She seemed to have figured out a way to increase Song Jie’s Green Hat Value, and that was through Xiao Zhen.
Song Jie, this villain, was like a clown in a tragic love story between the male and female leads.
His jealousy drove him mad, to the point where he couldn’t even tolerate her, the stand-in, having any back-and-forth with Xiao Zhen.
That was just perfect.
She’d be more than happy to see the two of them get into a fight at the banquet.
Xie Yushu kept her gaze on Xiao Zhen.
She was almost certain it was Xiao Zhen who had told Meng Tingchun and Xie Ling that it was Xiao Dao who ambushed them.
It was her own carelessness, calling out Xiao Dao’s name right in front of Xiao Zhen.
But he underestimated her.
She had no intention of clearing her name or explaining whether she had a servant named Xiao Dao.
If he dared to cause her trouble, she’d drag him down with her.
After all, it wasn’t her who’d be stripped and humiliated.
“What kind of thief could sneak past the guards of the Duke of England’s Residence?”
Zhang Ling frowned in disbelief.
“Are you just making things up?”
“If Zhang Shaoye thinks the Duke of England’s Residence is so well-guarded that no one can break in, then how did someone manage to secretly injure the young masters of the Duke of England’s Residence?”
Xie Yushu withdrew her gaze, lifted her eyes to look at Zhang Ling and Meng Tingchun, and, with a coy pout, said, “Did Zhang Shaoye and Biao Ge get tricked by some random stray cat or dog?”
Her affected coyness even made Pei Shilin frown, but Meng Tingchun stared straight at her, clearly enjoying it.
Meng Tingchun really did enjoy it. Biao Mei Jia Ning never called him Biao Ge.
She looked down on him and always called him by his full name.
But Xie Yushu, with those eyes so much like Biao Mei Jia Ning’s, fluttered her lashes at him and called him Biao Ge in such a sweet, charming way that it made his heart race.
He’d only met Xie Yushu a few times before.
She always kept her head down, timid and submissive.
He’d never realized she had such a beautiful face.
Even the thick-headed Zhang Ling was stunned for a moment by her playful accusation, then quickly retorted, “I think you’re the one lying to us. Other people saw you with a servant named Xiao Dao in the West Garden. They saw it with their own eyes—how could that be a lie? And why would they lie to me and Tingchun?”
“To make you embarrass me in public, of course.”
Xie Yushu knew everyone was watching her, including the Marquis Consort of Yong’an, so she deliberately put on a pitiful act.
“It’s one thing for outsiders, but Biao Ge, how could you believe some outsider’s words and bully your own family?”
How impressive—what a sharp tongue.
Song Jie coughed quietly, his gaze fixed on the quick-witted Xie Yushu.
From start to finish, she hadn’t blushed or tried to clear her name.
She only attacked, attacking the two fools for being used as tools, provoking them to try to clear themselves.
Sure enough, Zhang Ling, the fool, was the first to get agitated.
“Don’t you dare try to turn the tables! No one even knows you—why would they try to embarrass you?”
Xie Yushu immediately replied, “Exactly. What grudge or resentment could this outsider possibly have against me to publicly humiliate me? Zhang Shaoye and Biao Ge, why not bring this person out and question him in front of everyone? When and where did he see me order my servant to ambush the two of you? And why would I want to hurt you two?”
“It’s all because of me and Tingchun…”
Zhang Ling blurted out, only to be cut off when Meng Tingchun quickly grabbed his arm.
Everyone present understood the reason.
It must have been these two infamous playboys from Bianjing who offended Xie Yushu first.
The ladies all frowned.
Though Xie Yushu, the illegitimate daughter of Yong’an Marquis Manor, was not favored, she was still registered under Madam Hou Meng Min’s name.
Meng Min was Meng Tingchun’s Yimu.
For them to cause such a scene in public, Meng Tingchun really had no regard for Meng Min’s reputation.
Sure enough, both the Yong’an Marquis and Meng Min’s faces darkened.
Meng Tingchun’s widowed mother immediately stood up and quietly scolded her son to stop making trouble.
Zhang Youwei couldn’t stand it any longer either.
She strode over and smacked her younger brother Zhang Ling on the back of the head.
“Shut up!”
After being slapped, Zhang Ling was both angry and embarrassed, his face flushing red.
“I got injured like this in my own home! Am I just supposed to swallow it?”
A large patch of his face was indeed swollen and red.
Meng Tingchun’s right hand was also badly bruised from being hit by a stone.
Now, he couldn’t back down.
His Yimu and Yifu were both glaring at him.
If he couldn’t prove he wasn’t deliberately causing trouble for his own family, he’d be in real trouble.
So he could only say, “It’s not that Ling-di and I want to cause trouble for Biao Mei, but since Ling-di was hurt so badly, we have to find out whether someone really sneaked into the Duke of England’s Residence.”
He softened his tone, now sounding polite and cordial as he addressed Xie Yushu, “Several people saw Biao Mei with a servant named Xiao Dao in the West Garden. Is that true?”
After all, quite a few people had seen her come out of the West Garden.
Why would she go to such a remote place alone without a maid?
“It’s not true,” Xie Yushu replied without so much as blinking.
“I did go to the West Garden for some fresh air, but all I saw was a thief. If I’d had a servant with me, I would have caught the thief and handed him over to the Duke of England.”
In the front row, Xiao Zhen couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
He had never seen anyone lie so brazenly and self-righteously.
“You really saw a thief break into the Duke of England’s Residence?”
Zhang Youwei asked Xie Yushu in surprise.
Meng Tingchun followed up, “Is there anyone who can confirm this? Biao Mei, you wouldn’t go to the remote West Garden alone just to get some air, right?”
Xie Yushu didn’t answer right away.
She was waiting for someone else to step forward and speak for her.
“Will you be satisfied if I vouch for her?”
Meng Min spoke up coldly, her face dark.
Xie Yushu leaned back in her chair, satisfied.
Meng Tingchun’s face changed dramatically.
He looked at her in shock and blurted out, “Yimu, why would you…”
Why would you speak up for Xie Yushu?
Hadn’t Yimu always disliked Xie Yushu, wishing she could drive her out of Yong’an Marquis Manor?
Meng Min shot him a fierce glare and wouldn’t say another word to him.
She turned to Duke Zhang Yunkai and said, “Your Grace, Yushu is telling the truth. When I was admiring flowers with Yushu in the West Garden, we did encounter a suspicious character sneaking around. He suddenly fell from the treetops. Fortunately, Yushu protected me and we got away, but the man disappeared without a trace.”
“Someone really did sneak into the Duke of England’s Residence?”
Duke Zhang Yunkai frowned.
“Madam Hou, did you get a good look at his face?”
Xie Yushu leisurely waved her fan and glanced at Xiao Zhen.
He must be feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, right?
Xiao Zhen looked up at Meng Min, but she shook her head and said, “We were too far away at the time and couldn’t see his face clearly.”
But Zhang Ling just had to add, “There really was a thief? Why would a thief fall out of a tree by himself? Madam Pei, you must have seen the thief’s face, right? Didn’t you say you also picked up a Jade Hairpin the thief dropped?”
Idiot!
Xiao Zhen had practically set a trap for himself.
He clenched his fingers and stared at Xie Yushu.
He couldn’t let her produce the Jade Hairpin.
That hairpin was engraved with the Bao Xiang Lian Hua, a gift from his own mother.
Song Jie and the Duke of England would recognize it at a glance.
If they recognized it, how would he explain?
Say it was stolen by a thief?
But how could a thief steal the hairpin he wore on his head?
With Song Jie’s intelligence, he’d definitely start to suspect something, and then it would be all too easy to expose the fact that he’d been hiding his martial arts from Song Jie.
“I imagine Madam Pei and the Marquis Consort of Yong’an must have been quite frightened.”
Xiao Zhen finally spoke, his tone and gaze gentle as he looked at Xie Yushu and said to Xie Ling, “You two should stop questioning Madam Pei like this.”
His words surprised everyone.
No one at the table expected the Fourth Prince to speak up for the illegitimate daughter of the Yong’an Marquis.
Song Jie frowned and looked at him.
Why was he speaking up for Xie Yushu?
“Zhang Ling, Tingchun.”
The Duke of England joined in, scolding, “Aren’t you going to apologize to Madam Pei?”
Zhang Ling and Meng Tingchun were thoroughly embarrassed.
They’d lost all face, but with Meng Min and the Fourth Prince both speaking up for Xie Yushu, they could only lower their heads and apologize to her with dark faces.
Xie Yushu turned away, not accepting their apology, stood up with her fan, and bowed to the Duke of England.
“Your Grace, please forgive me. I’m not feeling well and must excuse myself.”
It was clearly just an excuse.
Duke Zhang Yunkai hadn’t expected her to refuse their apology and leave directly.
Even the Marquis Consort of Yong’an wouldn’t dare to show such a temper.
But Xiao Zhen spoke up again for her, “Madam Pei doesn’t look well. If she’s unwell, the Duke won’t mind her leaving early.”
Duke Zhang Yunkai glanced at Xiao Zhen, deeply surprised.
The Fourth Prince had spoken up twice for a married woman, and each time he was protecting her.
Why?
Wasn’t this a bit too improper?
But on the surface, he only smiled and said, “It was my son’s fault today.”
He then waved for a nanny to escort Xie Yushu to rest.
Xie Yushu left the Water Pavilion under everyone’s gaze, utterly unconcerned, leaving behind an awkward scene and the uncomfortable Pei family mother and son.
Mother Li Huixian would never have dared to confront two young men from outside the family or refuse to give face to the Duke, let alone leave the banquet like this.
She stood stiffly beside her seat, looking to her son for help—should she stay, or go after her daughter-in-law?
Pei Shilin’s face was ashen.
His wife was truly something—
Zhang Ling and Meng Tingchun had tried to provoke her and hadn’t gained a thing, and she acted more high and mighty than a princess.
Even the Fourth Prince had publicly defended her!
Did she know the Fourth Prince?
When did they meet?
Otherwise, why would the Fourth Prince defend her?
He wanted to leave too, but if he also left, the Pei family would be showing too little respect for the Duke of England.
So he had his mother sit down and went to apologize to the Duke on his wife’s behalf.
Song Jie coughed a few times, muttering, “Useless coward.”
Pei Shilin’s face turned green.
The Duke of England was too busy scolding his own son to notice, only hearing Xiao Zhen stand up and tell him he needed to change his clothes.
As soon as Xiao Zhen got up and left the Water Pavilion, Song Jie frowned and stood up too, suppressing several coughs.
“It’s time for my medicine, so I won’t stay any longer.”
The Duke of England was surprised.
Why, after Madam Pei left, did everyone else want to leave too?
“Song Prime Minister, are you not feeling well? If so, why not have a doctor come to the Nuan Ge?”
Zhang Youwei tried to keep him there, but Song Jie—
Her cheeks were flushed from the sun, her eyes rimmed red.
She’d finally found a chance to see Song Jie today, but hadn’t even managed a few words with him…
All thanks to that idiot Zhang Ling!
He barged in and ruined the birthday banquet, leaving her no time to talk with Song Jie!
And Xie Yushu!
If she hadn’t come today, Zhang Ling wouldn’t have egged Meng Tingchun on to see whether she really looked like Jia Ning.
She really couldn’t understand why her elder sister insisted on sending an invitation for Xie Yushu to attend the birthday celebration!
“Shouxi, you gained 2 points of Green Hat Value and 1 point of Heartthrob Value.”
The Wanrenmi System chimed in as expected, “Green Hat Value from Pei Shilin and Song Jie, 1 point of Heartthrob Value from Pei Shilin.”