As Liu was carried from the front hall, a scarlet-gold, kingfisher feather hairpin accidentally fell from her hair, shattering on the blue brick floor like the mask of virtue she had carefully maintained. Su Jinli stared at the shattered feather, her gaze unwavering. She turned to Su Hongye, seated at the main table, and bowed once more, her moon-white skirt drawing a sharp arc in the morning light. "I'm sorry to have disturbed all of you elders and friends today. I hope my father and you will forgive me."
Her voice was clear and steady, without a trace of panic, which helped the guests recover from their shock. Someone secretly observed Prime Minister Su's expression and saw the slight trembling of his fingers stroking his beard, knowing that the usually majestic prime minister must be feeling a turbulent tide of emotions at this moment.
Su Hongye gazed at his daughter's white figure, and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. In his memory, Jinli always huddled behind Liu, like a frightened deer, even looking up with timidity. But today, with her straight back and sharp eyes, she possessed a touch of her mother's former dignity. His throat moved slightly, but he finally said in a deep voice, "Today's incident is due to your father's failure to manage the household properly. Return to your room and rest. I will take care of the rest."
Su Jinli knew her father needed time to process this sudden change. She said no more, bowed, and withdrew. As she passed through the corridor, the copper bells on the eaves tinkled in the wind, like the lingering sound of this farce.
As soon as I turned through the Moon Gate, I heard hurried footsteps approaching from afar, accompanied by the clear voice unique to young people: "Sister! Sister, wait for me!"
Su Jinli turned around and saw twelve-year-old Su Mingxuan running towards her, breathless. A few scraps of grass were still stained on his dark sleeves, and he clutched a wooden sword carved with bamboo knots. He had obviously come straight from the martial arts training grounds. The little guy's face was flushed from running, and his hair on his forehead was stuck to his skin with sweat, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, like two falling sparks.
"Sister! The front yard was in an uproar just now!" Su Mingxuan ran up to her, his chest still heaving violently. "I heard from the servant that you silenced that old hag Liu and even pulled out Wang Erlang's gambling debt ledger and threw it in her face?"
Seeing that he was speaking without restraint, Su Jinli helplessly reached out and rubbed the top of his head, feeling the coarse and hard hair that was unique to young people: "Young Marquis, please be careful with your words. There are many servants in the mansion."
"What are you afraid of!" Su Mingxuan thrust his wooden sword into his waist and stiffened his neck. "That Wang Erlang is a loser! Last month, I saw him and his gang of cronies at the West Pasture, trying to steal a flower girl's garland. I whipped his horse's rump with a whip, and he was so scared he almost fell off!" He became increasingly agitated, his face filled with indignation. "Sister, you're absolutely right! Even if a man like that marries a fairy, he'll still mistreat her. We won't marry!"
Seeing her brother's indignation, Su Jinli felt a warm feeling in her heart. In a previous life, this brother from the same mother, though somewhat mischievous due to being spoiled by their grandmother, was the only one in the mansion who would secretly bring her snacks and dare to talk back when she was being bullied by Liu. However, when she later married into the royal family, he was still young and had the desire to protect his sister, but he lacked the strength to do so. Liu even found excuses to punish him several times for this.
"I know you're powerful," Su Jinli curled her lips and brushed the grass debris off his shoulders. "But don't do that again. You're a young marquis with a title now, so you need to be mindful of your status."
"I was just standing up for justice!" Su Mingxuan grumbled unconvincedly, then puffed out his chest like a proud little rooster, "Don't worry, sister! If anyone dares to bully you again, you don't have to ask, I will just take my 'Evil-Slaying Sword' to support you!" As he spoke, he patted the wooden sword at his waist in a serious manner, which made the little maids serving beside him couldn't help but laugh.
Su Jinli chuckled at his amusement, and the coldness in her eyes melted a little: "Okay, sister, wait for the young marquis's 'Evil Slaying Sword' to escort you."
Back at Suiyuxuan, Lu'e had already brought warm water. The little maidservant, twisting her handkerchief, couldn't help but chirp, "Young lady, you didn't see it. When Liu was dragged away, her face was as pale as death, her hair all unkempt! And those guests, their eyes were almost popping out of their heads! I was listening outside, my heart was in my throat. Young lady, you're truly amazing..."
Su Jinli took the handkerchief and wiped her hands, her gaze fixed on the old crabapple tree outside the window. Many petals had fallen from the rain last night, but new buds were still blooming on the branches. "This is just the first step," she said calmly. "The Liu family is deeply entrenched. How could they give up so easily?"
Sure enough, just after the hour of Wei, Zhang, the housekeeper by her father's side, came to tell her that the master was waiting for her in the study.
Su Jinli straightened her clothes and took a deep breath. She knew that the real battle had just begun.
Entering his father's "Chengxin Hall," the air was filled with the familiar scent of ink and ambergris. Su Hongye stood by the window, his hands behind his back, gazing at the rockery in the courtyard, his figure appearing somewhat forlorn. On the desk, a stack of gambling debt ledgers wrapped in mulberry paper lay prominently, a purple Duan inkstone beside it.
"Father." Su Jinli bowed his head and saluted.
Su Hongye turned around. His face no longer had the dignity he had in the front hall, but instead looked a bit tired. He pointed to the embroidered cushion in front of the desk and said, "Sit down."
This was the first time Su Jinli could remember her father letting her sit down in the study. She was a little surprised, but she did as she was told, her back straight.
"Jinli," Su Hongye picked up the stack of account books and stroked the edge of the pages with his fingertips, "Tell me the truth, how did you get these things?" His voice was not loud, but it carried a scrutinizing tone.
Su Jinli had already prepared her words. She raised her head, her eyes clear yet holding a hint of just the right amount of grievance. "Father, half a month ago, I overheard Liu's maid chatting with the kitchen steward in the garden. They mentioned that Wang Erlang had run up a huge debt at the gambling house, and even the old lady of the Wang family was so angry that she fell ill. At the time, I just thought it was just gossip from the servants and didn't take it to heart."
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