Chapter 967 - 969: Quick Change of Face_1
Bai Ruozhu curled her lips disdainfully, the old lady really hated her to the bone, didn’t she? Hating her so much that she didn’t even need to use her brain to slap her with unwarranted accusations. Had she not considered what possible benefits there could be for Ruozhu to play tricks? Was it to deceive the people present for their money or emotions?
Before Ruozhu could defend herself, Bai Lu gave the old lady a sideways glance and said, "This is a family matter of the Bai Family, so please stop butting in all the time. And stop targeting Ruozhu all the time, what good would it do her to play any tricks in this matter?"
The old lady Liu Family, unwilling to let it go, said, "Who knows what she’s up to with all her scheming ways? She has caused us no small amount of trouble. Yibo was even exiled because of her, and it must have been her doing that led to Sanlang’s leg injury!"
Ruozhu replied with an angry laugh, "Grandmother, can you please not bring up the matter of my elder uncle’s exile in front of the clan again? He nearly brought disaster on the entire clan with his cheating in the Imperial Examination. How could you have the nerve to pin that on me?"
Just as the Old Master was about to speak, Bai Lu interrupted her. Bai Lu felt that after all, Bo Zheng was still an outsider, and a servant from a relative’s home that had only been found after decades. It was truly shameful for the Bai Family to continue squabbling in this manner.
"Enough, eldest sister-in-law. The clan has already made a decision on this matter. Stop making a scene, or you might as well go back to Mountain Village first." Bai Lu was genuinely annoyed and directly issued an eviction order.
The Liu Family’s eyes flickered as she was still looking forward to the upcoming banquet and absolutely did not want to leave; she simply snorted coldly and moved aside, no longer paying attention to Bai Lu.
Seeing the misunderstanding the others seemed to have about the Bo Residence, a hint of mockery flashed in Bo Zheng’s eyes, but it was quickly concealed. He apologized to everyone with a smile, saying, "The fault lies with me for not clarifying just now. My master, Bo Qun, was granted the title of Marquis Jingping by the Former Emperor. Everyone in the Capital knows the reputation of our old Marquis. I am truly here to acknowledge our kinship, so please, don’t misunderstand, madam."
A collective gasp arose in the yard, Marquis Jingping? Marquis’ Residence?
Liu Family abruptly turned her head to look at Bo Zheng, seemingly not quite believing his words.
"It was also the Marquis who earned great military honors back then and vindicated the Bo Family before the Emperor," Bo Zheng added.
Upon hearing this, Ruozhu believed it to be true to a great extent. A family that had been raided had likely committed a grave crime; having their name cleared must mean that a family member had achieved tremendous merit, allowing them to wash away false accusations before the Emperor.
Fearing that the crowd might not believe him, Bo Zheng took out a letter and a token specifically, saying, "This letter is for me to present to local officials to seek assistance when necessary, and it bears the Marquis’ seal. This is a token from the Marquis Jingping’s Residence; it’s not easy to counterfeit."
Ruozhu glanced at the token. The craftsmanship was superior, the casting was extremely delicate, and even the materials used were extraordinarily exquisite. In the center were the four characters "Marquis Jingping’s Residence", written with a bold and forceful hand, exuding a subtle air of authority.
Having visited the Capital and even the Imperial Palace, she considered herself quite worldly and could see at a glance that the token did not seem to be a counterfeit, and why would the Marquis’ Residence come to claim kinship with such a minor branch of their family?
Moreover, she remembered that her great-grandmother’s maiden name was Jing Ru; she had seen it on other relics because the name strongly resembled that of a singer she had admired in a past life, making the memory especially vivid for her.
Having just heard Bo Zheng mention that the Old Master’s sister was called Bo Jingru, she still planned to ask the Commerce Association to investigate the matter, including the situation of the Bo Residence.
The Bai Family’s eyes were filled with some changes. If the other party was indeed from the Marquis’ Residence, why would they come to seek the prestige of a mere successful candidate in the Imperial Examination? Weren’t Liu Family’s earlier words sarcastic?
Liu Family’s wife was flabbergasted, her eyes rolling round and around, it seemed she was trying to discern the truth or falsehood of what the man said, and soon her facial expression changed, she had figured it out. If what this person said was true, Marquis’ Residence, definitely would not let go of such significant relatives. If it was fake, intended to leech off the Bai Family and swindle money, then they would not be able to fool her. After all, Bai Yihong’s family was there to bear the brunt.
Her face suddenly showed a fawning smile, and she said to Bo Zheng, "Oh, look at my old blurry eyes, if I had seen the token earlier, I wouldn’t have doubted you."
Bai Ruozhu was disgusted by Liu Family’s wife’s smile, did she need to change her face so quickly?
At this moment, voices came from outside, the village chief’s voice rang outside the door, "Bai elder, we’ve come to have a drink, I heard your family has relatives visiting?"
Bai Lu hurriedly went out to meet them and said to the village chief, "Please come into the yard, got a bit held up just now, the tables will be set out soon."
The Bai Family was arranging a banquet, planning to invite every household in the village. Because the yard wasn’t spacious enough, they set it up outside the door, and the tables and chairs were also borrowed from the neighbors on both sides.
Bai Yixiao, Bai Lu’s eldest son, quickly went to Bo Zheng and said, "Manager Bo, my family is offering ancestral worship and arranging a wine feast today, would you please stay and have a glass of water wine? I believe my father still has quite a number of things to ask you."
"Good, good, then I shall have good fortune." Bo Zheng did not disdain the humble countryside feast and, bowing to Bai Yixiao, followed him into the Main Hall to talk.
Guests began to arrive one after another, and the Bai Family dared not delay any longer. Regardless of the significance of their newfound relatives, the wine feast had to be set up properly. Bai Yihong also brought his two sons to help. Everyone was careful not to let Bai Zepei do any heavy work, partly because they felt he, as a successful candidate in the Imperial Examination, should not do such tasks and partly because they saw him as a thin and frail scholar, lest he should be over-exerted.
Still, Bai Zepei went to help move tables with his elder brother, and that’s when everyone realized that he wasn’t as frail as he appeared. Bai Zeji saw everyone’s surprise and said with a laugh, "What are you thinking? Zepei didn’t neglect farm work while studying in the past; he’s also skilled at it. Don’t underestimate him!"
All present revealed looks of admiration; it was indeed rare to see a fine young man who was both literate and willing to do farm work.
Some women’s eyes swept over Bai Zepei, thinking it would be great if their daughters could marry such a fine young man. It was a pity they hadn’t sought to propose to his family earlier, for now, Bai Zepei was already a candidate in the Imperial Examination, making it impossible to broach the subject.
But soon, everyone’s gaze shifted to Bai Zeji. Bai Zeji was studying but had not yet achieved any scholarly rank, making him an excellent choice for a son-in-law!
So, it wasn’t long before people began to gather around Bai Zeji’s mother, Mrs. Jin, voluntarily helping her with chores, making friendly overtures, which somewhat flustered Mrs. Jin; however, she didn’t think much of it, assuming it was because her family had been living in the Back Mountain Village for a while, and the village women had missed her after many days apart.
Bai Ruozhu hugged Dengdeng and did not join the help, only telling Mrs. Li that she would cook a couple of dishes later to lend a hand. Mrs. Li didn’t object; they still remembered Bai Ruozhu’s cooking!
Everyone was busy, not paying much attention to the Old Master and the third son. When Bai Ruozhu looked again, the third son had somehow already sat next to Bo Zheng and started chatting with him. Bai Yixiao on the other side had an expression of unease, but after all, he did not open his mouth to scold.
As for the Old Master, no one knew where he had gone. Bai Ruozhu thought about it and walked over to the small house where the Old Master lived.