Everyone knows that Princess Huishu is used to being willful and capricious.
She once caused a great uproar in the capital because she personally chose a husband, disregarding her parents’ wishes and the matchmaker’s words.
People with such a temperament refuse to see anyone, which shows how serious the situation is.
At first, however, Mr. Ruan did not think of this aspect. His mind was only focused on reading, and he was not perceptive about other things.
Now that Liuzheng has pointed it out, he has begun to feel fear.
“Xinniang,” Master Ruan couldn’t help but ask, “What exactly happened?”
The First Madam frowned in displeasure: “Master, why are you asking now? It’s just a small matter, why make such a fuss like Liuzheng…”
“Shut up!” Master Ruan glared at him fiercely.
After Song took over the management of the household affairs, he rarely spoke to her so harshly.
In an instant, Madam Song’s face turned deathly pale, just like that of the top scholar’s wife.
Seeing this, Ruan Yunzheng wisely shut her mouth, unlike before when she tried to morally blackmail Liuzheng.
“Xinniang, what is the matter?” Master Ruan asked again.
“I…I…” The top scholar’s wife stammered, unable to give a coherent answer for a long time.
Of course, it’s not that she couldn’t say it, it’s that she didn’t dare to say it.
Once this is said, the Ruan family will definitely not offer any help.
She knew a little about the Ruan family.
Liuzheng spoke up at this moment: “Since Sister Xin hasn’t figured things out yet, she should go back and find out first, and then come back to tell me. Without knowing the situation, Liuzheng shouldn’t go to the Princess’s residence rashly.”
Xinniang bit her lip and looked at her, her eyes full of resentment.
“you……”
“Does Sister Xin have any further instructions?”
Xinniang suppressed her anger deeply.
“No, in that case, I’ll go back and find out first.”
“Alright. Granny Jiang, you see the lady off.” Liuzheng directly told the wet nurse to see her off.
The wet nurse stepped forward and said, “Please come, Miss Scholar!”
Xinniang looked at Liuzheng, then at Ruan Yunzheng who looked helpless, and her face suddenly darkened.
If the gentle approach didn’t work, she’d resort to the force.
She coldly retorted, “Since you and General Ruan are unwilling to help, then forget it. Our Zhuangyuan Mansion isn’t without others to turn to. But if you ever need anything from our Zhuangyuan Mansion in the future, don’t blame us for being unable to help.”
One sentence made Master Ruan’s originally firm mind waver.
The Ruan family’s Dufeng Academy owes much to the help of the top scholar.
What if no one comes to study at Dufeng Academy next year?
Wouldn’t the Dufeng Academy that Father left behind be ruined in his hands?
Seeing that the top scholar’s wife was about to leave with a cold snort, he quickly called her back.
“Wait a minute!”
The top scholar’s wife turned her head: “What? Does the gentleman have any further advice?”
His tone was very cold and hard.
Just as Master Ruan was about to speak, Liuzheng spoke first: “Father just wants Sister Xin to walk slowly so that she doesn’t trip over the threshold.”
“Yaoyao…” Master Ruan looked at her hesitantly, his eyes showing slight dissatisfaction.
Liuzheng gave him a look that said, “Father, listen to me.”
After much deliberation, Master Ruan finally hardened his heart and refused to look at the scholar’s wife again.
Seeing that things were about to succeed, the top scholar’s wife was then blocked by Liuzheng, so she immediately said fiercely, “I’ll remember you!”
A surge of anger welled up inside her, and with a dark expression, she didn’t linger any longer; her figure quickly disappeared.
“My lord!” the First Madam said anxiously, “We have completely offended the top scholar’s family!”
She tugged at Ruan Yunzheng’s sleeve.
Ruan Yunzheng had wanted to observe further, but seeing this, she had no choice but to agree: “Father, if we really offend them, what will happen to your Dufeng Academy in the future?”
Liuzheng looked at Ruan Yunzheng with a cold eye.
“Sister, the matter hasn’t been clarified yet, and you’re already speaking up for the top scholar’s family like this. If His Majesty punishes us, we won’t just lose Dufeng Academy, but the lives of hundreds of our family members.”
These words awakened the hesitant Master Ruan.
He didn’t want to risk his life to save the top scholar’s residence!
How could he help with something that even the eldest princess dared not do?
But deep down I was still a little uneasy.
So he dumped all his unease on Liuzheng.
“If it’s really just a small matter, yet we refuse to help, Liuzheng, what should you do?”
Liuzheng sneered.
When there’s trouble, he’s nowhere to be found; when there’s nothing to do, he’s always there. What a great father he is!
She clasped her hands together and said, “Father, rest assured, if that’s really the case, your daughter is willing to accept the punishment.”
“Hmph!” Master Ruan turned and left.
The First Madam glared at her fiercely: “Liuzheng, remember this, today’s matter is no small thing. If you cause the destruction of Dufeng Academy, you’ll be in big trouble in the future!”
“Mother, about this matter…”
The First Madam refused to listen to a single word she said and turned away with Ruan Yunzheng.
Tinglan Courtyard suddenly fell silent again.
The wet nurse was somewhat worried.
“Young Miss, you may not know this from your campaigns. Our Ruan family’s Dufeng Academy was previously in decline, with no one attending. It was only because of this top scholar that its reputation was restored. If he escapes this predicament, he will inevitably blame us. Then…”
“Nanny, don’t worry, my judgment is correct.”
The wet nurse wanted to say something more, but then she remembered that since Liuzheng returned, everything had turned out well, so she swallowed her words.
Meanwhile, when Master Ruan returned to Tingzhu Courtyard, he ordered Steward Qu, who was in charge of the outer courtyard, to go outside and investigate the situation.
“Find out what exactly happened at the top scholar’s residence.”
“yes!”
Manager Qu hurriedly left.
He had barely left when the First Madam came in.
She was filled with anxiety and took a few steps to stand in front of Master Ruan.
“Master, are you really going to listen to that rebellious daughter and abandon Xinniang?”
Master Ruan frowned and said, “I’m not ignoring her, but Liuzheng is right, we should find out the situation first. Our family has just started to improve, we can’t take any risks.”
The First Madam couldn’t help but say, “I think it’s just that Liuzheng is timid and cowardly! If it had been the eldest son who received the military merit, he would never have acted like Liuzheng! Women are ultimately timid and hesitant, and it’s hard for them to accomplish anything.”
But she forgot that she herself was also a woman.
Master Ruan sighed.
“What’s the point of saying all this now that things have come to this?”
“Master,” the First Madam leaned closer and said, “why don’t we wait until Eldest Brother’s leg is healed, then let Liuzheng go to the palace to meet the Emperor. We can say that she is a weak woman and cannot shoulder such a great responsibility, and that she is willing to give the military merit to her brother…”
“Military merits are not something that can be passed around; it’s laughable.”
“Even if she can’t give up her military merits, she can give up her official position. Isn’t she going to take up her post at the Ministry of War in a month? The doctor said that with that miracle doctor, Chang’er’s leg will be healed in a month. The family can’t rely on a woman to be the pillar of the family…”
These words persuaded Master Ruan.
Indeed, a woman should not be the pillar of the family.
A daughter will get married sooner or later.
However, the various benefits brought by Liuzheng belong to other people.
But the son is different.
After a moment’s hesitation, Master Ruan said, “I’m afraid Liuzheng won’t agree.”
“How will we know she doesn’t agree if we don’t ask? She’s not young anymore; she should be looking for a good match.”
“Very well,” Master Ruan agreed.
Seeing that there was hope for the matter, the First Madam’s face lit up with joy.
“Then I’ll go to Liuzheng’s courtyard again in a little while and talk to her about this, and see what she thinks. If she really doesn’t want to, we’ll think of another way.”
Just then, Steward Qu rushed in.
“Master, something terrible has happened!”
The First Madam glared at her: “What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?”
This Steward Qu is Master Ruan’s man. He doesn’t listen to the First Madam’s orders, and she has always disliked him, but she can’t think of a way to get rid of him for the time being.
Master Ruan frowned: “Alright, I was the one who sent him out to investigate.”
He then asked Steward Qu, “Have you found anything?”
Manager Qu hurriedly spoke up: “Before I even left Wuyi Lane, I saw a group of officials passing by. They looked like they were heading to the Zhuangyuan Mansion. I paid some money to ask one of them, and I learned that the Zhuangyuan Mansion was suspected of smuggling salt and had been detained. They will be exiled to Ningguta on a later date.”
“What?!”
The teacup in Master Ruan’s hand fell to the ground with a “thud” and broke in two.
The First Madam’s face also turned extremely ugly.
Steward Qu continued, “I also found out that they took documents from the Ministry of Justice and went to the Zhuangyuan’s residence to confiscate his property. The Zhuangyuan committed a serious crime and was exiled to Ningguta, but His Majesty was lenient and did not harm his family. He only demoted all the Zhuangyuan’s family members to commoners.”
Mr. Ruan’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.
“No wonder…no wonder even the Princess didn’t want to see Xinniang. Smuggling salt is a serious crime! If we hadn’t listened to Liuzheng and had actually taken Xinniang to the Princess’s residence…not only would we have offended Princess Huishu, but we might also have been implicated in the salt smuggling case…”
The First Madam was so frightened that she plopped down on the armchair.
“How could this be…”
She never imagined that the trouble caused by the top scholar’s family would be so serious!
Master Ruan glared at him.
“You’re saying how could this happen? From now on, you should listen to Liuzheng in everything! Although she’s a girl, her vision is far superior to yours! If I had really listened to you, our Ruan family would have been in real trouble!”
The First Madam remained silent, not daring to speak.
Because that’s the truth.
The imperial court has always strictly prohibited the resale of smuggled salt.
“You and Yun’er are not allowed to leave the house these days. Stay home and reflect on your mistakes! If anyone asks in the future, just say that our family doesn’t have much contact with the top scholar’s family. As for what we talked about before, don’t mention it again!”
After saying this, Master Ruan turned and left, heading to Aunt Su’s courtyard.
Ruan Yunzheng, who was at the door, also heard these words. When she saw Master Ruan come out, she hurriedly stepped forward to bow.
“father……”
Master Ruan didn’t even glance at her before leaving.
Ruan Yunzheng’s face turned slightly pale.
She bit her lower lip hard and stepped into the house.
Seeing the First Madam slumped in the armchair, her face ashen, she hurried over and offered her hot tea.
“Mother, have some hot tea to calm your nerves.”
The First Madam reluctantly drank it.
After drinking the hot tea, her icy hands and feet warmed up, and she was able to utter a complete sentence.
“I never imagined that Xinniang would keep such a big thing from us. She’s going to plunge our family into disaster!”
Ruan Yunzheng said, “Mother, we can’t really blame Sister Xin. She must have been terrified and lost her composure. However, Eldest Sister is also at fault. She must have known something beforehand, which is why she was so determined not to help. If she had said so earlier, Father wouldn’t have gotten angry with you.”
The First Madam thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case.
“She can’t predict the future, she must have known the news beforehand but kept it from us! She’s making a fool of us! She doesn’t respect me, her own mother, at all!”