my family. If you don't give me an explanation today, I will go to the clan elders."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Changze, who was standing behind her, walked forward and shook his head in disapproval at her.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Meiniang felt as if she had caught something big, and she hurriedly shouted: "He didn't dare to go to the clan elder! Ji Changze didn't dare to go to the clan elder!! If he hadn't stolen it, why wouldn't he dare! "
Ji Changze ignored her at all, found a stick and started writing on the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"It seems like he is writing. He can still write. Isn't he a refugee?"
"I can't understand what's written because I don't know the words. Mr. Hu, I know you, so go and read it."
This Mr. Hu is considered to be the senior one in the village. He lives next door to Zhao Yue's mother's house. Today when he heard some noise and came out to take a look, he was pushed out and asked to read.
He was also good-tempered and actually went up to take a look.
As soon as I walked over and saw the words on the ground, I just praised: "Good words, good words!"
He can write so well on the ground. It is said that Ji Changze, a refugee, has at least ten years of experience in practicing calligraphy.
It's strange. It stands to reason that anyone who can read and write will have no shortage of work, so why are they reduced to becoming refugees
He was thinking there that other people waiting to see the fun were getting anxious.
"You should tell me quickly what he wrote."
Mr. Hu was urged, looked at the words on the ground and read out: "Report to the official."
"He said reporting to the officer."
"Reporter???"
As soon as these words came out, everyone else was shocked.
In modern times, when something happens, everyone's first reaction is to call the police and call the police. But it is different in ancient times. Most people avoid the government. Unless it is something that cannot be handled, they will never go to the government. solve.
For example, in Zhao Yueniang's village, if anything happens, it is usually left to the clan elders to deal with it. Unless someone is killed, then they have to report it to the official.
Ji Changze actually wanted to report to the government. That was the government. He really dared to think about it.
Ji Changze was still writing, and Mr. Hu continued to read.
"He went to the government office, was beaten with sticks, and was examined by the county magistrate. You will know at a glance what he is like."
hiss!
These words made the people in the village shrink even more.
He was beaten with sticks and even had to be judged by the county magistrate...
Zhao Meiniang also turned pale with fright.
Ji Changze looked upright and fearless. He stood there with his back straight and a look on his face like "Oh, I haven't done anything, I'm not afraid of anything."
Comparing the comparison between Zhao Meiniang, who turned pale with fright, and showed timidity on her face, it is clear at a glance who is more guilty in this matter.
Everyone present believed that it was Zhao Meiniang who stole the thing. Otherwise, could Ji Changze have reported it to the authorities without any hesitation
If Zhao Meiniang heard what they said, she would definitely want to take a bite of each of them.
Ji Changze didn't need to be beaten with sticks or put on trial by the magistrate, so of course he wasn't afraid.
She was the one who was beaten and tried!
Even if she didn't steal anything, she was still scared when she saw the county magistrate!
Zhao Meiniang showed her timidity. She didn't want to argue anymore and wanted to go to the government. She could only angrily step forward and stomp on the money on the ground. She glared at Ji Changze fiercely and said to Zhao Yueniang: "If you don't believe me, forget it. But I kindly tell you that the man next to you is not a good person, he is very vicious. If you keep him, he will kill you sooner or later!"
After saying that, she turned around and ran away. Even Zhao Erbo, who was so fast, didn't even react.
When she found out that her daughter had just run away like that, she was absolutely furious.
What are you running for
Even if you run away, you have to get rid of the reputation of stealing things before you run away! !
Now if she ran away without any excuse, people would definitely accuse her of stealing. How could she find her husband's family! !
But she has already run away, so what's the use of the mother-in-law talking.
Second Bonnie Zhao could only look at Ji Changze and Zhao Yueniang with a sullen look, then turned and left with a livid face.
He chased her out and caught her daughter. She scolded her: "You said you, why did you run away? If you ran away, others would think you had something wrong with you!"
"Ji Changze is going to report to the government. If you don't run away, why don't I wait for the county magistrate to interrogate me? I heard that there are many people in the yamen who have been beaten to death. What if I am taken to the yamen and they beat me directly to make me confess? No way, mother, don’t even think about how I could have suffered like this.”
"That's true."
Second Bonnie Zhao nodded and sighed: "You said it was the same for you. How many times have I told you, don't be anxious, don't be anxious. Zhao Yueniang is the grasshopper in our hands. She can't run away, and you still have to get close to her. That Ji Changze, She looks very sick, and she will definitely not be able to work. Even if Zhao Yueniang really marries him, she might die of illness in a few days. By then, Zhao Yueniang cannot be married off to a wealthy family as a concubine or sold to Qing. You can always do it in the building, why are you in a hurry?"
Zhao Meiniang turned her face away unhappily: "Mom, you also said that if you and dad weren't partial to my elder brother and younger brother, all the money in the family would be used to build a house for them. How could I not even have any dowry money? Can you afford to wait until Zhao Yueniang becomes a child? Widow, I can’t afford to wait. If you don’t sell Zhao Yueniang quickly, will you let me go empty-handed when I get married?”
"Then you can't just steal things. You could just set fire to it, steal it yourself, and someone sees it. How do you want me to help you get your reputation back?"
Zhao Meiniang: "..."
She turned back to look at her mother in disbelief: "Mom, do you think I stole it? How many times have I told you that it was Ji Changze!! Ji Changze gave it to me!!"
Second Bonnie Zhao sighed; "There's no need to pretend, there's no one else here."
Zhao Meiniang: "..."
"No, where did I pretend to be?! It's Ji Changze!!! It's him!!"
Mother Zhao patted her daughter on the shoulder: "Okay, okay, don't I know you? You are acting very similar, but others don't believe it, and there is nothing I can do. Hurry up and tell mother, when you went to Zhao Yue How did your mother-in-law go when she got the money? Mom, let me see if I can help you deal with this matter. Also, why are you so stupid? You stole things and didn’t put them away at home, but you just carried them with you like this. Go to Zhao Yue’s mother’s house.”
Zhao Meiniang was so angry that her heart almost stopped beating.
"It was really Ji Changze who stole it! How could I be so stupid as to steal things myself? I have been chatting with him quite well these days. I asked him to steal it. He also gave me the things. Who knows why he suddenly changed his mind? , Mom, you believe me, you believe me!!"
Second Bonnie Zhao nodded perfunctorily: "I believe you believe you."
Before Zhao Meiniang could relax, she continued: "Meiniang, you are still too young. You have to be thorough when you lie, you know? Ji Changze can't even talk, how can he talk well with you?"
Zhao Meiniang: "..."
Second Bonnie Zhao continued: "Okay, okay, mom, don't blame you, okay? You can tell me how you stole it and whether anyone else saw it."
Zhao Meiniang collapsed.
"It's really Ji Changze!!! It's really Ji Changze!!!"
"Mom, believe me!!!"