Gu Tongfan was extremely annoyed, feeling that he had been careless and that after a lifetime of playing with eagles, he had been pecked in the eye by a sparrow.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his unsteady breathing. He glanced coldly at Hong Xiaoduo, then made a decision. He turned to Ding Zhiyuan of the Dali Temple and said in a deep voice, "I came to the Wei residence today with good intentions to offer my congratulations, but I never expected to encounter such a humiliating disgrace. I will return to the residence now and personally collect samples from my father and other blood relatives. I will then have this expert from Lord Wei identify them."

I request that you, Lord Ding, be my witness. If the samples I retrieved are all correctly identified by her, I will accept my defeat. However, if it is proven that she deliberately spread rumors and insulted me and my family, I request that you, Lord Ding, accompany me to the palace to seek justice before His Majesty.

Lord Wei has gone too far in bullying us.

Ding Zhiyuan, who had been watching the drama unfold and was shocked, was stunned. How did this get involved with him?

"Ahem, Your Excellency, Your Excellency will certainly cooperate," Ding Zhiyuan replied, feigning composure.

He was even more shocked. This young lady was too amazing. She actually managed to provoke the cunning and shrewd Lord Gu to the point of losing his usual rationality. He was going to follow her lead and actually go back to the mansion to retrieve his father's fingernails.

Has Lord Gu lost his mind from anger?

"Lord Gu, if you insist on doing this, why not bring Prince Mu along, along with Eunuch Fu? That way, the girl will be more convinced and have nothing to say," Ding Zhiyuan added kindly, remembering the situation.

Gu Tongfan left with Mu Rongjing and Eunuch Fu, leaving his son Gu Liu behind to keep an eye on Hong Xiaoduo.

Perhaps because it was the first time he had been so humiliated, especially by a young girl, Gu Tongfan walked unsteadily, her steps trembling.

"Uncle, I'm so sorry for making such a fuss," Hong Xiaoduo said apologetically to Wei Junpei.

"It's alright, it's not your fault. He was either the mastermind or one of the participants in the fake Tong'er affair. To use such despicable means to scheme against me, it's not too much to say that to someone like him." Wei Junpei's anger flared up when he thought about how he almost admitted to the fake Tong'er.

In particular, that fake Tong'er had such a background.

If he were to admit it, the humiliation he would suffer would be no less than the harm that Minister Gu suffered because of his father's incestuous relationship.

"Uncle, it's almost lunchtime, isn't it? There are still so many guests." Hong Xiaoduo reminded him with a smile.

Yes, there are still so many guests!

Lord Wei instructed the steward to relay a message to the kitchen to begin the banquet.

"Huh? They're having a feast? Who can eat all this?" someone muttered quietly.

The commotion this morning left all the guests in a dilemma: whether to stay or leave. Most were worried about how Minister Wei would handle the situation today.

Hong Xiaoduo and the Wei family sat at the same table, and Hong Xiaoduo and Kaiyang ate the most heartily.

"Kaiyang, tell your grandmother, aren't you worried about your mother or your grandfather at all?" Madam Qi asked helplessly as her grandson picked up a beef meatball, took a big bite, and ate most of it.

Hearing his grandmother ask, Kaiyang swallowed the meatball in his mouth and replied, "What's there to worry about? In the past, when we encountered those ruthless pirates, bandits, and assassins, Mother never let us suffer any losses."

Grandmother, don't worry. If things really get tough, we can pack up and come with Mother. We can travel around, stopping to rest wherever the scenery is beautiful, fishing, barbecuing—life would be so comfortable! Don't believe me? Ask my mother. Oh, and Grandfather knows about it too.”

Kaiyang's words made the others at the table relax. Yes, compared to the dangers Kaiyang had experienced before, what was this big deal?

"Don't just eat meatballs, the fish balls the cook made today are also excellent." Madam Qi felt sorry for her grandson's hardships outside, so she quickly scooped fish balls for him. She then got up and scooped a few for Hong Xiaoduo as well: "Girl, you've worked the hardest today, so eat a few more to replenish your strength. Go take a nap later, and you'll be in good spirits to deal with that old bastard surnamed Gu."

Hearing Qi's teasing, the others at the table all laughed one after another.

As Hong Xiaoduo agreed, she ate fish balls with gusto, then suddenly remembered to ask, "Madam, what is the character of Minister Gu's wife?"

Qi understood why Hong Xiaoduo asked that question, and put down her chopsticks, saying, "You only think of asking now? Isn't it too late?"

Wei Junpei coughed softly.

Madam Qi glanced at her husband and continued, "Girl, you don't need to blame yourself for this. Gu Liu's mother is not Gu Tongfan's first wife."

She was originally the half-sister of the first wife, but because she coveted the good life her sister lived, she had wicked thoughts and reportedly used improper means to get into her brother-in-law's bed.

When her older sister found out, she went back to her parents' home and made a scene. Instead of disciplining her sister, her family said she was being unreasonable and that it would be safer for her husband to have another person by his side.

The first wife was furious and, upon returning home, her depression took hold, causing her health to deteriorate. It's said she later committed suicide by poisoning herself. However, there are also rumors that she was poisoned by her younger sister.

In short, Gu Tongfan's current wife is no good. Although young, she is extremely vicious. If the maidservants serving her are looked at by Lord Gu even a few times, she will become jealous and ruin their appearance.

A few years ago, someone was killed by a heavy hand; they were simply wrapped in a mat and thrown into a mass grave.

Hong Xiaoduo said, "Oh, I did feel guilty earlier because I hadn't thought things through properly."

"Xiao Duo, why don't you ask about Lord Gu's father's character?" Wei Junpei asked curiously.

Hong Xiaoduo looked at Kaiyang and said, "You answer this question."

Kaiyang thought for a moment and said, "Because of the saying 'If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too'?"

"Oh my, my grandson is so smart." Madam Qi looked at her grandson's serious little face and couldn't help but adore him.

The guests not far away, watching the joyful atmosphere at the host's dinner table, suddenly understood: if Lord Wei's own family wasn't worried, why were they worrying unnecessarily?

Eat up, you're full now, let's continue enjoying the melon...