After much thought, she concluded that her affair with Fang Ting was unlikely to sway Lu Mingxiu, while her affair with Chen Qian was something Lu Mingxiu was definitely hearing about for the first time and would surely take to heart.
At least Seventh Sister had some sense; she knew Sixth Sister would definitely not agree, so she kept it from her.
That day, when Sixth Sister and Anran had their argument, although Seventh Sister and Tenth Sister weren't present, they had both heard about it through their own channels. Aunt Li also mentioned it briefly to Seventh Sister, using it as a counter-example. Aunt Li wanted Seventh Sister to get along better with Anran and stop trying to compete with her.
Previously, they were just concubine's daughters, which was fine, but now that An Su has risen to the top in one step, they have no choice but to flatter and fawn over her.
"It's possible we've met somewhere before, because this young master of the Chen family has taken a liking to Ninth Aunt." The clear voice that had spoken first continued, "I've heard that young master Chen is a famous imperial merchant in Jiangnan, and his family is from Yangzhou. Our Ninth Aunt was also brought back from Yangzhou..."
"Perhaps the two of them were once attracted to each other."
"So, all beautiful women are as fickle as promiscuous women—"
Before she could finish speaking, she felt as if a strong wind was blowing in her face, and then the glass-inlaid carved wooden door of the waterside pavilion was kicked open.
The two of them were startled.
When he turned around, he saw the Marquis of Pingyuan, whose face was as cold as ice and whose whole body exuded a murderous aura.
They panicked and their knees buckled, causing them to kneel down.
Seventh Sister didn't tell them that Marquis Pingyuan would break down the door!
"How dare you fabricate stories about Ninth Sister?" Lu Mingxiu looked at them, his gaze sharp. "You're allowed to spout nonsense here!"
Before he could finish speaking, there was a sound of two heavy objects hitting the ground.
It was the same two servants who had led Lu Mingxiu here, saying that the Marquis of Nan'an had summoned them. They were in a hurry to return, but in reality, they were hiding to eavesdrop and watch. Meanwhile, Feng Yi and He Chao tied the two men up with their hands behind their backs and threw them into the small garden.
“My lord, these two men have been acting suspiciously ever since you came in.” Feng Yi stepped forward and bowed, saying, “I then tied them up.”
Lu Mingxiu nodded, his face as still as water.
"Didn't the Marquis of Nan'an just ask you for something?" He suddenly curved his lips into a smile, but his eyes were devoid of any warmth. "So it was all a lie."
The young servant in blue was still unwilling to give up and continued to sob and try to explain. Earlier, fearing they would make a sound and attract more attention, Feng Yi had crumpled two pieces of cloth and stuffed them into their mouths. Now, seeing him struggling to speak, Lu Mingxiu simply gave Feng Yi a look, signaling him to speak.
After the wad of cloth was removed from his mouth, he forced a defense, saying, "I was afraid you'd get lost, so I rushed over to show you the way—"
Lu Mingxiu gave a cold laugh.
"Keep those words to the Marquis of Nan'an, and take them away!"
Meanwhile, Qi Niang's two maids were already terrified. Naturally, Qi Niang would choose her most capable and trusted people to do such a thing. Therefore, the two loyal head maids chosen for her by Aunt Li were the best choices.
The two of them were initially a little scared.
However, Seventh Sister was both threatening and tempting them, since they would be accompanying her as her dowry maids after her marriage. If Seventh Sister disliked them, their lives would likely be difficult. Therefore, the two women had no choice but to obey Seventh Sister and come here to put on a show, saying these things to Marquis Pingyuan.
They didn't even need to show their faces; the Seventh Miss had repeatedly assured them, and Marquis Pingyuan would have just listened and let it go. Who knew that Marquis Pingyuan would suddenly burst in with such a menacing aura. But instead of punishing them first, Marquis Pingyuan dealt with the two servants, who were already terrified.
The two were truly terrified, kneeling on the ground, trembling.
"My lord, my lord, spare my life!"
Lu Mingxiu was too lazy to bother with the two women, who were being used by others. He simply had Feng Yi call Biluo over and secretly report the two women to the Zhao family for further action.
Even after dealing with these four people, Lu Mingxiu felt no relief whatsoever.
He felt sorry for Jiu Niang while she was still at her parents' home, that so many people didn't want her to have a good life. Even though she was married, there were still people who wouldn't let her go. How much suffering had she endured before she got married?
Moreover... although Chen Qian didn't believe that Jiu Niang had anything going on with him, he instinctively became wary of Chen Qian.
A gust of wind came from the sky.
Perhaps he really should investigate this person.
******
When Zhao and An Yuanliang learned of this, they were furious. Not only had they lost face at home, but the matter had also reached the ears of Marquis Pingyuan.
If Lu Mingxiu hadn't stopped them, with so many guests at the Marquis of Nan'an's residence today, wouldn't all the guests have known about it?
Lu Mingxiu wouldn't let this matter rest until it was resolved. Therefore, Zhao quickly made an excuse to come out, and upon seeing the two maids, she was furious. They were the two head maids of Seventh Sister, now kneeling on the ground in a disheveled state.
"Bring the Seventh Miss here!" Madam Zhao emphasized the word "bring," her anger still lingering. "Quietly, so no one sees you."
Before she could finish speaking, Lu Mingxiu arrived first. He bowed to Zhao and said, "Mother-in-law."
"Mingxiu!" Zhao was startled and went to greet him with an apologetic expression. "It's my fault for not disciplining him properly."
Lu Mingxiu naturally wouldn't dwell on Zhao Shi. He said politely, "My mother-in-law can't watch over me every moment, and there are bound to be times when she can't do everything she can. But now that we've discovered it, we should find out the truth. We shouldn't let the servants ruin the reputation of the Marquis's mansion."
Zhao readily agreed.
Lu Mingxiu quickly took his leave, and this time he went to An Yuanliang's place.
Although Zhao is a bit quick-tempered, she is still capable of making decisions. It's just that her father-in-law is easily swayed and somewhat muddle-headed; if he is persuaded by those two people, the matter will probably be dropped.
Therefore, he went to put pressure on An Yuanliang.
“Father-in-law, if you have something to say, just say it. Even for Jiu Niang’s sake, I won’t ignore it. Why do you have people following and monitoring me?” Lu Mingxiu said calmly, pretending that the two people were sent by An Yuanliang.
"Don't be anxious, son-in-law! I didn't order them to do it!" An Yuanliang was anxious. He had dined with Lu Mingxiu a few days ago, and Lu Mingxiu had been much more polite to him than before, making him feel like he was acting like a father-in-law. If those two clueless people ruined the relationship between father-in-law and son-in-law, it would be a loss.
After all, having a son-in-law like the Marquis of Pingyuan made him very proud.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely give you an explanation! If you're still worried, you can interrogate him yourself!" An Yuanliang said, looking at Lu Mingxiu's face ingratiatingly.