Lin Mao grabbed her hand and said seriously, "Cousin Yining, don't shake. I feel dizzy."
Yi Ning felt like laughing. She found Lin Mao quite amusing after drinking. She looked at the table and saw a pot of wine.
"He's drunk." Gu Jingming said with a smile, "Come here, but don't disturb Yining!"
Lin Mao's narrow eyes lit up as he smiled, "How could I have disturbed her? I was just saying hello. Besides, it was just a pot of wine, how could I have drunk too much!" Lin Mao asked the servant to bring another pot of wine. He tried to write two more poems with the wine, but Gu Jingming quickly waved his hand and said, "I can't do it anymore. I need to go outside to get some fresh air." He had been the one who drank the most from Lin Mao, and his head hurt.
Gu Jingming went out to sober up, and Madam Gu asked someone to bring over their newly written words. She discussed with Lin Hairu which one was the best, and Lin Hairu just gritted her teeth and made up a few nonsense words. She looked up and saw Yi Ning looking at the wine pot, and couldn't help but ask, "Yining, what are you looking at?"
Yi Ning said slowly, "The style of this wine jug is unique to our room, but did anyone of you bring wine from the second room?"
Lin Mao shook his head: "This was brought by the servant."
Suddenly, someone came in hurriedly. It was the old woman who served in Lin Hairu's room. She knelt on the ground and looked at Lin Hairu, wanting to say something but hesitant.
Lin Hairu frowned and said, "Just say what you want to say!" She hated people who hesitated. But Yi Ning stopped Lin Hairu and said to the old woman, "Would you like to go to the warm room next door to talk?"
The old woman looked at Yining gratefully and nodded.
Lin Hairu then realized that the situation might be serious. She said something to Mrs. Gu and took Yi Ning into the warm room.
A moment later, Yi Ning came out with a sullen face, pointed at the pot of wine on the table and said, "Xuezhi, bring that wine to me."
Together they went to the bamboo forest outside the flower hall. Gu Jingming came out first with a gloomy face, while Luo Yilian followed behind him with her head down, her eyes red and looking a little aggrieved. The atmosphere between the two was a little strange, and Mrs. Gu, who was following them, felt a pang in her heart when she saw it.
Lin Hairu walked over and asked the little girl standing in the corridor directly. She was so scared that she spoke incoherently: "I just came out... I saw, saw Fourth Young Master Gu hugging Sixth Young Lady, but when he saw me, he let go a moment later. I immediately told Madam Du... That's all!"
Gu Jingming was sobered by the cold wind. His usual gentleness was gone, and he said coldly, "Sixth Miss said she hurt her leg, so I helped her out. It just so happened that Sixth Miss didn't bring any maids with her—"
Mrs. Gu was so angry she didn't know what to say. She knew her son was being tricked, but she was still at a disadvantage. She could only grit her teeth and say, "You... you really don't know what you're talking about. Even if the Sixth Miss was in excruciating pain, would you really need to help her? When you come back with me, you'll kneel in the ancestral hall!"
A voice came from the other side: "...Lian Jie'er, why are you crying so painfully!"
Aunt Qiao, having heard the rumors, arrived late with her maids and servants. As soon as she arrived, she embraced her aggrieved daughter. Luo Yilian stared at Gu Jingming's cold back, tears streaming down her face, not knowing if she was truly sad or just pretending. She whispered, "Don't blame Cousin Ming. I injured my leg and asked him to hold me up. It's my fault if someone saw me..."
When Mrs. Gu heard the words "Cousin Ming", her forehead throbbed.
Luo Yilian is a bastard girl and has nothing to do with the Gu family. How can she have the nerve to call him cousin!
Aunt Qiao felt even more upset after hearing her daughter's words: "Why do you sound so aggrieved? What's going on? Tell me quickly."
Yi Ning said calmly, "Don't be confused, Aunt Qiao. This is the Flower Hall. For the sake of Sixth Sister's reputation, it's better for us to go back to the main room and talk. Then call Father over and explain everything. We can't explain what's going on so clearly."
Luo Yilian was about to say something to Yining, but when she looked up, she saw Luo Yining's cold and indifferent eyes, which suddenly made her tremble all over.
She suddenly had a bad feeling.
Luo Yining didn't want to let Luo Yilian go this time either. She had gone too far. She stood in front of Lin Hairu and, without waiting for her to speak, said, "Aunt, let's not talk about this today. Take Cousin Ming to the backyard first, so no one will notice you're missing. We'll explain everything once we've made sure."
Mrs. Gu saw that Yi Ning was so calm at such a young age, so she glanced at Lin Hairu and said, "Then I'll go to the backyard first. If it's really Gu Jingming's fault, just tell me and I will punish him severely!" She didn't even look at Luo Yilian.
Gu Jingming also had a sneer on his face, his fists clenched tightly, and strode out of the flower hall.
The main house was bustling with activity, but the servants in the second house were dismissed. Lin Hairu sat down, furious and wanting to strangle Luo Yilian to death. It would be strange if she hadn't come up with this! Madam Gu was still at the Luo family's house, and she was bringing shame to the Luo family!
Aunt Qiao looked at Yi Ning coldly, "Seventh Miss, you are not so partial! You only protect your own family and don't care about Sister Lian'er's reputation? I know our Sister Lian'er is a concubine's daughter and doesn't have your dignity, but there is no reason to bully her like this!"
Yi Ning smiled and said, "I asked my aunt to go to the backyard so as not to reveal anything. How can this not be protecting Sixth Sister?"
The maid came just in time to tell him that Luo Chengzhang had arrived.
There was great joy in the mansion today, but after hearing about the accident, Luo Chengzhang's face darkened. He strode in, and Aunt Qiao immediately came to meet him, kneeling before him and crying, "Master, you must make the decision for Sister Lian'er in this matter. Madam and Miss Seven are blindly siding with outsiders. They see that my Sister Lian'er is pitiful, but no one is willing to speak up for her—"
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