Jiyun wouldn’t take the blame for this!
"Mr. Wen, you are mistaken!" she said, pursing her lips, "Our Song Family is also a respected household in Liang County. If there really had been no other candidates, how could my uncles from the Song Clan possibly agree to let me manage the Kiln Factory?"
At this point, she turned to look at Ninth Master Song, "Ninth Grand Master is also present. If you don’t believe me, feel free to ask him."
Ninth Master Song felt fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
This move of Jiyun’s, deflecting the disaster onto others, was truly fierce!
Originally, he had been blackmailed by Jiyun, which led him to step down from his position as Clan Elder.
If his answer did not satisfy her, given her personality, she would definitely turn her back on him.
But if he testified for her insincerely, he really couldn’t swallow his pride!
Ninth Master Song hesitated for a moment.
Yet Jiyun looked sharply at him, "Speaking of which, I must thank Ninth Grand Master!"
What did she mean by that?
Ninth Master Song was astonished.
The crowd pricked up their ears to listen.
Jiyun sighed deeply and expressed, "My father passed away suddenly, and seeing our family—just my mother and I alone—some harbored malicious intentions. If it weren’t for Ninth Grand Master’s decisive actions by dealing with the troublemakers of the Song Clan in our Kiln Factory, especially Song Li, setting an example by making an example of him, I wouldn’t have been able to stabilize the master craftsmen and the Store Manager there!"
Although he had suspected, hearing her indirectly threaten him still made Ninth Master Song so angry that he almost spit blood.
Yet Jiyun did not stop there, she continued, "Ninth Grand Master, you really must speak a word of justice for me!"
With things having come to this point, could he refuse her?
Ninth Master Song could only grit his teeth and grudgingly nodded.
He regretted deeply inside. Had he known this would happen, he would never have attended this flower viewing event.
In future, it would be best to keep his distance wherever Jiyun was concerned.
Everyone present was sharp-minded, and they all noticed his reluctant agreement.
People couldn’t help but sigh to themselves that in the past, Ninth Master Song was a domineering figure in The Song Clan, and they could not have imagined he would end up like this. What exactly did Jiyun have on him?
The way they looked at Jiyun changed.
Some even felt a trace of fear arising within them.
Only Mr. Wen wished he could slap Ninth Master Song across the face.
He had specially extended the invitation to Ninth Master Song for the flower banquet and had overlooked Jiyun, intending to put Jiyun in her place and have her behave, leaving the management of the Kiln Factory to the men of the Song Family. Unexpectedly, Ninth Master Song had been so useless, squeezed by Jiyun to the point he didn’t dare to say a word and even agreed to testify for her.
What a spineless fool!
He couldn’t help but curse Ninth Master Song in his heart and then reprimanded Jiyun with a sullen face, "Am I wronging you now? Women should value being virtuous, gentle, and obedient. When the elders speak, you should listen. Look at you now, not letting the elders get a word in, but you keep talking, where is the gentleness expected of a lady from a respectable family?"
Anyone can argue back; it’s no skill!
Jiyun inwardly sneered but showed a very distressed expression on her face, "Mr. Wen, my father also hired Teachers for us sisters to study the ’Classic of Filial Piety’ and ’Biographies of Exemplary Women’. I only wanted the protection of the elders, how is that being disrespectful?"
As she spoke, she even took out a handkerchief to dab at the corner of her eye where there were no tears, "Can’t I counter misunderstandings? If someone hits me on the left cheek, must I offer the right one to be struck as well?"
However, just as her words ended, a faint sound of a snicker, like air escaping, reached her ears.
Was someone secretly laughing at her?
She quickly looked around.
Everyone around seemed normal, only Yuan Yunzhong, with his head lowered and fist propped by his mouth, seemed to possibly have a sore throat.
However, she was currently confronting Mr. Wen, and if she were to ask out loud, it would inevitably ruin the atmosphere... Better to leave him alone for now and discuss it later.
Song Jiyun again used her handkerchief to dab at the corner of her eyes.
Seeing this, the expressions of those around her became subtly complicated.
This Miss Song was quite interesting. Her words sounded soft and weak, but in reality, they could chip away at one’s teeth.
She was not one to suffer a loss!
Mr. Wen’s veins were visibly throbbing.
Never had a woman dared to confront him with such sharp and piercing words.
Song Youliang’s eldest daughter was truly not simple.
From the moment Song Jiyun appeared, it was the first time he had truly looked at her.
Dressed in plain clothes, the redness around her eyes resembled peach blossoms on Xuan paper, but her stance was unexpectedly graceful and composed.
But what did it matter if she were beautiful or formidable?
Being a woman, she should obediently stay within the inner house, serving her husband and teaching her children, and showing filial respect to her in-laws.
Mr. Wen sneered dismissively and said harshly, "Your sophistry is useless. In the end, you just want to devise a way to stay here and meet the Dignified County Magistrate. As long as I am here, I will not allow any woman to disrupt the rules."
Such stubborn people, like the banks of a river, simply could not stand together.
If that was the case, it didn’t matter if they fell out or not.
Song Jiyun’s posture, however, became even lower.
She drooped her shoulders, her mood downtrodden, "Is this to welcome the County Magistrate? But how do I feel like it’s more like a welcome for Mr. Wen? The County Magistrate himself doesn’t even know where he is, and yet Mr. Wen lectures vehemently, deciding who can attend the welcome feast..."
Though Mr. Wen had a brother who served as an official in the court, poorly managing the County Magistrate role could have serious repercussions. Even if the new County Magistrate were open-minded, the Wen Family could be reputed as arrogant, which would impact the family’s reputation severely.
For a moment, everyone looked at Mr. Wen with distinctly intricate expressions.
Rage surged to his head, and in a heat of fury, he pointed at Song Jiyun and cursed, "I think you’re the one harboring malicious intentions! You’re already someone else’s daughter-in-law, yet you constantly fixate on your parental home’s properties. You want to monopolize your family’s assets..."
How could Song Jiyun let him slander her?
She was just about to retort with a parting of her lips.
"Mr. Wen!" Yuan Yunzhong, who had been standing by her side in silence, suddenly interrupted Mr. Wen loudly, "Reading thousands of books is not as useful as traveling thousands of miles. If you ever find yourself idle, you should really take a trip on the Changjiang River boats to see the outside world."
He stepped forward a few paces, casually positioning himself in front of Song Jiyun, "Southern Anhui has a tradition of women managing family affairs. Suzhou and Hangzhou even more so have women who are common traders. You always stay within the small confines of Liang County, seeing only limited things, no wonder you disapprove of Miss Song!"
Was he mocking him for being ignorant?
Failing the Crane Mountain Academy exam three times and ultimately having to stay in Liang County under the pretext of preserving the family business was a lifelong sorrow for Mr. Wen.
A stifled breath clogged Mr. Wen’s chest, and he was speechless for a long while.
Seeing this, Song Jiyun swiftly turned her eyes, busily covering her face with her handkerchief, her voice filled with sobs, "A child without a father is like a rootless weed. If my father were still alive, why would I ever need to face this public scrutiny?"
The crowd couldn’t help but lament.
"You..." His outstretched hand trembled wildly, unsure whether to point at Yuan Yunzhong or Song Jiyun, feeling darkness encroaching before his eyes, about to collapse.
"Mr. Wen!" Everyone hurriedly reached out to support him.
Yet at the doorway, the announcement came, "The Dignified County Magistrate has arrived."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
