Ding's face immediately darkened.
At first, she thought it was some servant who had taken advantage of the quietness of the courtyard, perhaps climbing over the wall from the small garden to have a secret rendezvous with some maid.
Wang was standing right next to her, and the thought of Wang seeing these shameful things in the mansion made Ding's face flush red and then pale. She quickly gave her head maid a wink; she couldn't just stand by and watch or leave without doing anything.
Wouldn't the Chen family's reputation be ruined? Their reputation for lax household management would spread. Who would dare associate with the Chen family?
"Hurry up and leave after delivering the goods. You might have gone the wrong way and deserve to be punished!" Cuiyu hurriedly stepped forward and shouted, "Go find the steward and receive your punishment!"
Cuiyu wanted to do her best to save face for the Chen family, but unfortunately, the person in front of her was Chen Qian.
At noon, Chen Qian was approached by Master Fan, whom he had met at the gambling den. The two had lunch together and chatted for quite a while. Master Fan was very capable and offered him advice, coming up with many ways to make money. The two got so engrossed in their conversation that they ended up having a few drinks.
The more he listened, the more excited he became. If he could follow Master Fan's advice, he wouldn't need to seek help from the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion at all. He wouldn't have to endure Sixth Sister's disdain or fawn over An Yuanliang. He used to be able to walk with impunity in Yangzhou, but in the capital, he had to be subservient everywhere. Seeing a chance to turn his life around, Chen Qian naturally hoped to make a name for himself.
When he achieves great things—Chen Qian thought with no small amount of pride—perhaps An Ran, who had once avoided him like the plague, would regret not marrying him back then!
Thinking this way, Chen Qian inevitably drank too much as he became quite tipsy.
When he returned drunk, he saw the maid who usually came to deliver messages looking for him again. Lu Mingxiu was burning with pent-up lust and decided to find Xu Hui to vent his anger.
Therefore, he came to the west courtyard.
Xu Hui also received a message from Cui Xi saying that the master was coming. Remembering Sixth Sister's instructions, Cui Xi deliberately phrased it smoothly. "The master is coming this way, young lady—"
Thus, Xu Hui realized that Chen Qian had come specifically to find her, and Cui Xi had just seen him and informed her. She also found it a bit strange that Chen Qian would come looking for her when he knew there were guests at Ding's place. However, seeing Chen Qian's drunken state, she understood.
Therefore, when the two came together, neither of them thought to ask why the other had come to find them.
Knowing that Madam Wang was there, Xu Hui was afraid that Chen Qian would cause some trouble, and Madam Ding would be the first to punish her. Even if Chen Qian started it, it wouldn't matter; in both her lives, she knew better than anyone how much Madam Ding favored her son.
Unexpectedly, something bad happened today.
Xu Hui was startled by Cuiyu's voice and almost wanted to run away immediately, but Chen Qian grabbed her clothes.
"Run, what are you running for!" Chen Qian swayed drunkenly, almost losing his balance. He yelled at the voice behind him, somewhat annoyed, "What are you yelling about! Can't you see I'm here!"
Chen Qian wasn't afraid of the maids in his mother's courtyard. After all, they all knew how much his mother doted on him, and anyone who dared to offend him would surely suffer the consequences.
If he hadn't spoken, it would have been fine, but once he opened his mouth, it was Ding who trembled and nearly fell over.
She was both ashamed and angry. Wang Shi and Liu Niang were standing right beside her. She was furious, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.
She had just praised Chen Qian for everything, saying he managed the household affairs and business outside perfectly. Chen Li trusted him and gradually handed over the Chen family's affairs to him—but he was unruly, getting drunk during the day and even causing trouble with the maids in his mother's courtyard.
The good image that Ding had painstakingly built for Chen Qian was completely ruined.
She no longer dared to look at Liu Niang.
At this moment, Liu Niang felt completely calm, even somewhat smug, but the expression on her face was quite remarkable. To others, she appeared to be forcibly standing, barely maintaining the demeanor and bearing of a noblewoman, unwilling to lose face.
"Who are you making such a racket and ruining my good time? I'll teach you all a lesson!" Chen Qian saw the large group of people approaching and, thinking they were maids, retorted arrogantly, "What business is it of yours if I'm having fun with my woman?"
The scene before her was chaotic, with both Wang, a guest from outside the family, and Chen Qian's first wife, the sixth daughter of the Marquis of Nan'an. Neither of them should have known of her existence, but now they were both exposed.
Especially Sixth Sister—
Xu Hui didn't need to look to imagine the overwhelming hatred in Liu Niang's heart. Her husband was having an affair with another woman, and they had only been married for a short time. Anyone would find it unbearable. Not to mention that An Liu Niang's background was ten or even a hundred times better than Chen Qian's.
How could An Liu Niang swallow this insult?
In this situation, Xu Hui struggled even harder. At least in order to make everyone think that she was forced, her guilt would be lessened.
Seeing this, Wang was secretly pleased and wanted to see the situation become a laughing stock, but of course she didn't want to get involved in any trouble. "I suddenly remembered that I have some things to take care of at home, so I'll take my leave now."
Before she could finish speaking, Ding's expression stiffened, and she forced a smile, saying, "I haven't been very attentive." She exchanged a few pleasantries with Wang, then had a maid escort Wang away. Liu Niang's expression was blank, but her eyes were filled with surging hatred as she tried her best to remain calm.
This hatred wasn't entirely feigned.
None of those who remained could breathe a sigh of relief, especially Hsu Hui.
The more she tried to dodge, the more excited Chen Qian became. Xu Hui's clothes had already been partially torn open by Chen Qian, and now, with the sound of buttons popping open, half of Xu Hui's outer garment was torn open, revealing a section of snow-white skin and a bright red bodice through her half-covered inner garment.
By this time, Ding and Liu Niang had approached Xu Hui, and the bluish-purple marks on her neck were clearly visible. In winter, when there are no mosquitoes, these were obviously marks left after sexual intercourse.
Ding's face was ashen, and her gaze toward Xu Hui was filled with venom, as if she wanted to turn into a tangible blade and tear Xu Hui to pieces.
"Hui Niang isn't a newcomer. You all acted like quails before, but now you want to take advantage of Madam's power to meddle in other people's business?"
Chen Qian's words became increasingly absurd. Seeing this, Ding Shi was furious and strode over, raising her hand to slap Chen Qian hard. Hearing the crisp sound, Liu Niang felt much better. "Where did you get drunk to spout such nonsense? Open your eyes and see who I am!"
Mrs. Ding was so angry that her hands were trembling.
"Mother, Mother?" Chen Qian was jolted back to his senses by the slap. He was still dizzy and had a terrible headache. He asked in a daze, "Why did you hit me?"
"Look what you've done!" Ding was furious. She cursed Chen Qian, then stepped past him, ready to slap Xu Hui. "You're incredibly audacious! How dare you seduce a man—"
How could Xu Hui let herself be beaten for nothing? Xu Hui simply knelt down with a thud, clutching her clothes and sobbing.
Ding's hand movements missed, and she fell to the ground. Fortunately, the maidservant on top of her caught her, preventing her from falling face-first to the ground.
"Mother, why are you hitting Hui Niang?" Clearly, Chen Qian hadn't grasped the situation. Seeing his mother about to hit Xu Hui, he unusually stepped forward. "Didn't I just tell you last time that Hui Niang might be pregnant—"
Before he could finish speaking, Sixth Sister suddenly opened her eyes wide. Her anger was half feigned and half genuine.
"Sir, what did you just say?" Sixth Sister's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to be squeezed out word by word through clenched teeth. She was a little unsteady on her feet and said in a shrill voice, "Who did you say was pregnant?"
It was only then that Chen Qian noticed Liu Niang. He had sobered up considerably and regretted his slip of the tongue.