Chapter 3: I didn't push him into the water.
Two days later, at Liu's Yilan Garden.
Although it was early morning, the hall was already full of people, and the atmosphere was as oppressive as an impending storm.
The second wife, Madam Wang, sat to the left, holding a handkerchief, sobbing and lamenting:
"Sister-in-law, you must stand up for our second branch! Our Wei-jie finally found a good match, and the other party is the eldest son of a high-ranking civil official, who values reputation the most! But now, Lingxi caused such a commotion at the banquet, pushing the daughter of Minister Du into the water. This 'overbearing and vicious' reputation will be ruined if it gets out!"
"If Sister Wei's marriage falls through, how am I supposed to live!"
The Wei-jie'er mentioned by Wang was the daughter of her second wife.
The third wife, Madam Zhang, sat on the other side, looking down at her nose and silently drinking tea, appearing neither competitive nor eager to compete, as if she were merely there to make up the numbers.
At the heart of the incident is Xiao Lingxi, the second young lady of the Marquis's mansion. She is also born to Lady Liu, making her Xiao Jingheng's younger sister.
At this moment, she stood straight in the hall, her small face tense, her eyes slightly red, but she stubbornly held her head high, refusing to admit her mistake.
"I didn't push her, she fell down on her own!"
Xiao Lingxi's voice was trembling with grievance, but it was still loud, "I only ran over because I heard the screams. She fell into the water by herself. What does it have to do with me!"
"Oh! Still not admitting your mistake?"
Madam Wang dabbed away non-existent tears with a handkerchief and said sarcastically, "So many eyes saw it. You were right next to Miss Du. Just the other day, you and Miss Du had a disagreement over a hairpin. If you didn't push her, does that mean Miss Du jumped down herself and is trying to frame you? What would a pure and innocent young lady like her want?"
yes!
What's the point?
This is something that no one can understand, so everyone believes that Xiao Lingxi pushed Miss Du into the water!
With the testimony of the other party's maid at the time, the blame was thus firmly placed on Xiao Lingxi's head.
Sitting on the throne, Liu's brows were furrowed, and the prayer beads in her hands were unconsciously being turned much faster.
She knew her daughter's nature well; she was spoiled, but she might not have any intention of harming others.
But now, both the witnesses and the evidence are against Lingxi, and Wang Shi is relentlessly pressing on, leaving Lingxi, the matriarch of the household, feeling quite troubled.
"Mother, I really didn't!" Seeing Liu Shi's silence, Xiao Lingxi felt even more wronged, tears welling up in her eyes, which she forced back to keep from falling.
Just then, Su Xiaoyu walked in with tea in her hands, bowing her head and offering tea to the masters.
She was still thinking to herself, "That second wife has a really loud voice; she can't even let anyone have some peace and quiet this early in the morning..."
As soon as Xiao Jingheng stepped into the hall, he heard Su Xiaoyu's indignant voice.
He paused, slowed his pace, and took a few steps closer to Su Xiaoyu so that he could hear her more clearly.
[The Second Miss is truly wronged! Du Tingting clearly slipped on her own initiative, just to get revenge on the Second Miss for beating her in mahjong a few days ago and making her lose face in public. Her personal maid, Xianghe, was also an accomplice!]
Unfortunately, everyone was too frightened to notice that before Du Tingting fell into the water, she secretly turned around to check if the Second Miss was nearby!
Xiao Jingheng suddenly stopped in his tracks!
It's Su Xiaoyu again! She wasn't even there, how could she know so much?
His sharp gaze swept across the hall, where he saw Su Xiaoyu carefully setting down a teacup, her face bearing a standard, submissive expression of indifference.
The scene inside the hall, combined with the inner thoughts he had just heard, made him instantly understand the whole story.
Madam Wang persisted, "...Sister-in-law, it's not that I, as an aunt, want to be harsh on the younger generation, but if Lingxi's temperament isn't properly disciplined, who knows what trouble she'll cause in the future! We can't let the reputation of our Marquis's mansion be ruined like this!"
Liu was getting a headache from the noise and was about to speak.
"Second Aunt, you are mistaken."
A clear, calm voice rang out from the doorway, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Xiao Jingheng slowly walked into the hall, first bowing to Madam Liu, and then calmly looking at Madam Wang.
"The matter has not yet been investigated, yet Second Aunt is already rushing to convict Lingxi, even escalating it to the point of disgracing the family. Isn't that too arbitrary?"
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
Wang was somewhat intimidated by her young but powerful nephew, and forced a smile, saying, "Jingheng, you're busy with official duties and don't know the inside story. So many people saw it at the time..."
What you see may not be the truth.
Xiao Jingheng interrupted her and turned to Xiao Lingxi, who was standing to the side: "Lingxi, tell me again, what exactly happened back then? Don't miss any details."
When Xiao Lingxi saw her brother, it was as if she had found her pillar of support. She sniffed and recounted the events of that time in detail.
He emphasized, "Brother, I really didn't push her. I only ran over after I heard the sound of her falling into the water!"
Xiao Jingheng listened quietly, but his gaze seemed to drift unintentionally to Su Xiaoyu, who was trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
[Yes, yes, yes! Second Miss is right. She ran over because she heard the noise. Young Master, you are very perceptive. That Du Tingting took advantage of Second Miss's straightforward and impulsive nature to set this up. She's so wicked!]
Su Xiaoyu's inner thoughts rang out at just the right moment, filled with absolute affirmation.
Xiao Jingheng had already made up his mind.
He looked at Madam Liu and said in a deep voice, "Mother, this matter concerns my sister's reputation and the Marquis's family's honor. We cannot draw conclusions based on just one side's story. I think there must be something fishy going on."
Seeing her son say this, Liu felt somewhat relieved and quickly asked him, "Then what do you think we should do?"
Xiao Jingheng turned to Madam Wang: "Second Aunt, I understand that your concern is causing your confusion. However, judging a case requires witnesses and physical evidence. It is indeed difficult to convince the public based solely on the testimony of the Du family's maid. If our Marquis's Mansion itself accepts this reputation of being 'overbearing and ruthless,' then Wei's marriage will likely be truly affected."
Wang was speechless for a moment, wanting to refute him but not knowing where to begin.
Xiao Jingheng stopped looking at her and said to Madam Liu, "Mother, leave this matter to your son."
"Finding out the truth isn't difficult. Since both sides have their own version of events, let's start with the most basic questions. Just ask Miss Du and her maid, Xianghe, which direction Miss Du was facing before falling into the water, whether she looked back, or which direction Lingxi came from when she ran over."
Details fabricated in a panic often cannot withstand repeated scrutiny.
[Yes, yes, yes! It's Xianghe! She's Du Tingting's confidante; she's involved in all the bad things! How did the young master know her name? Could it be... he started investigating all along? No wonder he's the young master!]
Su Xiaoyu's inner thoughts immediately resonated, filled with admiration for Xiao Jingheng's prophetic abilities.
A barely perceptible smile flashed in Xiao Jingheng's eyes.
Of course, he hadn't done any prior investigation; it was all thanks to this little girl.
“Furthermore,” Xiao Jingheng continued, “if Miss Du insists that Lingxi pushed her, she will surely be able to clearly describe the force and direction of the push. Mother may send someone to inquire carefully under the pretext of concern. If her words are evasive or contradictory, that will be a flaw.”
His words were perfectly worded, providing direction for the investigation while preserving the dignity of the Marquis's family in caring for the daughter of a long-time friend, without directly severing ties.
Wang's expression changed several times as she listened.
He had intended to use this opportunity to suppress the eldest son's family and highlight his daughter's maturity, but Xiao Jingheng managed to salvage the situation with just a few words.
"Jingheng is indeed very thoughtful." Madam Liu felt relieved, gave her son an approving look, and then said to Madam Wang:
"Second sister-in-law, you heard it too. Jingheng will handle this matter and will definitely clear Lingxi's name, and will not implicate Wei'er. You can go back now with peace of mind."
What else could Wang say?
He could only awkwardly stand up and say, "Then... I'll have to trouble you, Your Highness."
After saying that, he took his leave with a hint of reluctance.
The third wife, Madam Zhang, also got up and quietly left.
Only Liu Shi, Xiao Jingheng, Xiao Lingxi, and Su Xiaoyu, who was standing by, remained in the hall.
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