She slowly lifted her gaze, sweeping it over the crowd of guests chatting and laughing in the hall, especially the mother of Ji Yunzhan, who was engaged in lively conversation with another lady not far away. The corners of Lady Shen’s mouth curled into an extremely faint, icy arc.
Dare to lay a hand on her daughter? This Ji Yunzhan would learn today what it meant to wish for death over life.
She picked up the white jade teacup on the table and took a gentle sip. Her voice was not loud, but it was enough for the ladies nearby to hear clearly.
“Speaking of which, I’ve long heard that the white lotuses in the lake pavilion of Changguo Manor bloom with elegant grace. On such a fine day with beautiful scenery, I wonder if Lady Wu would be so kind as to take us to admire them?”
As soon as she finished speaking, several ladies who were on good terms with the Shen family immediately chimed in: “Yes, yes, we’ve heard about them for a long time. Today is the perfect opportunity.”
Surprisingly, even Lady Ji joined in, smiling as she said, “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Hearing this, Lady Shen glanced at Lady Ji with a gaze as cold as ice.
Lady Wu replied, “Since everyone is interested, I’d be delighted to accompany you.” With that, she stood up to lead the way.
As the group made their way through the winding corridors and reached the lakeside, they saw Du Yixian hurrying over with several noble young ladies, her expression flustered and the hem of her skirt stained with damp patches, as if she had suffered a great fright.
Du Yixian inwardly rejoiced. She never expected to run into the ladies here—truly, heaven was on her side.
That wretched Ji Yunzhan would surely be ruined today.
Spotting her mother, Lady Du, among the crowd, her eyes immediately welled up with tears, on the verge of weeping.
“Mother!” Du Yixian rushed over with a sob, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “We… we were just playing in the garden and accidentally got our clothes wet. We thought we’d change in that quiet guest room over there, but… but inside the room… inside…”
At this point, she tightly grasped Lady Du’s sleeve, looking as though she had been deeply traumatized.
The ladies present were all seasoned and astute individuals. Seeing her hesitant, panicked demeanor and the disheveled expressions of her and the other noble young ladies, how could they not understand that something unsavory must have happened?
In an instant, their gazes shifted, and hushed whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
Lady Ji’s heart stirred. The Ji family had long held grievances against Changguo Manor. If today’s incident could humiliate the manor, it would be all the better.
She immediately composed herself and feigned concern, raising her voice to say, “Oh dear, whatever happened in that room, let’s go and see quickly. We mustn’t let the children suffer.”
Her words only fueled the curiosity of the other ladies, who eagerly agreed to go and investigate.
Lady Wu inwardly panicked, wanting to stop them, but she was swept along by the crowd and couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
She shot an angry glare at Lady Ji, who was fanning the flames, but could only brace herself and follow along.
Lady Shen lingered at the back of the crowd, watching Lady Ji’s impatient demeanor with a cold, mocking smile curling at the corner of her lips: Fool.
The group surged toward the guest room, with Lady Ji leading the way, a triumphant smile on her face as she reached out and forcefully pushed the door open—
The moment the door swung open, the scene inside left everyone stunned.
On the bed lay Ji Yunzhan, her clothes disheveled and her hair in disarray. And beside her lay an equally disheveled, unfamiliar man!
Lady Ji’s smile froze on her face, as if she had been struck by a paralysis spell, the color draining from her cheeks bit by bit.
The ladies behind her also gasped in shock, with exclamations and sharp intakes of breath rising one after another.
Lady Wu was stunned for a moment before quickly regaining her composure, unable to suppress a laugh in her heart.
Although this incident occurred at the Duke’s estate, at most it would be seen as poor management and a loss of face, but the real humiliation would fall upon the Ji family!
“Qi’er!” Lady Ji snapped back to reality, shrieking as she rushed in like a madwoman. She grabbed the brocade quilt from the bed and haphazardly covered her daughter, shaking her violently with both hands.
“Wake up! What on earth is going on here!”
Ji Yunzhan was jolted awake by her mother’s intense shaking. She groggily opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was a room full of gazes—some shocked, some disdainful, some gloating—and her mother’s eyes, crimson with rage and despair.
Her mind went blank with a sudden buzz. How had things come to this?
She tried to sit up abruptly, to scream, to tell everyone that it was all Shen Tinghe’s doing.
But just then, her gaze swept past the crowd and met the icy, piercing eyes of Lady Shen at the doorway.
That gaze held no warmth whatsoever, as if she were looking at a lifeless corpse.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile lingered at the corner of Lady Shen’s lips, filled with undisguised mockery and… murderous intent.
Ji Yunzhan’s heart tightened abruptly, and all her words lodged in her throat.
Yes, how could she have forgotten? Shen Tinghe was not alone.
Standing behind her were the Prince of Dingshan, the noble Princess Zhaorong, and the powerful Minister of State.
Her mother, Princess Hualan, was the sister who grew up in the palace alongside His Majesty, their bond deep and unbreakable.
If she dared utter Shen Tinghe’s name today, given the Shen family’s power, she would surely die.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through her back. She even began to absurdly pray that the scandal unfolding before her eyes could outweigh what she had done to Shen Tinghe earlier.
Ji Yunzhan’s scandal spread like wildfire, quickly sweeping through the entire Duke of Chang’s estate.
The male guests in the front hall soon learned of the news, and discussions erupted everywhere.
Naturally, Lady Shen’s behind-the-scenes efforts played no small part in fanning the flames.
What was meant to be a splendid Thousand Flowers Banquet ended in a farce, hastily concluded.
When Shen Tinghe woke again, she was nestled in Xie Yanzhao’s embrace.
She didn’t even need to open her eyes—the crisp, pleasant scent of ambergris lingering at her nose was already etched into her bones.
Her head rested on his shoulder, the left side of her garment pulled down to her forearm, revealing a small patch of delicate, fair skin.
Xie Yanzhao’s large hand was pressed against the back of her neck, his fingertips cool with ointment as he carefully applied it to her injury.
“Brother…”
Grievance welled up in Shen Tinghe’s heart, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.
In response, she was met with Xie Yanzhao’s silence, heavy with suppressed anger.
He said nothing, only meticulously circling his fingertips over the bruised marks with the ointment.
Shen Tinghe tried to turn her head to look at him, but as soon as she moved, he pressed his palm against the back of her head.
“Don’t move.” His voice was low and hoarse, revealing little emotion, yet it inexplicably tightened Shen Tinghe’s heart.
Shen Tinghe obediently stayed still.
She could imagine his expression at this moment—undoubtedly covered in frost.
In Xie Yanzhao’s deep eyes, a cold fury surged, almost enough to swallow a person whole.
His Jiaojiao had grown up so cherished—when had she ever suffered such a severe injury?
Just thinking about it, Xie Yanzhao couldn’t suppress the urge to grind the instigator to dust.
“Brother, don’t be angry with me anymore…”
Shen Tinghe softened her voice, her small hand slipping under the hem of his clothes to gently tug at the fabric around his waist, shaking it like a pleading kitten.
“I promise I’ll have Qing Lan and Qing Dai follow me closely from now on.”