Lin Yulan retorted, “I have a clear conscience, so what is there to be afraid of? The Marquis is right. Since things have come to this, we might as well go to the magistrate’s court. The damage of an item bestowed by the Empress Dowager is no trivial matter either. Having a clear and thorough investigation at the court is something I also feel is very necessary.”
Shao Xun said, “My wife’s wish is my command. Shaochen, go to Shuntian Prefecture’s yamen to file a report, and tell the Prefect to dispatch people here immediately.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
“No! No! It was Sister-in-law who broke it! It was her!”
Meng Zifang completely panicked, and without any hesitation, she betrayed Lin Yuwei, blurting out, “Sister-in-law did it out of jealousy; she did it on purpose.”
“Meng Zifang!”
Lin Yuwei was furious to the extreme.
Meng Zifang tossed her head back defiantly and said, “Sister-in-law offered me benefits to make me lie. Look, this is the jade pendant she gave me.”
Meng Zifang fished out a violet-colored jade pendant about the size of an egg from her bodice, carved into the shape of a precious gourd. Both Lin Daohui and Madam Gu recognized it instantly as something belonging to Lin Yuwei.
Madam Gu cursed her inwardly as a stupid fool out of sheer anger, while Lin Daohui was both shocked and enraged: his younger daughter had actually lied to frame her elder sister!
“Rebellious girl! I truly never imagined that you would harbor such a vicious heart, and yet you still refuse to admit it!”
Lin Yuwei simply decided to abandon all pretense since the pot was already broken. “Fine, I did it! Lin Yulan, are you satisfied now?”
Still harboring some lingering apprehension, she weakly tried to patch things up with a supplementary excuse: “I… I didn’t expect to lose my grip… and I was too afraid of being punished to dare admit it. I figured that since elder sister is the Marquis’s wife, no matter what, the Marquis wouldn’t possibly blame his own wife, right? That was why I thought of letting elder sister bear the consequences. Elder sister, we are sisters after all; must you really haggle over this with me?”
Madam Gu also hurriedly smiled and said, “Yulan, since your younger sister has already confessed, let’s just drop this matter! As the elder sister, and since you’ve married so well with a harmonious and blissful relationship with the Marquis, you should be a bit more magnanimous and not bicker with your sister. After all, she didn’t mean to do it.”
Madam Gu was reminding Lin Yulan that this marriage match had been yielded to her by Lin Yuwei, and she owed a debt of gratitude.
Lin Daohui felt sheepish. Having wrongfully accused his eldest daughter just moments before, he now lacked the face to speak up, but he still cast a pleading look toward Lin Yulan.
Clearly, both of them wanted to turn a big problem into a small one and let the issue fade away. Even if it was Lin Yuwei’s fault, as long as she uttered the words “it wasn’t intentional,” then it wouldn’t be counted as intentional, leaving the ultimate consequence to still be borne by Lin Yulan.
Lin Yulan replied, “How could I bear to make things difficult for Father and Mother? It’s just that this is an item bestowed by the late Empress Dowager, which is no ordinary matter. How it should be handled is not up for me to decide alone. Marquis, what do you think?”
Shao Xun sneer-laughed, “Does your Lin family think you can push things this far? Do you really think a simple ‘it wasn’t intentional’ can sweep this under the rug?”
Lin Daohui grew anxious. “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare! My younger daughter is unruly and truly deserves punishment. We ask the Marquis to give us your instructions. We will definitely find the absolute finest craftsmen to carefully repair this hairpin, ensuring it is returned to the Marquis in pristine condition.”
“There’s no need for that. Could the craftsmen you find possibly be superior to the ones I can find?” Shao Xun didn’t give his father-in-law an ounce of face. “Since Father-in-law also feels that the young Mrs. Meng deserves punishment, then let her be punished.”
Lin Daohui was momentarily stunned, subconsciously looking toward Lin Yulan.
Madam Gu, on the other hand, directly pressured Lin Yulan. “Yulan, this matter is ultimately connected to you as well. Speak—how should your sister be punished for you to be satisfied?”
“Mother is mistaken. The Marquis has already issued his verdict on this matter, so naturally we listen to the Marquis. As for how to punish younger sister, that is up to Father and Mother, as the elders, to decide. I ask Mother not to make things difficult for me.”
Madam Gu was choked with anger. How dare she!
Shao Xun chuckled, casting a glance at Lin Yulan. “My wife is well-read and sensible; she speaks with complete correctness.”
Furious as she was, Madam Gu refused to let her biological daughter suffer any heavy hardships or punishments, so she forced a smile. “Since that’s the case, how about having your sister issue an apology?”
Neither Shao Xun nor Lin Yulan made a sound.
Lin Daohui added, “Repairing this hairpin will inevitably require silver. Aside from having Yuwei apologize, we will also compensate the Marquis with three hundred taels of silver.”
Shao Xun and Lin Yulan remained silent.
Madam Gu offered, “Yuwei will kneel and apologize—would that be acceptable? As for the silver… if three hundred taels isn’t enough, we’ll make it four hundred.”
Shao Xun and Lin Yulan still said nothing.
Lin Yuwei could no longer hold back her fury, jealousy, and resentment. “Why on earth should I kneel and apologize?! Does elder sister bear no responsibility at all? If elder sister had been mindful, she naturally would have taken good care of this hairpin. Even if I accidentally broke it, it is still inextricably linked to elder sister! Marquis, this proves that elder sister didn’t care about your heartfelt gift at all. Even if you want to punish me, you cannot let elder sister off without punishment!”
Lin Yulan could easily guess why Lin Yuwei was having a mental breakdown. The events of her past life were an insurmountable hurdle, and seeing Shao Xun side with her only fueled the unresigned bitterness in her heart.
“Matters between my husband and me are not something younger sister needs to trouble herself over. Isn’t it somewhat inappropriate for younger sister to sit here and drive wedges with such provocative words? If word of this gets out, people will inevitably say that younger sister has a loose tongue and a sharp mouth, specializing in stirring up trouble out of nothing. That is hardly a commendable reputation!”
Madam Gu angrily rebuked, “Hold your tongue!”
Shao Xun agreed, “My wife is entirely right.”
Lin Daohui: “…”
Lin Yuwei glared with burning resentment at Shao Xun. A tidal wave of unresigned bitterness crashed over her, instantly throwing her breathing into disarray as her chest heaved violently. How I hate this!
Why?! Why?!
What kind of bewitching poison had that bitch Lin Yulan fed Shao Xun? He was actually protecting her to this extent!
Meng Mingchi’s gaze grew even more murky and dark, a chilling glint flashing across the depths of his eyes. His own wife was insanely jealous because the Marquis of Wuwei treated her elder sister well, but what did that couple’s domestic harmony have to do with her?
Shao Xun had long since noticed Lin Yuwei’s bizarre and unhinged stares, and he found them thoroughly irritating. Is this legitimate daughter of the Lin family a lunatic or what? What kind of nervous breakdown is she having? Why is she staring at me with a gaze that makes it look like I owe her something or committed some grave injustice against her?
Thank goodness I didn’t marry her.
As a rule, he never showed any courtesy to people he loathed, so he looked sidelong at Lin Daohui with a half-smile and said, “Father-in-law, doesn’t young Mrs. Meng’s mouth deserve a lesson?”
Lin Daohui was startled, but he gritted his teeth and nodded. “The Marquis is right. That child has been spoiled rotten by her mother and truly needs a lesson. Someone come, drag the Second Young Miss down, and give her twenty slaps across the mouth!”
“Master!”
“Father!”
Shao Xun praised, “Father-in-law is wise.”
Lin Daohui let out a secret sigh of relief, realizing that Shao Xun was finally satisfied with this outcome. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and drag the Second Young Miss down.”
Damaging an item bestowed by the late Empress Dowager could be interpreted as either a major or minor offense, depending entirely on whether the Marquis chose to pursue it. Twenty slaps across the face to give her a hard lesson was for the best.
Lin Yuwei was trembling with supreme rage. “Lin Yulan! You—”
“Shut your mouth!” Lin Daohui cut her off sharply. “Stuff her mouth and drag her down.”
“Yes.”
A piece of fabric was instantly shoved into Lin Yuwei’s mouth by an old nanny. In a flash, two robust and sturdy maidservants grabbed her by either side, dragging her out into the courtyard where her muffled, pain-filled cries were smothered by her gag as the beatings commenced.
The crisp sounds of slapping accompanied by Lin Yuwei’s muffled moans of pain drifted into the hall. Meng Zifang lowered her head in guilty panic, twisting her handkerchief relentlessly, while Meng Mingchi kept his eyes cast down without uttering a single word. Madam Gu turned deathly pale, shooting a glare at Lin Yulan filled with eyes that looked as though they had been dipped in poison.
Lin Daohui felt a mixture of heartache and a throbbing headache, sighing inwardly: Who could have known that these sisters were on such terrible terms? I had no idea at all before…
At the same time, seeing that his second son-in-law hadn’t said a single word to plead on behalf of his daughter, a chilling sense of disappointment inevitably crept into his heart.