Thinking of this, her mind was filled with countless thoughts, and she didn't know what she was thinking. After a moment, the old lady waved her hand, signaling all the maids to leave.
"I'm tired today! Please make yourselves at home!"
She was too lazy to warn those people not to go around spreading rumors. Anyway, the more she suppressed them, the less effective it would be. Whatever.
Just as she was about to leave, she glanced at Liu Piaorou, who looked completely bewildered, and for some reason, she sighed…
"Take the cake with you!"
She's her own granddaughter after all, so the cake should be fine. As for the white jade coral, she'll investigate it herself.
After the old lady left, the scene became somewhat awkward. The sixth princess was so frightened that her face turned extremely ugly. She glared at Qin Qing fiercely, lifted her foot to leave, and bumped into the dazed Liu Piaorou. She walked to Qin Qing's side and said through gritted teeth.
"You lowly commoner! Just you wait!"
After uttering those harsh words, the Sixth Princess Qi Ning'er strode away, leaving everyone at a loss for what to do.
Meanwhile, at the officials' banquet on the other side, the Grand Tutor's expression changed drastically upon hearing the laughter brought by the maid! Remembering that there were other officials around him, he lowered his voice in surprise.
"What? The gift the Sixth Princess brought is poisoned? What happened?"
The maid explained timidly, and this scene quickly attracted the attention of many people…
Upon hearing this, one of the men's previously indifferent gazes suddenly became more curious.
Because of the distinction between men and women, the birthday banquet was divided into two parts: one for court officials and the other for their families and relatives.
Just as the Grand Tutor was horrified by the Sixth Princess's poisoning, servants of other officials approached from afar. The Grand Tutor couldn't stop them and could only watch helplessly as the officials listened to the news with astonished expressions.
It turned out that since the matriarch had left, the others didn't want to stay any longer in this awkward situation. After all, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, and they knew too much! So they all got up to take their leave. Aunt An, the tutor's concubine, who was sitting on the right, didn't even have time to react before the banquet was ruined.
They could only stare blankly as one by one, the officials' wives, led their daughters away…
Qin Qing knew that speaking out so directly would definitely not end well, so she might as well leave as soon as possible. Anyway, it was the Sixth Princess Qi Ning'er who caused the trouble, so it couldn't be blamed on Liu Piaorou. And she, as a commoner, was the easiest target to be used as a scapegoat!
Having figured this out, she quietly pulled Liu Piaorou aside and whispered.
“Miss Liu, it’s getting late, and I need to go home. Why don’t you settle my wages so I can go home as soon as possible?”
Liu Piaorou was stunned, but she knew that today's events were related to her, so it was better to leave first... But just as she was asking Xiaolian to take out the money, a roar came from afar.
"What exactly happened? Where is the Old Madam? Where is the Sixth Princess?"
At this time, many officials' wives had not yet left. The Grand Tutor's angry words were naturally directed at Liu Piaorou and Aunt An. Although he did not know what had happened, it was probably a shameful thing for the host family to let such a thing happen! Who knows how much gossip they would hear at the morning court tomorrow!
Liu Piaorou turned pale with fright, while Aunt An, standing to the side, remained silent for a long time, her face also showing a hint of panic.
The Grand Tutor couldn't care less about anything else; seeing that no one was responding to him, his anger grew even stronger!
Liu Qing, who was following closely behind, quickly walked over. His refined and scholarly demeanor was very eye-catching, and his face showed a hint of worry and humility.
"Father, don't be anxious! Let Rou'er explain in detail. Perhaps there's some misunderstanding!"
What he said seemed reasonable enough, but Liu Piaorou immediately stiffened, giving him a reproachful look. She was just a junior; shouldn't she be asking Aunt An about such matters? There was no reason for her to ask her!
Saying that now would be accusing her of not handling the unexpected situation well! She was the one who was just being bullied!
Thinking about it, she became increasingly dissatisfied with Liu Qing. Looking at Aunt An standing to the side, she saw a wronged expression on her face, as if it were all Liu Piaorou's fault! But when she was humiliated by the Sixth Princess, Aunt An didn't say a word!
If her mother were here, how could she allow others to treat her like this, and how could she let a young woman who had just come of age handle these matters?
Seeing that she was so determined to keep quiet, the Grand Tutor became even angrier and said in a very impatient tone.
"I'm asking you a question! You've always been like this since you were little, so timid and subservient! Where is the elegance and poise of a woman from the Liu family? What a disgrace to our family!"
The Grand Tutor's sudden accusations and volatile temper caused the crowd to whisper among themselves, looking at him with surprise.
"Everyone says that Liu Piaorou, the only daughter of the Grand Tutor, is of noble birth, but I never imagined that she would have such a low status at home! Since there is no mistress in the Grand Tutor's household, Aunt An must be in charge of the banquet, so why is she scolding Miss Liu as soon as she comes over?"
"Who can argue with that? Besides, Miss Liu is the real victim. First, she was insulted by the Sixth Princess, and then she was indiscriminately scolded by her own father..."
"Shh, you two keep quiet!"
Whispers kept coming, and the Grand Tutor's face turned red and his neck thickened as he listened, looking like a scholar who had been driven to desperation!
Upon hearing those words, Liu Piaorou abruptly looked up, her eyes instantly reddening and swollen. She stared at the Grand Tutor with disbelief, tears streaming down her face, her sense of grievance erupting instantly…
She was bullied, and her father not only didn't comfort her or seek justice for her, but also scolded her like that in front of everyone!
Seeing this, Aunt An, who was standing to the side, immediately realized that something was very wrong and hurriedly spoke up with a look of self-reproach.
"Master, you've misunderstood. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so slow to react, things wouldn't have turned out this way. Scold me if you must! This has nothing to do with Rou'er..."
Before she could finish blaming herself, tears streamed down her face, making her look so pitiful that even the Grand Tutor was slightly moved.
However, he didn't explain what had just happened in his words, and instead put on an innocent and aggrieved expression to gain sympathy!
The ladies present, all of whom had risen through the ranks of power struggles within the inner quarters, knew all too well what was going on. They looked at Aunt An with disdain, while only the men showed pity.
Liu Piaorou was furious. With tears streaming down her face, she turned to her and loudly accused her.
"Shut up! You're just a concubine, what are you pretending for!"
These words instantly reignited the anger that the Grand Tutor had just managed to suppress, and he raised his hand and slapped him!
*Slap!* "You wretched girl!"
The slap caught everyone off guard, leaving them wide-eyed as they stared at what was happening before them. Liu Piaorou was also stunned, covering her face and staring blankly at the Grand Tutor…
Until a woman in the crowd couldn't help but blurt it out!
"This... beating one's own daughter for a lowly concubine? Good heavens, how is this any different from favoring a concubine over one's wife?"
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