Chapter 911 - 913 Rumors, There is a Mole Beside_1
Bai Ruozhu’s anger flared up upon hearing this, not because Su Bilan had sarcastically accused her of being "unfaithful", but because there was a traitor amongst her own people!
Diao Yao and Chu Hai’s visit wasn’t conspicuous, and the servants of the Huainan King’s mansion were all well-trained; in the days she lived there, she had never seen anyone gather to gossip, which indicated that the Huainan King’s household rules were very strict. It’s even likely that he managed his household with military law as he did his troops, so Bai Ruozhu felt it was improbable that these servants would spread rumors.
The people from the Chang’an Academy had already left, and another team had departed yesterday; the words that had been spread could very likely have come from someone close to her.
Bai Ruozhu soon realized who it might be. Previously, she had been concerned about the Competition and did not want to affect the team’s overall strength, but now, she had no such worries and lost all patience.
She suppressed the fury in her heart, took a deep breath, and said, "I didn’t expect to encounter Miss Su here. You really are a clever person, getting Miss Xu and Miss Sun grounded while you yourself can stroll around freely. Truly worthy of being called clever."
Su Bilan stopped in her tracks and turned around to say, "How come when I say someone is unfaithful, Bai Ruozhu gets agitated? Are you admitting guilt without being pressed?"
Bai Ruozhu snorted coldly, "If Miss Su is indeed talking about me, then I might really have to reward you with a few slaps and teach you a lesson. So, are you talking about me?"
"You..." Su Bilan, not as impulsive as Sun Lin and lacking the family background of Xu Panrui, stopped after uttering just one word because she knew Bai Ruozhu would really dare to hit her.
"Is it wrong to say that Miss Su enjoys her carefree life? Aren’t Miss Xu and Miss Sun grounded? If you’re afraid of being talked about, then just stay at home obediently," Bai Ruozhu snorted coldly, her tone turning frigid, "Don’t think no one knows you’ve been giving Miss Xu ideas behind our backs!"
Su Bilan glared at Bai Ruozhu but eventually gritted her teeth and left with her cousin.
Watching her retreat, Bai Ruozhu twitched her fingertips; she would teach Su Bilan a small lesson.
After they had gone far, Gu Xue’an and Bai Qizhi softly advised Bai Ruozhu not to be angry or bother with someone like Su Bilan.
Bai Ruozhu smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I’m not angry. She won’t be smug for much longer."
Following that, Bai Ruozhu chose a Double-sided Embroidery fan, and Gu Xue’an and Bai Qizhi joyfully presented it to her. Not wanting to receive without giving, she unhooked a pendant from her purse, took out a money pouch from inside, and gave them to the two respectively.
"Aren’t we taking too much advantage then?" Bai Qizhi asked with a giggle, cherishing the bag charm in her hands, as such items were not sold in Jiangnan.
"Once my Knitting Hall opens in Jiangnan, you’ll be able to pick even more styles you like," Bai Ruozhu said. She then turned to Gu Xue’an and said, "The Capital’s opening ceremony is soon; you’ll almost be able to see it when you get back."
Gu Xue’an and Bai Qizhi, hearing this, expressed immense envy and admitted they hadn’t expected Bai Ruozhu to be so good at doing business.
Bai Ruozhu bid farewell to the two and then returned to her residence. She went directly to the Yard where the people from the Beiyu Study Palace were staying, only to find out that the others had gone out together and had not yet returned. Holding back her frustration, she went to play with her son instead. After playing with her son for a while, her mood lifted, and she felt that getting upset over such people was not worth it.
After dinner, the Academy’s group returned, escorted by a senior officer from the Xi Jiang Main Camp who did not use Northwest Main Camp’s soldiers but his own twenty personal guards instead.
After the dean helped with introductions, Bai Ruozhu learned that this man’s name was Liu Yuanzheng. Upon greeting each other, Bai Ruozhu noticed that Liu Yuanzheng was not as stern as Jiang Yichun, but rather quite skilled at social interaction.
Before long, Tu Ying and Tu Bai arrived, and Liu Yuanzheng exchanged a few pleasantries with them before excusing himself and leaving.
At this moment, Bai Ruozhu turned to Dang Youshen, sneering as she said, "Today, when I went out, I was miserably talked about by baseless gossip. Everyone here has weathered storms together and knows why I had to treat Chu Hai. It’s a promise I owed to his siblings, yet there are still people from our team who go about spreading rumors, claiming that I’m not maintaining a woman’s virtue. Do they really think I’ll always tolerate this?"
When the Academy Head heard this, his face turned colder and he asked, "Who said such things? Ruozhu, you tell me, and I will punish them severely."
Upon hearing this, Tu Ying became agitated and shouted to the crowd, "Who’s the scumbag spreading rumors? Come out, I dare you! When Diao Yao gave us the medicine that saved my brother’s life, we should have been the ones repaying her. But she only asked Ruozhu to help Chu Hai with the detoxification. Ruozhu is helping us repay our debt. Whoever dares to talk about her like this is picking a fight with us siblings!"
Bai Ruozhu pulled at Tu Ying, her voice low, "Don’t be rash. Tell your brother not to be anxious either; we don’t want his wound to reopen. I have a plan for this."
After she finished speaking, she turned to the Academy Head and gave a bow, saying, "Thank you for your words, Academy Head. That Su Bilan mocked me as soon as she saw me and then she said it was Dang Youshen who told her."
The moment Dang Youshen heard this, he became agitated, jumping to his feet and saying, "Stop slandering a good person! When did I ever say that? I don’t even know who Su Bilan is."
Bai Ruozhu sneered. Did he think she hadn’t noticed the panic that flashed across his eyes?
"Then, why did Su Bilan mention you? Why didn’t she mention someone else? If you hadn’t gossiped with her, perhaps she wouldn’t even know your name, would she?" Bai Ruozhu said before subtly signaling Jianqi with her eyes.
Jianqi sprang forward in an instant and slapped Dang Youshen twice across the face, leaving his cheek swollen in an instant. After letting out a painful scream, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and within it was a white object—an eye could make out it was a broken tooth!
Goodness, those slaps were harsh enough to knock out teeth.
Bai Ruozhu deliberately frowned, "Jianqi, it would have sufficed for the Academy Head to handle this. Why did you take matters into your own hands?"
Jianqi, his face cold, said, "Daring to insult the master repeatedly, anyone else would have been dead several times over by now. Even though the master doesn’t speak up, the Commerce Association won’t tolerate outsiders insulting our Assistant Leader like this. The master might be kind-hearted, but the rules must not be broken!"
Everyone was shocked to hear this—Bai Ruozhu was the Assistant Leader of the Commerce Association? Although it held no real power, it was a large organization spread throughout Danliang Country, and all those involved in business had to register with the Commerce Association to receive its coordination and protection.
"Go down and take your punishment yourself." Bai Ruozhu gave Jianqi a secret sign with her eyes—not that she could really punish Jianqi. She would have to reward him handsomely when they returned.
She then gave a bow to the Academy Head, "Academy Head, I apologize for not managing my subordinates properly."
The Academy Head wasn’t angry and looked at Dang Youshen, scoffing, "He has brought this upon himself. Throughout the journey, I’ve warned him multiple times, but he never dropped his personal grudges. Ruozhu, you have been very magnanimous in forgiving him several times and even saved his life once. His ungrateful behavior certainly does not befit a student of the Beiyu Study Palace!"
The crowd also started voicing their opinions, stating that Dang Youshen had gone too far and was beyond redemption.
With his face covered, Dang Youshen started to cry, his mouth full of blood from the lost tooth. He wouldn’t let Bai Ruozhu, that wretch, get away with this!