At the gate of the suburban medical school, a large group of ignorant people gathered there, making a lot of noise. They shouted that Shen Xue had bad character and was not worthy of being a teacher, and they were very emotional.

Han Lin came hurriedly with a few guards, looking fiercely at the people who had gathered to cause trouble. "This is the Imperial Medical College. You coming here to cause trouble is equivalent to opposing the emperor."

"Come here, arrest them all and bring them to the prison for strict interrogation. Show no mercy to those who dare to resist. We must find out who is trying to defame the county lady."

"Yes."

The guards grabbed the men who were shouting the loudest and took them away. Seeing this, the others fled.

On the way to the suburbs, Su Xi met Xu Yang and others, and learned that people were also spreading rumors and causing trouble at the gates of the Princess's Mansion and Yipin Pavilion.

"It seems this person knows everything about the Princess's residence. We must find out who is behind this. She is trying to ruin the Princess's life."

"Su Mo, keep an eye on the patrol camp. I'll go to the suburbs to check the situation."

"This man must be from the capital, and he's of high status. We can't rely solely on the patrol battalion, we have to solve the problem ourselves."

Xu Yang looked at the captured people and said firmly: "Don't go back to the city. Find a secluded place to interrogate them. If they don't cooperate, bury them alive."

They were so frightened that they trembled all over and stammered, "I...we just took the money from a young girl, and she ordered us to go to the gate of the Royal Medical College and curse the Ya'an County Lady. Please let us go! We have elderly parents and young children to support. If we die, how will the old and the young live?"

Xu Yang sneered, "It's too late to realize your mistake now. Why didn't you think of this when you slandered a girl's reputation? Reputation is so important to an unmarried girl. You are forcing the county lady to death."

Several people begged for mercy repeatedly, but Xu Yang and the others remained indifferent.

"I'll give you a chance to atone for your sins. Tell us what that girl looks like and we'll find someone based on her appearance. If your stories don't agree, this will be your burial place."

"We promise to tell you everything we know."

"hope so."

The six people roughly described the girl as being very pretty and dressed like a maid from a wealthy family. Xu Yang drew her according to their description.

"Lock them up in the firewood room of the palace first, and let them identify the person after they find him. Find a few painters to draw more portraits and post them in the streets and alleys of the capital. If anyone recognizes this person, they will be rewarded with 500 taels of silver."

Everyone acted separately.

The next day, Shen Xue was walking on the medical school campus. People looked at her with strange eyes. She asked in confusion, "Su Yu, what happened? Why are they looking at me like this?"

Su Yu looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak. Shen Xue felt more and more puzzled and pulled Su Yu to question her. Su Yu had no choice but to tell the truth.

After hearing this, Shen Xue was furious, "Su Yu, when did this happen? Why didn't I know about it?"

"Yesterday, someone was causing trouble at the gates of the Medical College, the Princess's Mansion, and Yipin Pavilion."

"Where's Han Lin?"

"Han Lin has already sent people to investigate this matter thoroughly. County Master, don't be angry, this matter will have a conclusion soon."

"This concerns my reputation. How can I not be angry? What will Brother Rui think of me if he finds out about the rumor?"

"County Lady, don't worry! You've known each other for so long, and the Third Prince knows you well. He will definitely trust you."

"What's the point of him believing me? When he returns and confesses our relationship to the Emperor, will the Emperor still agree to a prince marrying a girl of such disgrace after hearing this rumor?"

"Han Lin will soon find out the truth and clear your name, and everything will be fine."

"Other people only listen to rumors, not knowing whether they are true or not. How can I go out and meet people in the future? How can Xiaonan study in the Imperial College? If he chooses to pursue a career in the government, he will definitely be criticized."

As Shen Xue spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced herself not to let them fall.

Su Yu stood by and looked at her distressedly, "County Lady, don't worry about what others think. As long as you act uprightly and sit upright, you don't have to worry about things being turned upside down or confused about right and wrong."

Shen Xue sighed deeply and said, "That's the only way. Send someone to tell Xiaonan to be mentally prepared and tell him the truth. He should also pay attention to safety. The enemy is in the dark, but I am in the light. We must prevent the enemy from retaliating against Xiaonan."

"Don't worry, County Master. Han Lin has already arranged for people to protect Xiaonan."

"That's good."

Three days passed and the whole capital was buzzing with news, but the mastermind behind the incident had not been found yet, and Han Lin and the others were very upset.

Shen Xue was not in the mood to teach in the hospital, as she always felt that others were pointing fingers at her.

Dean Li also sympathized with Shen Xue's situation, but he was powerless to do anything. He advised her to go back home to rest and come back to teach after the situation calmed down. Shen Xue also thought so.

When Madam Zhou learned that the incident had become so serious, portraits of He Qinghuan's servants were posted everywhere in the capital. She ordered all the servants to go out and not talk nonsense, otherwise they would be beaten to death with sticks, and even their families would not be spared.

Some servants were tempted to take advantage of the reward money, but they were frightened after being sternly warned by the lady and dared not even think about it.

The Zhou family was dissatisfied with He Qinghuan's handling of the matter. Once the matter was investigated, they would definitely report it to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office. If the matter became serious, they would even go to the Imperial Court. The Zhou family could not afford such a hassle.

But they didn't dare to do anything to He Qinghuan. After all, the Zhou family had to depend on the He family, so they could only be angry but not speak out.

He Qinghuan's husband, Zhou Xiao, looked at her angrily, "Your intentions weren't pure from the beginning! If the guards find out it was you, you'll bring a lot of trouble to our Zhou family. Do you know?"

"If I weren't here, your Zhou family would still be living in that remote and poor village. Now that you've come to the capital, you think you can speak with such authority, don't you? Don't forget that the Zhou family's current status is thanks to me. Don't think you're an ungrateful person."

"What benefit did Shen Xue give you that you need to protect her like this?"

"If you look down on the Zhou family's low status, why did you choose to marry me in the first place?"

"Do you think I'm willing to marry you? My parents forced me to do this."

Zhou Xiao was so angry that he left in anger.

"You never dared to speak to me like this in Bingzhou before, but now you are so confident in your words after coming to the capital. You can't even cross the river and destroy the bridge if you want to."

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