The moment Xie Guidu appeared, he captured the attention of all the noble ladies present. Some were so mesmerized they stared blankly, unable to look away.
Baochuan, upon seeing him, acted as if she had encountered a savior. She embellished the details of what had happened, and by the end, she indignantly added, "Fourth Miss has such a terrible temper—who knows why she had to take it out on a zither?"
Cuizhi shot her a fierce glare. "You're talking nonsense! It was you who begged us to help bring the zither in…"
Xie Guidu's eyes turned icy as he coldly scanned the severely damaged zither, a faint headache beginning to throb at his temples.
Dou Wenyi’s reason for smashing the zither was nothing more than jealousy—she couldn’t stand the idea of him giving Dou Mingyan even the smallest gift.
It was a pity such a fine instrument had suffered such an unjust fate.
Still, she shouldn’t have made the situation so awkward.
Dou Wenyi cut Cuizhi off. "Enough. Third Sister is too kind to hold it against you, but do you even know your place? Is this the right occasion for you to speak?"
Meng Jingshu’s eyes flickered with a trace of surprise.
Dou Mingyan had allowed her maid to falsely accuse her own sister. Regardless of right or wrong, airing family disputes in public was hardly the behavior of a well-bred young lady.
In contrast, this Dou Fourth Miss remained calm and composed, knowing exactly when to advance and when to retreat. Her subtle, double-edged remark made the distinction between them clear.
Xie Mengyao, filled with righteous anger, exclaimed, "Brother, Mingyan still has to compete this afternoon! How could she run into such trouble? Where is the justice in this… Dou Wenyi has gone too far!"
Xie Guidu replied gently, "Mingyan, I’ll have someone repair the zither for you. I also have a few treasured zithers in my collection—I’ll have Moyu bring them over later. The damage to the zither is a small matter; don’t let it ruin your mood."
Dou Mingyan’s eyes reddened as she replied softly, "Thank you, Lord Xie. I appreciate your help. As for the competition this afternoon, it’s fine if I don’t participate."
Since the person involved showed no intention of pressing the matter, the noble ladies naturally had no objections.
Xie Guidu turned and glanced at Dou Wenyi. "Wenyi, your brother is at Dishui Xie. He has something to discuss with you—you should head over now."
As expected, Xie Guidu never failed to disappoint her. Just as always, he sided with Dou Mingyan, allowing others to smear her name.
If she were to walk away now, by tomorrow, the scandal of her framing her elder sister would spread throughout Tianning City.
Dou Wenyi curled her lips in self-mockery. "Does Lord Xie also believe that I damaged the zither?"
Xie Guidu’s elegant brows furrowed instantly, his gaze sharp and penetrating. "Mingyan has already said she won’t pursue it. Why bring it up again?"
Dou Wenyi glanced at Baochuan, then suddenly crouched down.
A crisp slap echoed through the air as her hand struck Baochuan’s face.
Everyone froze in shock.
Xie Guidu’s brow tightened. How dare she slap Mingyan’s maid right in front of all these noble ladies? Who knew how much worse her behavior was within the Dou family!
Dou Wenyi gripped Baochuan’s collar, forcing her to meet her eyes. "You claim you never opened the zither case?"
Baochuan trembled in fear. "I didn’t! I really didn’t!"
Dou Wenyi smiled coldly. "Is that so? Then why do your hands smell of mugwort and camphor?"
At these words, the expressions of those around them shifted instantly.
Xie Guidu immediately realized—the zither case had originally contained mugwort and camphor. The scent of camphor was difficult to disperse; even if one washed their hands, traces of it would linger.
Baochuan must have touched the qin case—that’s why she carries that scent!
Baochuan’s face turned deathly pale as she nervously picked at her fingers, anxiously defending herself, "No… I didn’t!"
Dou Wenyi glanced back provocatively at Xie Guidu. "Just because you aren’t sensitive to smells doesn’t mean others can’t detect them. For instance, Young Master Xie has an exceptionally keen sense of smell and can easily discern who is lying."
Xie Guidu grew increasingly irritated, his strikingly handsome face now veiled in frost. By now, he could clearly see that the maid was involved. But how dare she order him to sniff Baochuan’s hand? What did she take him for?
Dou Wenyi released her grip, rose gracefully, and brushed the wrinkles from her dress. "The damaged part of the qin is a concave, semi-circular indentation with relatively neat edges. It wasn’t smashed by something with sharp edges like a stone—it looks more like it was struck by a bronze ruyi scepter or something similar."
"We were escorted by servants the entire time we entered, then we ran into Lady Fu’an near the waterside pavilion, and it was only a short while before we reached Bishui Pavilion. Where would I have gotten a weapon in that time?"
Xie Guidu’s brow furrowed slightly. He had watched her enter Bishui Pavilion himself—they truly hadn’t opened the qin case.
Dou Mingyan swayed unsteadily, as if she had been wronged. "Fourth Sister, don’t worry. Baochuan has ill intentions, and I won’t let her off lightly! These are just trivial matters. Let’s discuss this later in private and not give others a reason to laugh at us…"
When Baochuan’s gaze met Dou Mingyan’s warning glare, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, weeping bitterly. "This lowly one deserves death! Please spare me, Fourth Young Lady, spare me… It was my carelessness that damaged the qin. I was afraid of being punished—I shouldn’t have falsely accused Fourth Young Lady…"
Hearing this, Dou Wenyi felt nothing but scorn. "Third Sister, with someone so malicious by your side, you’d better keep your eyes open in the future, lest others say you’re too lenient with your subordinates!"
Dou Mingyan covered her face with her sleeve and sobbed. "Baochuan, how could you harm me like this? People will think it was me… What position does that leave me in?"
Baochuan stiffened, glanced at Dou Mingyan, then despairingly raised her hand and slapped her own face hard. Slap, slap—after several strikes, both her cheeks swelled up, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
The room fell into silence, broken only by Dou Mingyan’s stifled sobs.
"Enough, Baochuan. Step back now and await your young lady’s judgment," Xie Guidu interjected, his voice cutting through the tension.
He shot an annoyed glance at Dou Wenyi, the concern he’d felt earlier completely vanished. "This was meant to be an elegant gathering. Must you ruin the mood?"
He blamed her for spoiling the atmosphere?
"Young Master Xie, are you blaming me?" Dou Wenyi frowned.
She had thought Xie Guidu would at least uphold justice in front of others, but she never imagined he would protect Dou Mingyan to this extent.
How would a mere maid dare take it upon herself to falsely accuse her?
Dou Mingyan had forced Baochuan to take the fall as a scapegoat. With Xie Guidu’s intelligence, could he truly not see through such a clumsy scheme?
Yet he chose to believe her and shielded her at every turn.
"Wenyi, this disgraceful scene has gone on long enough. Hurry and apologize to your Third Sister," Xie Guidu said, his tone cold.