The 124th Scandal Exposed
She looked at He Jianren, gently shook her head, and sighed:
"Miss He, you've dressed up for this appointment today, but I'm afraid your good intentions... will be wasted."
She deliberately stopped, watching He Jianren's expression change drastically, before continuing slowly and deliberately.
“My second brother is the most stubborn person. Once he has someone in his heart, not even ten oxen could pull him back. He once swore that he would never marry unless he loved the one he truly loved.”
"Sigh, I wonder which family's daughter is so lucky to have my second brother so obsessed with her, that he even ignores the marriage arranged by his family."
He Jianren's face drained of color, and he retorted in a shrill voice:
"You're talking nonsense! Brother Wenbin... he even invited me to go boating on the lake today!"
"Does inviting you to go boating on the lake mean I'm pleased with you?"
Song Yiqiu looked at her with a light laugh and pity.
"Miss He also comes from a prominent family. Doesn't she know that some social obligations are merely done out of politeness and out of necessity?"
“My second brother keeps his word. Since the elders have spoken, he has to do his part. But... as for his true feelings, I'm afraid they've already been given to someone else.”
These words enraged He Jianren so much that he trembled all over, pointing at Song Yiqiu: "You...you..."
Ruan Jiawen quickly offered words of comfort:
“Sister Jianren, don’t listen to her nonsense. She’s just a dog’s mouth that can’t produce anything nice.”
Song Yiqiu listened to her words and turned her gaze to her:
"As for Miss Ruan... instead of questioning me here about why I didn't help my family, why don't you go back and ask your father why he was in such a hurry to marry you into the Song family? Didn't he know that his third brother had a beautiful wife who was pregnant?"
When her third brother was mentioned, Ruan Jiawen's face turned extremely ugly.
Song Yiqiu pressed her advantage:
"Now everyone knows that my third brother offended powerful figures in the capital for the sake of Ying'er, causing a huge uproar and ruining his reputation. Now, in the capital, which family that cherishes their daughter would dare to send their eldest daughter to him?"
"He would rather marry a courtesan with a questionable background than a wealthy young lady like you. Who knows who will be the laughing stock in the capital now?"
"Song Yiqiu! Shut up!"
Ruan Jiawen lost all reason and disregarded the decorum of a noble lady. She screamed and rushed forward, raising her hand to slap Song Yiqiu.
"Who do you think you are to speak ill of my marriage here!"
Bai Mei and Qing Zhu made a move to stop her, but Song Yiqiu stopped them with a look in her eyes.
What she wanted was for the other party to make the first move, thus solidifying the charge of insubordination.
As expected, Fu Langxing arrived just in time, grabbed Ruan Jiawen's wrist as she committed the attack, and shouted angrily:
What are you doing! Are you crazy?!
He roared angrily.
"This is the Marquis of Yongjia, who is about to inherit the title! How dare you be so insolent!"
Song Sangye quickly followed and hurriedly explained:
"Brother Langxing, there must be some misunderstanding..."
Fu Langxing was furious and said sternly:
"No matter what the misunderstanding, you shouldn't resort to violence. There is a difference in rank; how dare you, inferiors, disrespect your superiors!"
At this moment, Song Wenbin also arrived at the shore by boat. Hearing the argument, he quickly tried to smooth things over:
"Since we've already met, it must be fate. Why don't we board a boat together, cruise the lake, and enjoy the night view? Wouldn't that be more elegant?"
Having achieved her goal, Song Yiqiu looked up at Fu Langxing, defusing the situation with a nonchalant air:
"It's nothing. Perhaps it's the dry weather that's making the ladies a bit irritable. Let's go boating on the lake; water can extinguish fire."
Upon hearing this implied meaning, Ruan and He's faces stiffened, but to avoid leaving Fu Langxing and Song Yiqiu alone, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow them onto the pleasure boat.
He Jianren forced herself to remain dignified in front of Song Wenbin, but once she boarded the ship, the male entertainer Yu Yi's expression clearly darkened.
Song Wenbin's expression also seemed slightly unnatural. He reached out and gently patted Yu Yi's shoulder, as if to comfort her.
The decorated boat was extremely elegant, with colorful lanterns hanging from the bow and stern. Inside the boat was a small table with several cups of clear rice wine on it, reflecting the shimmering moonlight.
Song Yiqiu picked up the wine pot and gently poured wine for everyone present with her slender fingers.
She raised her glass first and sincerely apologized:
"The little argument on the shore just now was probably a misunderstanding. Sister Jiawen, Sister Jianren, and I remember when I was young, please forgive me if I said anything inappropriate."
"After all, we will always be family in the capital. Let's not let this little thing ruin our harmony. Yiqiu would like to offer you both a toast. Please drink first."
Having said that, he covered his face with his sleeve and drank the wine in the cup in one gulp.
Although He and Ruan were surprised, they couldn't show it in front of everyone, so they could only force a smile and drink the wine.
After that, Song Yiqiu seemed to open a floodgate of words, spouting witty remarks and frequently urging others to drink, but the focus was mostly on her second brother.
Song Sangyu thought she was trying to please her second brother, and found it amusing. She didn't stop her, took a small sip, and pretended to be drunk and fell into Fu Langxing's arms.
"Second Brother,"
Song Yiqiu smiled and poured him another cup.
"You work so hard every day, it's a rare treat to be boating on the lake today, with such a pleasant moonlit night. You should have a few more drinks to loosen up your muscles."
"Yes, Second Young Master,"
Bai Mei chimed in cleverly from the side.
“Miss is right. Look at this beautiful lake and moonlit scenery. Wouldn’t it be a waste if it weren’t accompanied by fine wine?”
Song Wenbin was fond of alcohol, and after repeated persuasion, his face soon turned red and his eyes became glazed.
Seeing that her second brother was already drunk, Song Yiqiu's gaze fell on Yu Yi beside him:
"Young Master Yu Yi, why have you been so quiet all this time? Is the wine not to your liking? Or has my second brother been neglecting you, not even letting you drink a cup of wine to your heart's content?"
She personally took the teapot and filled a cup for Yu Yi, saying, "Come, let me toast you on behalf of my second brother to thank you for taking care of him... cough, for his daily life."
Yu Yi blushed slightly, unable to refuse, so she accepted it, thanked him softly, and drank it.
After a few cups of warm wine, he was clearly tipsy.
The boat swayed gently with the waves, and Yu Yi lost her grip on the wine glass, spilling the remaining wine all over Ruan Jiawen's dress.
"ah!"
Ruan Jiawen screamed and jumped up. Her dress was very expensive, and she had begged for it for a long time.
Yu Yi hurriedly apologized:
"Yes, I'm so sorry, Miss Ruan! I didn't mean to..."
Seeing this, Song Yiqiu immediately put her hand to her forehead and pretended to be drunk, speaking in a daze:
"Oh dear... the boat, the boat is rocking so badly... Bai Mei, Qing Zhu, quickly tell the boatman to bring it ashore. Sister Ruan's dress is wet, she needs to go back and change quickly, lest she catch a cold."
The flower boat slowly approached the shore.
Ruan Jiawen is not someone who can be easily dealt with.
She was already seething with anger, and now, seizing the opportunity, she pointed at Yu Yi's nose and shouted angrily:
"You lowly actress, are you blind? This moon-white silk fabric of mine is worth a thousand gold pieces, can you afford to pay for it? You must have done this on purpose!"
She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, and reached out to push him.
Yu Yirou slumped to the ground, her eyes brimming with tears.
Song Wenbin, who had been silent all along, was now under the influence of alcohol. When he saw that Ruan Jiawen was about to make a move, he grabbed Ruan Jiawen's wrist tightly without thinking.
"Ruan Jiawen! Who do you think you are? How dare you touch my people!"
Taking advantage of his drunkenness, Song Wenbin swung his hand back, and a crisp slap landed squarely on Ruan Jiawen's face, stunning her and leaving her stunned on the spot.
Tourists who were already drawn to the noise from the boats on the shore stopped to watch.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Song Wenbin completely abandoned his inhibitions. He suddenly pulled Yu Yi, who was panicked and on the verge of tears, close to his side, and, amidst everyone's shocked gazes, lowered his head and gave her a passionate and lingering kiss.
"My God! Isn't that the second young master of the Song family?"
"He... he actually kissed a man in public?"
"Who is that woman? It looks like she was slapped?"
"How indecent! How disgraceful!"
"Look! Isn't that Miss He from the He family? Isn't she engaged to Young Master Song?"
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