Pei Minghan immediately helped the First Madam up and asked in a worried whisper.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

The First Madam placed one hand on Pei Minghan and gently shook her head.

She then turned to Pei Fengzhi, her face deathly pale.

"Ninth Brother is just a servant; just have someone help her downstairs."

On the surface, every word she spoke was for the good of Old Master Pei, but in reality, she was extremely panicked.

Pei Minghan also noticed that his mother's hand on him was trembling slightly. He immediately looked at her, but swallowed the words that were about to come out. Instead, he smiled at Pei Fengzhi.

"Breakfast time is almost over, and Grandpa will have a stomachache if he doesn't eat breakfast on time."

Pei Fengzhi raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Old Master Pei, who was walking at the front, and explained in a gentle voice.

“I suspect someone wants to harm my newlywed wife, and this matter cannot be left unresolved.”

Upon hearing this, Old Master Pei glanced down at the servant lying on the ground, groaning in pain, before finally fixing his gaze on the prayer mat, his brows furrowing deeply.

He looked up at Pei Fengzhi and said.

"You mean there's something wrong with the meditation cushion?"

Pei Fengzhi instructed the servant standing to the side.

"Cut the futon open."

The First Madam's face turned even paler, and she gripped Pei Minghan's arm tightly in terror.

Pei Minghan grasped the First Madam's hand and gave her a comforting look.

Meanwhile, the maid had already cut open the futon with scissors and was rummaging through a pile of cotton when she suddenly screamed "Ah!" and quickly withdrew her hand.

She threw the prayer mat on the ground, scattering the cotton filling all over the floor with a tinkling sound.

Madam Pei covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

"What...what is that?"

Pei Fengzhi glanced at the mess on the ground and calmly answered the Third Madam's question.

“That’s a needle, Third Sister-in-law.”

The third wife took a few steps back, trembling, and held onto the hand of the person next to her, saying with a look of fear and doubt.

"How could there be needles in the prayer cushion? This prayer cushion was given by Sister-in-law Li to support Ninth Brother's knees, could it be..."

As the third wife spoke, she glanced at the first wife, her gaze carrying a pointed meaning.

"Sister-in-law, if I remember correctly, isn't Sister Li one of your people?"

The First Madam's already pale face turned even paler, and she shouted in a shrill voice, sounding fierce but actually weak.

"Liu Yue'e, what do you mean by that!"

The third wife touched her earlobe and smiled, seemingly puzzled.

"Sister-in-law, don't be angry. I was just saying. After all, you suffered quite a loss at Ninth Brother's wife's place early this morning. Everyone will suspect that you were deliberately trying to get revenge on her."

The First Madam's face was somewhat distorted, and her voice was a few decibels higher than before.

"Do you have any evidence? How dare you spout nonsense in front of Dad without any proof!"

The third wife waved her hand, then smiled.

"I was just saying. As the saying goes, if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Why are you in such a hurry, sister-in-law?"

The First Madam was immediately stunned, all her anger suddenly choked up, and she couldn't vent it at all. She could only glare fiercely at the Third Madam before speaking to Old Master Pei.

"Dad, this matter must be investigated thoroughly. I have never done anything to harm anyone! You must give Ninth Sister-in-law justice and clear my name!"

Before Old Master Pei could speak, the Third Madam had already muttered something under her breath.

"You put on a good show, and it doesn't feel awkward at all when you call me Ninth Sister-in-law, after all, she was almost your daughter-in-law before!"

The First Madam was furious at her words and glared at her fiercely. Just as she was about to start a fight with the Third Madam, Pei Minghan, who was standing beside her, held her down.

Pei Minghan gave the First Madam a reassuring look before smiling at the Third Madam.

"Grandpa will decide what really happened. It's not up to you, Third Aunt, to make decisions about this family right now."

The Third Madam's face turned extremely ugly after being rebuked like that. She wanted to retort, but Old Master Pei's loud and deep voice rang out in the front hall.

"Shut up, all of you! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket!"

The entire lobby fell silent instantly.

The third wife acted as if it were none of her business, while the first wife looked as pale as a seriously ill patient.

Old Master Pei's gaze swept over everyone present, finally landing on Aunt Li, who was lying on the ground in excruciating pain, and he spoke authoritatively.

"Tell me, what happened?"

Aunt Li endured the pain, gritted her teeth, and glared fiercely at Ye Ningwan, who stood silently to the side, her eyes filled with venomous flames.

"Old Master, this matter has nothing to do with the First Madam, it was all my doing! The Ninth Madam hit the Third Young Master early this morning, and he is still lying in bed and hasn't woken up yet."

As Aunt Li spoke, she began to cry haltingly.

"I've watched the Third Young Master grow up since he was a child. The First Madam is kind and doesn't want to cause trouble with the new daughter-in-law and embarrass you, Master, but I'm really unwilling to accept it! That's why I did such a foolish thing!"

Ye Ningwan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"You're just a servant. How could you dare to do such a thing without someone instructing you? Besides, where did you get so many needles all at once?"

Aunt Li cried even more bitterly.

"I stole these needles from the traditional Chinese medicine doctor who gave the old man acupuncture! My wife has always been a vegetarian and a Buddhist, and she wouldn't even dare to kill an ant. How could she do such a vicious thing!"

Grandpa Pei remained silent for a long time, lost in thought.

Ye Ningwan chuckled softly, neither confirming nor denying.

"Buddha was a vegetarian, Hitler was a vegetarian, so who says that people who eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers every day are all good people?"

"Besides, you know that the First Madam has always had a problem with me. Today, the Third Young Master picked a fight with me and I taught him a lesson, so of course she hates me even more."

"Now that Ninth Master is awake, I'm no longer of any use. Naturally, she doesn't want someone like me, who almost became her daughter-in-law, to stay here, so that people can always find something to talk about and laugh at her."

As she spoke, Ye Ningwan glanced meaningfully at the Third Madam.

Indeed, the Third Madam had just used this matter as a pretext to embarrass the First Madam.

The Third Madam rolled her eyes at Ye Ningwan, snorted coldly, and turned her face away without saying a word. She knew in her heart that Ye Ningwan was coming for the First Madam and would not rush out to attract attention at this time.

Aunt Li, lying on the ground, roared at Ye Ningwan with all her might.

"You're talking nonsense! Ye Ningwan, you've already harmed the Third Young Master, are you going to harm the First Madam now?"

Ye Ningwan chuckled and asked in return.

"Ye Minghao came to his ninth uncle's room early in the morning to flirt with his newlywed ninth aunt. As an elder, I taught him how to behave, and you call that harming him?"

She lifted her eyelids and looked at the First Madam with a smile.

"Sister-in-law, you don't think so too, do you? So... is this why you want to get revenge on me?"