"This is the account book I specially had copied from the gambling house yesterday," Su Jinli's voice was cold and clear. "It not only records all of Wang Erlang's gambling debts from the past three months, but also his personal signature for each debt. If stepmother doesn't believe me, you can take it and have a look. I'll also let our relatives and friends judge whether such a debt-ridden playboy is worthy of my daughter!"
"Gambling debt ledger? Autographed?"
The guests' eyes were fixed on the paper bag in Su Jinli's hands, their expressions filled with shock and disbelief. Liu felt her head spin, her ears buzzing, as if countless needles were piercing her brain. She couldn't understand why Su Jinli, usually timid and obedient, had suddenly become so eloquent and produced such irrefutable evidence. Could it be... could it be that this girl had known all along?
"Liu!"
At the head of the table, Su Hongye slammed his fist on the table, sending the fine blue and white porcelain teacup bouncing and spilling tea, soaking the tablecloth in front of him. His face was ashen, his eyes filled with uncontrollable rage. "Explain it to me! What the hell is going on?!"
Liu was terrified. She fell to her knees with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly, her forehead hitting the blue brick floor with a thud. "Master, please calm down! I don't know, I really don't know! Someone must have deliberately framed Wang Lang, framed me! This account book must be fake, forged by someone with ulterior motives! Master, please believe me!"
"Enough!" Su Jinli interrupted her harshly, her voice filled with contempt. "If stepmother didn't know, why did she bring up this marriage now? Could it be that she had already discussed it with the Wang family and wanted to use my marriage to cover their gambling debts? Or..." She paused, her gaze sweeping across Liu's panicked face like a sword. "What benefits did stepmother receive from the Wang family that made her so eager to push me into this fire pit?"
"I didn't!" Liu screamed, like a madman. "Su Jinli, stop slandering me! I'm your stepmother. I watched you grow up. How could I hurt you?"
"Whether or not this is slander, father will know once he investigates." Su Jinli stopped looking at Liu and turned to face Su Hongye. She knelt on the ground, her back straight, her eyes filled with unprecedented determination and resoluteness. "Father, I, Su Jinli, swear here that I would rather die than marry into the Wang family! Regarding today's matter, please make the decision for your daughter and for the reputation of the Su family!"
Sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, falling on Su Jinli's plain white dress, outlining her slender yet stubborn figure. The entire hall was silent, save for the sound of stringed instruments, which had ceased at some point, leaving only the heavy breathing of the crowd.
Su Hongye looked at his daughter, kneeling on the ground, and saw a light in her eyes he had never seen before—a light mixed with hatred, unwillingness, and determination that shook him. He then looked at Liu, shivering on the ground, her face ashen. Then, thinking about Wang Erlang's misdeeds and the pile of possible gambling debts, he understood about half of what was going on.
In order to pave the way for her own son, this concubine actually planned to marry the legitimate daughter. It is simply lawless!
He took a deep breath, suppressed the rage in his heart, and spoke in a voice as cold as iron: "Liu, you are so bold! How dare you act so recklessly in the marriage of your legitimate daughter? Where does this put the reputation of the Prime Minister's Mansion?!"
He turned to the butler behind him and said in a deep voice, "Come! Send the mistress back to the 'Jingsi Hall' in the backyard. Do not leave the room without my order! All household affairs in the mansion will be temporarily handled by the maid in the main room!"
"Master! Master, spare me! I'm innocent!" Liu cried, but two strong maids lifted her up and dragged her out of the front hall. Her cries grew increasingly distant, eventually disappearing outside the hanging flower gate.
The front hall was completely silent, everyone was speechless at the sudden turn of events. No one could have imagined that a joyous coming-of-age banquet would turn into a farce where the legitimate daughter publicly exposed her stepmother's conspiracy and refused to marry.
Su Jinli slowly stood up from the ground, brushed off the dust on her skirt, and met the gazes of the whole room that were either shocked, inquiring, admiring, or gloating, without a trace of panic in her heart.
Liu, Wang Erlang...
She silently repeated these two names in her heart, with cold murderous intent surging in the depths of her eyes.
Whatever you owed me in the previous life, I will take it back in this life, one by one, with interest!
The wind from the Suiyu Pavilion blew past, lifting a strand of hair from her temple. Su Jinli tilted her head slightly, gazing at the azure sky outside the window, a cold arc slowly curling up the corners of her mouth.
In this life, Su Jinli is no longer a chess piece at the mercy of others. From now on, her life and her destiny will be controlled by her!
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