tallest building

Chapter 168 Rumors

Wen Mingqian knew this person's identity entirely through deduction.

His clothes were made of decent material, but his hands were very rough, especially the area between his thumb and forefinger and the palms, which were covered with calluses. Only farmers or soldiers would have such calluses on their hands.

He was wearing boots made of top-grain cowhide. Although these boots were sturdy and durable, they were very heavy and not favored by farmers; only soldiers loved them.

Moreover, he had a distinctive, gamey smell, typical of people who regularly eat beef and mutton. This was not the case for ordinary people in the interior; only border troops would have this odor.

But Wen Mingqian didn't answer his question. She couldn't let this man lead her by the nose, so she retorted, "What makes you so sure I'm eavesdropping? This is a teahouse that welcomes guests. If you can come, so can I. Isn't it ridiculous of you to ask such a question?"

“You certainly have a silver tongue,” the man chuckled. His skin was rough and dark, but his teeth were white and even. “You'd better…”

Before he could finish speaking, someone else went upstairs.

“Mingqian…” Madam Fang looked over and called out to Wen Mingqian, “I invited you, but I’m late.”

“I just arrived too,” Wen Mingqian said, taking the opportunity to stand up. “The bracelet is broken, and I’m looking for it!”

The man overheard their conversation and knew Wen Mingqian wasn't eavesdropping, but he still warned in a low voice, "You'd better not have heard anything."

After saying that, he retreated back into the private room.

Wen Mingqian quickly took out the last bead and walked to Fang's side.

"Are you alright? Who was that person?" Fang asked Wen Mingqian in a low voice.

"What bad luck! I went to pick up the beads just now, and that person thought I was eavesdropping. I wonder what kind of shady things they were doing," Wen Mingqian said.

"Don't take it to heart," Fang said with a smile. "I don't know where this uncouth person came from; just think of it as encountering a dog."

Wen Mingqian chuckled at her words.

The two entered the private room and sat down.

Fang said, "Actually, I've wanted to see you for a while, but I've had a lot of things to do at home. Don't let leaving the Gong family make you distant from us."

"How could that be?" Wen Mingqian said, "Our good relationship is not because of our backgrounds."

After talking with Madam Fang for half a day and leaving behind the fragrant ointments and face medicines he had made for them, Wen Mingqian parted ways with her.

After returning home, it started snowing in the evening and continued until the next morning.

As the weather grew colder, Wen Mingqian and his servant rarely left the nunnery unless there was something urgent to attend to.

While doing needlework and making incense in the room, Wen Mingqian discovered that Sun Aoshuang was an extremely intelligent and quick-witted girl, especially interested in playing chess.

Wen Mingqian taught her carefully, and soon she was able to play chess against him.

"I don't know if it's because of the cold weather, but there isn't a single worshipper in the nunnery." As dusk fell, Sang Er came in from outside, shaking her head as she said, "How will the monks get through this winter if things continue like this?"

“Go and check in the back. If there’s a shortage of rice, flour, charcoal, or anything like that, we can chip in and buy some,” Wen Mingqian said. “We can always get through winter, and things will be better when spring comes.”

“I think so too. The masters can’t go hungry and cold all winter!” Sang Er said. “Besides, we’re not short of money.”

Wuqiu Nunnery has only a dozen or so nuns, and they all practice vegetarianism and quiet cultivation, so it really doesn't cost much.

Just then, they heard footsteps outside. Sang Er smiled and said, "I can tell it's Sister Zhao Pokuang." Zhao Pokuang hadn't come since she saved Cui Baozhu last time.

During that time, Wen Mingqian sent Sang Er to visit her once. She had caught a cold and was sick for a few days, but it was nothing serious. After taking the medicine given by Abbess Jing'an, and with the money and food given by Wen Mingqian and the others, she quickly recovered.

Ao Shuang lifted the curtain, and Zhao Pokuang walked in, bringing with him a chill.

"It's so cold, Sister Zhao, why don't you wear more layers?" Sang Er handed her a cup of hot tea.

"It's only been a few months, and the coldest days of winter are still a long way off!" Zhao Pokuang didn't care at all. She sat on a small stool next to the charcoal brazier and finished her tea in two gulps. "Besides, I'm feeling quite warm inside! I don't feel cold at all."

"What's wrong?" Wen Mingqian asked. "Did something go wrong?"

"I don't know which heartless woman fabricated this story," Zhao Pokuang said angrily. "I was walking down the street and heard a lot of people talking about it. I couldn't stand it, so I argued with them."

Wen Mingqian and the others hadn't gone out these past few days, so they didn't notice anything amiss.

"What did they say about me?" Wen Mingqian remained calm, knowing he needed to find out the details before speaking.

“They say that the lady has ulterior motives. She left the Gong family and moved here just to seduce men, just like that... that vixen surnamed Chen back then.” Zhao Pokuang became more and more angry as he spoke. “They also said that Miss Sang is the reincarnation of Daji, who is dedicated to bewitching men.”

"Who did this to deserve such a terrible thing?" Sang Er glared. "Which eye of his saw me bewitching people?"

“I know you women, you’re not the kind of people they’re making things up, that’s why I argued with them,” Zhao Pokuang said. “But I only have one mouth, even if I don’t eat or sleep, I can’t win the argument!”

“Sister Zhao, thank you for speaking up for me, but you don’t need to get so worked up over these baseless rumors,” Wen Mingqian said. “How about this: you and Aoshuang go to the street and run some errands for me, buy some rice, flour and charcoal for the nunnery.”

Then he asked Sang Er to give them the money.

After they left, Sang Er asked, "Mother, what should we do? Should we really let the rumors spread?"

“Of course not,” Wen Mingqian said. “This must have been orchestrated by the Marquis of Fengxian’s mansion and the Cui family. To dispel the rumors, we must address the root cause.”

"Yes, it must be them. They couldn't get what they wanted from me, and since Miss Cui became a nun earlier, they've put all their grudges on us." Sang Er said bitterly, "They're just spouting nonsense and turning black into white."

"If you can't avoid trouble, you have to take drastic measures. Otherwise, how can you clear your name?" Wen Mingqian finished speaking, picked up his pen, wrote a note, folded it, and handed it to Sang Er: "Take this to Lord Zhu before it gets dark."

Sang Er took the letter and went out. She hadn't gone far when she ran into her uncle, Sang Sanyang.

"Where are you going? Have you heard the rumors on the street?" Sang Sanyang asked her.

"You've heard about it too?" Sang Er asked her.

“I wasn’t in the capital for a few days, and I just got back today and heard about it.” Sang Sanyang was very anxious. “Rumors are the most dangerous thing, especially when they target women. If all else fails, you should leave the capital and hide for a while.”

“How long can we hide? The more we hide, the more people will think we have something to hide,” Sang Er said. “If you have any silver on you, give me some. You don’t need to worry about the rest.”

"You child, you have no idea how dangerous those rumors are," Sang Sanyang scolded his niece.

"Alright, stop nagging," Sang Er said impatiently. "You weren't afraid of rumors when you were cheating on someone."

One sentence almost choked Sang Sanyang to death; his face flushed red, he pointed at Sang Er but couldn't say a word.

Sang Er ignored him, went straight to his belt, pulled off his money pouch, shook it in her hand, and stuffed it into her bosom: "Instead of worrying about us, you should think about your own affairs."

After saying that, he walked away.