Just then, the second wife and another middle-aged noblewoman arrived. When they saw that Liu Ren was holding Ming Rong instead of Ming Wei, and that Ming Wei was standing there unharmed despite her clothes being a little dirty, they were all stunned.
"How come it's the Third Madam?" Tang Li muttered in surprise to herself. Her soft voice reached Ming Wei's ears, but she had a different thought in her mind.
So the aunt she was supposed to meet today wasn't the second wife of the Duke's mansion, but the third wife? And who was that unfamiliar young man? She hadn't heard that the third wife of the Duke's mansion had a son...
"What on earth is going on?" The second wife was almost trembling with anger, while the third wife beside her shouted, "Ren-ge'er, put Rong-jie'er down right now!"
Mingrong's eyes were filled with regret and resentment; she was almost overwhelmed with shame and indignation in the arms of the stranger.
The young man, known as Ren Ge'er, quickly put Ming Rong down from his arms. He stammered, "I...I didn't mean to...I only did it because I saw her fall into the water—"
"Shut up!" The second wife's forehead veins bulged, her face clouded with rage. Letting Liu Ren continue would only make things worse; she hated him to the core. He was, after all, the son of some lowly prostitute—utterly utterly unfit for respectability!
Mingrong was sobbing quietly to herself, her heartbroken appearance was truly heartbreaking. The second wife glanced at Mingrong and became even more furious.
If it weren't for her meddling, Mingwei's matter would have been settled long ago!
The second wife's mind was unusually clear at this moment. She had spread the word that she wanted to marry Mingwei to Liu Jun, and she was well aware of Mingrong's feelings for Liu Jun. It was certain that Mingrong had heard about it and wanted to beat Mingwei to it!
Mingrong was soaked to the bone, and because she had deliberately worn thin clothing, her delicate curves as a young girl were clearly visible. There were quite a few people present, even maids from the third and fourth wives' households who had come to pick flowers. Liu Ren and Mingrong's intimate contact had been witnessed by everyone present, and there was no way they could deny it!
The second wife was furious; she couldn't understand why Mingrong was here!
"This is outrageous!" The second wife roared in fury, "Who gave you permission to do this!" It wasn't that she pitied Mingrong for her ruined reputation, but rather that her plans had been completely destroyed. If she didn't succeed this time, she wouldn't have another chance!
She had even mentioned to the old lady that she wanted to marry Mingwei to Liu Ren... The second lady was terrified when she thought of this. Now that she knew what had happened today, the old lady understood her plan perfectly well!
The second wife didn't care whether Mingrong would be laughed at or how many people were watching the spectacle. She was filled with despair and didn't know how to explain the situation to the old lady.
Mingwei had been puzzled by the Second Madam's strange behavior these past two days, and now it all became clear! She clenched her fists, struggling to control her trembling body. It turned out the Second Madam not only wanted to scheme against her, but also to ruin her reputation!
If I hadn't been alert and deliberately delayed, I might have been the one whose innocence was ruined right now!
And Mingrong...
Mingwei glanced at Mingrong, who stood there heartbroken and pitiful, with complicated emotions. She saw the regret in Mingrong's eyes but felt no sympathy. The Second Madam had been spreading rumors that Liu Jun would marry her, and it seemed that her scheming older sister had taken it to heart and had done something like this to steal the bride.
Judging from her deliberately wearing light clothing today and "falling" into the koi pond in front of everyone, she wants to completely cling to Liu Jun!
It is unknown what means she originally intended to use to "force" Liu Jun to submit, but scholars value their reputation most, and after such an incident, Liu Jun would marry her no matter how unwilling he was!
But they all underestimated the second wife's ruthlessness—
At this moment, Granny Fang arrived with Dongmei. Seeing the scene before her and hearing the Second Madam's angry shouts, and with Tangli and Yuelin telling her everything that had happened that day, Granny Fang already understood the situation.
"Second Madam, Mother-in-law." Granny Fang walked up to the Second Madam with neither servility nor arrogance, and said in a deep voice, "The Old Madam invites you in."
Rongshantang.
The old woman remained silent, her face ashen, appearing quite calm, but everyone present could sense the storm brewing within her.
The room was filled with people: Mingwei, still wearing her dirty dress; the third wife of the Duke's mansion, looking embarrassed and blushing; Mingrong, who had hurriedly changed her clothes; the second wife, who wished she could bury her head in the ground; Hongyu, who led the way for Mingwei; Mingrong's personal maid; and Granny Fang, who brought everyone in.
Liu Ren, one of the parties involved, naturally dared not enter, but waited at a distance outside Rongshan Hall.
Even Dongmei and Dongqing were ordered to stand outside, only Xu Mama remained to serve the old lady.
No one dared to speak first, for fear of breaking the last calm before the storm.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, my dear in-laws." The old lady's tone was flat, but it made people involuntarily guess at the anger behind it.
The third wife, despite being from a respectable family, had always been indecisive. Seeing the old lady like this, she was even more ashamed. "You, you mustn't say that! I'm truly ashamed to face you. It was my mistake, it's all our fault, it's—"
“My dear in-laws, there’s no need for further words. I understand.” The old lady’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint as she said firmly, “Please, my dear in-laws, return home first. With such a disgraceful incident at the Marquis of Chengping’s residence, we can no longer entertain you. Please visit the Duke’s residence another day to apologize to you and to the old lady of the Duke’s residence!”
The third wife almost wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.
She wanted to say something more, but seeing the old lady's resolute attitude and knowing she was in the wrong, she dared not argue. She was usually easily swayed and couldn't resist the second wife's promises of various benefits, which led her to harbor wicked thoughts.
Now that such a mistake has occurred, she regrets her momentary lapse in judgment and resents the trouble caused by the second wife.
The third wife, her face flushed, bowed to the old lady, then turned and left, fleeing in panic.
At this time, all those remaining in Rongshan Hall were people from the Chengping Marquis's residence.
The old lady no longer concealed her emotions; her face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Mingrong had been sobbing all the way, but she wisely stopped crying as soon as she entered Rongshan Hall, only hanging her head and weeping silently. Although she had hurriedly changed into the clean clothes that Yuelin had given to Mingwei, her hair, which was still wet from the water, was not yet dry. A few strands clung to her face, and most of it was still wet and hanging over her shoulders, with conspicuous water stains on her light blue jacket.
She had long lost her former elegance and beauty, and looked extremely disheveled.
The second wife didn't dare utter a sound.
Caught up in the atmosphere, Mingwei could only lower her head and remain silent, even though it had nothing to do with her.
"Seventh girl, come to your grandmother's side." To everyone's surprise, the old lady's first words were to call Mingwei over.
Mingwei looked up, blinking in confusion. Seeing the old lady's resolute attitude, Mingwei had no choice but to tiptoe over to her.
"Please sit down." The old lady's tone was surprisingly gentle as she pulled Mingwei to sit beside her.
This made the situation inside the room quite interesting.
Mingwei sat next to the old lady, while the second wife and Mingrong stood with their heads bowed, and several maids had already knelt on the ground.
"Good, good, good!" The old woman said "good" three times in quick succession, her tone light and fast, but anyone could hear the underlying anger within. "This is the good deed you've done!"
The second wife's heart skipped a beat. Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.