Jiang Shuyue: [Has that bastard been caught? Whip him, slap him, carve flowers into his little brother. Don't hold back on my account!]
Everyone: Carve flowers... that sounded painful!
Madam Lin slapped Yu Wenzhong across the face. "You filthy creature! Has the Lin Family not treated you well enough? How dare you scheme against my daughter! You bastard!"
Lin Father gave an awkward smile. "Lord Liu, I'm sorry you had to see this. This matter is rather urgent, so please wait a little."
Liu Ning smiled gently. "No need to stand on ceremony, Lord Lin. Since you don't treat me as an outsider, I certainly have no objections."
Yu Wenzhong had been trussed up like a rice dumpling. He fell to the floor, then bounced back up.
He was handsome. Even when he cried, he wasn't repulsive; instead, the sight tugged painfully at the heart.
"Aunt, you've truly wronged me! Heaven and earth can bear witness to my feelings for Shuangshuang! Even if you try to stop me, I'll still ask for her hand!"
"Do you think I'm dead?"
Lord Lin angrily raised his foot to kick him, but Liu Ning stopped him.
Liu Ning smiled. "Lord Lin, why get so worked up? At the end of the day, he's only a junior who doesn't know the height of heaven or the depth of the earth. Why not let me handle him?"
Before Lord Lin could react, Liu Ning stepped forward and sent Yu Wenzhong flying with a slap.
"You little punk! Take a good look at what you are before trying to steal my nephew's bride. Are you even worthy?"
"Let me tell you, I've already come to present the betrothal gifts on behalf of the Liu Family and the Jiang Family. There's nothing for you here in the Lin Family!"
Liu Ning turned back with a smile. "Rest assured, Lord Lin. Chen isn't bad by nature, and he's started practicing martial arts to compete for the title of martial champion. The Marquis of Zhennan has even found several instructors to train him. I'm sure he won't mistreat the second young miss."
Lord Lin had brought him inside intending to put him off for a while.
After all, Jiang Chen's reputation wasn't very good. Even if he was more pleasing to the eye than Yu Wenzhong, he still wasn't the best choice.
But Liu Ning had invoked the Jiang Family, the Liu Family, and even the Marquis of Zhennan. Lin Fang didn't have the nerve to keep stalling.
Fortunately, there was that little girl from the Jiang Family.
She couldn't keep anything to herself. If he spent more time around her in the future, he would know whether Jiang Chen was bullying his daughter.
At that thought, Lin Fang felt a little better.
Yu Wenzhong knelt on the floor and pleaded through tears. "Aunt, you know what kind of person I am! How could I possibly do something like this? This is slander, pure slander!"
"You still dare deny it! Someone, bring that little hussy here!"
The servants brought Chen Tingting over under guard, along with her mother.
The moment Madam Chen arrived, she began cursing. "What is the meaning of this? We were a perfectly respectable family, and you've ruined us!"
"This isn't over! I'll tell my husband and have him settle this properly with you!"
Madam Lin had always thought that they were relatives who rarely got to see one another.
So whenever she had anything nice to spare, she had turned a blind eye and given it to them.
She had never imagined she was raising two white-eyed wolves.
Madam Lin struck Madam Chen from both sides, beating her face into a pig's head.
"You still dare talk! What a fine daughter you've raised, conspiring with an outsider to harm my girl! Thank heaven and earth that I haven't killed her!"
"How is that possible? Has there been some mistake?"
Though Madam Chen was somewhat rotten herself, there were certain things even she didn't dare do. She didn't believe Chen Tingting would dare do them either.
Jiang Shuyue was drinking tea when the system reported back.
She sighed and shook her head. [Without evidence, this is certainly tricky. But that's all right. They must have the drug on them.]
The system: [That's right. Chen Tingting supplied the drug meant to make her fall into the water and then have illicit relations with Yu Wenzhong. It's still hidden inside her clothes.]
Hearing Jiang Shuyue's thoughts from afar, Madam Lin immediately shouted, "Someone, strip her and search out the evidence!"
Chen Tingting screamed in terror. "Let me go! I'm the Chen Family's eldest daughter, after all! My father won't let you get away with treating me like this!"
The head of the Chen Family was a fourth-rank official, neither particularly important nor insignificant in the Capital City. But because he held an official post, Chen Tingting counted as an official's family member.
Anyone who wantonly humiliated an official's family member would be impeached to death by the Censor-in-Chief, if public condemnation didn't finish them off first.
Lin Fang calmed down a little and found himself in a difficult position.
Liu Ning smiled. "If you've done nothing, we will naturally apologize and beg your forgiveness. But if you truly brought poison to harm the second young miss, I'll strip a layer of skin off you even if His Majesty himself puts in a good word for you."
Chen Tingting said, "You're from the Liu Family. What does the Lin Family's business have to do with you?"
"That's not how you should put it. Lin Shuangshuang is my future nephew's wife. As his uncle, I naturally have to protect her. I won't allow anyone to harm her."
Chen Tingting was left speechless.
What was so good about Lin Shuangshuang? Their fathers were both fourth-rank officials, and her talents and looks were nothing special. Why did everyone side with her?
While Chen Tingting was stewing, two matrons had already searched out the poison hidden inside her clothes.
Jiang Shuyue: [Well, well, the evidence has been found! If only there were a witness too.]
The system: [There is! The person Chen Tingting sent to make contact was her personal maid. But what she doesn't know is that the maid's fiancé was the household's groom.]
[Years ago, Chen Tingting fell off a horse. It was clearly because she had whipped it recklessly, yet she blamed the groom and had him beaten to death.]
[Those two were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together. That girl hates Chen Tingting to death and has been itching for a chance to finish her off!]
The members of the Lin Family exchanged smiles.
Jiang Shuyue really was a treasure. Whatever they needed, she delivered!
"Someone, bring Chen Tingting's maid here! Let me make this clear today: whoever helps us settle this grievance will be a benefactor of the Lin Family. But if anyone acts as a tiger's accomplice, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Cui'er heard every word Lin Fang said.
Cui'er was quick-witted too. As soon as she saw Lin Fang, she dropped to her knees. "I'll testify! My young miss ordered me to buy the drug to harm Miss Shuangshuang!"
Chen Tingting's head reeled, and she fainted.
The Lin Family soon made them sign and affix their thumbprints.
Chen Tingting was, after all, the Chen Family's daughter. The Chen Family was willing to pay fifty thousand taels of silver to have the Lin Family keep the matter quiet.
The Lin Family agreed, but retained the written confession and ordered them never to enter the Lin Family's gates again.
They also had to return everything they had been given before.
The Chen Family had been bled badly. They wouldn't recover anytime soon and had no time left to stir up trouble.
Yu Wenzhong, however, met a miserable fate.
He had been the ringleader, and he had no family backing. After he committed such an offense, Madam Lin certainly wasn't going to let him off lightly.
The system: [Madam Lin really is formidable. She arranged a job for him in a pavilion right beside the water, with food and clothing guaranteed for the rest of his life.]
Jiang Shuyue shook her head. [What job?]
The system: [A eunuch!]
Everyone's crotch tightened.
That really was a job in a pavilion beside the water, with food and clothing guaranteed...
Jiang Shuyue felt rather disappointed. [Why didn't they let me handle something this wonderful? What a shame. Such a shame!]
Jiang Shuyue's reputation had never been particularly good. After she said that, most of those present made up their minds.
Better to provoke a living king of hell than his wife.
This woman was far too ferocious!
Jiang Chen was rather speechless too.
Men's things were mostly filthy. His little wife wasn't even afraid of getting her hands dirty!
Before you continue