Zhao Jin also said, "Fifth Miss Guo, your apology lacks sincerity."
Jiang Ruan looked at Guo Meng and said, "You didn't wrong him."
Zhao Feizhou was taken aback, looking at Jiang Ruan with confusion. Guo Meng also didn’t understand Jiang Ruan’s meaning and stared intently at her expression.
Jiang Ruan smiled faintly. "Fifth Miss Guo, has no one ever told you how dangerous it is to run away after doing something wrong?"
Guo Meng’s heart skipped a beat, sensing an ominous premonition. Seeing Jiang Ruan’s expression, she could no longer hold back and opened her mouth to scream.
"Tianzhu, knock her out," Jiang Ruan ordered. Before Guo Meng could make a sound, the silent maid standing behind Jiang Ruan swiftly leaped forward. Guo Meng only felt darkness before her eyes, and then she saw nothing more.
Guo Meng’s body slumped limply onto the grass. Zhao Jin frowned, while Zhao Feizhou asked, "What... do you intend to do?"
Jiang Ruan glanced at the figure on the ground. "I don’t have the patience to save you the next time you act foolishly. If you continue like this, the Zhao family will be doomed because of you sooner or later." She sneered. "Tianzhu, take Fifth Miss Guo to watch a show."
Zhao Feizhou, a young man full of vigor, felt slighted by Jiang Ruan’s dismissive attitude and couldn’t help but feel indignant. Jiang Ruan instructed Tianzhu to leave Guo Meng by the rockery near the pond. Tianzhu acted without restraint—Guo Meng’s head struck the rockery, immediately drawing a trickle of blood.
Though those present were somewhat startled, none intervened. Zhao Jin had always despised those who stabbed others in the back, and Zhao Feizhou was no exception. Tianzhu then took out a small vial from her sleeve and waved it under Guo Meng’s nose before standing up. "Miss, she won’t wake for two hours."
Zhao Feizhou watched Tianzhu’s movements curiously and asked, "Your maid knows martial arts? Where did you find her?" As a martial artist himself, he could tell Tianzhu’s skills were formidable.
Jiang Ruan looked into the distance, where Luzhu, who had been keeping watch, hurried over. "Miss, the two madams of the Xia family and several other ladies are heading this way."
So it was the Xia family. A glint flashed in Jiang Ruan’s eyes. "Excellent. Let’s step aside for now."
Meanwhile, a group entered from beyond the woods, led by the prefect’s wife. Shen Rou was conversing with her, while Yu Ya’s gaze swept through the trees as if searching for something.
A maid beside Yu Ya, walking at the front, suddenly shrieked, "There’s someone over there!"
The ladies all looked surprised, but the maid seemed to have stumbled upon something unspeakable. A flicker of delight passed through Yu Ya’s eyes, though she feigned solemnity. "What’s all this shouting? Have you forgotten your manners?"
"Madam Xia, don’t be too quick to scold the servants," the prefect’s wife patted her hand and asked the maid, "What’s the matter? Why the fuss over seeing someone?"The maid stammered, keeping her head lowered. The ladies present, seeing her expression, felt both puzzled and somewhat speculative. Today's Golden Chrysanthemum Banquet was originally arranged for the young ladies and gentlemen. If someone had acted improperly in private... People generally love a spectacle, especially women. Moreover, these ladies were also concerned that their own daughters or sons might be involved, leaving them momentarily torn between advancing or retreating.
Yu Ya, noticing this, said, "This maid has been increasingly unruly lately. Let me go see what has frightened her so." With that, she stepped forward first.
Once Yu Ya took the lead, the other ladies had no reason to stay behind and followed suit. Shen Rou's gaze lingered thoughtfully on Yu Ya before curling her lips into a satisfied smile.
As the group moved forward, they were startled by the sight before them. A young woman lay sprawled beside the artificial rocks by the pond, her clothes and ornaments intact, but a shocking patch of blood on her forehead raised immediate suspicion.
Ru Mei, the concubine of the Vice Minister's household, let out a scream: "Meng'er!"
The Vice Minister's wife was currently bedridden with a serious illness and couldn't attend the banquet, so the concubine who had borne the Guo family's son and daughter had brought them to the Golden Chrysanthemum Banquet instead.
Ru Mei, originally a singer from an opera troupe, was skilled in the art of pleasing men. Today, she had come dressed in flamboyant and gaudy attire, her head adorned with so many ornaments that they nearly dazzled the onlookers. One might have mistaken her for someone seeking a husband for herself rather than for her daughter. Most of the ladies present were legitimate wives, with only a few concubines, all dressed modestly. Naturally, they looked down upon such a frivolous person. Ru Mei had been sitting on the sidelines since her arrival, already quite displeased. Now, seeing her daughter in distress, she rushed forward without hesitation, scooping Guo Meng into her arms.
Upon spotting the wound on Guo Meng's forehead, Ru Mei erupted in curses: "Who is the heartless wretch who harmed my Meng'er like this? Her face is ruined—how will she ever marry now?" Her voice was shrill and grating, causing everyone to frown. Oblivious, she turned to the Prefect's wife and shrieked, "My Meng'er was harmed in your household, Madam! You must find the culprit and punish them severely. Once I find out who it was, I'll skin them alive!"
Her lowly origins were evident in her coarse, shrewish behavior. Not only were her words offensive, but she also rudely blamed the Prefect's wife without clarity. While the Prefect's household bore some responsibility for the incident, Ru Mei's attitude instantly dissipated any sympathy the others might have felt for Guo Meng.
"Madam, please calm down," Yao Shi, the second daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, interjected, unable to bear it any longer. "Let's first assess Miss Guo's injuries."
The mother had been too busy shouting to check on her daughter's condition. Hearing this, the ladies grew even more disdainful of Ru Mei. Though she had her ways with the Vice Minister, she lacked the wits to navigate among these high-born ladies and failed to notice the change in their gazes. She merely shook Guo Meng frantically in her arms, crying, "Meng'er, Meng'er?"Guo Meng lay motionless with her eyes tightly shut. Only then did Concubine Ru Mei grow anxious, abandoning her earlier hysterics as she panicked, "What should we do? Meng'er won't wake up? What exactly happened?"
Yu Ya frowned deeply, while the maid who had earlier pretended to be embarrassed now lowered her head in genuine alarm. This wasn't supposed to happen—how could things turn out like this? The plan had been clear: when people arrived, they should have seen Zhao Feizhou with Guo Meng, with Guo Meng crying from being bullied while Zhao Feizhou irresponsibly denied everything. So why was Zhao Feizhou nowhere to be seen while Guo Meng lay severely injured?
Yu Ya had done her research—while Zhao Feizhou inherited Zhao Yuanfeng's fiery temper, he wasn't the type to attack without reason, and the Zhao family didn't go around beating women. How could this have happened? Just then, the prefect's wife ordered, "Someone, help Miss Guo inside. Take my husband's invitation card and fetch a physician immediately."
As the maids carried the unconscious Guo Meng to lie down in an inner room, before the physician could arrive, Yu Ya's eyes darted around before she spoke up, "Whoever dared to injure Miss Guo within the estate must be from here. With so many guests at today's Golden Chrysanthemum Banquet, it's easy for things to go unnoticed. Perhaps we should ask around—who was Miss Guo with earlier?"
The prefect's wife found this reasonable and sent servants to inquire if anyone had seen who Guo Meng had been with.
The messengers soon returned, reporting that a cleaning maid had seen Guo Meng walking with Zhao Feizhou earlier.
At this, Yao Shi's eyelid twitched. She had brought Zhao Yulong and Zhao Feizhou today—both young men had reached marriageable age, yet both remained as stubborn as rocks, showing no interest in any young ladies. After discussing with Zhou Shi, Yao Shi had brought her son and nephew along. Who could have anticipated such trouble?
Coming from a scholarly family with strict upbringing in etiquette, Yao Shi grew indignant, "I've watched Feizhou grow up—he would never commit such a vile act!"
"Appearances can be deceiving," Yu Ya countered. "Besides, no accusations were made—we merely learned that Young Master Zhao was seen with Miss Guo. Why is Madam Zhao so defensive?"
"You—" Yao Shi burned with anger, recognizing Yu Ya's provocation. Glancing at Shen Rou, she recalled an old incident—when Jiang Ruan's affairs reached the Zhao family, she learned this woman was Xia Jun's mother. Was this deliberate provocation today her revenge?
Concubine Ru Mei seized the chance to stir chaos, shrieking, "So it was you! To think Young Master Zhao would be such a shameless scoundrel! I don't care—he harmed my Meng'er, and I'll have my husband informed immediately! Even if this goes to court, your family won't escape unscathed!"
"Concubine Ru Mei," Yao Shi declared with controlled fury, each word striking like iron, "may I ask why my Feizhou would harm your daughter? Without cause, there must be a reason.""Perhaps your son took a fancy to Meng'er's beauty and harbored filthy thoughts. When she refused him, your son flew into a rage and injured her out of spite!" Aunt Ru Mei's shameless words drew muffled giggles from the surrounding ladies. This Aunt Ru Mei truly behaved like a shrew, oblivious to how her words might affect her daughter's reputation. Once today's incident spread, Guo Meng would find it difficult to secure a good marriage prospect in the future. With a mother so devoid of decency, how could the daughter be any better?
Aunt Ru Mei prattled on merrily, unaware that the Zhao family had always been fiercely protective of their own and were no pushovers. Even the seemingly gentle Yao Shi, after marrying into the Zhao family for so many years, had absorbed some of their unyielding spirit. She immediately let out a cold laugh: "Aunt Ru Mei has quite the sense of humor. With Feizhou's standing, what kind of girl couldn't he find? Why would he need to pursue a concubine-born daughter? Or does Aunt Ru Mei think that just because Miss Guo can sing a few tunes, Feizhou would be smitten? I wonder how she compares to Little Peach Blossom from the opera house on East Street in the capital?"
Among the gathered ladies were some close friends of Yao Shi, who knew her usual temperament would never allow such cutting remarks. Today, however, she had been pushed too far and was truly furious.
After Yao Shi's words, even the prefect's wife struggled to suppress a laugh. Little Peach Blossom from the East Street opera house was renowned for her singing and had entangled with countless officials through her daily performances. Yao Shi's remark was undeniably venomous.
Yu Ya was also surprised that the seemingly meek Yao Shi could be so sharp-tongued. Aunt Ru Mei, of course, recognized the sarcasm in Yao Shi's words and burned with silent rage, but lacking Yao Shi's quick wit, she couldn't think of a retort.
As the atmosphere grew tense, footsteps approached from outside—the group of noble young ladies who had been playing in the courtyard had arrived.
At the forefront was the eldest daughter of the Guo family, Guo Xiang. The moment she reached the doorway, Ru Mei glared at her venomously and scolded, "Eldest Miss, how could you go out to enjoy the scenery with Meng'er yet let her get hurt? What kind of elder sister are you? Don't you know to look after your younger sister?"
The eldest Guo daughter was only fifteen or sixteen years old. Due to her mother's grave illness, she wore a plain dark green gown, her demeanor as quiet and reserved as her attire. Hearing Ru Mei's malicious accusation, she shook her head and replied, "Auntie, I'm not a worm in Fifth Sister's belly—how could I follow her every moment? Besides, I did invite Fifth Sister to come with me earlier, but she refused."
Ru Mei froze. Another young lady beside Guo Xiang spoke up, "That's right. Sister Guo did ask Fifth Sister to come along, but not only did Fifth Sister refuse, she even insulted Sister Guo."
The surrounding noble girls all nodded, confirming they had witnessed this themselves. These young ladies naturally looked down on concubine-born daughters, and Guo Meng's disagreeable personality made it easy for them to side with Guo Xiang while taking the opportunity to disparage Guo Meng. Ru Mei was fuming, but with so many noble daughters present, she couldn't risk offending them all. Instead, she directed her fury at Guo Xiang, glaring at her hatefully.Guo Xiang remained unmoved, but Yu Ya's gaze flickered, landing on Jiang Ruan who was following behind Zhao Jin. As if noticing Ru Mei's stare, Jiang Ruan lifted her eyes and gave her a faint smile. Instantly, an ominous premonition rose in Yu Ya's heart—she felt they'd overlooked something crucial.
"Auntie, Fifth Sister was harmed by someone," Guo Xiang said.
"What?" Ru Mei immediately countered, "Do you know who?"
"Well..." Guo Xiang hesitated, but Zhao Jin beside her spoke up, "Because Miss Guo the Fifth stumbled upon someone's secret."
"What secret?" Ru Mei pressed urgently. Zhao Jin, however, seemed reluctant to continue.
"Just what secret is it?" Seeing Zhao Jin's hesitation, Ru Mei grew even more anxious and tugged at Zhao Jin's sleeve. Madam Zhao frowned slightly at this.
The young lady who had earlier spoken up for Guo Xiang now interjected, "Ah, well, everyone heard it just now—it's not a secret anymore anyway."
This young lady was the youngest daughter of a scholar-official's family, not yet fifteen, merely eleven or twelve years old, and thus far less restrained. She spoke bluntly. The noble ladies present exchanged glances and lowered their heads, as if the secret was too shameful to mention.
Yu Ya's heart skipped a beat as she looked at Jiang Ruan, whose smile seemed to deepen slightly, appearing eerily sinister. Yu Ya stared intently at Jiang Ruan, her brows gradually furrowing.
"Just what is the matter?" the prefect's wife asked gently. "Speak up, don't be afraid."
The young lady said carelessly, "Fine, I'll say it. The secret is that the eldest daughter of the Xia Family is actually the child of the Xia Family's Second Master."
(End of chapter)
OpenNovel