kingnovel Chapter 301 Attitude Change
Chapter 301 Attitude Change
“Princess, Song Dalang and his men haven’t done anything wrong. They’re just being unreasonable and trying to cling to your family. Just ignore them. It’s best not to try and drive them away,” said Matchmaker Jin, her lips painted blood red.
Soon, people around started to agree with Matchmaker Jin.
Those people were simply saying that Song Dalang and the others hadn't committed any heinous crimes and shouldn't be driven away. Furthermore, they suggested that if any unreasonable people came to the door, the Li family should simply shut themselves off.
Li Xiaonuan sneered, feeling a sense of powerlessness as she looked at the villagers who had begun to band together and protect each other.
"Granny Jin, what are you saying? What Song Dalang and his mother-in-law just said was absolutely scathing. If someone who didn't know the truth heard it, they would really think that Princess Xiaonuan... is really that kind of person. You want Princess Xiaonuan to ignore them? What if someone tells the Emperor about this? Wouldn't the Emperor punish our Princess Xiaonuan?" Fortunately, Aunt Zhou and Aunt Huang always stood by Li Xiaonuan's side.
“That’s right, the higher a person’s status, the more important their reputation. Take Magistrate Liu, for example. He has such a troublesome younger brother, yet he still keeps him by his side. Why? Because his brother used to work at home to support his studies, and he can’t be ungrateful.” The magistrate’s brother that Aunt Huang was referring to was a man whose brain had been fried.
That man was usually good at work, but when his stubborn temper flared up, he liked to beat people indiscriminately.
In this prefectural city, quite a few people were injured by his sudden outbursts of temper. But each time, the county magistrate would personally bring gifts to apologize.
Because of the man's special circumstances, the county magistrate could do nothing but provide for him.
If we send him back to the countryside, won't the villagers say that the magistrate doesn't care about brotherhood?
For officials, reputation is of utmost importance. Among these, filial piety is the most talked-about aspect.
Filial piety is not just about respecting elders; it also includes brotherly love and respect.
Therefore, after hearing the magistrate's gossip, the people admired him even more.
Because of the people's esteem, the magistrate received excellent performance evaluations every year. Years ago, when the emperor was short of manpower, he transferred him to another prefecture as a prefect.
He was promoted directly from a seventh-rank official to a fifth-rank official. That's quite a leap, jumping four ranks.
This shows how important a good reputation is.
"Hmph, this crime of smearing the princess is probably not light. Just think about what happened to the family that smeared Magistrate Liu back then?" Magistrate Liu is truly a lucky fellow.
"Oh dear, it seems he was punished with a cane and fined silver. And in the end...?" someone who remembered replied.
"That's right, it was a slap on the face. It looks like all her teeth were knocked out." Zhou Rong's wife, who had been standing near the matchmaker, did not side with her this time.
Li Xiaonuan glanced with satisfaction at the group of people who were inhaling and groaning from toothache, then bowed gratefully to Aunt Zhou and the others who had spoken up for justice.
She knew that although she had been granted the title of Princess and was nominally the Empress's goddaughter, there were still quite a few people who were envious.
They're probably hiding somewhere right now, waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
Perhaps, someone with a particularly dark side might take the opportunity to cause a big incident and get rid of her.
To be honest, the emperor probably really wants to get rid of Li Xiaonuan right now. However, he can't be too open about it.
If someone were to fabricate such a charge, the emperor would likely be very willing to punish the Li family.
Seeing that the villagers had convicted them in just a few words, Song Dalang and the others quickly turned around and incited the crowd again.
“The princess and her family are good people. But even if they are good people, they are still good people with status. They can’t force people to sell themselves into slavery,” Song Dalang cried to the crowd.
It seems as if Old Song and his two grandsons were forced by the Li family to sign a contract of servitude.
"Song Dalang, we don't want a fool like you in our village. And those other guys, they're not even from Zhou Village, what are they doing here?" The village head pushed through the crowd of onlookers and said angrily.
“Uncle Village Head, you know best what happened between Grandpa Song and the other two. Why don’t you tell everyone what happened?” Xiao Yang’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw the village head.
"Hmph, haven't I told everyone this several times before? Uncle Song and the others voluntarily sold themselves into the Li family, and the indentures they signed with the Li family were flexible contracts, only for five years," the village head shouted angrily at the crowd.
“You all should know this very well. Uncle Song has already explained it to you. Why is everyone trying to speak up for that Song Dalang today? Does that mean that Xiao Nuan is no longer a member of our Zhou Village just because she became a princess?” The village head was very annoyed by the change in everyone’s attitude.
Even if people are like this, if a student who has studied hard for years passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, those people will definitely be able to accept it.
After all, they had all witnessed that person's years of hard work and study.
But if someone lives a very difficult life, but suddenly becomes rich and then becomes a person of high status, those people will feel unbalanced.
Why is it that people who were poorer than me back then can earn so much money now? Why is it that I now have to look up to someone who wasn't even worthy of carrying my shoes back then?
To put it bluntly, those people are just experiencing sour grapes. Furthermore, it's the psychological gap that breeds jealousy and resentment.
The village head's words struck those people like a heavy hammer. However, although they knew in their hearts that their behavior was wrong, they were unwilling to admit that they were acting out of jealousy.
Of course, when Song Dalang and his companions saw that the village head had appeared and those who had been arguing with them had fallen silent, they were all unhappy.
If Li Xiaonuan and the village head were to lead everyone in a positive direction, then what would be the point of Song Dalang and the others causing such a commotion?
"Hmph, village head, you're just talking without understanding the situation. Tell me, how could a perfectly normal person willingly sell themselves into slavery? No matter how you explain it, I just don't believe the Li family didn't threaten my father." Song Dalang started to act shamelessly.
“That’s right. Tell me, my in-laws used to be a scholar, how could they willingly become a servant? It must be the Li family who forced him with the story of my son-in-law and my daughter stealing chili peppers.” Gao, Erbao’s maternal grandmother, cried loudly.
Her explanation was so reasonable that even Li Xiaonuan vaguely felt that it made sense.
“My kind-hearted fellow villagers, look at my sister. She has gone to the Li family so many times to beg them to return her child. But the Li family is just unreasonable. They’re in cahoots with the village head, and every time they get the village head to drive my sister away,” Gao’s eldest son said, his voice choked with tears.
"Waaah~ My poor sister-in-law, why are you so heartless? They stole your child, why are you trying to kill yourself? If you ask me, you should live. Even seeing them once a day would be good." The woman holding Erbao's mother cried out in a drawn-out, mournful voice.
After being embellished by these people, those who had already stopped talking started whispering again.