Chapter 353.1: Dying Struggle
Li Hong Yuan was the type to take action, and Jing Wan also wasn’t someone that dragged in the mud. After deciding on the direction, they immediately just began moving.
The Pei County and Chuanzhou Fu’s direct distance was very close, but Jing Wan and them, at present, can be considered to have taken a relatively big detour. However, because in terms of time, they simply weren’t in a rush, on the contrary, for some things, they were still waiting to ferment, so this level right now was more or less just right.
On the way to Pei County, they can’t be said to be high-profile, but they definitely weren’t considered low-profile either. Aside from not having things that clearly indicated their ident.i.ty, the entire procession all manifest a kind of low-key extravagance. The less than fifty people bodyguard team were also just wearing ordinary clothes, yet faintly gave off a stern air, in short, making outsiders just know at a glance that this party of people definitely weren’t ordinary, not daring to rashly provoke. And in the horse carriage, the people serving Jing Wan, including Fu Xiao, were all present.
Fu Xiao originally wanted to refuse. After all, her reputation previously was too extensive. She was even acquainted with a few of the Pei clan masters and young masters. If at this time, they were to coincidentally run into someone she knew, it would just be too awkward. Under normal circ.u.mstances, no one would ask anything, but one nevertheless needed to guard against the unexpected. Additionally, even if no one asks, they would also only think that Jin Qinw.a.n.g took in a prost.i.tute from the brothels. Even if saying she was w.a.n.gfei’s servant girl, in those people’s eyes, it was probably just ‘covering one’s ears while stealing the bell[1]‘.
Although it simply wasn’t like that, Fu Xiao still didn’t want to damage Li Hong Yuan’s reputation. After all, this kind of matter can very easily cause cracks to appear between married couples.
“Then just properly stay in the horse carriage.” Li Hong Yuan clearly was a bit annoyed as he threw down this one line.
Li Hong Yuan right now didn’t want to have any involvement with unrelated women, even if putting on an act, and even if just rumors. Other things, no matter how troublesome, perhaps were all irrelevant, but in this aspect, nine times out of ten it will all make him very annoyed. As such, his gaze towards Fu Xiao grew increasingly hostile.
Fu Xiao for the most part also knew, w.a.n.gye had strong possessive desires, and towards the people serving w.a.n.gfei, he all didn’t like much, especially towards her, this ‘troublemaker’. That’s why, she genuinely avoided Li Hong Yuan as much as possible. Even if inadvertently coming across, after curtsying in greeting, she absolutely wouldn’t lift her head, reducing her existence as much as possible. Even so, one would still run into the point of the spear.
Fu Xiao just complied, and didn’t feel wronged either. Just, sometimes, she feels that if not for w.a.n.gfei needing people to serve by her side, they most likely all won’t be able to come close to w.a.n.gfei.
The reason Jing Wan brought along Fu Xiao was also because she didn’t want her to think too much, believing that although she took her in, she still had her shunned. But in reality, once Fu Xiao’s past ident.i.ty becomes known by others, she won’t be able to avoid getting denounced and commented on by others, but this truly was a helpless matter. Having been reduced to the lowest profession, under the current societal backdrop, towards them, it was just unable to be tolerated.
Li Hong Yuan’s decision, Jing Wan didn’t refute either.
Speaking of which, the Pei clan have been quite unwell lately, having problems arise one after another from various sides, and not just for the people, but also for their various businesses. To want to maintain the operations of a big family clan like this, how can the businesses be small? And when the Pei clan leader had received news, as expected, it was already late. Although he’d sent out letters in the quickest speed, for the Pei clan’s great scholars and renown masters, even if still haven’t met with mishap, it was still too late to be guard.
And the people Li Hong Yuan raised below, their ability to handle matters was also strong.
Just like for example, a certain great scholar’s disciple, in the middle of a heavy rainstorm, bitterly cried, stating that his honored teacher on the surface was upright and scholarly, but in actuality, was a brute, less than a beast. While he was away from home, he scaled his family gates. His family treated him with warm hospitality, yet he actually slipped a drug, defiling his wife and daughter, strangling his young son to death. That was his honored teacher that he respected like a father, yet did such an infuriating thing.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, ordinary people may not necessarily believe, because no matter how one listens, it all sounded considerably absurd. But, that man was indeed that Pei clan great scholar’s disciple, many people all knew, and their teacher-student relations.h.i.+p was also quite good, but his family indeed met with mishap.
Speaking of which, if not true, probably no man would make up this kind of thing, right?
And the magistrate office coming to arrest the person seemingly just further confirmed this bit.
This kind of renowned person, especially the kind revered to the utmost in every possible way by scholars, once meet with mishap, it would all cause a big disturbance. However, not long after, the other great scholars and renowned masters all got exposed with stains one after another, the most shameful kind, causing public anger. The ordinary commoners were just enthusiastically taking pleasure in the nearest one, but among the scholars, it was practically just a tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption…………
Many people didn’t believe, believing that it must be someone scheming against and making false charges, especially after discovering that these people all had the Pei surname. This was clearly just someone targeting the Pei clan.
That’s why, even if scheming against as such, one can still underestimate these people. Having disciples and followers throughout the world just means the possibility of having deathly loyal fans all over the world. Towards their own honored teacher, it was revering, admiring, even viewing as a G.o.d. Once dead set on their beliefs, they will just become crazy and prejudice, and afterwards, never ever underestimate these scholars’ ability to instigate trouble.
That’s why, in a short period of time, there were quite a few people that wrote letters to plead on their behalf. From the looks of it, for the time being, they were still relatively rational……………..
However, this kind of situation, Li Hong Yuan didn’t predict? How can that be possible. Thus, the next move came………………
Matters regarding the Pei clan, in certain parts of Jiangnan, at the same time, like the spring bamboo after the rain, emerged one after another. Of course, inside here were both real and fake, and quite a few matters were just done by the Pei clan leader, but now blamed on the entire Pei clan. And the n.o.ble and virtuous Pei clan that had fame and profit placed outside of consideration have been constantly thinking of returning to the imperial court.
Then, releasing a list of names, on there densely covered with the names of the various great scholars’ disciples, and certain people that were perhaps extremely close with their clan, all having inseparably close ties with the imperial court, it nevertheless hinted that the Pei clan’s renowned great scholars had deliberately picked these disciples, precisely for the sake of paving the path for the Pei clan. ————-In reality, over half of the people on the list, at present, held an official post.
One or two, ten to eight, perhaps were coincidences, but what about over a hundred?
Even certain people that originally firmly believed that their esteemed teacher definitely wasn’t that kind of person, especially those old foxes in officialdom, all began to suspect that at the time, when they or their family came looking to formally become their disciple, getting harshly tested in all kinds of ways, in the end, becoming their disciple through great difficulty, while they were wild with joy, were their so called esteemed teacher mocking them as an idiot inside, and that everything was actually all scheme?
Once someone began suspecting, there naturally will be even more people thinking in this direction.
[1] Meaning to deceive oneself.