Seeing her expression shift unpredictably, Wen Rushuang couldn’t quite grasp what she was thinking and could only keep sipping her tea.
Once Madam Qian had thought it through, she cut straight to the point.
“So, sister, what would you like me to do with this visit?”
Wen Rushuang replied politely, “I will have my son escort that rebellious girl to the Lieguo Duke’s Mansion to apologize to the Duke and his wife. I ask that you help facilitate this and ensure that Mingyue is not blamed for the matter.”
Madam Qian nodded, indicating she understood.
She then looked at Yan Mingyue. “What about Yun Fei?”
“Sister Yun Fei knew nothing about it. She only sympathized with me for being bullied by my sister and spoke a few fair words on my behalf. But because of this, my sister resented her, saying that once she marries into the Lieguo Duke’s Mansion and becomes her elder, she will surely make her suffer.” Yan Mingyue repeated the words her mother had taught her.
Madam Qian nodded with satisfaction.
Her Yun Fei was already being considered for marriage proposals, and her reputation must not be tarnished.
With Wen Rushuang, the adoptive mother, stepping forward, along with Yan Mingyue, the younger sister, as a witness, and after their family had coordinated with the Lieguo Duke’s Mansion, they could paint Yan Zhuxing as a despicable person.
Once this dirty water was thoroughly poured, they would become the pitiful victims of misfortune.
Only Yan Zhuxing would remain the villain.
Upon returning to her courtyard, Yan Zhuxing began taking stock of her belongings.
As she counted, she suddenly slammed the table and demanded sharply, “Where is the gold hairpin bestowed by the Empress? Why is it missing?”
Her visit today with Shuangli had been a setup from the start, intended to use this excuse to replace all the servants in her room.
“Search! Dig three feet into the ground if you must, but find my gold hairpin. If you can’t find it, none of you will stay.” Yan Zhuxing signaled Shuangli to begin the search.
Instantly, all the maids in the room knelt in a row, pleading for mercy.
“I truly don’t know, please spare us, miss!”
“I didn’t steal anything, please spare my life!”
Just as Yan Zhuxing was vigorously searching for the hairpin, Wen Rushuang arrived at Yulan Courtyard with Yan Mingyue and Yan Mingxiu.
“Yan Zhuxing, you certainly put on quite a show! Do you really think you’re the young lady of the Marquis’s Mansion?” Seeing the maids kneeling all over the courtyard, Yan Mingxiu couldn’t resist taunting her.
Ever since he was beaten last time, he had grown to despise this sister.
He didn’t even bother pretending anymore.
Yan Zhuxing frowned slightly; these people were clearly up to no good.
Seeing the guards with swords following behind them, her heart sank.
She lowered her voice and instructed the panicked Shuangli beside her, “When they’re not paying attention later, go to the Metropolitan Prefecture and find Lord Pei. If he won’t come, go to Prince Yong’an. Tell them… I’m about to die.”
She wasn’t sure if Prince Yong’an’s so-called repayment of a favor would be used up today.
It was better to seek out Pei Mingjing first.
As expected, just as she had guessed, Wen Rushuang began with slander.
“Xing’er, you’ve disappointed us so much. How could you do something so despicable, even drugging the Lieguo Duke’s Heir!”
Yan Mingxiu sneered. “Mother, why bother saying so much to her? She didn’t crawl out of your womb; no amount of ginseng soup can make her human. Let’s just tie her up and send her to the Duke’s Mansion to apologize.”
Hearing this, the servants nearby couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.
What did he mean by “not crawling out of the wife’s womb”?
Could it be that the young lady wasn’t the wife’s biological child?
Yan Zhuxing watched them warily.
Wen Rushuang had always dismissed others when speaking of her identity in the past, yet now she openly laid it bare. Clearly, she intended to discard Yan Zhuxing as a pawn to take the blame.
Yan Zhuxing retorted swiftly, “Just because I’m not your biological daughter, you’re trying to pin Yan Mingyue’s filthy deeds on me, all while pretending to be righteous!”
“You’re lying! Mingyue would never do such a thing,” Yan Mingxiu immediately stepped forward to defend his sister.
Yan Mingyue’s face turned deathly pale, a mix of anger and panic. She stamped her foot and urged, “Gag her and send her to the Lieguo Duke’s Mansion!”
Why were her mother and brother wasting time arguing with Yan Zhuxing? They should have silenced her from the start instead of letting her spew nonsense.
Now, these lowly servants would surely doubt her.
Yan Mingyue’s face flushed crimson.
“Seize her!” With a single glance from Yan Mingxiu, the guards charged toward Yan Zhuxing.
Realizing they were tearing off all pretense, Yan Zhuxing turned and fled.
Wen Rushuang would never allow her to go to the Guogong Fu alive and well to apologize. She would surely beat her half to death, rendering her unable to speak, forcing her to confess to the crime.
She couldn’t just wait for death.
“What are you standing around for? Catch her!” Wen Rushuang was furious.
Yan Zhuxing was agile. She didn’t fight back, only ran. The guards tried to encircle her, but she found a gap and slipped through.
Chaos erupted in Yulan Courtyard.
Taking advantage of the commotion, Shuangli quietly slipped out of Yulan Courtyard unnoticed.
Knowing she couldn’t outrun them forever, Yan Zhuxing scrambled up the large tree outside the courtyard, leaving everyone present stunned.
They had never seen a young lady from a Marquis’s Mansion climb a tree.
“Yan Zhuxing, get down here this instant!” Wen Rushuang’s face turned livid with rage.
“No! If I come down, you’ll have me beaten to death. You’re even willing to frame me for the poisoning—what wouldn’t you do?” Yan Zhuxing refused firmly.
She had only just begun to recover her health. If she were beaten again, all her efforts would be wasted.
Wen Rushuang felt a pang of regret. She should have lured Yan Zhuxing out of the mansion first, subdued her, and beaten her into submission.
Once the crime of poisoning the heir of the Lieguo Duke’s Mansion was pinned on her, the Empress would surely never summon her to the palace again.
Then, she could be molded however Wen Rushuang pleased.
Enraged, Wen Rushuang shouted, “Bring a ladder! We must capture this wretched girl!”
Servants brought a ladder and climbed the tree, attempting to drag Yan Zhuxing down.
Gripping the branches tightly, Yan Zhuxing kicked the guard who climbed up first. Her deerskin boot sole struck his shoulder, and he lost his grip, crashing to the ground with a thud.
As others tried to climb up, Yan Zhuxing scooped up accumulated snow from the branches and hurled it down. The servants yelped in pain, too afraid to approach easily.
Wen Rushuang trembled with fury, her voice icy and sharp: “Bring an axe! Cut this tree down!”
She refused to believe she couldn’t control a mere girl.