After playing with An An for a while, during lunch, Chen Qiu told the old Duke and Madam Xiao about his experience in the Fang family and his previous analysis, and also mentioned his own thoughts.
After listening to Chen Qiu's words, Madam Xiao pondered for a moment and said, "If this was just an accident, we could accept it. But now it seems that it is not an accident, so that's another matter. You can go see Miss Fang first and ask her to clear up your doubts. As for what she does later, we will see. If she is kind, we will not be stingy with righteousness. If she is not kind, we don't have to talk about righteousness either. This is how people are. If you suffer this injustice today, you will never have to raise your head in front of Madam Zheng in the future. This is a matter of great importance to the Ye Mansion. Just do your job and don't suffer any injustice."
"Yes, grandma, I understand!" With the support of Madam Xiao, Shen Qiu felt more confident, and the gloom he had in the morning was gone.
After dinner, Chen Qiu coaxed An An to sleep and took a nap. He arrived at Zheng Mansion at 3:30 pm, accompanied by Xing'er and Jin'er. Because he was going to see the unmarried Miss Fang, Ye Chen did not follow.
Chen Qiu sat in the main hall for about two quarters of an hour. This was a treatment he had never received at Madam Zheng's place. In the past, Madam Zheng would go out to greet him personally.
When Mrs. Zheng came, her face was not looking good, and Chen Qiu greeted her as usual.
"I wonder what brings the Duke's wife to our humble home?" Mrs. Zheng said bluntly.
Chen Qiu was stunned for a moment, then realized: was this the same Mr. Fang who had come to file a complaint? "Madam, I'm here to see Miss Fang. I want to ask her a few questions about what happened yesterday. My brother didn't explain it to me when he returned. As a man, it's not appropriate for him to meet an unmarried young lady alone. My parents aren't around, and I'm your only sister in Kyoto, so I'm here to take his place."
Madam Zheng turned her head away and didn't look at Chen Qiu. "Don't worry, Madam. My daughter from the Fang family doesn't have to marry into your Shen family. This marriage hasn't been officially announced yet, so let's just call it a day!"
Chen Qiu immediately stood up and said, "Since this marriage is off, please return the Shen family jade pendant to me, Madam. It is a family heirloom."
"Sister!" a scolding voice came from behind the partition, and then a woman in a white dress walked out, holding the Shen family's heirloom jade pendant in her hand.
"Madam, it's alright if you look down on the Fang family, but you went to my cousin's house this morning to show off your power, and now you come here to break off the engagement. What's your intention? Does the Duke of Ye know that Madam is such a person?" If someone who didn't know the reason for the incident heard these words, they would really say "righteousness is awe-inspiring"
Chen Qiu frowned, looked at Fang Yu, and then shook his head. It seemed that he had come to the right place. "I wonder where Miss Fang heard that I was showing off at Uncle Fang's house? I wonder which ear Miss Fang heard that I broke off the engagement? I didn't know it before, but today I have seen it. So the so-called aristocratic families are like this. They lie with open eyes and make up stories. To be honest, your Fang family really brought shame to the four words of "scholarly family".
"You..." Fang Yu tightly grasped the jade pendant in his hand and uttered a word. Just as he was about to say something else, he was interrupted by Mrs. Zheng.
"Isn't the Duke's wife just showing off her power? Does insulting a century-old scholarly family elevate her status?"
Chen Qiu had previously had a good impression of Madam Zheng and had begun to consider her a friend, but today, Chen Qiu had already crossed her out of his mind. "Madam, are you only allowed to confuse right and wrong, and not allow me to speak for myself?"
"Madam, I went to propose marriage for my brother today, but was forced to drink four teapots of water and went to the palace three times. In the end, I was told that I couldn't make the decision. I came to ask Miss Fang a few words and yet you treated me like this. Since Madam said the marriage is off, then let it go. The Shen family is a military family, and we really can't serve the daughter of this aristocratic family." After saying that, Chen Qiu tapped his earlobe hard and knocked off a pearl the size of a rice grain. He flicked his middle finger at Fang Yu's hand holding the jade pendant. Fang Yu let go of his hand in pain, and the jade pendant fell down. Chen Qiu stretched out his foot to catch it, then swung it backwards, and Xing'er reached out to catch the jade pendant.
"Madam, what do you mean?" Fang Yu's hands were empty, and when he saw the jade pendant fall into Xing'er's hands, he glared at Chen Qiu and questioned him.
"Of course, we have to take back the token. Didn't you say that the marriage is over? Now that the marriage is over, the token should naturally be returned to the Shen family, right?" Chen Qiu patted her dress and said so casually.
"Is this the Shen family's reputation? They want to just walk away after ruining my reputation?" Fang Yu's words were somewhat unreasonable.
"Ms. Fang, my brother saved you when you fell into the river. You said that my brother ruined your reputation. It seems that he was wrong to save you?" Chen Qiu stared at Fang Yu without blinking.
Fang Yu didn't know how to answer. If she could answer that, it would mean she would rather die than be saved by a man, and that she should end her life with a white silk thread when she returned. If she answered that, it would mean that she was grateful for the man's life-saving grace, but she still forced him to marry her, and that she would be ungrateful.
"Miss Fang, how did you end up in the middle of the river so far from the shore yesterday? That river was a canal, and the current wasn't fast. Don't tell me you fell in by yourself, okay? My brother used his Qinggong to jump up and down twice, and swam for a while before he rescued you. How did you fall so far away? There was not a single boat on the canal yesterday, and your maid was still on the shore. Of course, you didn't fall off the boat. So how did you fall in? I think only you, Miss Fang, know the answer." When saying the last sentence, Chen Qiu looked at Madam Zheng, whose face was now filled with shock and disbelief.
"Mrs. Zheng, you should ask Miss Fang what exactly happened. However, your Fang family likes to confuse right and wrong, so I guess she won't tell you the truth. But what does it have to do with me? I just need to get the jade pendant back. As for you wanting to slander my brother and the Shen family, just come on." After saying this, Shen Qiu turned and left.
As he walked, he said in a loud voice: "I'd better go back and warn my brother not to save just anyone, otherwise he will have to marry someone else in the end. It's a pity that he doesn't have a sister-in-law at home, otherwise he would have to marry a concubine. Then my mother would beat him to death."
Chen Qiu's voice was loud, and there were many servants coming and going in the Zheng Mansion, so they naturally heard it, especially the maids serving in the backyard. The young lady from the lady's family was really not an easy person to serve.
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