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 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. The sky-blue jacket was covered with conspicuous water stains.
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.
Chapter 105
Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister lived in the same courtyard, so it would be convenient for them to make a scene now.
When Qi Niang vaguely heard rumors, she tried to suppress her anger. After all, this was still far from certain, and it wouldn't be good for her to make a scene first. But when she heard the maid say that Liu Niang had personally admitted that Fang Ting had taken liberties with her, she was filled with rage.
If she hadn't seduced Fang Ting, how would Fang Ting have known who she was!
Therefore, she rushed directly into Liu Niang's room, where Liu Niang was silently leaning against the large pillow, lost in thought.
Sixth Sister was also quite uneasy, wondering how much her grandmother and stepmother actually believed. But she had already portrayed herself as a substitute for Ninth Sister, wasn't that enough?
However, her gamble wasn't on the elders' favor towards her, but rather on the pride of the Nan'an Marquis's mansion. They wouldn't let this matter pass without making the Dingbei Marquis's mansion pay the price. Seeing Chen Qian in disguise at the Yunyang Princess's residence also made her uneasy.
She clearly remembered that, according to the original plan, the maid should have recognized her. So why did she only say she was a girl from the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion? Had Chen Qian sabotaged things again?
Originally, Liu Niang did not believe that Chen Qian could have such abilities, but when she saw that he was able to persuade Fang Yu to drug her brother, she couldn't help but trust him a little more.
Simply waiting for news at home is far too passive!
Liu Niang then thought of secretly sending someone out to inquire about the situation from Chen Qian, as she also wanted to know the attitude of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion.
Just then, Seventh Sister burst in and started making a ruckus.
"Why isn't Sixth Sister feeling any chest tightness today?" Seventh Sister's gaze seemed to hold ice and poison. She stared at Sixth Sister with almost fierce intensity and said, "The garden at home is so spacious, why don't we see Sixth Sister going there? Is Sixth Sister feeling chest tightness or is she lovesick?"
Seventh Sister's words were harsh, and Sixth Sister frowned upon hearing them.
However, it was not advisable for her to clash with Seventh Sister at this time, at least not to attract more attention from the household, otherwise it would be difficult for her to pass on messages to the outside world.
"Seventh Sister, be careful what you say." Sixth Sister didn't want to say more and directly told her maid to see the guest out. "I'm tired, let's talk another day."
Seventh Sister, however, was relentless.
If two sisters were to quarrel over a man and make a scene in front of their elders, neither of them would save face. They would only be severely scolded, and might even be punished by family discipline.
"Sixth Sister, are you tired now?" Seventh Sister sneered. "How come you had the energy to seduce men so brightly yesterday?"
The more Seven Sister spoke, the harsher and harsher her words became.
Sixth Sister held back, almost wanting to reveal that Fang Ting loved Ninth Sister and that if she wanted to argue, she should go argue with Ninth Sister. But this was something she held in her hands, something that could convince her elders, so she couldn't say it directly. Therefore, Sixth Sister swallowed her words in humiliation.
If she spreads this around, she will lose her value and will no longer be able to negotiate terms.
The two sisters were at each other's throats, and Zhao and An Yuanliang were also locked in a bitter dispute.
An Yuanliang's idea was exactly what Liu Niang wanted: to turn the tables and marry Liu Niang to Fang Ting, so that Fang Ting could remain the son-in-law of the Marquis of Nan'an.
Zhao naturally disagreed firmly.
"How can you indulge them like this, Lord Marquis?" Zhao said coldly. "You have granted Sixth Sister's wish, but what if Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister follow suit? Marriage should be decided by parents, not by their own will."
"If we arrange marriages for Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister in the future, and they are not satisfied, and they also have illicit affairs with men, will that do as they wish?"
An Yuanliang's expression turned somewhat unpleasant upon hearing this.
He still had his pride. Although he had wild ideas about who his son-in-law should be, it didn't mean he could tolerate his illegitimate daughter's misbehavior.
“But what’s done is done,” An Yuanliang sighed. “Even if Sixth Sister was wrong, Fang Ting only had improper thoughts because he saw that Sixth Sister was beautiful. This matter can’t just be left like this, and let the Marquis of Dingbei’s mansion benefit from it.”
Madam Zhao immediately replied, "Of course not. Even if Sixth Sister doesn't care about her reputation, there are still Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister. How will we discuss marriage arrangements in the future?"
“Then this matter…” An Yuanliang was somewhat undecided.
Seeing that her husband wasn't firmly defending Sixth Sister, Zhao breathed a sigh of relief; this made things much easier. "Although it's somewhat unfilial of me to always trouble you, Mother, only you can help resolve such an important matter."
An Yuanliang did not object.
“Ninth Sister’s marriage is the most important thing,” Zhao complained. “We should have taken good care of her dowry after Ninth Sister came back. But this has to happen! The engagement day is coming soon, and our household should be properly prepared so that we can’t be looked down upon.”
"The marriage between Ninth Sister and Marquis Pingyuan is bestowed by the Emperor, so our household should be extra careful in handling the arrangements."