Jiang Yanyi originally thought that this was something that the doctor surnamed An did out of ignorance of his own limitations.
But as the soldiers who watched An Suqiu leave in the military camp that day came out to refute the rumor, stating that An Suqiu left on her own and was not driven away by Jiang Yanyi, rumors began to spread among the people that those soldiers were coerced by Jiang Yanyi to say so. Moreover, these rumors were snowballing and growing, and it was obvious that someone was deliberately guiding them from behind.
Jiang Yanyi finally realized something was wrong. An Suqiu, a mere doctor, didn't have such great abilities.
She sent people to secretly investigate the source of the rumors, but all she found out were what An Suqiu and several of her neighbors said.
With such a unified tone, it was obvious that someone had borrowed An Suqiu's knife and wanted to stab a bloody hole in her body.
As for the purpose, it is self-evident.
She was Feng Shuo's unmarried princess. Although Chu Changping's power was not huge, it should not be underestimated. There was also Chu Chengmao, a rising star. Few people had a better family background than her.
She went south in person with the herbs and earned enough fame. Now the only stain on her is probably the lies told by An Suqiu.
The other party exaggerated this stain infinitely, saying that even if they could not shake her position as the future princess, they could still pull out this fictitious stain and throw dirty water on her at any time in the future.
The beneficiaries behind this are naturally the ladies from aristocratic families who are waiting to be promoted.
The number of prestigious families in Hengzhou can be counted on one hand. Jiang Yanyi selected several families with daughters to be married off and asked Yang Xiubing Shao to check who the servants of those families had contacted recently.
The targeted investigation soon revealed the result. A housekeeper in the home of a Hengzhou Bingcao, who originally lived on the same street as An Suqiu, accidentally heard An Suqiu's slanderous words against Jiang Yanyi. She turned around and told it to the housekeepers who worked with her in the Bingcao's house as a joke, and it happened to be heard by the mistress of the house.
With a daughter waiting to be married at home, the world will belong to Feng Shuo sooner or later. Officials of all ranks in Hengzhou have more or less wanted to offer their daughters to Feng Shuo, but Feng Shuo has never agreed.
The mistress of the Bingcao family felt that it was only a matter of time before her daughter followed Feng Shuo. Why not brand Jiang Yanyi with a reputation of being jealous and intolerant before the wedding
He ordered people to fan the flames and spread An Suqiu's lies to everyone, trying to ruin Jiang Yanyi's reputation.
Yang Xiu and Bing Shao kidnapped the housekeeper of Bingcao's family and brought her back. Jiang Yanyi said nothing and had her taken to Feng Shuo.
The other party's family is involved with the military camp, so she sent the person over. How to deal with the matter depends on Feng Shuo's consideration.
***
After the housekeeper of Bingcao's family was arrested, they didn't dare to cause any more trouble. They even shamelessly went to the palace to meet Jiang Yanyi with valuable gifts. Unfortunately, Jiang Yanyi refused to meet her.
Without the people behind the scenes fanning the flames, the voices defending Jiang Yanyi finally prevailed.
An Suqiu's lie was exposed. She has always been a strong-willed person, and now people point fingers at her even when she goes out to buy vegetables.
Some shrewish young wives would even ridicule her in the street:
"Some people think they are pretty and openly go to the military camp to treat illnesses and save lives, but who knows what they are thinking in secret! What kind of status and mind does Miss Chu have? Compared with her, don't you look in the mirror to see if you are worthy!"
"She abandoned so many injured soldiers and left the barracks in anger. She even had the nerve to say that it was Miss Chu who chased them away. The soldiers in the wounded barracks came out to refute the rumor. She is a doctor after all. How could she be so cruel? Who will dare to seek medical treatment from her in the future?"
"She even defiled the plaque of the medical clinic that was passed down from generation to generation in her family!"
Rumors are like a knife that doesn't hurt when it stabs someone else, but when it stabs you, An Suqiu finally understands how it feels.
She couldn't help crying when she got home.
She said those things to a few aunts from the neighborhood that day purely because she was angry at the time. She didn't expect that the matter would become known to the whole city.
Thinking that she had brought shame to her family and would not be able to stay in Hengzhou City anymore, An Suqiu was overwhelmed with grief and planned to kill herself with a white silk thread.
It was just a coincidence that Jiang Yanyi asked Yang Xiu to take the silver notes to find An Suqiu that day. The military camp was short of medicines now, and it was impossible to return the medicinal materials she donated to the military camp intact. Jiang Yanyi exchanged them for silver notes according to the market price, which were regarded as the medicinal materials bought from her by the military camp.
Yang Xiu asked for directions and knocked on the door several times when he arrived at An Suqiu's home, but no one answered. Now people were cursing An Suqiu, and he thought that An Suqiu might commit suicide because she could not bear the infamy, so he broke down the door immediately and found that An Suqiu had hanged herself in her own clinic.
Fortunately, Yang Xiu scored in time and the people could still be saved.
As someone was about to die, the scolding in the streets died down a little. Several aunties from the neighboring families had watched An Suqiu grow up, and seeing that this girl was about to die, they took the initiative to take responsibility for taking care of her.
In front of the onlookers, Yang Xiu handed the silver note that Jiang Yanyi gave to An Suqiu to her neighbor's aunt for safekeeping, and asked the aunt to give it to An Suqiu after An Suqiu woke up. Then she went back to the palace to report the matter to Jiang Yanyi.
Jiang Yanyi previously thought that An Suqiu was the one who planned these rumors, but now he understands that they were all a trick set up by the Bingcao family. An Suqiu did say those words out of spite, but she was also pushed to the forefront later.
Now Bingcao's family has escaped unscathed from the rumors, but An Suqiu is the only one who has to bear the blowback of the rumors. In a sense, she is also a victim.
Since the person had committed suicide, Jiang Yanyi didn't want to pursue the matter any further.
But people always have to bear the consequences for their mistakes. An Suqiu has lost all her reputation in Hengzhou City, which can be considered a punishment for her.
Feng Shuo quickly responded to Jiang Yanyi. The task that was originally intended to be assigned to the sergeant was given to another subordinate. Instead, the sergeant was given an idle job of managing logistics, and there was no hope of promotion for future military achievements.
The soldier was puzzled and ran to Xing Yao to find out, only to find out that it was his wife who did those stupid things. He was furious for a moment and had a big quarrel with his wife after returning home. They became estranged from each other, not to mention that the soldier's wife regretted it too late.
What Jiang Yanyi didn't expect was that after An Suqiu recovered from her illness, she came to the palace to visit her in person.
Chenyu and Jiang Yanyi whispered, "She still has the nerve to come see you?"
Jiang Yanyi said: "Let's forgive her when we can. A teenage girl will make mistakes sometimes. Let's see her for now."
Chenyu stuck out her tongue and said, "It's just that you are kind-hearted, Boss. Aren't you only sixteen years old?"
Jiang Yanyi smiled but said nothing. After all, she lived to be over twenty years old in her previous life. She had worked hard in society and met many different kinds of people. Compared with the women in ancient times who never left the house all their lives, she was more mature in both life experience and character.
After hearing Jiang Yanyi's words, the servants of the palace led An Suqiu to see her.
It was a hot summer day and living conditions were limited due to the war in Hengzhou. Jiang Yanyi was wearing a thin ice silk gauze skirt and half leaning on a bamboo lounge chair to read a book. Chenyu was fanning her beside her. Her outfit was very casual, but because of her outstanding appearance and temperament, people could not take their eyes away for a moment.
After An Suqiu entered the room, she stared at Jiang Yanyi for a while. After Chenyu reminded her with a sullen face, she remembered to bow to Jiang Yanyi and said, "I greet Miss Chu."
"No need to be polite. You have just recovered from a serious illness. Please sit down." Jiang Yanyi raised his chin slightly, motioning her to sit on the embroidered cushion beside him. He turned a page of the book in his hand and asked lazily, "I wonder what brings Miss An here today?"
An Suqiu's complexion was much worse than when Jiang Yanyi first met her. She was obviously depressed by the scolding she received before. Now the arrogance between her brows was gone, and instead there was a sense of tenacity.
She looked at Jiang Yanyi, and the hostility in her eyes was gone, only shame. "I came here today for two reasons. One is to apologize to Miss Chu. I was bewildered in the past and slandered Miss Chu with bad words. I have experienced rumors and life and death. I know what it feels like. Now when I think about it, I am really ashamed."
Jiang Yanyi showed a bit of surprise in his eyes, and said: "Let the past be the past, and look forward to everything."
An Suqiu's eyes turned red with shame. "Thank you Miss Chu for your generosity. The second thing is that I want to thank Miss Chu. If it weren't for Miss Chu's people who saved me that day, I might be in Yama Palace now. I'm not afraid of Miss Chu laughing at me. My father has always disliked me for not being a son and not being able to inherit the family business in the future. I have warned myself since I was a child that I can't do anything worse than men."
"I can't hang out with girls of my age. They think I don't look like a girl and I don't care about the difference between men and women when I treat patients. I'm afraid I won't be able to get married in the future. I'm narrow-minded and think they will only revolve around one man in their lives. But secretly, I still want to marry into a wealthy family in the future so that those people can no longer gossip about me..."
"The prince is a peerless hero. What woman in the world doesn't like heroes? I admire the prince's reputation. Although Senior Hu asked me to help the prince boil and change medicine, I have never even seen the prince. Occasionally, when I went to deliver medicine, I heard the guards at the door of the military tent say that the prince was busy and didn't eat on time. It was only when you, Miss Chu, were there that I could persuade the prince. At that time, I was curious about who you were."
"Later, you transported medicinal herbs all the way south. The soldiers were all impressed by your righteousness. When I first saw you in the wounded camp, I was really jealous. You have a distinguished family background, stunning looks, and you can do this for the prince..." An Suqiu smiled bitterly when she said this: "There is no one in this world who is more worthy of the prince than you."
Jiang Yanyi really didn't know how to respond to this, so he simply kept silent. He only complained in his heart about Feng Shuo, a guy who attracted many women.
An Suqiu looked more and more guilty: "After leaving the barracks, I heard about what you did for the soldiers. I was so jealous that I said those nonsense. I didn't expect things to turn out like this. In the end, I suffered the consequences. I wanted to die, but thanks to the people sent by Miss Chu, I can continue to live in this world."
She returned the banknote that Jiang Yanyi had asked Yang Xiu to send to her intact. "I donated those herbs willingly. From the beginning, I just wanted to do my part for the soldiers who risked their lives to protect the land of Daxuan. I cannot accept this banknote."
Seeing her like this, Jiang Yan sighed, "Doctor Hu told me that you are very intelligent in medical skills. You have been able to get to where you are today. You have been detached from the secular world from the beginning. Why should you use the secular world to restrain yourself now? Don't lose your original heart. When I first arrived at the Hengzhou camp, the soldiers in the wounded camp respected you, not because of your identity, but because they were grateful for your medical skills, Doctor An. Ordinary women take care of their husbands and children, and Doctor An, you treat illnesses and save lives. These are two different paths and there is no need to compare them."
An Suqiu's eyes were blurred with tears after hearing what Jiang Yanyi said. She wiped her eyes with her sleeves in embarrassment and said, "Miss Chu is right. I used to think I was noble, but I didn't know that I was still worldly. What I learned from books is shallow. I have planned to leave Hengzhou and go out to see the world. Traveling around to treat illnesses and save lives will always increase my knowledge."
After seeing An Suqiu off, Jiang Yanyi was still very happy about An Suqiu's transformation.
She is not a saintly woman. The other party's slanderous words towards her are not an unforgivable sin in itself. Now that she has received the punishment she deserves, it is good that she has come to her senses and is pursuing the life she wants.
*****
There was a sudden heavy rain in the evening. The sun hadn't set yet, the sky was bright, and the big raindrops fell on the bluestone floor in the yard.
Farmers say that if it rains under sunny skies, mushrooms will grow in the mountains.
Jiang Yanyi was just joking with Huo Jianjia and Chenyu about going to the nearby mountains to pick mushrooms in half a month when a servant from the palace suddenly reported that Feng Shuo was back.
Since she arrived in Hengzhou, Feng Shuo only returned home at meal times three times a day, and today he was half an hour earlier than usual.
She went out to meet him, but ran into him as she turned into the corridor.
Jiang Yanyi smiled and said, "I cooked the soup on the stove according to the time. I'm afraid it will take another half an hour for it to be ready."
The rain was heavy, and water was dripping from the eaves of the corridor. The stuffiness in the air was mostly taken away by the rain. When the wind blew through the corridor, Jiang Yanyi actually felt a hint of coolness.
Feng Shuo walked forward, took her hand and walked into the house. This was the first time he was so intimate with Jiang Yanyi in front of others.
After entering the room, Jiang Yanyi poured her tea and asked him, "What's wrong?"
Feng Shuo hesitated for a while before asking, "Ayi, do you want to be the queen?"
Jiang Yanyi smiled and said, "Since I have decided to follow you, no matter which path you take in the future, I will always be by your side. Whether you want to rule the world or become a king and live a carefree life, my identity will only be your wife."
Feng Shuo hugged her tightly and said, "Ayi, it's great to have you."
Jiang Yanyi used her white fingertips to gently comb his hair. "What happened?"
Feng Shuo said: "The various princes will not join forces to resist Minghan State unless the imperial court also sends troops."
Jiang Yan noticed that he looked tired, so he moved his fingertips down to massage his temples and asked, "Does the court want you to submit to the emperor?"
Feng Shuo nodded. "Although the palace has been hiding the news of the new emperor's serious illness, spies in the capital reported that the eldest princess summoned the six-year-old Prince Huai to the palace not long ago. The new emperor obviously can't hold on for much longer, and the eldest princess is selecting a young emperor."
The biological mother of Prince Huai was just a palace maid, and the lineage of Prince Huai had no power or influence. The eldest princess supported the prince of Huai to ascend the throne, which seemed to be a way of threatening the emperor in order to control the princes.
Once Feng Shiyan died, all the things he and the Gao family did in their fight for the throne that angered God and the people were over.
If Feng Shuo wants to seize the throne, he has to return to the capital before the young emperor chosen by the Grand Princess ascends the throne.
But now that foreign enemies are at hand, if he withdraws his troops, not only will Hengzhou fall, but the southern gate of the Daxuan Dynasty will be almost open to the outside world.
Besides, it is not a solution to continue wasting his own military strength.
Jiang Yanyi asked him back: "Feng Shuo, do you want this world?"
Feng Shuo took her hand and placed it on his lips and kissed it softly, "I don't want my mother to go back to the palace, and I don't want you to suffer any grievances."
Now it seems that the court has given him a choice, but if he gives it a try, he may still have a chance of taking the capital.
However, neither he nor the Grand Empress Dowager had any good memories of the palace. Instead, he was worried that the Grand Empress Dowager's condition would worsen if she returned to the palace.
Years of war have made the people suffer terribly, and relocating the capital hastily would be a huge project that would cost the people a lot of money and time. It is impossible to relocate the capital in the short term.
Feng Shuo was also infuriated by the stupid things the wife of his military officer did to Jiang Yanyi.
He hasn't even become emperor yet, but there are people who are so unscrupulous. If he really becomes emperor in the future, and if Jiang Yanyi is the only one in the harem, there will be ministers who will put pressure on Jiang Yanyi openly, and who knows how many dirty tricks he will use secretly.
Feng Shuo felt sick just thinking about it.
On the contrary, he submitted to the imperial court, and apart from making it sound better externally, the imperial court could do nothing about him. They could only let him occupy half of the country and live a carefree life as a prince.
The author has something to say: Feng Hanhan: Be a good man and put your wife first!
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