Caught in the Act

Murong Yu said, "Although she brought this upon herself, she is a maid in my courtyard. If word gets out, my reputation will also be tarnished. So, Nanny Xu, you must handle this discreetly."

"Don't worry, my lady, I understand. I will never let such a lowly servant tarnish your reputation," Nanny Xu assured, vowing not to let a mere maid compromise Murong Yu's standing.

Entrusting the matter to Nanny Xu, Murong Yu felt at ease. Perhaps it was because of the serene atmosphere at the Temple of Benevolent Virtue earlier in the day, or maybe the situation with Ji Chengxuan was also improving, but that night Murong Yu had a rare good night's sleep.

The next morning, the matter was resolved.

While grooming, Aman recounted the events of the previous night, "When Nanny Xu and her entourage burst into the room, the two were caught in the act, right in the middle of their illicit affair. They were dispatched before dawn, and not a whisper had leaked out."

Murong Yu said, "Keep the staff arrangements in the courtyard as they were revised yesterday. Check if there are any more capable individuals below and promote them."

"Yes, my lady," Aman replied, in good spirits. "My lady, this hairpin looks lovely. Why don't you wear it?"

"There's no need for something so elaborate; just use this jade hairpin to tie up my hair. Have you sent someone to check on the stable?" Murong Yu replied and asked.

"I asked Shuan to check; that nomad servant is recovering quite well," Aman reported.

...

In Murong Rui's courtyard, Qiao'er was kneeling on the ground, weeping inconsolably.

"Enough, stop crying," Murong Rui said, somewhat annoyed.

"My lady, my brother did this to help you, and now he's in trouble. You must save him." Qiao'er pleaded through her tears.

"At first, that was true, but what happened later, you'll have to ask your brother!" Murong Rui retorted, clearly displeased. "Do they think the Prime Minister's household is a playground? Meeting three or four times a month, were they begging to be discovered?"

The informant they had carefully placed was now compromised.

"I've warned you before to tell your brother to be discreet, but they were discovered so quickly because they were too frequent in their meetings." Murong Rui vented, quite annoyed.

However, Murong Rui wasn't overly worried. Qiao'er still served her, and Qiao'er's brother was already done for. He had no reason to drag his sister down too.

"It wasn't my brother's fault. He told Ari not to take leave every month to meet him, knowing that it would be risky. It was Ari who insisted it would be fine." Qiao'er blamed Ari for ruining her brother.

"You don't have to beg me; there's no turning back now," Murong Rui said.

"My lady…"

"I can protect you and keep you by my side, which is already doing my best. As for your brother and Ari, they were caught red-handed. How can I possibly protect them?" Murong Rui reasoned, then consoled. "Don't worry. At most, they'll be sent to the estate to do hard labor. As long as I remain standing, why worry about your brother not returning?"

Convinced, Qiao'er finally got up.

"I've been thinking, and something still seems off." Murong Rui mused, her brow furrowed. "How could Ari have been discovered so easily?"

Wiping her tears, Qiao'er humbly said, "My lady, you don't have to ponder over it. I've inquired in detail. It was indeed an accident. Ever since Ari got involved with my brother, she couldn't wait to cling to him all day. Relying on the fact that her mother serves Madam Murong, she has been haughty and unpopular. It's normal for someone to have reported her to Nanny Xu, who seized this opportunity. Lady Yu probably only learned about this matter early in the morning as well."