009: The elbow turns outward

"Whether it's true or not, I believe the madam is clear in her heart. I shall take my leave." Lady Jiang left with a somber face, today was truly a humiliation.

Fortunately, Miss Suliu was decisive enough to speak out, otherwise, would she and her son have to carry this burden?

Regardless of whether it was the Qi Country Duke's Mansion or the University Mansion, their family did not want to provoke unnecessary enmity.

After everyone had left, the Duchess An slapped her daughter's face, "What are you pretending for? Get up and go home immediately. Think about how to handle the aftermath of today's events. Your grandmother will not let you off easily if she finds out!"

Xui Yurong covered her face, "Mother, I didn't say those words. It was Su Xinyi who framed me."

She truly felt wronged, as she never said those words afterward.

"If you didn't say it, how would she know about these things?" The Duchess An was even angrier, refusing to admit the truth. "She's just a village girl from the countryside who has been in the capital for a short time; how could she know about these secret affairs in our household?"

Xui Yurong felt bitterness in her mouth, and insisted, "What if someone from the Qi Country Duke's Mansion told her?"

"Hmph, when the fourth branch of the Duke's Mansion brought back such a daughter, you think the other three branches were happy? If she hadn't come back, the fourth branch's estate would have been divided among the other three branches sooner or later. How could they, who detest Su Xinyi so much, speak with her about such matters? You need to think before you talk nonsense!"

Xui Yurong: ...

She really wanted to hit her head against a wall; she couldn't clear her name no matter what she said.

The news of Fourth Mrs. Su taking Su Xinyi away quickly spread, and the men at the banquet were discussing the matter.

Shang Junyan had been uneasy all along; not expecting such an event to take place in his past life. He had underestimated Su Xinyi's ruthless heart after being reborn.

He vaguely remembered that there was discord between her and Xui Yurong, but he didn't expect the root cause to be the incident of falling into the water today.

She didn't lie to him; she was really pushed into the water.

Shang Junyan's face looked very unpleasant, as some things broke his steadfast beliefs. He had always thought that Su Xinyi deliberately fell into the water, ridiculing her for being vicious and using any means necessary... Because of this, he neglected, mocked, and ignored her plight in the family...

Little did he know that after coming back to life, the slap in the face came so quickly that it left him feeling slightly upset.

Amidst the lively banquet, his mind was filled with the image of Su Xinyi's indifferent expression.

******

After returning to the Duke Mansion, Su Xinyi went with Fourth Mrs. Su to see the head madam and recounted the events at Dongli Palace.

The head madam was sitting on a warm couch by the window, leaning against a soft pillow with a floral pattern in turmeric yellow. Yao Huang knelt at her feet, gently massaging her legs. Mrs. Yu stood respectfully to the side with her head down.

The old lady twirled the prayer beads in her hand, slowly turning them one by one. The entire room dared not make a sound.

Mrs. Su, formerly Duchess Ji, dabbed the corner of her lips with a handkerchief, sneaking a glance at the head madam and then at Second Mrs. Su and Third Mrs. Su.

Second Mrs. Su's expression was as calm as ever, while Third Mrs. Su's face did not look good.

"Younger sister, I think you shouldn't have taken Xin Yi around to visit people. She should have stayed home and learned some manners first," Third Mrs. Su said in a somewhat shrill voice. "Miss Xu has always had a good reputation, and to stir up such an incident today, you can't just listen to Xin Yi's side of the story."

Fourth Mrs. Su's face remained unchanged, as she looked at Third Mrs. Su with a smile, "Third sister-in-law, since Xin Yi has returned to the mansion, she has been diligently learning manners during the morning and evening visits. Also, for today's matter, weren't you judging Xin Yi without witnessing the incident yourself? Those who know might think that you care about your family, but those who don't might think that you're not giving any priority to your own family members."