Chapter 17017 Not Her
Incense was curling up in the Second Lady's inner room, and she and the Second Master sat on it, each with their own thoughts.
Yun Sheng and the other two were still kneeling on the ground.
Mrs. Qian and the others arrived one after the other. As soon as she stepped over the threshold, her eyes looked as if she wanted to eat Yun Sheng. Xie Qingyuan's face turned green and red, and he looked straight at Yun Sheng.
Intellectually, he should believe Sheng Niang. She was so gentle and shy that she always dodged even when he wanted to kiss her. How could she have the courage to seduce Xie Minghao?
But Xie Qingyuan turned around and thought about Xie Minghao's identity. He even had other thoughts when he entered Chang'an. Would Sheng Niang really still love only him as before?
My mother said that recently Sheng Niang has been running to the courtyard of Concubine Wen from the second house. Could it be that Concubine Wen is a cover and she is here to have a secret meeting with Xie Minghao?
Xie Qingyuan clenched his fists tighter and tighter, his eyes quickly passed over Yun Sheng, and then retracted without another glance.
Yun Sheng doesn't care about Mrs. Qian, but cares about Xie Qingyuan.
Seeing him behave like this, her back, which had been kneeling straight just now, suddenly bent a little, and her lips turned pale and bloodless. Husband...he, he didn't believe her?
Old Lady Xie was supported by her maid. She looked around and said solemnly, "My Xie family has always been upright and honest. This kind of thing is simply outrageous."
The Second Madam glared at the maid, then immediately stood up to greet her: "Old Madam, how could I have disturbed you in the middle of the day?"
"The house is in chaos, and the second son's wife wants to hide it from me?" Old Lady Xie snorted.
The Second Madam grumbled, then heard the Third Madam say, "Yes, Second Sister-in-law, Minghao is a good boy. We can't let him suffer wrongly."
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I know my son's character very well." The second wife smiled. This sister-in-law really enjoys making fun of others.
"Of course, the Marquis is the head of the family, so we should ask him to judge right and wrong." The third lady did not believe that her sister-in-law was not partial.
The second lady looked unhappy. Just as she opened her mouth, she saw the maid lift the door curtain and a tall and majestic figure walked in.
"Why is there so much noise? What happened?" Xie Zhan said in a deep voice, and then asked how Old Madam Xie was.
Everyone looked over and saw that he was displeased. The Second Madam quickly explained the situation and sighed, "This is our Second House's business. Xingzhi is busy with official duties, so how dare I delay your time?"
Xie Zhan remained silent. His narrow eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze suddenly fell on the thin Yun Sheng. She was kneeling there quietly with her brows lowered. She had not raised her head since he entered, and her whole body exuded a dead air.
Her clothes were still intact, only her hair was messy and her face was pale. When Xie Zhan saw the faint red mark on Yun Sheng's snow-white neck, his eyes were as cold as a knife.
That was pinched out by someone.
Yun Sheng's knees became numb after kneeling for so long. She tried to hold on to her shaking body, her mind filled with the complicated look of her husband just now.
It wasn't until she felt a familiar coldness above her head that she finally came back to her senses. Yun Sheng didn't look up in the end. What was she looking at?
Xie Zhan might have been calling her stupid in his heart, saying that she deserved it, and mocking her previous lack of tact.
Or maybe, he wanted me to beg him.
Xie Zhan looked at Yun Sheng's stubborn expression, as if he didn't exist, and became more and more angry.
He let out a long breath and then looked at the Second Madam: "It's okay, Aunt, there's no need to be polite with me."
After saying this, Xie Zhan lifted up his robe and sat down on the mahogany chair, which meant that he wanted to stay and watch.
The Second Madam's eyelids twitched. She glared at Yun Sheng coldly, her words still stern: "Madam Yun, let me ask you, why are you staying in Concubine Wen's courtyard for no reason? You've been running to the Second House for several days straight. Could it be that you're thinking of getting close to Erlang?"
Then her gaze turned to Madam Wen: "Or was it Madam Wen who gave you the idea? If not, why did you suddenly become so close to Madam Wen? In the middle of the day, you even wanted to stay in her courtyard to rest?"
Xie Minghao's eyes lit up, and he quickly followed his mother's words, jumping out and pointing at Yun Sheng: "Mother, mother, you are right, she seduced me, she is the one who wanted to climb up the social ladder."
As he spoke, he knelt forward and hugged Old Lady Xie and the Second Master's thighs, complaining with tears and snot: "Grandmother, Father, you must believe me, how could I do such a ridiculous thing? If she hadn't deliberately seduced me, how could my son have lost his mind?"
Xie Minghao's heart beat faster and his eyes quickly swept over Aunt Wen as a silent warning.
If their affair were discovered, he, as his father's biological son, would be able to escape, but Aunt Wen would have no way out and one way to go was death. She had to think carefully about it.
Old Madam Xie folded the Buddhist beads in her hands, while the second master closed his eyes and kicked Xie Minghao away with force.
He then looked at Yun Sheng, who was kneeling on the ground as quiet as a still pool of water, and asked loudly, "Madam Yun, what do you have to say? Don't be afraid, just tell me the whole story, and I will make the decision for you. Even though Erlang is my son, I won't just listen to his side of the story."
Yun Sheng has calmed down a lot.
The Second Lady always looks kind and gentle. If something really happens, she will protect her own son. Old Lady Xie and the Second Master seem to be quite sensible.
She placed her hands on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Yun Sheng begs the old lady, the second master, to make the decision. I have never seduced the second master."
Xie Minghao stared at Yun Sheng intently, as if he wanted to eat her. Afraid she would continue, he hurriedly called out to Aunt Wen, "Grandmother, Dad, this woman is cunning, you must not trust her. Aunt Wen, can you make the decision for your son? It was Yun Sheng who seduced your son. What do you think, Aunt Wen?"
Aunt Wen covered her face and cried silently.
She knew that the beast Xie Minghao wanted her to help bite Yun Shengpan to death first to prevent her from revealing their affair.
But... Madam Ke Yun is so innocent?
Aunt Wen really regretted it. She really regretted it. She didn't expect that this beast would come to find her in the middle of the day. Otherwise, she would never have kept Yun Sheng to talk to her.
She shook her head, but couldn't bear to feel guilty for a moment, so she just looked at Yun Sheng and cried pleadingly.
The Second Master sneered at Xie Minghao and ordered, "Go and shut up my husband."
He then gestured to Yun Sheng: "Madam Yun, just keep talking."
Xie Minghao's eyes seemed to be spitting fire, and he was making noises.
The Second Madam said anxiously, "Master, Minghao..."
The second master waved his hand and looked at Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng calmed down and told the truth about what happened at noon, ignoring Xie Minghao's dirty words. She glanced sideways and her eyes fell lightly on Aunt Wen.
"I was sleeping soundly, and I don't know why the Second Young Master broke in. The Second Master is an upright official, and Yun Sheng trusts you."
Regardless of whether Aunt Wen was forced or voluntarily had an affair with Xie Minghao, she was also a pitiful person. If Yun Sheng told the truth, she would definitely die.
Besides, she herself is not clean either, and Aunt Wen knows about her affair with Marquis Xie.
Although they had been together for a few days and found that Aunt Wen was not a bad person, if she was about to die and she was disheartened and revealed her story, she would not be able to face her mother-in-law and husband.
If she had insisted that it was Xie Minghao who forced her, perhaps she could have found a way out. After all, Xie Minghao probably didn't want the second master to know that he was so rebellious and disrespectful to his father that he had laid hands on his father's concubine.
Yun Sheng knelt straight and said, "This is the situation. I beg for your understanding, Master."
Xie Minghao suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Forcing Yun Sheng was much better than forcing his father's concubine. Yun Sheng was quite sensible.
Xie Minghao only thought that he had to get rid of her later to avoid any further trouble.
The Second Lady slammed the table and said, "You are completely talking nonsense. My son is a noble son of a marquisate. He has seen all kinds of beauties and noble ladies in Chang'an. How could he force you, a village girl with a fiancé, to marry him? But you, seeing the wealth of the marquisate, might want to climb up the social ladder. The marquisate was kind enough to let your family stay, so how can you, a young lady, pick on them and start accusing them of something? You are simply repaying kindness with hatred."
She breathed a sigh of relief: "Second Master, you can't just trust someone else's words just because Minghao is always naughty."
The second master raised his hand and signaled the servant to ask his son to speak.
Xie Minghao gritted his teeth and glared at Yun Sheng unwillingly.
He was afraid that if he didn't acknowledge it, Yun Sheng, that little bitch, would bring up other things.
Seeing this, the Second Madam said angrily, "Shut up right there."
My son is going to be an official in the future. If this matter gets out, his reputation will be damaged. Not only will he be ridiculed, but even his marriage will be in jeopardy.
He was so crazy that he admitted it.
The Second Madam stepped back, then called Mrs. Qian and Xie Qingyuan forward, saying in a rather threatening tone, "This is what happened. What do you two have to say?"
Mrs. Qian gritted her teeth, glared at Yun Sheng fiercely, and spat, "Second Madam is right. This little bitch must be ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth and has developed delusional thoughts. Otherwise, how could the Second Young Master be interested in her?"
In her heart, Yun Sheng was the mud on the ground, and the Duke of Hou was not blind. If Yun Sheng did not have the slightest bit of a foxy nature, how could the Duke of Hou be so absurd?
Mrs. Qian had already made the calculation in her mind. Yun Sheng had already had an affair with Second Young Master Xie. Even if she hadn't succeeded, she was afraid she would have been touched. Such a dirty thing would have made her feel uncomfortable even if she had become a concubine for her son.
Since that was the case, she might as well treat Yun Sheng as her goddaughter and take the opportunity to ask Xie Erlang to marry her. The two families would then become relatives, which would only benefit her and her son.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Qian rubbed her palms and smiled flatteringly at the Second Madam: "Don't worry about the old lady and the masters and ladies laughing at me. I have raised Shengniang as my own daughter since she was little. Her marriage to Yuanlang is just a joke between children when they were young. Without a formal marriage certificate, it doesn't count. Since things have come to this, why not let Shengniang become Erlang's concubine? This will be a solution to this matter."
"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about?" Xie Qingyuan looked at the staggering Yun Sheng, and hurriedly lowered his voice to pull Qian Pozi's sleeve.
He had only had a few random thoughts, not that he truly distrusted Yun Sheng. The love in her eyes for him was real. How could his Sheng Niang become someone else's concubine?
Yun Sheng was shaking all over, he lost his voice in disbelief, and felt like he was falling into an ice cellar.
Her eyes turned black, and the people in front of her seemed to become shadows.
Yun Sheng had been kneeling there for so long that she no longer felt any pain. She saw that Old Madam Xie was silent, Second Madam's mouth was twitching, as if she wanted to scold Mrs. Qian for her wishful thinking, Erlang Xie was smug, and there seemed to be a warning in his eyes, and Aunt Wen was crying uncontrollably.
As for the Second Master, who had just been saying that he would make the decision for her, he sighed and said, "Madam Yun, no matter what, it is ultimately me, the rebellious son, who has offended you. Why not do as Madam Qian said and make amends to you?"
Yun Sheng remained silent, his face expressionless, but he felt it was ridiculous in his heart.
In the end, no one believed her.
No, perhaps the nobles were not unbelieving, but were just pretending to understand. Compared with the precious Xie Erlang, she was really insignificant.
This action not only saved Xie Erlang's face, but also compensated her as the second master said. It was the best of both worlds, so she should be grateful.
But who can ask her if she is willing to be Xie Erlang's concubine?
Yun Sheng suddenly said in a resounding voice, "No, I don't want to. Xie Erlang simply stumbled into the inner chamber by mistake. I have never had any affair with him. Our relationship is innocent, and I don't need the compensation that the Second Master is talking about."
She gently stroked the scar on her neck. The red mark and the slap on Xie Erlang's face were both proof that she was forced by Xie Erlang.
The nobles pretended not to see it, and the Second Madam would not ask Xie Erlang to admit his guilt. If she continued to pester him, the dirty water would surely be thrown on her. It would be better if she admitted it was a misunderstanding. The Second Madam would see that she was sensible and would put an end to the matter.
"Yes, what Sheng Niang said is true. Today must be a misunderstanding." Xie Qingyuan reacted and knelt beside Yun Sheng.
The Second Madam narrowed her eyes. Before she could speak, Xie Zhan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said in a deep voice, "It's not her."
Everyone was frightened. Xie Zhan's three short words set off a violent storm.
Xie Minghao was the first to speak anxiously: "Brother, if it wasn't her, could it be that I was really blind to fall for a peasant girl?"
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he just felt that the murderous aura from his elder brother was even heavier.
Xie Zhan sneered in his heart. It was really blind for Yun Sheng to abandon him and turn to cling to this good-for-nothing cousin.
Xie Minghao was quite satisfied with this result. Once Yun Sheng became his, he could control her as he pleased. Besides, she was quite pretty, so marrying her wouldn't be a big deal.
Yun Sheng also glared at Xie Zhan angrily. What did Lord Xie want to do? She could have gotten away with it, but he brought it up again. Was he trying to harm her or get revenge?
Meeting Yun Sheng's resentful eyes, Xie Zhan was quite puzzled. Could it be that she was resentful of him for not speaking up for her earlier?
Xie Zhan frowned, feeling that this woman was ignorant and deserved it. He had just waited for her for a long time, but she was stubborn and did not come to ask him for help. She was extremely stupid.
Now she resented him for not speaking up for her earlier. Xie Zhan smiled, and suddenly felt much more relaxed.
He leaned back and continued, "It's not her. If Madam Yun had any intention of clinging to Erlang, how did she get the scar on her neck? And where did the slap mark on Erlang's face come from?"
With just a few words, Xie Zhan tore through everyone's disguise of trying to keep the situation peaceful. For a moment, everyone was embarrassed and blushed.
Xie Minghao knelt before him, his hands trembling as he said, "Brother, you are wronged. This... this... this is just some fun."
The second wife's face was filled with worry, and she had no idea what was wrong with her nephew today.
She glanced at Yun Sheng, her meaning was very clear.
Yun Sheng felt so disgusted that she wanted to vomit, but she also knew that as long as she insisted that it was a misunderstanding, Xie Zhan probably wouldn't delve into it.
Xie Zhan looked at her coldly and said, "How dare you lie to me? What? Do you think I'm a fool?"
His expression softened slightly as he looked at Old Lady Xie and said, "Grandmother, I see Erlang crying out in injustice, and Madam Yun seems to be trying to cover up the truth. There could be something else going on here. My Xie family is a family of officials. How can we just let something like this go unnoticed? Since we can't make sense of it today, why don't we keep them both in custody while I send someone to investigate. That way, Erlang can be completely cleared of all charges."
Old Lady Xie took in the expression on her second daughter-in-law's face. She closed her eyes and finally nodded: "Okay, let Xingzhi handle this matter. Don't worry, Grandma."
Minghao's grandson has always been a bit unruly. It would be good if today's incident could teach him a lesson.
As Old Madam Xie finished speaking, Xie Zhan glanced at the three people below one by one. Yun Sheng seemed stunned, Xie Minghao was horrified, and Aunt Wen, who had nothing to do with the matter, fell to the ground, as if she was frightened.
Xie Zhan frowned, thinking secretly.
Suddenly, a maidservant beside Concubine Wen stood up, knelt in the middle and cried, "My Lord, the Marquis, and the Masters and Ladies, I am guilty."
She gritted her teeth, as if she had let it all go, and confessed everything: "I am guilty. Actually... actually, what happened today has nothing to do with Madam Yun. It was originally because I had an affair with Second Young Master, but Madam Yun happened to be staying in the concubine's courtyard to rest today, and Second Young Master came looking for me at noon, but he recognized the wrong person."
The maid took a deep breath and continued, "I serve as your concubine. If anyone discovered that I had an affair with Second Young Master, it would have tarnished your reputation. That's why I told you that I didn't want anyone else to know. You must have felt sorry for me because of this. After realizing you had mistaken me for Madam Yun, you and I had an argument. The scars on our faces and necks must have come from this. I know my status is too low to be your concubine. I'm guilty and willing to accept the punishment."
The Second Madam's head was buzzing, and she stared at Xie Minghao intently: "Mother asks you, is what she said true or false?"
Xie Minghao gritted his teeth and squeezed the word "yes" out of his throat.
"Mother, yes, it's true. I have an affair with the maidservant next to my aunt, and I'm afraid you and father will be angry and will not agree to our relationship. That's why I want to take advantage of the situation and turn it on Madam Yun, who I mistakenly identified."
He was greeted with a resounding slap from the Second Madam, who was so angry that she lost her mind.
The Second Master was also disappointed. He pointed at his nose and scolded him, "Rebellious son, what have you lost in all those years of reading the sage's books? It's fine if you just touch the maids in the mansion, but you even go so far as to extend your hands to your aunt. And then you use Bai Bai to tarnish Madam Yun's reputation. I don't have a son like you."
Yun Sheng pursed her lips. This maid must be afraid that Xie Zhan would investigate thoroughly and reveal the affair between Aunt Wen and Xie Minghao, so she was willing to push the blame onto herself. She was truly loyal.
Aunt Wen fell silent. She suppressed her grief and first scolded the maid, then went to beg the Second Master: "Master, this maid Ah Tao has always treated me like your own sister. Now that things have come to this, I hope you will consider her deep love for Erlang and give her a proper status."
The second master ignored his wife's eye contact and agreed without hesitation.
He looked at Xie Zhan wearily: "What do you think, Xingzhi?"
Xie Zhan's expression remained calm, and he said after a moment, "Since the victim has accepted the responsibility, this matter ends here."
As he stood up, he glanced at Yun Sheng, then added, "Madam Yun has truly suffered an unprovoked disaster today. She has been wronged. I hope Auntie can comfort her."
The second wife was speechless, but had to agree with a smile.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Hey everyone, starting today, I'll update daily. From now on, I'll update at 8 a.m., and I'll definitely be on time. If I'm not on time, I'll probably be locked up in the dark room. Wait for me to revise the article! [狗头叼玫瑰]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
