When Shuran arrived at Dream Fragrance Courtyard, Jiang Danyu had long been awake. After taking a dose of calming medicine, she was now reclining on the bed. Shuran approached and said with a smile, "Miss Dan, Taitai is chatting and laughing with everyone up front, but you're missing. She says she has something excellent for you. Please come with me quickly." Jiang Danyu was initially unwilling, but then Shuran raised her voice sharply, "You blind fools! Hurry up and help your Miss Dan along!" Immediately, two old women rushed forward from either side and half-supported, half-dragged Jiang Danyu away.
Qingfen was terrified and hurriedly informed Jiang Shangxian. Upon hearing that his sister had been taken away by the Lin Family while still ill, he instantly became enraged and rushed after them. Unexpectedly, he was intercepted halfway by Shuangxi and several servant boys. Shuangxi wore a half-smile as he said, "Master Jiang, you cannot enter the Inner Chambers. However, our Master has instructed that you come with me." With these words, he led Jiang Shangxian away. For now, we shall set this aside.
Meanwhile, when Jiang Danyu arrived at Chun Tang Hall and saw the situation inside, her heart turned cold with dread. Her lips turned pale, her legs grew weak, and she could barely stand. Jiang Xiyun was sobbing quietly. As soon as she saw Jiang Danyu arrive, she stood up immediately and, with tears in her eyes, said, "Fourth Sister, they claim that you and I conspired to drug the Master's Concubine! How—how could that be possible?" She stepped forward, grabbed Jiang Danyu's hand, and shook it while crying, "Fourth Sister, speak up! When did we ever conspire? How could we possibly drug the Master's Concubine? Even if we were foolish, we would never do such a thing! What about Father's official reputation, the family's honor, and our own dignity—are they not to be considered?"
Jiang Danyu was already terrified, but upon hearing Jiang Xiyun's tearful account—which was actually a subtle reminder—she grasped the situation clearly. Lowering her head, she gritted her teeth and said, "That's right. How could we—how could we do such a thing? And when did we ever conspire?"
Jiang Xiyun gently wiped her tears and said plaintively, "Exactly. That day, Fourth Sister and I were merely taking a casual stroll and happened to pass by Chun Tang Hall, where we spoke a few words with Chun Ling. Aunt and Cousin, please consider the friendship between the Lin and Jiang families and the elders' affection for us. Why would I resort to such despicable means?"
Jiang Danyu was already intimidated, especially by Lin Jinlou's sinister gaze, which made her feel icy cold all over. Her hands trembled slightly within her sleeves, filled with regret, resentment, and fear. Tears unconsciously rolled down her cheeks. Jiang Xiyun gave her hand a gentle squeeze, causing Jiang Danyu to shudder. She then began to weep softly, "Yes, we—how could we ever do such a thing—"
Chun Ling had long been convinced that this was a conspiracy between the Jiang Sisters. Seeing Jiang Xiyun feigning innocence and hearing Jiang Danyu echoing her words, she nearly ground her teeth to dust. Stiffening her neck, she cried out, "Heaven strike you dead, you wicked, bone-piercing scoundrels! You two sisters schemed together, committing shameless, lawless, and immoral deeds, and now you pin the blame on me! Your consciences have been fed to the dogs! Even if I die, my vengeful spirit will never let you off!" As she spoke, tears streamed down like rain, each word dripping with blood-like anguish.Jiang Danyu was so frightened that she hid behind Jiang Xiyun, her heart filled with both shock and fear, her face already showing clear signs of guilt. Seeing this, Jiang Xiyun quickly pulled Jiang Danyu down to kneel, then crawled on her knees to Grandmother Jiang, clutching her legs tightly. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she cried pitifully, "In broad daylight, I have never conspired with Fourth Sister to harm anyone. Now, in this situation, I cannot defend myself no matter what I say. If this is how it is, I might as well die!" Her face was a picture of heartbreak as she wept, tears falling like rain. She looked at Chun Ling and said, "Chun Ling! I’ve always treated you well. When you complained behind your mistress’s back about how poorly she treated you, I even tried to comfort you with kind words. Why are you now insisting that we sisters conspired together?" Then she turned to Qin Shi and Lin Jinlou, her expression full of grievance and sorrow. "Aunt, Cousin, you know how cautious I’ve always been in conducting myself and how much I value our family’s reputation. How could I possibly do such a thing? Perhaps this matter was deliberately fabricated by someone else, using gossip to stir up trouble!"
Upon hearing this, Liusu stepped forward and pointed at Chun Ling, scolding, "It must be you, you wicked servant, holding a grudge against your mistress and using despicable tricks! Seeing our young lady come to speak with you, you deliberately framed her! Don’t think the Lin Family will let this slide—even the Jiang Family won’t spare you! Who knows, maybe you and your mistress conspired together to pin this on us!"
Lin Jinlou cut off Liusu’s words and asked sharply, "Fourth Cousin, speak up. What exactly happened here?"
Jiang Danyu had already collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. She was utterly terrified, desperate to clear herself of any involvement, and couldn’t help crying out, "It definitely wasn’t me! Definitely not! It was—it was—" She stammered, glancing up at Chun Ling, who had been beaten miserably, her hair disheveled and her face full of venomous hatred like a ghost. Then she looked at Jiang Xiyun—but Jiang Danyu couldn’t bear to look further and buried her face in the ground, weeping bitterly. "How could I have done this? I’ll be going home with Big Brother soon. I have no past or present grievances with Xianglan, and it’s not like I’m the one trying to marry into this family. Why would I go to such lengths to harm her?"
Lin Jinlou said, "Are you implying that Fifth Cousin did this?"
Hearing this, Jiang Xiyun felt a surge of secret anger and cried even more bitterly. She crawled on her knees to Qin Shi, clutching the hem of her clothes, her eyes swimming with tears as she pleaded mournfully, "Aunt, Aunt, I have never conspired to harm anyone! Before this, Chun Ling already held a grudge against Concubine Lan and mentioned it to me several times. I always tried to comfort her and grew somewhat closer to her because of it. Who would have thought... who would have thought it would lead to such a disaster?" Her face was a mask of despair as she turned to Jiang Danyu and said sorrowfully, "Fourth Sister, Fourth Sister, why are you saying this? Why are you treating me like this?"
Jiang Danyu had always been envious of her younger sister’s marriage prospects and had intended to frame her, but she never expected things to spiral out of control. She was already terrified out of her wits, and upon hearing Jiang Xiyun’s tearful accusations, it felt like cold water had been poured over her head and ice placed in her arms. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted once again. Grandmother Jiang and Liusu hurriedly rushed over to check on her, pinching her philtrum and rubbing her chest. Grandmother Jiang cried out, "My child! My darling!" as if her heart would break. After a moment, Jiang Danyu opened her eyes and let out a faint sigh. Grandmother Jiang wiped her tears and lamented, "What sin! What sin! Are they trying to drive someone to her death?" Meanwhile, Jiang Xiyun collapsed weeping at Qin Shi’s feet, her cries full of sorrow, while Chun Ling sobbed quietly.Since things had come to this, there was no further questioning possible. Qin Shi hastily instructed the maids to carry Jiang Danyu back on a spring bench. Amid the commotion, Hua Shan emerged and announced loudly, "Our new concubine says she invites Grandmother Jiang and the Fifth Jiang Young Lady to her room for a chat."
The room fell abruptly silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Hua Shan. Grandmother Jiang and Jiang Xiyun exchanged bewildered glances, utterly stunned. Hua Shan repeated more loudly, "The new concubine says she invites Grandmother Jiang and the Fifth Jiang Young Lady to come in for a chat."
Lin Jinlou snorted coldly, stood up, and strode away with a flick of his sleeve.
While Grandmother Jiang was still dazed, Jiang Xiyun stepped forward to support her and said slowly, "Let's go, let's go in and see."
The seventh and eighth months have been hectic, and I fell ill last week, causing all sorts of delays. My sincere apologies.
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