Chapter 159: The Wrath of the Crowd

In this era, although people held superstitious beliefs about ghosts and deities, most placed their faith in karmic retribution and the principle of cause and effect. More often than not, these beliefs guided people toward goodness and deterred them from committing evil deeds. It was exceedingly rare for someone like Madam Li to make baseless, malicious accusations, openly smearing her own granddaughter as a fox spirit.

In particular, Jiaoyan was immensely popular within the village. Over the five or six months since her return, she had constantly stayed by Miao Suwen’s side, assisting many villagers with medical treatments and dressing their wounds. The little girl was exceptionally pretty, and her smiles, in particular, were breathtakingly lovely. She was also very polite, possessed a sweet tongue, and excelled at pleasing others. Which kind of person could possibly dislike such a child? The vast majority of the villagers simply refused to believe a single word of Madam Li’s claims.

Immediately, someone shouted out, "Just listen to that old hag spouting nonsense! Jiaoniang is such a wonderful little girl; she is no evil spirit. That old woman is entirely full of falsehoods. Because she dislikes her own granddaughter and holds a grudge against the family for refusing to obey her, she is plotting to harm an innocent life. Hmph, I have truly never witnessed a grandmother as heartless as her. She has completely lost her conscience."

As soon as one person spoke up, several others chimed in immediately. Held securely in Gu Mingda’s arms, Jiaoyan heard the discussion among the crowd, and a deep wave of emotion washed over her. She had not expected that, even in such a moment, there would still be people speaking up on her behalf. Jiaoyan felt that her conduct as a human being had not been a total failure.

Of course, there were also differing perspectives. "Hmph, if you ask me, this girl might actually harbor something rather strange. At such a tender age, she is unnaturally clever and wise; her speech and handling of matters are even more thorough and flawless than an adult's. That so-called speckled melon—which of us had ever laid eyes on it before? Yet she not only recognized it, but was also capable of devising some sort of remedy. She is merely a six-year-old child; how could she possibly possess such insight? Every single one of you has been deceived by her and completely bewitched!"

The person speaking was none other than Madam Li’s elder sister, Elder Madam Li. With such a massive commotion breaking out here, how could Elder Madam Li possibly remain unaware of it at home? She had hurriedly led her husband and son over, purely to find an opportunity to bail Madam Li out. Hearing the ongoing discussion among the crowd, and fearing that public sentiment might turn disadvantageous for Madam Li, she stepped forward and voiced her opinion.

"She always speaks in such a sophisticated, rehearsed manner. Just think about it—which family's six-year-old child is capable of such feats? Furthermore, I hear she has been following that woman to study medicine and can even treat people's illnesses. Just use your heads and think: is this something a six-year-old toddler should be doing?" In order to assist her younger sister, Elder Madam Li naturally had to highlight the aspects of Jiaoyan that deviated from ordinary children. Yet these very events were indeed Jiaoyan’s most remarkable achievements.

Deep down, Jiaoyan was equally startled. *That's right,* she thought, *how could I have forgotten to conceal my talents?* Back in Suzhou, which was a grand prefectural city after all, having a few exceptionally brilliant children was nothing out of the ordinary. But this was a tiny mountain village; many of the residents had never witnessed the wider world, and their mindsets were rigidly conservative. By exposing her cleverness so blatantly like this, wouldn't she inevitably draw suspicious and wary glances? Once someone provided an excuse, they could seize upon it relentlessly and insist she was an evil specter.

A chilling sensation crept through Jiaoyan’s heart. If today’s incident could not be handled properly, even if she managed to escape this current trouble, it would likely plant hidden dangers for the future. Should anyone else decide to stir up trouble with malicious words, her situation would become perilous indeed. Above all, her mind contained far too many anachronistic and unorthodox ideas; the moment a scheming person caught hold of her flaws, the consequences would be catastrophic.

The more Jiaoyan pondered, the more terrified she became. She curled her entire body into a tight ball, burying herself deep within Gu Mingda’s embrace, refusing to show her face.

Shaoyuan had remained right by Gu Mingda’s side, constantly keeping his watchful eyes on Jiaoyan. Seeing her tremble all over at this moment, he felt a sharp, agonizing pain in his heart. Yet, in an occasion like this, it was not his place as a young boy to speak up. Shaoyuan could only cast an anxious gaze toward Granduncle, terrified that the elder might be swayed by these people’s words, which would spell absolute disaster.

Just as Shaoyuan was consumed by anxiety, a voice rang out loudly from outside the ancestral hall's doors: "Xiang Tuo, at age seven, became the teacher of a sage; Gan Luo, at age twelve, served as a prime minister. Zu Ying, at eight, was already composing poetry; Li Pi, at seven, was capable of playing chess. The sages and worthies of antiquity often displayed brilliance far surpassing ordinary people in their early childhood, yet history records only the world's praise—never has one been branded an evil spirit."

"The current prime minister of our dynasty was able to recite the Five Classics by the age of three, and by seven possessed the talent of a top-ranking imperial scholar. Do you dare to slander him as an evil spirit as well? You ignorant rustics of the countryside know nothing of the vastness of heaven and earth, nor of the wonders of the world, yet you measure others by the standard of your own foolishness. It is truly laughable, lamentable, and hateful."

"Jiaoniang is merely a fraction brighter than others; compared to those renowned child prodigies, she falls far short. Where on earth does this talk of an evil spirit come from? If exceptional intelligence in youth makes one an evil spirit, wouldn't every clever and precocious child in the world become a monster? This is utter nonsense." The person standing outside and delivering this resounding refutation was none other than Miao Suwen.

Miao Suwen was a woman, and furthermore not a member of the Gu clan. According to custom, she was not permitted to enter the ancestral hall and could only remain outside. However, today’s disturbance was no small matter, and quite a few women had already followed others into the hall. Worried for Jiaoyan, Miao Suwen had been listening near the entrance. Witnessing people maliciously framing Jiaoyan, she could no longer restrain herself and stepped forward to argue her case in a ringing voice.

By this time, Miao Suwen had emerged from the crowd and stepped into the courtyard. Her posture was upright, her expression solemn and dignified, and her deep eyes were as calm and fathomless as the sea. Miao Suwen was already naturally fair and majestic in appearance; at this moment, she radiated a noble and imposing aura that compelled submission from all who beheld her. Combined with the forceful words she had just uttered, the people inside the ancestral hall were already thoroughly convinced.

Looking at the woman before him, Granduncle felt a surge of deep admiration. Her origins were undoubtedly extraordinary; not only did she possess miraculous medical skills, but she was also well-versed in classical literature. The speech she had just delivered was certainly beyond the capability of an ordinary housewife. With such a woman guiding Jiaoniang, how could Jiaoniang possibly be an ordinary child?

Upon seeing his mother and hearing her powerful defense, Shaoyuan felt an overwhelming wave of excitement and reverence. With his mother here, she would undoubtedly protect Jiaoyan and keep her safe from harm.

Curled up within Gu Mingda’s arms, Jiaoyan also forgot her terror. She turned her head and stared blankly at Miao Suwen. *Master is truly amazing!* she thought. *She was able to rattle off so many historical figures I’d never even heard of, and every single one of them was a famous prodigy. This is wonderful—I don't even possess the abilities those people had, so surely nobody will dare call me an evil spirit now, right?*

Noticing Jiaoyan’s movement, Shaoyuan broke into a warm smile. He stepped forward, reached out, and gently tugged at Jiaoyan’s hand. "Yaner, come. I will stay with you. We stand upright and righteous; we have nothing to fear from anyone. Whoever dares to slander you again, I will fight them to the death."

Gazing at Shaoyuan’s reassuring smile, Jiaoyan suddenly felt the trembling subside throughout her body. She glanced briefly at Gu Mingda, then slid down from his arms and stood side by side with Shaoyuan, hand in hand. That was right—she was upright and innocent, far from any evil spirit. Why should she ever fear what others said?

The crowd had never truly believed Madam Li’s accusations to begin with, and with Miao Suwen’s eloquent speech reinforcing their beliefs, they became entirely convinced that Jiaoniang was no demon. At that moment, Peach's father spoke up: "Granduncle, you should be the one to make the final decision on this matter. A group of adults like them ganged up to bully a little girl and nearly took Jiaoniang’s life. This matter cannot be let off lightly. In my opinion, they ought to be sent straight to the county yamen so the magistrate can throw the whole lot of them into a deep prison cell."

As soon as Peach's father finished, others chimed in to support him. "Yes, exactly! Send them to jail so they can learn a hard lesson. Our qingshan Village has always maintained simple and honest folkways. How could such an evil thing ever happen here? We must never forgive them easily."

Most of the people present shared this sentiment, terrifying Madam Shi and Gu Chengxin out of their wits. Gu Chengxin shouted at the top of his lungs, "It has nothing to do with us! It really has nothing to do with us! It was that old hag. She was the one who claimed Jiaoniang was an evil spirit, and she insisted that we had to get rid of the demon, or the Gu family would never know another day of peace. My mother was completely bewitched by her; we simply believed her words!"

Gu Chengxin still had some sense left, knowing he needed to protect Madam Li, so he shifted all the blame onto the wandering fortune-teller woman. Meanwhile, the fortune-teller’s face had turned ashen gray, and she was gripped by profound terror. "It's not true! It's not true! They were the ones who came looking for me, complaining that their household had suffered misfortune and unrest, and asking if there was something unclean in the house."

"I merely went along with what they wanted to hear. I could tell that old woman was deeply dissatisfied with her granddaughter, which is why I claimed the girl was an evil spirit. I—I..." The fortune-teller did not know how to continue. Furthermore, the kick she had taken from Ah Xi had inflicted severe internal injuries, and combined with her extreme panic, she spat out another mouthful of blood and fainted dead away.

Looking at Madam Li, Granduncle burned with a fierce, irrepressible rage. This wretched woman was utterly despicable; she had clearly harbored deep-seated resentment of her own and used the fortune-teller’s pretext purely as a weapon to harm Jiaoniang. However, this was ultimately an internal family matter for the Gu clan. Right now, Gu Mingcheng was absent, and among the male members of the Gu family, only Gu Chengxin was present—and he happened to be a direct participant in the wrongdoing.

"Chengjia, Chengde, the two of you hurry and fetch your Second Cousin and Eldest Uncle back here," Granduncle commanded. "This matter must be settled face-to-face in front of them. Go quickly." Wise with age, Granduncle naturally had no desire to make a rash and impulsive judgment at this moment. It was far better to settle accounts thoroughly in the presence of Gu Mingcheng and his sons.

Without delay, Gu Chengjia questioned Gu Chengxin to find out the respective whereabouts of the Gu family father and sons. When everyone heard that Gu Chengshuai and his wife had been dispatched into town, Gu Wuxiu and his brothers sent deep into the mountains, and Gu Mingcheng had taken his sons and grandsons out to collect rent, they finally understood. This was a deliberate scheme hatched by Madam Li to clear out all the family members, purely to pave the way for dealing with Jiaoyan.

Granduncle could not help shaking his head. This old woman was truly vicious; in order to dispose of her own granddaughter, who knew how many days she had spent scheming and plotting? Just for the sake of driving away every member of her own household, she deserved no leniency whatsoever this time.

"Hurry and find them, bring them back, and then we will discuss this," Granduncle ordered decisively.