Chapter 175 Morality

Dongqing nodded with shame, "Miss is very angry, so I had no choice but to tell her. Miss said to go find the eldest son of the Du family, and they should be coming to settle accounts with you soon."

"What should I do?" Guan Yi'an frowned and paced on the ground. "I'm afraid the Du family won't tolerate me. If I go out, I might be chased down by Xiao Songyan's guards. Oh well, I meant well but messed things up. I'm just a worthless life. I'd rather be killed than humiliated. I'd better pack up and leave as soon as possible than be driven away."

Hearing him say that, Dongqing felt even more ashamed and uneasy.

“It’s all my fault. Brother Zheng did it all for me. When Young Master Du arrives, I’ll say that you made the soup and that I put the medicine in it. Anyway, Miss doesn’t want me anymore, so she won’t do anything to me. As long as Brother Zheng isn’t implicated, I’m fine with anything.”

Dongqing looked serious; she had already thought it through on her way here.

Since the young lady has already heartlessly abandoned her, she will do everything in her power to protect Brother Zheng.

Brother Zheng has saved her twice, it's time for her to repay his kindness.

Besides, this whole thing started because of her. If Brother Zheng hadn't been trying to cheer up Miss Zheng, he wouldn't have been framed.

Seeing that Dong Qing seemed genuine, Guan Yi'an secretly chuckled at Dong Qing's naivety and gullibility, but on the surface, he appeared extremely affectionate, saying, "I made soup for you willingly. Now that things have gotten out of hand, how can I let you stand up for me? Am I, Zheng, the kind of person who would let a woman protect him? How could I bear to let you be punished?"

Dongqing recalled the young lady's doubts and denials earlier, and now, under Guan Yi'an's foxy gaze and hearing his words, "How could I bear to let you be punished?", her heart was moved to tears.

Even if Guan Yi'an asked her to die now, she would feel no regrets.

She looked at Guan Yi'an with extreme reverence, her tone even carrying a hint of pleading.

“Brother Zheng, listen to me. I’m not standing up for you or protecting you. This is the best way right now. If you’re kicked out, you might be hunted down, but I won’t. And even though Miss doesn’t want me anymore, she won’t kill me. It’s better for them to misunderstand me than for them to misunderstand you.”

She forgot that she had once said she would never scheme against the young lady, but now she was already scheming against the young lady's feelings for her.

Guan Yi'an pretended to think seriously, looking quite troubled.

"What you said makes sense, but I'm still worried about you..."

There were dense footsteps approaching outside. Dongqing whispered with tears in her eyes, "Brother Zheng, do as I say, remember that."

As soon as he finished speaking, Du Yuanhua walked in from outside the door, followed by Xiao Huan and two other maids.

Du Yuanhua was surprised to see Dong Qing in Guan Yi'an's room. He paused for a moment, then said to Guan Yi'an, "Young Master Zheng, it seems you should know why I'm here."

Before Guan Yi'an could speak, Dong Qing interrupted, "Young Master, it has nothing to do with Brother Zheng. I was bewitched. Because Miss scolded me during the day, I held a grudge and secretly added medicine to the soup. Brother Zheng had no idea."

Du Yuanhua frowned, looked at Dong Qing, and said coldly, "My cousin told me earlier that you hadn't betrayed your master, but were just confused. She asked me to take care of you. It turns out she was wrong. It's rare for my cousin to ask me for help, so I should naturally agree to what she said. But at this moment, not making things difficult for you, but merely sending you away, is the maximum I can tolerate."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Dongqing's shocked expression and gave instructions to the door.

"Guards, throw her out. Tell the servants at the gate that she is never to come near the Du residence again."

His tone was casual and simple, but his expression left no room for negotiation.

Dongqing never expected that this gentle and harmless young master Du, who appeared so kind and innocent in front of the young lady, would have such an unapproachable side.

Even as the two servants dragged Dongqing away, she continued to plead for Zheng Qingshan.

However, the servant was not like Meng Lingge and Qiu Lan, who would tolerate her repeatedly. In order to prevent her voice from affecting others, the servant stuffed a piece of rag into her mouth, forcing her to only make soft whimpers. She was then quickly dragged away by the two.

Zheng Qingshan thought that with Dong Qing taking the blame, they could get through this safely.

But Du Yuanhua was clearly not someone to be easily fooled. Now, the way he looked at Du Yuanhua was no longer as kind as before, but rather filled with scrutiny and hostility.

"Although Young Master Zheng may not be as handsome as Pan An, he is certainly quite capable. My cousin's personal maid was willing to be driven away to take the blame for you, and the maids of my Du family were also willing to give false testimony for you. You have only been in my household for less than half a month, yet you have already acquired such abilities. If Young Master Zheng continues like this, I'm afraid all the young maids of my Du family will secretly fall in love with you."

"I've only ever heard of beautiful women causing trouble, but I never imagined that a man like Young Master Zheng would have such methods to stir up trouble. It's just that my Du family is too small to accommodate such a great figure as you."

Guan Yi'an remained calm and composed, smiling slightly as he said, "I remember that Young Master Du said that he could stay at the Du residence for as long as I didn't mind. I thought Young Master Du was a man of his word, but I never expected him to break his promise so soon."

This guy actually tried to morally blackmail him using the words he had said before.

In his heart, his cousin was his moral compass. He had previously treated this fellow as an honored guest because he thought he had saved her. Now that this fellow dared to harm her, he was naturally not going to give him any face.

Du Yuanhua took a step forward, staring coldly at Guan Yi'an.

"If you behave yourself, I'll agree to give you a mansion just like the Du family's, let alone a place to live in the Du residence. But since you harbor treacherous intentions and dared to harm my cousin, I won't tolerate you for even a moment longer!"

“If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason.” Guan Yi’an said frankly, “That girl just said it very clearly. She was the one who put the medicine in. What does it have to do with me? I am deeply in love with Miss Meng. How could I possibly harm her? It’s just that you want to drive me out of the manor and have made up this false charge against me.”

"You think you can fool everyone by bribing one or two maids with your good looks?" Du Yuanhua sneered. "Xiao Huan has already confessed that you asked her to summon Dong Qing and lead him through the back path. Furthermore, yesterday when you went out of the manor to buy achyranthes and blister powder, the pharmacy you entered was one of my Du family's pharmacies. There are pharmacy clerks to testify to this. In fact, when you sneaked into the kitchen to stew the soup, these two maids saw you put an unknown powder into the soup."

Guan Yi'an remained silent, unable to refute the evidence.

He was certain that Meng Lingge didn't want anyone to know about her pregnancy and wouldn't make a big deal out of it, so he didn't pay attention to many details.

He thought the eldest son of the Du family was kind and friendly, but he didn't expect him to act so quickly and meticulously, finding so many witnesses in such a short time.