Disposal
In an instant, both Song Xiyan and Wei Tingya were stunned.
Having always had a smooth and successful life, Miss Song had never suffered such humiliation. She immediately covered her swollen and burning face in shock. Looking at Lin Xu, she was filled with resentment and disbelief, gritting her teeth as she said:
"Who do you think you are? How dare you hit me?!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Being the type who wouldn't stand to be outdone, she gritted her teeth and charged at Lin Xu. Fortunately, Zhu Ling reacted quickly, blocking Lin Xu's path and preventing Song Xiyan from retaliating.
Even so, how could Song Xiyan, with her temperament, let it go so easily? Seeing Zhu Ling standing between the two, she used all her strength to pull Zhu Ling away, even dragging the slender Zhu Ling directly to the ground—
Song Xiyan, accustomed to treating people differently based on their status, naturally didn't speak kindly to Zhu Ling, who was dressed as a maid. Her eyes reddened with anger, and she immediately launched into a tirade:
"You beast, get out of here!"
Lin Xu saw this and, although he already knew the true nature of this Miss Song in his previous life, he was also furious because Zhu Ling had been humiliated. Seeing that Song Xiyan was about to get close to her again, Lin Xu was not afraid at all. He immediately raised his hand and slapped the other half of Song Xiyan's face.
This scene was witnessed by the people who had just heard the commotion and were walking out of the hall.
When Bai saw that Lin Xu's hand hadn't even landed yet, and that both sides of Song Xiyan's face were already swollen, her expression immediately turned cold.
"Second wife, what are you doing?"
Bai Shi always valued the Dou family's reputation above all else, and now her expression was extremely unpleasant. Just now, when everyone was sitting at the table, she clearly heard the crisp sound of a slap. At that time, she didn't understand what was going on, but now she clearly saw it. Lin Xu really had a lot of nerve! She actually dared to bring shame to the Dou family in front of everyone!
Besides, today is the grand coming-of-age ceremony that she painstakingly arranged for Dou Zhen. How could she let Lin Xu ruin it so easily?
Song Xiyan was slapped again and was completely stunned. She stared blankly as everyone arrived, feeling utterly humiliated. She covered her face and burst into tears.
Wei Tingya, who was standing between the two, was initially at a loss, but now that everyone was watching him, he quickly changed his mind and pointed at Lin Xu, his cat-like eyes wide open, full of surprise and disbelief:
"This, this... Madam Dou, why did you hit her? Miss Song was just telling the truth..."
The crowd was initially confused, but they had witnessed Lin Xu striking someone earlier. Now, hearing the words of the fourth young lady from the Prince Gong's residence, their gazes naturally turned to Lin Xu.
But Lin Xu simply lowered his eyes and slowly rubbed his swollen wrist.
She had used a lot of force in her haste, and now even her hand is a little sore.
Old Mrs. Dou, from the Zu family, approached with the help of a maid, leaning on a dragon-headed cane. Her wrinkled eyes narrowed into slits, and after glaring at Lin Xu, she sighed, "Just like her husband! Never serious!"
Madam Bai was already furious, her face turning ashen. Seeing Lin Xu's expression only fueled her anger, and she blurted out, "Second daughter-in-law, what did you just do? How dare you be so disrespectful to today's guests? Is this how I raised you at home?!"
Seeing that the expressions on the faces of Princess Gong and Miao Yiyun in the crowd were not pleasant, Madam Bai feared that today's events would become a laughing stock, so she looked at Lin Xu and said coldly:
"Since you've done something so foolish, then go kneel outside the ancestral hall right now! Reflect on your actions!"
Several noble ladies, including Madam Zhang and Madam Jiang, stood together. Seeing Lin Xu's calm demeanor, they gently comforted Madam Bai, saying, "Madam Dou, please calm down. I see that Madam Dou seems to have something to say. Perhaps there is a reason for this. It's not too late to let her say a few more words before making a decision."
Lin Xu raised her head, first glancing at Madam Bai, and said slowly, "Mother, aren't you curious about why your daughter-in-law was so upset just now?" Before she finished speaking, she turned her head leisurely to look at Wei Tingya, who looked rather innocent, and said softly:
"I wonder what Miss Gong, the fourth daughter, meant by what Miss Song, the second daughter, said just now?"
Her eyes flickered as she looked at Wei Tingya, and a slow smile curved her lips.
Shortly after Miao Yiyun finished speaking, Song Xiyan quietly followed Wei Tingya outside the hall. Lin Xu had calculated that the two of them wouldn't have had a chance to reconcile their accounts. Therefore, as long as she asked in front of everyone, Song Xiyan's story would contradict Wei Tingya's.
No matter what methods the two women tried to use to compete for or slander her, she was fearless.
Sure enough, after Wei Tingya remained silent for a while, the crowd began to wonder. Why were these people all so fixated on Lin Xu today?
Seeing that the fourth young lady of Prince Gong remained silent for a long time, Song Xiyan was not about to give up. Covering her swollen face, she glared directly at Lin Xu and said:
"I merely exposed your lie. There wasn't a single tea stain on your handkerchief, so how could it have been soaked with tea! How dare you lie in front of the Crown Princess! Your character is truly despicable! And to even hit someone, what an unruly and vicious woman! I simply don't know what kind of vulgar family could produce such a person!"
Upon hearing this, Wei Tingya's eyes dimmed slightly.
Lin Xu chuckled inwardly. Song Xiyan was indeed furious, and she actually revealed the whole story herself, even offending the Bai family, who always took pride in the Dou family's reputation.
Lin Xu followed up on Song Xiyan's words, saying, "Oh? I didn't know Miss Song was so nosy. A mere handkerchief like this has troubled you for so long. It's truly unbecoming of me. Besides..." Lin Xu's eyes flickered, holding the handkerchief she had received from Zhu Ling, her tone tinged with doubt:
"How could Miss Song possibly know whether the handkerchief I kept in my sleeve was wet or not, or whether it had tea stains? I never knew that Miss Song had such a remarkable ability to see through objects."
The handkerchief was soft, and when rolled up, it was only a very small ball. From a distance, you could only see the general color and couldn't see it clearly at all.
Upon hearing this, Song Xiyan choked for a moment, but immediately replied, "Of course, I saw it clearly after I snatched it! There were even two cherries embroidered on it."
Wei Tingya took a few steps back from Song Xiyan without making a sound, moving to a place slightly away from her.
Dou Zhen, who hadn't been able to figure out what was going on in the crowd, listened for a while and saw Song Xiyan, provoked, revealing that she had been the one to fight first. She couldn't help but chuckle.
"So it turns out that Miss Song snatched it from her sister-in-law herself. No wonder she could see it so clearly. I wonder how Miss Song was raised? An ordinary young lady would never do something like this, forcibly taking it."
Dou Zhen's voice was always gentle, and her polite smile as she slowly uttered sarcastic words only made the situation more shameful. Song Xiyan then realized she had let something slip, her face flushing red and then pale, but she refused to let it go. Looking at Lin Xu, she added:
"It's true I stole your handkerchief, but why did you hit me? And who do you think you are?"
Lin Xu never expected that this Miss Song would not only show no improvement in her life, but would even become more and more foolish. She sighed softly, her eyes flashing with a cold light, sweeping straight towards Song Xiyan like the glint of a sword:
"The first slap was for your shameless act of 'stealing first, then robbing.' Today is my third sister's coming-of-age banquet, and all those present are honored guests whom the Dou family values highly. The servants in the house have been serving them with utmost care, all in preparation for inviting these distinguished guests to celebrate this important life event with my third sister. But you, Miss Song, not only treated the guests with disrespect during the banquet, but also had impure thoughts, going so far as to ruin the entire carefully arranged banquet by yourself. As a woman in the family, I naturally cannot sit idly by."
Lin Xu spoke in a clear, cool voice, like a spring breaking through the ice in a freezing cellar, unhurried and gentle, yet exuding an undeniable sense of authority.
"And the second slap—you stole first, and then bullied and obstructed my maid, pushing Zhuling to the ground. This slap is me returning the favor on behalf of my maid. After all, Zhuling is kind-hearted, and even if she suffers a loss, she can't judge things like Miss Song Er's distorted truth."
Song Xiyan, who had initially felt a burning pain in her swollen face, now looked completely wilted, her arrogant demeanor instantly crumbling. Having been pampered for so long, she didn't believe she had done anything wrong. A servant was a servant, inherently inferior, and Lin Xu slapping her for the sake of a servant was utterly ridiculous. She tried to argue, but noticed a change in how everyone looked at her. Even Jin and Deng, standing in the crowd, looked away, unwilling to meet her gaze…
In her panic, Song Xiyan turned to look at Wei Tingya. She had acted so impulsively just now, all to help the Fourth Miss get that ring! The Fourth Miss couldn't just ignore her.
Unexpectedly, Wei Tingya also looked away, pretending not to see him.
Song Xiyan then realized she had truly lost face today. Even the Princess Consort of Gong, who was at the head of the crowd, gave her a cold look, her expression full of disdain. She had actually made these people despise her...
When Bai heard Lin Xu's words and saw that Song Xiyan, who had been so aggressive just moments before, had lost her arrogance, she decided not to punish Lin Xu in front of everyone.
However, Dou Zhen's earlier words of help were something she hadn't wanted to see. How could this child be so foolish in front of everyone! She sighed inwardly and secretly tugged at Dou Zhen's sleeve, signaling to her daughter not to speak rashly again.
After Lin Xu finished speaking, seeing that although some people were still looking at her with disapproval, their accusatory gazes had disappeared, she slowly breathed a sigh of relief. She was rubbing her still-aching wrist when she heard a soft, questioning voice emerge from the crowd, which had only been quiet for a moment:
“Since Madam Dou’s handkerchief wasn’t wet from tea, but upon closer inspection just now, it was indeed mostly wet… In this hot weather, I wonder where Madam Dou accidentally wet her handkerchief; perhaps she’s misremembered.”
Lin Xu turned around.
Only then did they realize that they had been standing at the palace gate the whole time. Some of the male guests who had been invited that day had already arrived one after another, led by servants, and were now gathered not far from the palace. Perhaps the commotion on this side had been too loud, because the male guests were all silent and curiously looking in this direction.
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