"I had just finished admiring the scenery in the garden and was on my way to find Ninth Sister. Then I heard Second Miss Fan talking about her cousin, saying that her cousin was a cousin who lived in the Duke's mansion. Her cousin deliberately schemed against Princess Chunhui and the Emperor at the polo match, and relied on the Duke's mansion to earn herself the title of County Princess."
She added that her cousin's family was nothing more than a fallen Yunyang Earl's mansion, and that her cousin's father was imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture; how could she still have the face to go out?
"They also said that my cousin used a lot of vulgar and offensive language, that she seduced several of my brothers and behaved improperly. They said that the Xu family couldn't judge people well, and that my grandmother was senile, actually letting a cousin from another family bring trouble to the Duke's mansion."
"Speaking of Second Brother, he and his brothers are all upright and honest, they must have been deceived by Cousin. Otherwise, why would Second Brother and the others protect Cousin?"
"I was so angry that I said a few words, but they said I was too young to understand people's hearts, and that my cousin was only after the Duke's mansion's wealth and wanted to become the Xu family's new bride."
“When I argued back, Fan Er threw a teacup at me. I blocked it with my hand, which is how I hurt my palm. As for the bloodstains on my skirt, she scratched her hand and then got them on me.”
Xu Lingwan was not a patient person to begin with. She was just scared for a moment, but now that someone has taken charge, she has explained everything clearly from the inside out.
After a cup of tea, she finally stopped talking. Perhaps she had been talking for too long. She licked her lips and snuggled back into Liu's arms. She even stole a glance at Li Shiyue, then looked away when no one was looking.
She wasn't doing this for Li Shiyue; she was a daughter of the Xu family. She couldn't tolerate people falsely accusing the Xu family and her brothers.
Miss Fan retorted, "You even called me a gossip!"
Xu Lingwan glared at her defiantly: "Who told you to talk about the Xu family first? Gossiping behind people's backs is just being a gossip. I didn't say anything wrong."
"You!" Second Miss Fan was furious and wanted to take two more steps forward, but was blocked by Madam Liu. She had already come of age and was more than a head taller than Xu Lingwan, but she couldn't help but shrink back in the face of Madam Liu's angry face.
Xu Yunci raised his gaze and a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "Is this how the daughters of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice are raised? They come to visit other people's homes and talk about other people's family affairs. It seems that we should call the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice over to listen to what kind of mouth his daughter has."
Before anyone else could speak, Xu Yunci swaggered back in his chair, coldly glancing at Miss Fan and Fu Yunning: "Oh right, when I came here earlier, I sent someone to invite Marquis Changping and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. I'd like to hear how they plan to handle this matter today."
Only then did Miss Fan realize what had happened. She looked at Madam Fan with lingering fear, only to be met with her mother's worried yet helpless gaze.
She turned to look at Fu Yunning: "A-Ning, say something!"
She desperately hoped that Fu Yuning could help her. Even though it was Fu Yuning who had complained, she only said a few words on Fu Yuning's behalf, and Xu Lingwan overheard it.
“You’re such a worry, Miss. I’m afraid you’re speechless. Why don’t you take advantage of everyone’s presence and apologize quickly? Miss has the Imperial Concubine’s approval, but the Marquis’s mansion is different. Miss has to think about her younger siblings too. We can’t let Erlang and Sanniang, who are still young, bear a bad reputation for Miss.”
Lady Changping has always disliked Fu Yunning, the daughter of the first wife. Fu Yunning usually stays in the Pixiang Palace. With the Imperial Concubine present, Lady Changping has tried to control this legitimate daughter, but to no avail. Now that she has the opportunity, she is naturally unwilling to let it go easily.
Fu Yunning hadn't spoken a word since then. Her eyes were lowered, making it impossible to see her expression, but she was keeping a close eye on Xu Yunci's movements.
Every word he spoke was biased against him. A wave of bitterness rose in his throat. The words he had mustered the courage to say that day came from the bottom of his heart, every word sincere, but the other person hadn't taken them to heart.
She raised her eyes, ignoring everyone else, and looked directly at Xu Yunci. Her eyes were moist, as if she had suffered a great injustice: "Fan Er is just too outspoken and doesn't know the county princess well, that's why he spoke so recklessly."
"I thought it was just a joke between girls and didn't take it to heart. Who would have thought that Miss Xu would take it so seriously and make such a fuss?"
Xu Yunci's gaze was calm and cold, and Fu Yunning could not detect the slightest change in his face or eyes.
Fu Yunning's expression turned ashen, and she lowered her eyes: "If you want to apologize, then apologize."
"Miss Fu said it was just a joke between girls, but Miss Fan is just outspoken, which is why she said those unrealistic things to me."
Li Shiyue raised her eyes, her face devoid of any smile or anger: "Are you trying to say that the slander against me is insignificant, and that I am the same way? Just because you're not familiar with someone doesn't mean you can slander them behind their back."
"Shi Niang is serious, but how can someone speak ill of her family to her face? If it were Miss Fu, could she tolerate it? If Miss Fan Er were talking about Miss Fu and the Fu family today, would Miss Fu's sisters also turn a blind eye?"
"Just now you said that Miss Fan's ruthlessness ruined her future as an unmarried woman. Then let me ask you, when the incident happened and the cause was still unclear, why were you so quick to conclude that it was Tenth Sister's fault and that Tenth Sister was ruthless?"
“The garden is full of young ladies from various families. If Shi Niang is really rumored to be ruthless, what will become of her future before she even reaches marriageable age? Didn’t Miss Fan just say that this county princess has some great sense of reason? What kind of reason is that?”
"You say I'm taking sides, but from beginning to end, wasn't Miss Fu helping Miss Fan the second young lady?"
“It’s your business if you two are on good terms. Shi Niang is my cousin, and it’s my business if I side with my cousin. Now that this has happened, Miss Fu, there’s no need for you to act like you’ve been wronged.”
Her voice was soft and gentle. When she spoke, she looked at Madam Yang and Xu Lingyu, and finally at Xu Yunci beside her. Then she looked directly at Fu Yunning.
Her forbearance is selective; there's no need to suffer for the sake of forbearance. There's no need to hide what needs to be said or done.
No matter how much Xu Lingwan and she don't get along, it doesn't matter whether Xu Lingwan is standing up for the Xu family or for her. She can't just stand aside because of personal grudges when someone resents the Xu family.
Her words caught Fu Yunning off guard. She really didn't expect Li Shiyue to point out her so bluntly. She raised her head almost in the blink of an eye, her panic still showing on her face.
Today's events greatly diminished Li Shiyue's impression of Fu Yunning. The woman she initially thought was dignified and kind now seemed quite different.
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