Shen Yun's eyes flashed with sharp light, and with a flick of his hand, he directly threw Taohua out.
"Ah..." Taohua fell heavily to the ground, her face pale with fright, but she still didn't give up.
She thought that he was so harsh with her precisely because he hadn't discovered her good qualities yet.
Men were like this; they could be ruthless when they didn't know.
But once they tasted her, they would realize her worth.
"Master..." Taohua endured the pain, struck a beautiful pose, tilted her chin up, and looked at Shen Yun with shy adoration.
Su Xiaoqi watched from the side, initially not understanding her intentions.
After watching for a while, she finally understood.
So, this woman had come to ingratiate herself.
She slapped the back of her head, suddenly feeling a bit blinded by the sight.
Seeing Shen Yun's gaze turn towards her, she quickly extended her index and middle fingers of both hands to cover her eyes, indicating that she had seen nothing.
Shen Yun, who wasn't angry initially, finally became enraged when he saw her nonchalant demeanor. He pulled down her hands and said sternly,
"Send her away. Send her back where she came from."
His man was being lusted after to this extent, and she, on the other hand, was watching the show as if it had nothing to do with her.
She could tolerate it, but he couldn't, so he had to handle it himself.
Thus, when Li Zhong, along with the entire manor, rushed over to congratulate Shen Yun, they saw Taohua limping, covering her face, and crying as she ran out.
She was truly a schemer.
Looking at her twisting waist as she ran out crying, she looked like someone who had been slept with by the master of the house and not been given enough benefits.
Someone grabbed her, trying to inquire, but she didn't say a word, only casting a resentful glance in Shen Yun's direction.
If her previous expression hadn't been enough, this glance was a bit too much.
Immediately, some people began to imagine a scandalous drama in their minds.
Su Xiaoqi's gaze swept across everyone's faces, and she sighed inwardly:
No matter when, the world always has a gossipy heart.
They were most interested in these affairs between men and women.
Seeing that everyone's expressions towards Shen Yun were becoming increasingly subtle, she felt it was time to say something.
She cleared her throat and said, "You are all here to congratulate my husband on passing the imperial examination, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes, congratulations to the master of the house, may the master of the house be overjoyed." Li Zhong was the first to respond.
He had long wanted to break the awkward atmosphere.
It was just that his influence was insufficient. Hearing Su Xiaoqi speak now, he was naturally eager to reply.
The others also reacted.
The master could afford such a large manor, and now he had passed the imperial examination, and was even the top scholar. He must be capable.
It was only natural for him to marry a beautiful wife and take a charming concubine, so there was nothing exciting to see.
Everyone quickly adjusted their attitudes and congratulated Shen Yun.
Su Xiaoqi also waved her hand generously, giving rewards: "One hundred coins each."
"One hundred coins, heavens, did I hear that correctly?" someone shouted excitedly.
They had lived difficult lives over the years.
They had to pay tribute to the lord of the manor from above, and also be exploited by the estate manager Wang Dazhu from below.
When it finally fell into their hands, only half of it remained.
If a family had enough to eat, it was good enough not to starve.
As for leftover money, there was none throughout the year.
If anyone had any, Wang Dazhu would definitely visit their home.
Therefore, they hated Wang Dazhu so much that they wished they could kill him.
But they didn't dare.
However, now that he was finally gone, they believed that their lives would slowly get better.
Of course, it might still be too early to think like this.
After all, no one knew what would happen next.
Would this master be as harsh to the estate servants as other masters?
Some people thought a lot and far ahead.
Those with fewer worries had already received the copper coins distributed by Su Xiaoqi.
Everyone then began to cast aside their jumbled thoughts.
Regardless of anything else, these hundred copper coins felt very real in their hands.
When blown, they even made a sound.
So, everyone continued to speak pleasantries, and the entire manor was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
As for what had happened earlier, no one cared anymore.
As for the later news that Taohua was eventually driven out of the East Manor, no one asked about it.
Su Xiaoqi was satisfied with their prudence. She summoned Aunt Li and asked her to lead several women from the manor to prepare pots for steaming cakes and zongzi, symbolizing their success.
They were going to deliver gifts to acquaintances in the prefectural city.
They also needed to take some back, as her family at home would definitely not have received the news yet.
It would be too late to make them upon returning.
Su Xiaoqi specified a quantity: one thousand cakes and one thousand zongzi.
Aunt Li smiled from ear to ear and readily agreed: "Yes, this old servant will go and do it right away."
Su Xiaoqi waved with a smile.
She liked Aunt Li's efficiency.
Furthermore, they should have a grand feast in the manor today.
Su Xiaoqi personally drafted the menu and handed it over to Li Zhong to prepare the ingredients.
As soon as this was finished, the gatekeeper reported that someone had come to offer congratulations.
In this Yizhou Prefecture, Su Xiaoqi only knew the Du Yiyi family, so she guessed it must be them.
She personally went to the entrance to greet them.
As expected, it was the carriage that Du Yiyi usually rode in.
She welcomed the carriage and its occupants into the manor.
Su Xiaoqi thoughtfully stepped forward to lift the carriage curtain, and Du Yiyi jumped out directly.
Chen Jinniang followed behind.
Seeing her, Su Xiaoqi remembered that Chen Jia'an had also taken the examination this time.
She wondered how he had performed.
In her busyness, she had forgotten to ask.
"Congratulations Xiaoqi, congratulations Xiaoqi." Chen Jinniang alighted from the carriage, cupped her hands towards Su Xiaoqi with a face full of joy.
Although the timing was not ideal, Su Xiaoqi still asked.
"How did Jia'an ge do in the examination?"
"Alas, he didn't pass, didn't get anything. When he was taking the exam, his teacher had said that his policy theory was not yet mature and advised him to wait a bit longer.
I thought that now we are not lacking money, and the distance is also close, so why not give it a try?
If he passes this time, then of course it's good.
If he doesn't pass, we can try again next time, and we won't lose anything."
Su Xiaoqi found Chen Jinniang to be quite optimistic.
Moreover, Chen Jia'an's usual impression of her was that of someone cheerful and upbeat.
Indeed, he didn't seem like someone who would be discouraged by such a matter.
She immediately put her mind at ease and beckoned the two of them back to the main hall to sit.
Aunt Li left Guo'er in the main hall to serve them.
She knew that her new master had a few good friends here.
Therefore, as soon as Su Xiaoqi led the group to sit down, Guo'er had already prepared tea.
"Sister Xiaoqi, you're so amazing, the top scholar!" Du Yiyi had deliberately looked around without speaking while Chen Jinniang and Su Xiaoqi were talking earlier.
Now, as soon as they sat down, she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration at Su Xiaoqi.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled: "It was Shen Yun who passed the exam, not me. How am I amazing?"
"Oh, Sister Xiaoqi, you don't know this.
My father often says that the reason he could go from a country boy to a fourth-rank official as he is now
is all thanks to my mother, a virtuous wife, standing behind him.
Therefore, brother-in-law's achievements today must also be because of Sister Xiaoqi's presence behind him."
This was a wonderful thing to say.
Su Xiaoqi gave her a thumbs-up in return.
Similar to the modern saying: "Behind every successful man, there is a woman."
"That's well said. People say that a virtuous wife brings little misfortune to her husband. Our Xiaoqi is indeed a virtuous person of the highest caliber.
If you ask me, Scholar Shen is fortunate enough to have married Xiaoqi due to his ancestors' good deeds." Chen Jinniang looked at Su Xiaoqi as if she was praising her to the heavens.
Her gaze was sincere, and her tone was earnest, yet it didn't feel exaggerated at all.
In fact, Chen Jinniang genuinely thought so.
Her gratitude towards Su Xiaoqi was heartfelt.