Chapter 97 Support
Hearing this, Pei Tingyou's expression immediately turned cold: "What do you mean by a cunning temper? It's just a little quarrel between girls. Since we are all wrong, we can just take a step back."
Hearing him defend her like this, Xiang's eyes darkened for a moment, and she snorted and laughed, "You are good at protecting your shortcomings, but Lingyi was the first to do it. If he doesn't apologize, what will happen next?"
"Lingyi is injured, and the back of her hand is still bleeding. In my opinion, let the doctor treat her injury first, and we can deal with other things later." Lu Tanwei felt sorry for his niece, and with a wave of his hand, he was about to brush the matter aside.
But Lord Wang did not intend to let things go peacefully, and his face immediately turned red with anxiety.
"What do you mean by 'let's talk about it later'?"
"How can her injuries compare to my daughter's?!"
Xiang was dissatisfied with Lord Wang's aggressiveness, but she was even more disgusted by Pei Tingyou's defense. She said sternly, "The Duke has heard this too. This matter cannot be brushed aside lightly. If it is not properly resolved, it will be bad for Lingyi's reputation if it gets out!"
Pei Tingyou and Lu Tanwei looked at each other in tacit understanding and were both silent.
Since Xiang has made her attitude clear, the two of them can't just go their own way. One of them has to consider his wife's dignity, and the other has to consider their niece's situation after marrying into the Pei family.
Song Lingyi kept her eyes lowered.
What good or bad reputation? Ever since she came to Kyoto, there have been many people plotting against her behind her back. She originally thought that getting engaged to Pei Zhao was finding a good home, but the rumors turned out to be even worse than before.
If they really cared about her reputation, they should have investigated the cause and made examples of the three of them so that others would not dare to slander her again, instead of asking her to beg for peace in a humble manner just for her reputation.
If they treat her as inferior now, they won't know how to embarrass her in the future.
"I think Madam Pei's words are biased."
Suddenly, a gentle yet dignified voice sounded from the path behind the bushes, and everyone's eyes were cast in that direction.
Several strong men in tight clothing and armed with swords quickly filled the perimeter of the garden. The servants of the Pei residence, standing on the periphery, glanced at the crimson figure slowly approaching and immediately nodded, lowering their brows and kneeling in salute.
"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
Upon hearing that it was the Crown Prince who had arrived, the people who had been engaged in a heated argument fell silent and bowed to welcome him.
Song Lingyi stood there, staring blankly at the crimson figure not far away.
The distance between them was neither too far nor too close, and the sky was so dark that she could not see Xiao Mingyi's face clearly. She only felt a sharp and burning gaze directed at her.
Seeing that his niece hadn't responded for a long time, Lu Tanwei thought she was frightened by the Crown Prince's display of power, so he quickly reached out and pulled her, whispering, "Lingyi, quickly bow!"
Song Lingyi sighed inwardly, and just as she bent her knees, she heard Xiao Mingyi say "No need for formalities". She immediately straightened her knees and replied in a whisper like "Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince" along with the crowd.
"Why isn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince having a banquet in the front yard?" Pei Tingyou asked as he stepped forward.
Xiao Mingyi glanced at the crowd, passing Pei Tingyou who was blocking his way. He said calmly, "I happened to be passing by and heard the adults arguing, so I came to take a look."
Hearing this, the five families all looked a little embarrassed, but Xiang still remembered what the Crown Prince had just said and did not think that he was just "passing by" or "looking around casually".
Pei Tingyou was embarrassed, fearing that the Crown Prince's involvement would complicate matters, so he quickly said, "There was a minor incident in the palace, and I'm already handling it. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Highness. How about I..."
Xiao Mingyi chuckled and interrupted him.
"I heard the adults were arguing heatedly, and it didn't seem like it was about a trivial matter."
Pei Tingyou's expression changed slightly.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's tone was very subtle. He didn't seem to be pressing the issue, but in fact, he had already shown his intention to take care of the matter.
"Your Highness!"
Seeing that the Zhao and Lin families were like gourds with their mouths sawed off, and remained silent, Lord Wang decided to take the initiative.
"The Duke's niece assaulted my daughter over a minor altercation and refused to apologize. This is simply too much. I beg Your Highness to intervene and punish this woman severely!"
"Nonsense, three people beat one person and nothing happened, but in the end they blamed my niece for it. That doesn't make sense!" Lu Tanwei shouted.
"My daughter is well-behaved and sensible. How could she be someone who doesn't know etiquette? She's clearly your niece, and you're thinking of resolving a quarrel with her with fists!"
Wang Jin thought that since the Crown Prince had arrived, he would definitely handle the matter impartially, so he spoke more firmly. "Your Highness, you can ask Sister Zhao and Sister Lin about who started it first. We are not like some vulgar people who will not lie."
In a fight, the one who started it first was at fault. The Wang, Zhao, and Lin families all assumed that the Crown Prince would come to uphold justice and side with them, so they all insisted that Song Lingyi was at fault first.
"After all, he was born in a remote place. He's used to being unreasonable and unreasonable. Even after coming to Kyoto, he still doesn't know how to change his temper!"
As soon as Wang Jin finished speaking, he felt a cold gaze sweeping over him. He immediately lowered his head and remained silent.
Xiao Mingyi stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over Wang, Zhao, and Lin, the three women, before finally settling on Song Lingyi. He curled his lips and said, "After all they've said, don't you have anything to defend yourself?"
The listless girl raised her drooping eyelashes, and her uncle beside her gave her a quick look, signaling her not to be afraid and to speak boldly.
"...They didn't lie. I was the first one to attack."
With just one sentence, the three families' expressions immediately brightened. Now that the other party admitted to being the first to strike, the matter would be easier to handle.
"Why do you want to take action?" Xiao Mingyi asked slowly.
Song Lingyi felt inexplicably sad.
Unexpectedly, after the families had quarreled for so long, the first person to ask her why she started fighting would be Xiao Mingyi.
The grievance she had endured for so long burst forth like a volcano, her red lips moving as she spoke, "They insulted my mother, saying I was sharp-tongued and two-faced, and that I seduced Brother Jianzhi..."
After a pause, she spoke with resentment: "She also said that I came to the garden to meet another man."
The elders of the Wang, Zhao and Lin families all looked terribly different.
These words are of no small importance. Today is the engagement banquet of the Lu and Pei families. Saying these words is like spreading rumors and causing trouble. If the two families investigate, a fight will be a small matter.
The three women didn't expect that what they said was heard by Song Lingyi, and they looked guilty and flustered.
"How can this be possible!"
Lu Tanwei was furious, stiffening his neck and scolding, "How dare these youngsters insult my sister and niece like this? They are totally disrespectful and have no manners!"
In front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Lord Wang was still stubborn: "This is all her words, how can you believe it!"
The three women knew they had spoken out of turn and did not dare to admit that they had said those words. Anyway, no one heard them except Song Lingyi, so they denied it directly.
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