Chapter 19 Framing

Xie Guidu frowned thoughtfully. He vaguely felt that Dou Wenyi seemed to have changed, and there was still an unfathomable mystery surrounding her.

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what went wrong.

He stood up and looked out, watching the beautiful figure walk to the entrance of the Biyue Pavilion before turning his gaze away and ordering someone to lay out another sheet of painting paper.

Meanwhile, the sounds of discussion could be heard from inside the Biyue Pavilion among the noble ladies.

"...Don't you know? She's vicious and even pushed her own aunt, causing her to miscarry. She's a jinx!" The speaker was Xie Mengyao, the second young lady of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, and also Xie Guidu's younger sister.

She was Dou Mingyan's confidante, and also her henchman.

The feud between them began at the private school for girls of the Marquis of Shangzhongxin.

In her previous life, after she married into the Dingyuan Marquis's family, Xie Mengyao became even more ruthless and caused her countless troubles. Even the early death of her only child with Xie Guidu was related to her!

"I heard she was kidnapped by bandits and lost her virginity. Is that true?"

“Don’t talk nonsense, don’t spread rumors. I heard she’s already passed the pharmacist exam…” another girl’s voice was very weak as she defended herself.

She was Shen Lishu, the legitimate daughter of Shen Jin, the Minister of Justice, and also her sister-in-law in her previous life, the wife of Dou Mingxiu. Unfortunately, Dou Mingxiu did not cherish her at all.

In her previous life, she was just as miserable and tragic as she was; both were pitiful people who had been let down.

The girls took turns listing Dou Wenyi's numerous misdeeds.

Dou Mingyan seemed displeased. "Alright! Aren't we talking about music? I wasn't very comfortable using that zither just now; I was quite rusty. I think Sister Meng played 'Xiao Xiang Shui Yun' the best."

Meng Jingshu, dressed in a bright red dress, picked up the conversation, "Tsk tsk, listen to what she's saying? If she were to play 'Journey to the Moon Palace' on her zither, wouldn't she be the champion?"

The Meng family has produced three high-ranking officials for four generations, with her grandfather being the current Grand Secretary. Her status among noble ladies goes without saying.

"Sister Meng, you're so glib and always make fun of me. We're just entertaining ourselves, and there aren't any judges. Who would dare to be the champion?" Dou Mingyan scolded playfully, pretending to hit her with her fan.

Meng Jingshu grabbed her wrist, beaming, "Don't try to burrow into my arms, I'm not the Crown Prince! Are you worried about not having judges? Didn't the Princess say she'd let us compete later? You'll have your chance to show off your skills."

Dou Mingyan blushed shyly, "Sister Meng—"

"Wouldn't it be interesting if we found a few musically talented people to be judges?" Xie Mengyao suggested, her eyes lighting up.

"Someone, hurry and invite Young Master Xie and Young Master Fu." Meng Jingshu also thought this was a good idea.

Dou Mingyan smiled enigmatically, "You little vixen, your heart is fluttering with springtime feelings. I think you're not looking for judges, but rather for a perfect husband..."

As soon as he finished speaking, it drew a burst of laughter.

Dou Wenyi gestured to Cuizhi to take the zither inside to Dou Mingyan. These young ladies from prestigious families are shameless in gossiping about others behind their backs; their so-called upbringing is nothing more than this.

"Third Miss, your zither has arrived!"

"Cuizhi? Where is Fourth Sister?"

Dou Mingyan came out from inside and took her hand. "You're here. Why didn't you come in?"

Everyone turned to look at her, their scrutinizing gazes falling upon her.

Upon first sight, everyone felt a pang of jealousy.

She possessed an exceptionally beautiful appearance, one in a million.

Dou Wenyi calmly withdrew her hand and said with a faint smile, "Third Sister, you two continue playing, I won't disturb you any longer."

A flash of malice crossed Xie Mengyao's eyes, and she smiled meaningfully, "Dou Wenyi, Sister Mingyan's zither playing is superb. You're her sister, so you must be very skilled too, right? Don't hold back, show us your talent."

"Yeah yeah."

"Don't be modest. Even if you don't play well, no one will laugh at you."

"Miss Dou, are you afraid? Don't be afraid, it's just that we're all having fun together."

When someone made the suggestion, others egged them on; the noble ladies had different thoughts.

Dou Mingyan was not about to let her go so easily. "My fourth sister is timid. I won't stand for it if anyone bullies her again. Fine, you don't have to play the zither. Come, let's have some tea and snacks together!"

Oh!

Her words, seemingly defending herself, were actually an attempt to label her as 'cowardly'.

At this moment, someone suggested, "Mingyan, is this your newly acquired masterpiece zither? Why don't you open it and let us see it?"

With a creak, the violin case was opened.

"This zither—"

Xie Mengyao gasped in shock and exclaimed, "What happened?"

Dou Wenyi turned her head to look at the zither and saw that two strings were broken and a fist-sized dent appeared on the body of the zither. Several shocking cracks spread out from the dent, clearly indicating that it had been hit by a heavy object.

Dou Mingyan's expression suddenly changed, and she burst into tears, "I played this zither yesterday, and it was perfectly fine..."

Immediately, noble ladies stepped forward to comfort her, chattering away and casting various unfriendly glances at her.

"Baochuan, what exactly happened?"

Baochuan knelt down with a thud, crying and pleading her innocence, "Miss, please forgive me! It can't be! The zither was perfectly fine... When I came here, it was always with me, I don't know why this happened!"

Baochuan suddenly realized something and looked up sharply. "Miss, when I entered the garden just now, I had an upset stomach and went to relieve myself. I left the zither with Fourth Miss..."

Dou Wenyi sneered inwardly; so this was where they were waiting for her.

Baochuan, kneeling, shifted her knees, grabbed the hem of her skirt, looked up at her, and spoke in a very aggrieved tone.

"Fourth Miss, you're jealous of our Third Miss, but you shouldn't take it out on this zither. Please tell me the truth. I'm just a lowly maid; even if I died, I couldn't afford to pay for such a precious zither. How could I dare to break it?"

Cuizhi was furious, her hands trembling with rage. "You're making false accusations! I've been holding the zither case the whole time; we've never opened it!"

Dou Mingyan looked grief-stricken, her delicate hands trembling as she stroked the zither, suppressing her sobs. Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, a sight that was heartbreaking to watch.

A moment later, she suddenly realized her lapse in composure, raised her hand to wipe away her tears with a handkerchief, and said, “Nonsense! Fourth Sister would never deliberately break this zither. She is not that kind of person. This matter must not be mentioned again.”

"Even if it wasn't intentional, it could have been an accident! She's really pushing her luck, and you're still going to put up with it?" Xie Mengyao said sarcastically.

Meng Jingshu disliked these private matters within the inner quarters the most, and asked in a cold voice, "Fourth Miss Dou, did you smash this zither to embarrass Mingyan? As the eldest sister, she had to cover for you and swallow this bitter pill because of the family's reputation."

"No wonder you were so reluctant to come in earlier. You knew the zither was broken all along, that's why you didn't dare to come in, right?"

Dou Wenyi remained calm and unhurried, saying, "Miss Meng, even though you are the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary, you cannot judge a case based on mere conjecture. Everything must be based on reason and evidence. Where is the evidence?"

"Baochuan, you never opened the box. Are there any witnesses? Perhaps you broke the zither before you relieved yourself and then deliberately framed us. You're trying to sow discord between us sisters. What are you trying to do?"

"You, a mere maid, have no right to be so bold. Tell me, who is instructing you?"

Meng Jingshu's expression froze: "..."

Baochuan was terrified: "..."

Dou Mingyan felt a chill in her heart. When did her mind become so meticulous?

"What are you doing? Aren't you looking for the judges?" A deep male voice rang out, and Xie Guidu, tall and elegant, appeared at the door without anyone noticing. He had been listening to so much.