eurekapd Chapter 32 032 Difficulties for All Parties
Chapter 32 032 Difficulties for All Parties
Chapter 32.032 Difficulties for All Parties
"Absurd! Utterly absurd!" Marquis Anshi slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Who on earth is slandering the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion behind her back like this! I will find him, skin him alive, and grind his bones to dust!"
Ouyang Qi, the eldest elder of the Ouyang family, said sarcastically, with his hands behind his back, "So, it turns out that the young lady didn't cheat on our young master Shaoyu as rumored?"
Marquis Anshi choked for a moment, then said, "My daughter does have an injury on her face... but it was just an accident, not what the rumors say..."
Ouyang Qi's aged face was full of mockery: "Our Ouyang family has been officials for generations, and we have produced a prime minister and two top scholars. We are a prominent family in the capital, not much inferior to the Marquis's family. Shaoyu will be in charge of the entire Ouyang family in the future. How can he marry a woman whose face is ruined and whose reputation is infamous as his principal wife? Marquis, why don't you break off the engagement?"
"Elder, my daughter does have an injury on her face, but it's healable! And as for her reputation, that's just outsiders spreading rumors. We can still discuss this matter further!" Marquis Anshi said urgently. He couldn't afford to lose the Ouyang family as a potential ally; otherwise, he truly wouldn't be able to contend with the increasingly powerful Prime Minister's Mansion! If things continued like this, when would he be able to bring Xu Pingyue and Ye Yingrou back to the Marquis's residence?
"Even if the rumors circulating are untrue, the young lady's reputation has still been damaged. My lord, I hope you can understand the difficulties of the Ouyang family. Shaoyu cannot marry such a wife."
"This..." Marquis Anshi gritted his teeth, still trying to make a last-ditch effort, "The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is just around the corner, why don't we wait until after the banquet to talk about it?"
Ouyang Qi thought for a moment and felt that the annulment of the engagement was a foregone conclusion, so there was no need to push too hard. He nodded and said, "Then let's do as the Marquis wishes."
At this moment, Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran, who had just heard Ling Shu talk about the rumors outside, unsurprisingly received a summons from the old lady.
"She's never been seen to concern herself with the affairs of the household before, but now she seems to have remembered you. I'm afraid she's here with ill intentions," Gongsun Yuan said coldly.
“It’s alright. Since the visitor is ill-intentioned, let’s go see him and make things clear,” Ye Pianran said. “I left the manor to seek an antidote for my mother. My actions are aboveboard, and there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Rumors ruining her reputation, public condemnation—this was another misfortune she couldn't avoid in either her past or present life. But now, she would never again be as submissive and manipulated as she had in her previous life!
***
The Ciyuan Hall of Old Madam Song is located to the north of the Marquis's residence. It is currently very lively inside. In addition to Ye Bijun, who is still under house arrest, there are several concubines in the mansion, Ye Shanzhu, the legitimate daughter of the fourth branch, Ye Wenjin, the daughter of Concubine Song, and Ye Junxiang, the daughter of Concubine Chen. They are all gathered around the old lady to make her happy, and the atmosphere can only be described as harmonious and joyful.
However, the moment Ye Pianran helped Gongsun Yuan step into Ciyuan Hall, the laughter and chatter inside immediately vanished without a trace. Old Madam Song, with a stern face, said indifferently, "They've arrived."
After exchanging greetings, Gongsun Yuan sat down in a chair and asked, "I wonder why Mother summoned Ran'er and me here?"
"Hmph, your daughter did this herself, and you dare to ask me?" Old Madam Song's face immediately darkened, and she began to retort, "Lanzhi, how exactly have you been raising Ran'er? She's a young lady from a respectable family, why isn't she properly behaved as a young lady in the mansion, but instead runs around showing her face in public? Now look what's happened, the rumors about her are so terrible, do you know that the whole capital is waiting to see our Anshi Marquis's mansion make a fool of itself!"