Upon hearing this, everyone naturally recalled Qi Huaiyu's past behavior.
"Yes, Miss Xin used to be incredibly kind to him."
"He always puts on airs. A few years ago, I thought he was the real Xin family member, and the Third Miss was from outside."
"If it really is my cousin, and the Third Miss is so infatuated, wouldn't her family arrange the engagement? I had a feeling something was off before, and now I see!"
"A wet nurse's son who only got his status lifted because of the Third Miss is now spending all his time being affectionate with Miss Xue, he's utterly despicable!"
"It's more than that. Doing such a thing is clearly an attempt to kill the Second Young Master and the two young ladies so that he can monopolize the Xin family."
The constant clamor finally broke Qi Huaiyu.
Seeing that his scheme had been completely exposed, he burst into hysterical laughter: "Yes! I want the Xin family's assets! So what? Didn't Xin Jiuwei shamelessly offer them to me?"
"I have achieved what I have today without relying on anyone; I deserve it all!"
He laughed twice, staring at Xin Jiuwei, "You think you've won by exposing me now? Foolish! A woman as stupid, ignorant, and disgraced as you, who else but me would dare to marry you?"
"Enough!"
A stern rebuke came from outside the hall. Everyone turned around, and Xin's father finally appeared, surrounded by several other members of the Xin clan, with Xin Yunzhou, who looked furious, following behind him.
“Father.” Xin Jiuwei and Xin Xiyao went forward to greet him.
Xin Yunzhou strode up to them and looked Xin Jiuwei up and down several times. "Are you alright?"
Xin Jiuwei shook her head and smiled at her brother.
Father Xin walked slowly to his two daughters, and seeing that they both nodded, he turned around to face the crowd.
"Qi Huaiyu," Father Xin said slowly, "Although I wouldn't say I treated you like my own son, I still put a lot of effort into raising you. Is this how you repay me, how you treat my daughter?"
Qi Huaiyu tried to argue, "Uncle Xin, I..."
"No need for further words!" Father Xin raised his hand to interrupt him. "Today, in front of all the guests, I solemnly declare—Qi Huaiyu has absolutely no relation to the Xin family! My daughter, Jiuwei, has never been engaged to Qi Huaiyu. From this day forward, everything Qi Huaiyu does has nothing to do with the Xin family! Nor with my daughter, Xin Jiuwei!"
"Jiuwei's future marriage arrangements will have absolutely nothing to do with this person!"
These words struck Qi Huaiyu like a thunderbolt, causing him to stagger back a few steps.
He looked around and saw that the young men he used to call brothers were all avoiding his gaze. Some even cheered loudly in support of Xin's father's speech.
Among them was Xie Changjing, who, like him, had come uninvited. At this moment, in order to show his support for Xin Xiyao's sister, he went out of his way to echo her.
"Such an ungrateful wretch is a disgrace to civilization!"
"Even a son-in-law has a title, but a son of an ungrateful wet nurse who wants to seize the Xin family is truly delusional!"
Qi Huaiyu's face turned ashen from the public's scorn. He gritted his teeth and endured it for a long time before finally coming up with another solution.
He revealed a madness he had never shown before, and laughed loudly, "Xin Jiuwei, do you think you can sever ties with me like this?"
He suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing a jade pendant he wore close to his body. "You say I, Qi Huaiyu, have no relation to the Xin family? Fine, Lord Xin, Miss Xin, take a look at this!"
Upon seeing the jade pendant, Xin Jiuwei frowned slightly, but before she could speak, Qi Huaiyu turned to the guests and loudly proclaimed:
"This jade pendant was left to me by Miss Xin's birth mother. She gave it to me personally, and Lord Xin knows about it. He has already arranged a marriage between me and Miss Xin! However, they say that I have not yet achieved fame or fortune, so they have not announced it to the public. They also urge me to work hard every day, and I must earn a thousand taels of gold before I can marry her!"
"What you all don't know is that they asked me not to reveal my relationship with Miss Xin beforehand, so I cooperated with the act, and I also thought that it was all for Miss Xin's good!"
"So it turns out they only disliked my humble origins. Now that they see me in dire straits, they want to get rid of me. Does being a daughter of a noble family mean you can be a snob and fickle? I, Qi Huaiyu, am not a high-ranking official, but I am a diligent scholar. Should I be insulted by them for no reason?"
He was clearly making unfounded claims, but since he was using the Xin family's property and Xin Jiuwei's reputation as leverage, some people with conservative thinking were naturally misled by him.
A murmur of discussion immediately arose among the guests.
Several older ladies exchanged glances and whispered among themselves, "Although Young Master Qi is of questionable character, if Madam Xin truly concealed the marriage agreement, it was also inappropriate of her to do so..."
"I believe that Qi Huaiyu is absolutely unmarriageable, but after all this commotion, which family in Yingzhou City would want Miss Xin?"
"Misunderstandings are common among young people. Once they get married, they can just endure it and get through the days, right? It's better than wasting your life as an old maid."
"You!" Xin Yunzhou was furious, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to rush towards Qi Huaiyu. "Even now, you still slander my sister's innocence! I'll beat you to death, you bastard who spouts nonsense!"
Xin Xiyao quickly grabbed him and whispered, "Don't fall for his trick! He's just trying to provoke us and give us something to say!"
Xin Jiuwei was not as angry as her brother. She had long anticipated that Qi Huaiyu would resort to desperate measures and that he would use underhanded methods. That was why she made a promise to Jueming a few days ago on Chongwu Mountain.
She quickly thought for a moment, then smiled slightly, "Qi Huaiyu, you are so learned and talented, calling yourself a genius of Yingzhou, yet you haven't learned even a little bit about jade appraisal?"
Qi Huaiyu paused, but Xin Jiuwei ignored him and gave Wang Qing a look.
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