Lin Ruoshan knew the dangers of gossip, so she bribed a handsome bodyguard with a large sum of money. This man was a heavy drinker who frequently visited the Lin family's tavern. Lin Ruoshan knew that he was penniless, eager to get married, and didn't seem like a respectable person. So Lin Ruoshan chose him, and the man readily agreed, promising to handle the matter perfectly.
When Lin Ruoshan approached him, she wore a veil and deliberately lowered her voice so he wouldn't know who she was. She only said that there would be a great reward after ruining Lin Ruonan.
The bodyguard had just returned from escorting goods from out of town. After receiving Lin Ruoshan's silver notes, he deliberately got drunk and went to the cloth shop when it was busiest. As soon as he saw Lin Ruonan, he showed a pitiful expression.
"Ruo Nan... Ruo Nan..."
His strange appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention. Lin Ruonan frowned and saw him looking at her painfully, saying, "You're really here. You really married someone else behind my back. We clearly agreed that I would come to your house to propose marriage after I returned from my escort mission. I braved the wind and rain outside, not daring to spend a single extra copper coin. I finally saved up fifty taels of silver as a dowry, but when I came back, I heard that you had married someone else? You... why? Did they force you to marry someone else? Don't be afraid, I'm back. No one can force you."
The bodyguard reached out to pull Lin Ruonan away, causing a gasp from the crowd. Lin Ruonan was startled and backed away, saying, "What are you doing? I don't know you!"
Xu Zifan stepped forward and shielded Lin Ruonan behind him, then grabbed a water bottle and poured the water over Lin Ruonan's head.
The bodyguard panicked, "What are you doing? I'm here to see Ruonan, not you."
Xu Zifan stared at the bodyguard with sharp eyes and said solemnly, "Are you sober now? If you were just talking nonsense while drunk, I'll let it go this time. But if you're sober and still insist that my wife has something going on with you, then I'll have to have a serious talk with you."
The bodyguard met his gaze and felt a chill run down his spine, almost turning to run away. But thinking of the silver Lin Ruoshan had promised, he gritted his teeth and said, "I was a little drunk earlier, but alcohol emboldens the coward. If I hadn't been drunk, I wouldn't have said such a shameful thing. Now that we've talked it out, I need to get to the bottom of this. Ruonan, didn't you tell me to save up fifty taels of silver to marry you? You even said that if I didn't save enough, you would elope with me when you came back this time. How come you're married now? Is there something you can't tell me? Just tell me, and I'll forgive you!"
Lin Ruonan's face turned ashen. She gripped Xu Zifan's sleeve tightly and shouted, "Where did this scoundrel come from? You're framing me with nothing but empty words. I've never seen you before, and I've never been engaged to anyone. Who sent you to harm me?"
The bodyguard's eyes widened in agitation. "You won't admit it? You're pretending not to know me? I still have the token of love you gave me. How can this be a baseless accusation? Since you treat me like this, I'll show it to everyone and let them judge for me. I've suffered so much for you, and I came back to marry you with joy. How can I be wronged like this?"
The bodyguard was handsome, but the hardships of his work had etched a mark on his face. His current act of feigning distress and sadness was indeed convincing. Furthermore, his confident assertion of a token of love aroused some doubt among the customers in the cloth shop, their eyes shifting between him and Lin Ruonan, a growing skepticism in their eyes.
Xu Zifan held Lin Ruonan's hand reassuringly and said coldly, "No rush. You can reason with your evidence anywhere, but when it comes to judging cases, the county magistrate has more authority."
Before the bodyguard could react, Xu Zifan winked at a young man at the door, "Go report to the authorities."
"Hey!" the boy replied and ran off in a flash.
The bodyguard panicked. Commoners were terrified of going to the government office, especially since he had something to hide. "There's no need for that. I didn't mean to do anything. I just wanted to ask Ruonan why she treated me this way. I didn't want to hurt her. After all, we had been together for three years. I... never mind. I'll leave. Just pretend I was never here. You treat her well."
Xu Zifan raised his hand and pressed down on his shoulder, his voice extremely cold, "This matter involves my wife's reputation and the face of my Xu family, and it must be made clear. Otherwise, if everyone follows your example and unjustly accuses a woman of innocence, how will so many innocent women survive? If this matter is not resolved, it will become a major problem for the town, and it cannot be easily dismissed."
The customers then came to their senses. The shock they had just experienced was too great. For a moment, they even began to believe the bodyguard, because no one would ruin someone's reputation for no reason. Deep down, everyone was relatively simple-minded, and their first reaction was that there's no smoke without fire.
But as Xu Zifan said, what if the bodyguard is framing someone without cause? If we don't get to the bottom of this, Lin Ruonan will be ruined! Furthermore, if others follow suit and do the same, all the women in town will have to live in constant fear. This matter must be thoroughly investigated.
The crowd rushed forward to prevent the bodyguard from escaping. The bodyguard struggled fiercely but couldn't break free from Xu Zifan's grasp. Although Xu Zifan looked quite thin, the hand on his shoulder felt incredibly heavy. He struggled until his face turned red and his heart began to race with panic.
Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but look at Xu Zifan. They never expected someone who wasn't in good health to be so terrifying when he lost his temper. He didn't raise his voice or hit anyone, but he was just intimidating. And to report it to the authorities… anyone else would immediately erupt in anger and demand answers, or handle it privately behind closed doors, keeping it a secret from outsiders—family scandals shouldn't be aired in public!
But Xu Zifan actually reported it to the authorities openly and honestly, which made them realize it was a very serious matter. Seeing that Lin Ruonan didn't seem guilty, the scales of their hearts tipped slightly in her favor. This girl had been managing the cloth shop with Xu Zifan since marrying into the Xu family, and their relationship excellent.
The girl has a kind and likable personality. She doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing. Maybe the bodyguard really did frame her for some reason?
The officers arrived quickly. Xu Zifan handed the bodyguards over to them and solemnly said, "This man has ulterior motives. I suspect he wants to use this method to frame many women, and then abduct them to sell them for money when they are divorced and have nowhere to go. Officers, please don't let him get away. Let's go to the yamen and find out the truth."
A love triangle, through Xu Zifan's words, instantly escalated into a serious incident involving a kidnapping. The officials instinctively tightened their grip on the bodyguard, and everyone became wary. The bodyguard hurriedly explained, "He's talking nonsense! Don't believe him, he's framing me!"
Xu Zifan calmly said, "Who is wronging whom will be cleared up at the yamen. If you haven't done anything wrong, why are you in such a hurry?" He turned around and smiled at Lin Ruonan, gently comforting her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Lin Ruonan's eyes instantly reddened, and she nodded heavily. She didn't feel wronged when someone wronged her, nor when someone doubted her, but seeing Xu Zifan's unwavering trust in her, she suddenly felt wronged. It was like a hedgehog that had to be on guard at all times had finally found a roost, where it could put away all its quills and safely hide in this haven.
This was her husband, the closest person she could rely on, who sheltered her from the wind and rain. Never before had she realized this so clearly.
Xu Zifan took her hand, locked up the shop, and followed the officials towards the yamen. There weren't many disputes in the town on weekdays, and the people hadn't seen officials arresting anyone in a long time, so they stopped to watch from both sides of the road. The customers in the cloth shop also followed behind, wanting to see how this would go.
As these customers explained the situation to those unaware of the details along the way, by the time they entered the government office, everyone on the street knew about it.
The bodyguard's heart was pounding in his chest. He repeatedly said he would not look for Lin Ruonan again or mention the matter again, but it was no use. Xu Zifan suspected that he had premeditatedly planned to traffic women. How could such a thing be left uninvestigated and forgotten? Furthermore, Xu Zifan slipped a considerable amount of silver into the hands of the two officers when no one was looking. Naturally, the two officers gave him face and escorted the bodyguard through the streets like a criminal without any courtesy.
The bodyguard spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd, and felt utterly humiliated, filled with remorse. Upon seeing the county magistrate, who slammed the gavel, he knelt on the ground, his regret and fear compounded. He knew that if he revealed that someone had paid him to do it, he would truly be guilty.
He could only leave with a clear conscience by insisting that Lin Ruonan and he had secretly pledged their love. Thinking of the "token of love" he still carried in his arms, he felt a little more at ease, and feigned an innocent and annoyed expression.
The county magistrate had dealt with all sorts of strange and unusual cases, but this was the first time he had encountered someone who had been cuckolded and had voluntarily reported it to the authorities. After listening to both sides' accounts, he ordered the bodyguard to produce evidence. "A woman's reputation should not be easily tarnished. What evidence do you have? Present it immediately."
The bodyguard took out a handkerchief from his pocket. A sharp-eyed woman at the entrance of the yamen exclaimed in a low voice, "Isn't this the same handkerchief as the young lady's?"
Lin Ruonan frowned as well. She was usually busy in the cloth shop, and occasionally when it was hot, she would take out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat. Many people had seen it; the pattern was the twin lotus flowers she embroidered for her wedding. This handkerchief and hers even had the same color scheme, which certainly didn't seem like a coincidence.
The bodyguard calmly said, "Reporting to my lord, this handkerchief is a token of love given to me by Lin Ruonan. There were two, one for me and one for her. She said she would always carry them with her. I am truly innocent. I had no malicious intent. I was just upset about being abandoned and drank too much before confronting her. I am really not the womanizer Xu Zifan claimed I was!"
The county magistrate looked at Lin Ruonan, "Lin, is this true?"
Lin Ruonan calmly took out a handkerchief: "Reporting to Your Excellency, I do have such a handkerchief, but it was embroidered before my wedding when I was embroidering my wedding dress. It is a pair with my husband's handkerchief. My grandfather watched me embroider it at home, and some of the girls and sisters-in-law in Linxi Village who did embroidery with me can also testify to this."
Xu Zifan took out a handkerchief with a design of a vigorous pine tree, which looked remarkably harmonious when placed next to Lin Ruonan's. He presented the handkerchief and said, "Sir, my wife and I have embroidered our names on our handkerchiefs, and the materials and threads used for both handkerchiefs come from our cloth shop. They are among the finest materials available in our shop, and they are certainly different from those of others."
The county magistrate summoned an embroiderer to examine the handkerchiefs. The embroiderer immediately noticed that Xu Zifan and Lin Ruonan's handkerchiefs were made of the same material, unlike the one used by the bodyguard. The bodyguard's handkerchief was made of ordinary material, while Xu Zifan and Lin Ruonan's handkerchiefs, though seemingly made of ordinary material, were actually much softer and more delicate.