Chapter 74: Revenge and Punishment of Cousin, Unexpected Visitor

After a while, Mrs. Xie wrapped herself in a quilt, hugged the hand warmer tightly, and shivered. Her nose and tears were running, and her teeth were chattering.

Most of the guests who came to the Winter Solstice Banquet had not left yet. When they heard the noise, they rushed over to watch in surprise.

The several noble ladies who were originally chatting and laughing with Old Madam Xie also had different expressions.

Today, the Xie family is in turmoil, with one crisis after another. It's so lively.

Xie Mingan stood outside the pavilion, looking at the messy scene with a frown on his face.

"Go get some charcoal braziers," he said, trying to remain calm, "Is Mother okay?"

Old Madam Xie raised her head and saw Xie Chengbai still standing there in a daze. She was filled with shock and anger: "This is rebellion, this is rebellion! This evil creature is trying to murder me!"

Xie Chengbai finally came to his senses and knelt down in a state of panic: "It wasn't me, Grandmother! You fell down by yourself--"

"No," he stared at his hands, then suddenly changed the subject, staring at Xie Yao viciously, "It was her. Xie Yao deliberately led me here. She had seen Grandma here a long time ago!"

Xie Yao hid behind a noble lady with a gentle face and calm eyes and said, "Cousin, how can you say that? It was you who chased me and beat me. I didn't even have time to hide."

Xie Mingan sent someone to call a doctor, but when he turned around, his face turned ashen.

He glared at Xie Yao and demanded, "What's going on? Xie Yao, is what Cheng Bai said true? Did you deliberately lure him here to frame him?"

He knew that Xie Yao had some skills, so he also thought that there was something fishy about this matter.

Xie Yao looked up suddenly, her eyes instantly red.

"Father?" Her voice trembled with disbelief and grievance. "My cousin wanted to beat me in front of everyone, and instead of standing up for me, you accused me of framing him? I'm your own daughter!"

After these words were spoken, the onlookers looked at Uncle Xie with complicated expressions.

The ladies saw it clearly that it was their nephew who harmed their daughter, but they didn't expect that Uncle Xie would blame his daughter as soon as he came up.

Madam Wenhegui beside her frowned and said, "My Lord, your words are biased. I saw clearly just now that it was your nephew with red eyes, chasing and beating your Second Miss. She didn't even have time to hide."

The person who was speaking was the wife of the Minister of Rites, whose surname was He. She was usually very respectful and warm to others, and had a chivalrous heart.

The Minister of Rites was Xie Ming'an's immediate superior.

Xie Mingan heard the accusation in Madam He's tone and said awkwardly, "Madam He, you don't know. It's not that I'm wrongly accusing her. It's that my second daughter has always been naughty and likes to use tricks."

Madam He sneered, "It would be fine if he didn't protect his own daughter when she was bullied, but he even spoke up for his nephew. If this gets out, Uncle, I'm afraid he'll be known as mean and ungrateful."

The other lady also nodded: "The prince just said that the Xie family's family tradition is not strict, I think so..."

"By the way, I heard that the Duke of Wenchang favors his concubine over his wife. Didn't you see that the entire Winter Solstice banquet was run by the concubine, and the Duke's wife didn't even show up?"

Xie Mingan's forehead twitched.

He cared most about his own and his family's reputation, but today, he was humiliated again and again, which was even more painful for him than being beaten by Xie Yao.

And there is this Mrs. He, who usually loves to meddle in other people's affairs, and now she is meddling in his affairs.

Old Madam Xie was about to faint, but when she heard Madam He say that her son was mean and ungrateful, she quickly forced herself to stand up and slapped Xie Chengbai in the face.

"It's all this trouble caused by this little scoundrel. He chased and beat his cousin in broad daylight, and even dared to argue in front of the uncle. Are you crazy?"

Xie Chengbai's face was burning with pain, and he roared in frustration: "It's not me! Grandma, I'm your grandson, why are you hitting me!"

Madam Xie's face twisted: "You are my grandson, so I must discipline you!"

Xie Mingan glanced at Xie Yao, who looked aggrieved, then lowered his head to look at his nephew lying on the ground, his teeth itching with hatred.

This idiot couldn't even beat a woman like Xie Yao, and he even hurt his mother.

He called over the head guard, Jiang Si, and shouted, "Drag Xie Chengbai away, give him twenty lashes of the cane, and confine him to his house for three months. Keep him under strict supervision. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll break his legs!"

"Uncle! You can't do this!"

Xie Chengbai was completely panicked, crying and struggling: "It's all the fault of that bitch Xie Yao. She plotted against me, and she also called the King of Jingbei here! Grandmother, uncle, you don't believe me, but her?"

Jiang Si didn't dare to delay and picked up the young man and dragged him out.

Xie Chengbai's crying became farther and farther away, and in the end he was still cursing Xie Yao.

The Second Wife and Mr. Xie, who had rushed over, were about to faint again when they saw this scene.

Xie Yao listened to Xie Chengbai's voice, and her whole body felt relaxed, trembling slightly.

When Mrs. He saw this, she thought she was just extremely scared and felt even more pity for her.

Xie Mingan had Madam Xie carried to the conservatory before he came to appease the guests: "Madam He, what happened today was all a misunderstanding—"

Before he could finish his words, Madam He had already shaken her head and turned around with the other ladies, not wanting to say a word to him.

Xie Yao stood there, looking down at the puddle of water left by Old Madam Xie on the ground, her expression cold.

In her previous life, she was pushed into the water by Xie Chengbai and had a high fever for three days and three nights. When she was almost dying, Xie Mingan just sent someone to tell her: You are the elder sister, so you should give in to your younger brother.

Mrs. Xie also said that she deserved it.

What about now? Xie Chengbai pushed Old Madam Xie into the water, and Xie Mingan personally ordered the severe punishment of his nephew. The Xie family's reputation for lax family traditions was completely established.

Mrs. He came with her son. Her son had previously agreed with Xie Chengbai, and his family's carriage was smashed by Xiao Yizi, so he was trapped in the uncle's mansion for a while.

Xie Yao stepped forward and bowed, "Thank you ladies for speaking for me."

These noble ladies said kindly, "My child, I am sorry for your hardship. I am glad that you are okay."

"Thank you, Miss Second, for your courtesy. You will be the princess from now on, and we will have to pay our respects to you."

Madam He glanced at Xie Mingan not far away and said deliberately, "I will have a good talk with my husband about the matter of the Wenchang Marquis' Mansion when I return."

When Xie Mingan heard this, his face turned pale and blue.

He had a premonition that the emperor would hold the Xie family accountable at the morning court every day.

Madam He whispered again, "I have met your mother several times in the past. Second Miss, please give her my regards and thank the Xu family for their newly opened Shengjitang."

When Xie Yao heard the name Shengjitang, she knew that it was her uncle who was secretly helping her and her mother.

"Last month, my mother fell ill and needed 500-year-old ginseng, which is priceless. Thanks to Shengjitang, they took out old ginseng at a price 30% lower than the market price, which saved my mother's life." Mrs. He said gratefully.

Xie Yao asked, "Doesn't Ji'an Hall have this ginseng?"

Madam He snorted coldly, "Nowadays, all the Chinese medicine clinics in Beijing recognize Shengjitang. Ji'an Tang charges exorbitant prices, selling a single ginseng root for a thousand taels of gold. Sooner or later, they'll go bankrupt."

She took Xie Yao's hand and saw the jade bracelet given to her by the wife of the Marquis of Anping. She then took off a pigeon-blood gem hairpin from her hair and said, "Second Miss, this is a thank you gift."

Xie Yao lowered her head slightly, and Madam He put it on her personally. She looked at it carefully and was amazed.

"How could there be such a beautiful and graceful girl in the world? The second young lady can outshine all the beauties in the capital."

If Xie Yao had not been the soon-to-be-married Princess of Jingbei, she would have wanted to bring her home to be her daughter-in-law.

"Thank you for your kind words, Madam."

Xie Yao sent them to the backyard to rest and wait, which made these noble ladies believe even more that the rumors were untrue.

The second young lady of the Xie family is obviously polite, gentle and generous. How can she be a country woman who doesn't know the rules?

The wife of Marquis Anping and her sister Jiang Nianxi were in the warm room in the backyard. They had sent someone back to the mansion to inform them, and were now waiting for a new carriage to arrive.

Suddenly, Jiang Nianxi pointed at a carriage parked at the door of the warm room and asked in surprise, "Sister, look, is that my brother-in-law's carriage?"

The wife of the Marquis of Anping looked in the direction of the sound and saw the carriage with red wheels and a canopy. She immediately smiled and said, "The Marquis has arrived."

The servants in the Marquis' Mansion shouted in unison: "The Marquis of Anping has arrived—"

Xie Yao thought of her previous life, frowned, and was about to leave.

But Xie Zhi suddenly appeared from nowhere and ran to the crowd in one step.