"Hah, are you still refusing to admit guilt now?" Sun Ruiwen scoffed.
"How can I admit to crimes I didn’t commit?! In these past days, Young Master Five has been working tirelessly for Yihong Courtyard, first having Miss Jinghua uphold the facade of Yihong Courtyard, and then introducing those ten girls to turn Yihong Courtyard’s fortunes around. If those ten girls hadn’t suddenly disappeared, Yihong Courtyard would have definitely surpassed Hua Man Lou by now! Young Master Five has given so much for the Sun Family and Yihong Courtyard, so should he be slapped with these unwarranted accusations at the very end?" Yiling retorted without hesitation.
Right now, watching Yi Ling, Sun Yaowen felt like he was looking at his savior, and he could only nod in agreement, saying "Yes!" repeatedly.
Sun Ruiwen glanced scornfully at this useless man who relied solely on a woman, his eyes full of disdain. He challenged, "But those ten girls did run away, and Yihong Courtyard did collapse under his watch."
Yi Ling responded with a mocking laugh, "Oh, if Young Master hadn’t mentioned it, we might have forgotten. How did those ten girls manage to escape? A group of weak women vanished without a trace so suddenly, we searched all over Lian’an Town and found no sign of them. With the magnitude of this operation, it’s not outlandish to assume someone behind the scenes was helping them. Young Master is so determined to oppose Young Master Five, are you sure you had nothing to do with this?"
Sun Ruiwen’s face abruptly changed: "You’re spouting nonsense!"
Yi Ling retorted coldly, "When Young Master was just now accusing Young Master Five of ruining Yihong Courtyard and killing the elder lord, did you consider whether you might be spouting nonsense?"
Watching Yi Ling turn the tables with her words, Sun Yaowen was ecstatic and quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! Maybe it was big brother that sabotaged me!"
"You!"
"Enough, enough, all this noise and quarreling is disgraceful! We’ll discuss your differences when the elder lord awakens," the Grand Elder gave Sun Yaowen and Yi Ling a pointed look, a glint of disdain flashing in his eyes before he turned and left.
With clenched teeth, Sun Ruiwen begrudgingly followed.
As soon as Sun Ruiwen left, Sun Yaowen collapsed into his chair in fear. "It’s over, it’s all over. When grandpa awakens, I’m finished."
Looking at him with a frustrated expression, Yi Ling thought, "When she chose him, it was because of his incompetence. Who could have imagined he was this incapable!"
"If you keep behaving like this, we’re definitely finished," Yi Ling said coldly.
"So what else can we do? Do you think some idle chatter from you can bluff our way out of this? When grandpa wakes up ..."
Yi Ling glared at him fiercely: "Then don’t let him wake up!"
Sun Yaowen shuddered at Yi Ling’s fierce glare. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with understanding, and a glimmer of hope appeared, "Yes, if ... if grandpa doesn’t wake up ... everything will be fine."
"Among those who know about yesterday’s events, there are the lad who carried out your orders with the servitude contract and Madam Zhao from the Yihong Courtyard. We need to buy both of their silence immediately! Once that’s done, we can deal with the elder lord. Who else would possibly know the truth about what happened last night?" Yi Ling suggested coldly.
Sun Yaowen now completely followed Yi Ling’s lead, nodding vigorously in agreement, "Yes, yes, yes. That’s exactly what we should do. If they don’t talk, and grandpa can’t talk, then no one will know, and I’ll be safe... But when grandpa dies, what will happen to the Sun Family ..."
A cold light flashed in Yi Ling’s eyes: "The Sun Family will have to split their assets."
The shine in Sun Yaowen’s eyes intensified, and looking at Yi Ling, he saw what seemed to be a beacon of hope. Grasping her hand, he pleaded, "Yi Ling, now I’m entirely dependent on you, you must help me. If you can get me out of this scrape this time and we get a part of the family fortune, I ... I will elevate you to an honored concubine!"
Seeing the pitiful way Sun Yaowen was acting, Yi Ling felt for the first time that his incompetence might be somewhat useful; after all, aside from relying on her, he had no other choice.
What’s destined to be hers, will be hers sooner or later!
---
When Xin He returned home, she was greeted by one of the young maids with a smile, "Madam, we’re so glad you’re back. Young Master Xiaobei has been waiting for you. It’s his day off today, but he was waiting in your room for you since early morning."
Xin He paused, then remembered: "I was so busy, I had forgotten."
She quickly walked inside.
As soon as she entered, she saw Xiaobei and Xiaochaihu sitting cross-legged on the soft couch, focused intensely on their studies with a small table between them.
Xin He laughed, "You’re working so hard even on your day off?"
Xiaobei immediately dropped his brush, leaped off the couch, and hugged Xin He, giggling, "Sister, where have you been this morning? I was looking for you right after my martial arts practice but couldn’t find you."
Now, Xiaobei and Xiaochaihu were not only attending school, but Xin He had also hired a martial arts teacher for them. They both woke up very early every day, but by the time their practice was over, it was not early anymore.
Xin He tussled Xiaobei’s hair and pulled him onto the couch to sit, "I had some errands to run this morning, and I forgot it was your day off. Otherwise, I would have taken you out to play."
Xiaobei grinned and replied, "It’s okay, sister. If you’re busy, we can play by ourselves."
Xin He glanced at Xiaochaihu, then smiled at Xiaobei, "When will you learn how to focus like Xiaochaihu? You’re like a little wild boy all day."
Xiaochaihu hung his head slightly, covering the flicker of sadness in his eyes. He actually didn’t enjoy being so obedient; he simply didn’t have the luxury to be unrestrained.
Xiaobei pouted, "Now sister is starting to dislike me. If you knew that Xiaochaihu is better at both studying and martial arts than me, wouldn’t you not want me as your brother?"
Xin He burst out laughing and playfully pinched his face, "You have the nerve to say that?"
As she spoke, Xin He directed her attention toward the table to view the essays they had written.
Xiaobei had already completed his foundational studies, and the teacher had begun to teach them how to compose essays.
Xiaochaihu’s work was significantly better, even his handwriting was more beautiful.
Xiaochaihu blinked at Xin He nervously as she read his essay.
Xin He curved her lips into a smile and patted his head, "Indeed, it’s very good. Next spring, you could try the Child Scholar Test; perhaps you could pass."
Xiaobei giggled, "The teacher said the same thing. Among us, Xiaochaihu has the best grades! The teacher often praises him, but the teacher also frequently compliments me, even saying that next year I could also take the test!"
Xin He smiled, "Xiaobei is doing well too. I don’t necessarily expect you to be exceptionally brilliant, but reading more is always beneficial."
While they were talking, Xiaoyu walked in with a small box in her hand, "Madam."
Xin He took the small box, smiling, "Done already?"
Xiaoyu nodded, "Rest assured, Madam, I have purchased the large plot of land that you specified. The deed is in here."
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