At these words, the entire room was shocked!
Shen Rou, who had been enjoying the spectacle from the sidelines, never expected the conversation to suddenly turn toward her. Her face instantly paled.
"What on earth is going on?" Yu Ya demanded sharply. Instinctively, she glanced at Shen Rou and noticed her unusual expression. Her heart sank, and an overwhelming wave of hatred surged within her.
Having fought with Shen Rou as sisters-in-law for so many years, she knew exactly what that expression meant—it confirmed that the young lady's words earlier were true.
When she first entered the Xia family, she had known Xia Tiancai was a philanderer by nature. But since she had borne Xia Jun, her position as the matriarch was secure. No matter how wild Xia Tiancai was, he still had to show her some respect.
However, Yu Ya was inherently harsh and prone to jealousy. The eldest son of the Xia family, Xia Tianyi, was dull by nature, yet he had married a beautiful and delicate wife like Shen Rou. Women always compared themselves to others, and Yu Ya couldn’t stand that Shen Rou, despite having only a daughter, still enjoyed her husband’s affection, while she, despite bearing a son, couldn’t hold Xia Tiancai’s heart. What infuriated her most was the occasional admiring glances Xia Tiancai cast toward Shen Rou.
Now, it all made sense—the two of them had long been entangled. No wonder Xia Tiancai wasn’t particularly close to his elder brother but doted excessively on his niece, Xia Jiao Jiao. It turned out Xia Jiao Jiao was their bastard child all along!
An uncle and his sister-in-law carrying on an affair—Xia Tianyi wearing a cuckold’s hat while raising another man’s daughter—what a ludicrous joke!
"Let me explain," Jiang Ruan said coolly. "Earlier, while we were here, a young maid came running in, seemingly terrified. She said Miss Guo Wu had stumbled upon a secret of the Xia family, and that the person responsible had killed Miss Guo Wu and was now trying to silence her as well. The maid was so frightened that, under our questioning, she revealed the secret—exactly what you see before you now."
"So it was you who harmed my Meng’er!" Ru Mei, ever the opportunist, immediately switched sides upon hearing this and spat at Yu Ya and Shen Rou. "You two did something shameful and then tried to cover it up with murder! If anything happens to my Meng’er, my husband will never let you off!"
Yu Ya took a deep breath, knowing now was not the time to dwell on other matters. If unfavorable rumors about the Xia family spread, it wouldn’t bode well for her either. She said, "Aunt Ru Mei, isn’t it too hasty to judge based solely on the words of some unknown maid? My sister-in-law and I have been here the entire time—how could we have possibly left to harm Miss Guo Wu?"
"This…" Ru Mei was momentarily speechless.
Jiang Ruan smiled. "Why isn’t Second Madam Xia’s other maid here?"
Typically, noblewomen would be accompanied by two maids when they went out. Yet, from the beginning until now, Yu Ya had only one maid by her side—the other was conspicuously absent. Even if she had gone to fetch something, she should have returned by now.Yu Ya's expression changed. She knew exactly where that maid had gone—the maid had been stationed there to keep watch and lead Zhao Feizhou to meet Guo Meng, yet she hadn't returned for a long time. Of course, Yu Ya couldn't reveal the truth, but Jiang Ruan didn’t give her time to react. Instead, she walked over to Guo Meng, who was lying on the couch, and lightly picked up a silk handkerchief, murmuring softly, "This handkerchief... seems to have something strange on it..."
Just then, the physician who had examined Guo Meng’s injuries finished writing his prescription and came over. He took the handkerchief from Jiang Ruan, sniffed it, and said, "This young lady is unconscious due to a narcotic. The handkerchief carries the scent of the same drug."
"A narcotic?" Ru Mei cried out in shock. "Then how did the wound on her forehead happen?"
"Well..." The physician hesitated. "She likely hit something after being drugged, or perhaps someone struck her with a hard object. Fortunately, the force wasn’t too strong. A few doses of medicine and some rest should suffice."
"When will my daughter wake up?" Ru Mei asked.
"It’s nothing serious," the physician glanced at Guo Meng on the couch. "Once the effects of the narcotic wear off, she’ll naturally regain consciousness."
The prefect’s wife quickly nodded in thanks and had a maid escort the physician to prepare the medicine. The atmosphere grew tense. Jiang Ruan chuckled lightly. "Well... Third Young Master Zhao is a grown man—it’s hardly likely he’d carry around a handkerchief to harm someone. Besides, this handkerchief is embroidered with flowers. Doesn’t it look more like... a woman’s belonging?"
Hearing this, everyone found it reasonable. Not only was Zhao Feizhou an upright young man who wouldn’t carry a handkerchief for no reason, but the floral embroidery also clearly indicated it wasn’t a man’s possession.
Ru Mei, sharp-eyed, recognized the handkerchief at once—she knew it belonged to Guo Meng. Though she didn’t understand why Guo Meng would lace it with a narcotic, now that trouble had arisen, she had to pin the blame on someone else. The Xia family was a noble household—perhaps she could gain some advantage from this. Otherwise, wouldn’t Guo Meng suffer in silence? Thus, Ru Mei immediately declared, "Exactly! Who would’ve thought Madam Xia would be so vicious? This handkerchief must’ve been dropped by your maid! Hmph! Your maid used it to drug Meng’er, then tried to silence her by framing Third Young Master Zhao! What a cunning scheme!"
Shen Rou and Yu Ya both paled, with Yu Ya especially furious. She hadn’t even recovered from Shen Rou’s scandal, and now Ru Mei was dragging her into this mess. She glared venomously at Jiang Ruan—if Jiang Ruan wasn’t behind today’s events, she’d eat her words! That wretched girl must have orchestrated this!
Jiang Ruan smiled faintly, meeting her gaze with a faintly mocking lift at the corner of her eyes, exuding a provocative challenge.
Yu Ya felt blood rush to her head, her voice turning shrill. "Why would I send someone to silence your daughter? It’s not me who committed adultery! I haven’t done anything disgraceful!" In her rage, she blurted out the words festering in her heart, the resentment in her tone shocking all the ladies present. Immediately, their gazes toward her and Shen Rou turned scrutinizing and suspicious.Shen Rou was on the verge of collapse. Once today’s events spread, the Xia Family’s reputation would be ruined, and she had no idea what awaited her. In the Da Jin Dynasty, if an affair occurred between a man and his sister-in-law in an official’s household, the man would be disgraced for life, and the woman would be drowned in a pig cage. Moreover, Xia Jiao Jiao’s future would also be destroyed because of this.
Ru Mei, however, was not one to be reasoned with. She immediately burst into laughter, summoning the boldness she once had as the star of the opera stage, and said, “Of course you’d protect him! You may not have done those things, but it’s your husband who’s been disgraced. If this scandal gets out, your reputation as his wife will be ruined too. You want to harm my Meng’er and cover up the Xia Family’s shame? Well, I’ll make sure everyone knows!” With that, Ru Mei began shouting at the top of her lungs, “Help! The Second Madam Xia is trying to silence my daughter to hide the family’s scandal! The Second Madam Xia is murdering people! The Eldest Miss Xia is the child of the First Madam Xia and the Second Master Xia—!”
Ru Mei, being a former opera singer, had exceptional lung capacity. She shouted without pausing for breath, her voice ringing loud and clear, carrying melodiously through the entire governor’s residence.
The onlookers were stunned. Ru Mei clearly had no regard for propriety or decorum, shouting whatever came to mind. Even Yu Ya, who had seen much in her years, had never encountered a woman who acted so unpredictably and was momentarily at a loss on how to stop her.
The crowd was both shocked and amused. Zhao Jin was already laughing so hard she nearly fainted, whispering to Jiang Ruan, “What a star! That shout truly stole the show!”
Shen Rou, hearing this, felt all dignity stripped away. With a roll of her eyes, she pretended to faint, collapsing backward. Her maids hurried to support her, saying, “Madam, my lady is feeling unwell and may faint. Please allow her to rest inside.”
The governor’s wife quickly agreed, leaving Yu Ya as the only remaining member of the Xia Family. Yu Ya inwardly cursed Shen Rou’s cunning, but she also felt a faint sense of satisfaction at Zhao Mei’s outburst. With such a scandal exposed, the whole capital would know by tomorrow, and Shen Rou would have no face left to live with. Seeing Shen Rou retreat inside, Yu Ya considered doing the same. But Ru Mei was sharp-eyed—even while shouting, she kept a close watch on Yu Ya’s movements. The moment Yu Ya pretended to faint, Ru Mei rushed forward, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her vigorously. “Second Madam Xia, you can’t just turn your back after what you’ve done to my Meng’er! Let’s go to the magistrate together—even in court, you’re in the wrong!”
Yu Ya, shaken so violently, couldn’t faint even if she wanted to. She seethed inwardly, wondering how Guo Meng could have such a troublesome mother. Being harassed like this was humiliating, and Yu Ya was about to lose her temper when another set of footsteps approached from outside. A voice called out from afar, “Mother, are you alright?”
A group of young noblemen had arrived, having rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Leading them was a youth in a jade-white robe, his face as fair as polished jade, his expression sharp and clever. A folding fan hung at his waist, giving him an air of both wisdom and vitality. This was none other than the Zhao family’s Second Young Master, Zhao Yulong.Zhao Feizhou followed closely beside Zhao Yulong. As soon as they entered, his gaze immediately sought out Jiang Ruan. Seeing her expression as composed as ever, a faint smile on her lips, and then taking in the disheveled state of Yu Ya and Ru Mei, he finally relaxed, his tension visibly easing.
Yao Shi noticed her son and nephew had arrived and, seeing nothing amiss with either of them, also felt relieved. She asked, "What brings you two here?" Though inwardly, she was reluctant for the young masters of their household to witness such unsavory affairs. The thought that these people had earlier tried to pin the blame on Zhao Feizhou reignited her anger.
Zhao Feizhou and Zhao Yulong caught Yao Shi's displeasure. Zhao Yulong spoke up politely, "We heard the commotion and rushed over in concern. We beg the ladies' forgiveness for our abrupt intrusion."
His courteous demeanor and striking appearance won the favor of the gathered ladies and young misses, who couldn't possibly think to reprimand him. Watching Zhao Yulong, Yu Ya couldn't help but think of Xia Jun, her heart aching with pain. Her gaze toward Zhao Yulong turned venomous.
Then, trailing behind the group of young gentlemen, a petite figure in flowing white robes appeared—none other than Jiang Susu.
Earlier, all the young ladies had been present, but everyone had been preoccupied with Guo Meng's situation, so no one had noticed Jiang Susu's absence. Now, seeing her enter alongside the male guests, understanding dawned, and the crowd's eyes filled with disdain. For all her airs of purity and detachment, this second young miss of the Jiang family was clearly no better—sneaking off to spy on the young men, and now brazenly appearing before them.
Jiang Susu paid no heed to their scorn. Today hadn't been without its gains—several young gentlemen had already fallen for her charms, and she basked in the satisfaction. Still, though many were from noble families, none came close to the position she truly coveted. Thoughts of the Eighth Prince, Ye Li, brought a pang of melancholy—it had been so long since she'd last seen him.
Yet the Xia Family was still connected to her, so Jiang Susu frowned slightly and asked softly, "Second Aunt, what has happened here?"
Ru Mei glanced at Jiang Susu, her own disdain barely concealed. This Jiang Susu, with her striking beauty, had overshadowed her own Guo Meng. Her tone was sharp as she replied, "It's all thanks to your second aunt's fine deeds! Had my Meng'er not been fortunate today, this vicious woman would have taken her life!"
Zhao Feizhou's eyes flickered involuntarily toward Jiang Ruan. Earlier, after Jiang Ruan had Tianzhu knock Guo Meng unconscious, she'd instructed him to leave quickly. Though reluctant, Zhao Feizhou had complied, unnerved by her icy demeanor. She'd told him to relay everything to Zhao Yulong upon his return. After hearing the account, Zhao Yulong had pondered briefly before advising Zhao Feizhou to keep quiet. Only when commotion arose from the western garden did Zhao Yulong casually suggest the group of young men investigate.
Zhao Yulong's eyes gleamed faintly as he looked at Jiang Ruan, who met his gaze with a faint smile. As Zhao Yuanping's son, Zhao Yulong had inherited some of his father's cunning and was thoroughly pleased with his cousin's tactics. The two exchanged a knowing glance before averting their eyes once more.Among the young ladies present who admired Zhao Yulong, one spoke softly to explain what had happened. After listening, Zhao Yulong frowned and asked, "So, have the two maids—the one involved in the incident and the one serving Second Madam Xia—been found yet?"
"Naturally, we've searched," replied the prefect's wife, "but both have disappeared."
One of the young noblemen in the crowd blurted out boldly, "What's there to guess? Clearly, the murderous maid killed the informant and then fled, knowing her crime was exposed. That's why they can't be found!"
His words caused another heavy silence. The explanation was plausible and seemed perfectly logical. The glances cast toward Yu Ya grew increasingly suspicious. Yu Ya was furious—finding those two maids would have proven her innocence, or at least shown she hadn't ordered anyone to harm Miss Guo Meng. Yet now, both had vanished without a trace. She couldn't help but glare at Jiang Ruan—was this another one of her schemes?
Jiang Ruan's faint smile had never faded from the start. Of course, the "informing maid" wouldn't be found even if they turned the entire prefect's residence upside down—because she had never been a maid at all. Though Jin San was an assassin, her disguise had been flawless, fooling even these discerning young ladies. As for Yu Ya's maid, she would never return.
Yu Ya was truly caught between a rock and a hard place now. Ru Mei pressed her relentlessly, while Guo Meng remained unconscious from the drug with no telling when she might wake. Today's scheme had backfired spectacularly. Frustrated and enraged, Yu Ya could only stiffly repeat, "I never ordered anyone to harm Guo Meng." Unfortunately, no one believed her.
(End of Chapter)
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