Jiang Yuan Niang had hidden under the bed before Yun Qiufang and the others barged in, so the person who entered earlier hadn't noticed her.
It must be said that this Miss Jiang was quick-witted. Even in such a situation, she didn't panic and cry helplessly but instead thought to minimize the harm to herself.
Since no one had seen her earlier, even if rumors spread later, they would remain just rumors. Seeing is believing, while hearsay is unreliable. Wu Yiyu was the one who had been witnessed with disheveled clothing, entangled with a maid.
Yun Qiufang and Nanzhu helped Wu Yiyu out, while Wu Yiyu stared intently at Yun Qiuchen with an inscrutable expression.
Yun Qiuchen felt uneasy under her gaze, afraid that Wu Yiyu might vent her anger on her without reason. She softened her voice as much as possible and said, "Yiyu, first tidy yourself up. I've already sent someone to fetch a thin cloak. You can drape it over your clothes in a moment."
Wu Yiyu seemed not to hear Yun Qiuchen's words. She threw away the feather duster in her hand and stared at Yun Qiuchen, asking word by word, "Where is Yun Wenfang?"
Yun Qiuchen was taken aback. "What?"
Wu Yiyu repeated, "I'm asking you where Yun Wenfang is." She practically spat out each word, filled with intense anger and hatred.
Yun Qiuchen replied cautiously, "My second brother isn't at the hot spring villa today. Why are you asking about him?"
Wu Yiyu sneered, "Why am I asking about him? Why am I asking about him?" As she spoke, with nowhere to vent her anger, she kicked the maid who had just gotten up, sending her tumbling back to the ground. The maid groaned softly, enduring the pain and not daring to move.
"You might as well ask him what good deeds he's done!"
Yun Qiuchen was initially confused, but after thinking carefully, she was startled. Could it really be as she suspected? She glanced at Wu Yiyu, then at the maid lying on the bed, and instinctively shook her head. "Commandery Princess, could there be some misunderstanding here?"
"Misunderstanding?" Wu Yiyu turned around and strode to the bed. Amidst Qiuxiang's startled cry, she bent down and pulled Jiang Yuan Niang out from under the bed.
"Ask her if it's a misunderstanding!"
Jiang Yuan Niang was also disheveled and in a sorry state, with dust smudged on her cheeks and forehead. Trembling, she glanced at Yun Qiuchen with a humiliated expression, then turned her head away and buried herself in Qiuxiang's arms, softly sobbing.
Yun Qiuchen was too shocked to speak. She had considered earlier that Wu Yiyu might have been framed, but she never imagined that the mastermind would be her second brother, Yun Wenfang. But why would Yun Wenfang do such a thing?
Yun Qiuchen fixed her gaze on Jiang Yuan Niang. Jiang Yuan Niang's sobs were faint, as if she was still trying to hold back, but this only made her seem more pitiable.
Perhaps Yun Wenfang had treated Jiang Yuan Niang this way because he knew the Yun Family wanted him to marry her. But why drag Wu Yiyu into this? Yun Qiuchen had always thought her second brother was willful, domineering, and reckless, but she never imagined he could be so lawless.
Yun Qiuchen's first thought was how to resolve this matter. Would Wu Yiyu be willing to let it go? What should they do if the Old Princess Consort and Madam Wu found out? Would this affect the Yun Family? How should they explain this to the Jiang Family?
The more she thought about it, the more her head ached.
"Yun Wenfang, I will definitely kill him. I must kill him!" Wu Yiyu said fiercely.At that moment, footsteps sounded from outside again. Jiang Yuan Niang's body stiffened, instinctively wanting to hide under the bed once more. This time, however, it was Yin Zhu outside who said, "Miss, Madam has brought people over." Jiang Yuan Niang then remained still.
Hearing that her mother had arrived, Yun Qiuchen could no longer bother with Wu Yiyu and hurried out to greet her.
First Madam Yun walked in hurriedly with a cold, stern expression. Even when she saw Yun Qiuchen, her face did not soften. She only whispered, "That wretched boy! How dare he! How dare he!"
With just this one sentence, Yun Qiuchen understood that Wu Yiyu's accusation against Yun Wenfang was not baseless.
First Madam Yun asked Yun Qiuchen and learned that Wu Yiyu and Jiang Yuan Niang were still inside the room. She then instructed the matron beside her to first take in the two sets of clothes she had brought.
Mother and daughter stood outside, both silent for a long while.
After a pause, First Madam Yun said to Yun Qiuchen, "Don't go in later. I heard that Qiu Fang and the others barged in earlier... Ah! None of them are easy to manage. You stay outside and help clean up the aftermath. This matter must not spread further, especially don't let outsiders know about your second brother... otherwise, it will be even more troublesome."
Yun Qiuchen glanced toward the room and said softly, "If it really was something Second Brother did, I'm afraid the trouble won't be small." Yun Wenfang had stripped the young ladies of their clothes, effectively ruining their reputations. She truly couldn't understand her second brother. Did he intend to marry both Wu Yiyu and Jiang Yuan Niang? If he refused to marry them, how could the Wu Family and Jiang Family possibly let the matter rest?
First Madam Yun understood Yun Qiuchen's meaning and couldn't help but shake her head. "That's why Old Madam Ren said this matter can only be minimized."
"How can it be minimized?" Yun Qiuchen was taken aback.
First Madam Yun looked at her daughter, hesitating whether she should speak, as it would involve matters between men and women. But after a moment's thought, she said, "Let's not even mention the Jiang Family. Just take the Wu Family—they only have Wu Yiyu, their legitimate daughter. Would Old Princess Consort and Madam Wu be willing to let Wu Yiyu marry Fang'er in such a humiliating manner?" If it were Yun Wenting, there might still be a possibility, since Yun Wenting is the legitimate eldest son of the Yun Family and will inherit the family estate in the future.
Yun Qiuchen frowned. "Mother, you mean..."
First Madam Yun sighed. "Our Yun Family has always taught our daughters to be dignified and proper in speech and conduct, so no one dared to gossip about such messy matters in your ears. There have been a few cases of this kind between two women in Yanbei before. In the end, when they came of age, didn't they all marry separately? It didn't affect anything. However, if a woman's reputation is ruined by a man, it becomes difficult to find a good match."
Although First Madam Yun spoke vaguely, her meaning was clear. It was better to let people think it was an intimate affair between two women than to let them know that Yun Wenfang had stripped Wu Yiyu and Jiang Yuan Niang and placed them together. After all, the former affects a woman's marriage prospects, while the latter does not.
Whether among noble families or commoners, pure lineage is highly valued. However, no matter how intimate two women are, it cannot disrupt lineage. This is why society is more tolerant of relationships between women. After all, no matter how much they carry on, in the end, they must obediently marry and bear children.Although this approach would put the Yun Family in the wrong, it was currently the best solution to minimize the loss for the woman involved.
Yun Qiuchen remained silent for a long while.
Madam Yun said, "After all, no matter what, Fang can only marry one. We can’t force anyone to settle for being a concubine, can we? Even if we were willing, would the Wu Family and Jiang Family agree?"
Yun Qiuchen understood Madam Yun’s meaning—the Yun Family would likely have Yun Wenfang marry Jiang Yuan Niang. Jiang Yuan Niang had originally been the choice of Old Madam Yun and Madam Yun as Yun Wenfang’s legitimate wife, so there was nothing to say about that. It was just the matter of Wu Yiyu…
At that moment, the matron who had delivered clothes to Wu Yiyu and Jiang Yuan Niang came out. Madam Yun sighed, gestured to Yun Qiuchen, and entered the room.
Wu Yiyu, having changed her clothes, walked out and nearly collided with First Madam, who was about to enter.
Madam Yun reached out to steady Wu Yiyu, but Wu Yiyu instinctively shook off her hand. When she saw it was Madam Yun, she managed to suppress the anger on her face somewhat, pursing her lips as she glanced at her.
Madam Yun looked at Wu Yiyu apologetically. "These clothes belong to Chen’er. They might be a bit small on you…"
Wu Yiyu interrupted Madam Yun. "What happened today is a private matter between me and Yun Wenfang. It won’t involve the Yun Family, so you don’t need to worry about how to persuade me."
Madam Yun was taken aback, then delighted. She hadn’t expected Wu Yiyu to be so reasonable. Just as she was about to say something, Wu Yiyu’s next words left her speechless.
With a murderous expression, Wu Yiyu declared, "Once I kill Yun Wenfang, this matter will naturally be settled."
"Yi, Yiyu…" Madam Yun tried to call out to Wu Yiyu, but Wu Yiyu walked out of the courtyard without looking back.
Wu Yiyu’s two maids, supporting each other, followed her out and left as well.
Seeing Wu Yiyu’s demeanor, Madam Yun was frightened. She quickly turned and called out to Yun Qiuchen, who hadn’t yet left, grabbing her hand and saying, "Quick, go inform your elder brother. Tell him to find Fang and make sure he doesn’t come back for now."
Madam Yun hadn’t misread the look in Wu Yiyu’s eyes. She believed Wu Yiyu was serious about killing Yun Wenfang. Moreover, Wu Yiyu had the capability to do so. As the daughter of the Governor of Ningxia, she had several martial arts-trained attendants with her. No matter how skilled Yun Wenfang was, he couldn’t fight off multiple opponents alone.
Madam Yun had also heard of the temperament of the Wu Family’s eldest daughter—she was someone who acted without restraint. No matter how angry and resentful she was at her son’s reckless actions, she couldn’t just stand by and watch him be killed by Wu Yiyu.
After Yun Qiuchen left, Madam Yun took a deep breath, relaxed her expression slightly, and entered the west wing. She hadn’t forgotten there was still someone else waiting inside.
Jiang Yuan Niang had already dressed and was sitting on a chair, letting her maid Qiuxiang redo her hair. Her eyes were red, and tear stains were still visible on her face, but she had tidied herself up, leaving no trace of impropriety.
When Jiang Yuan Niang saw Madam Yun enter, she stood up and curtsied respectfully, her manners impeccable, reflecting the grace of a young lady from a prominent family.
Second update delivered～
Still asking for votes～o(∩_∩)o.
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