Jun Beiyue was about to strike, but Ziqing beat him to it, lunging forward with claws bared. Before she’d even torn through the vines, several of them had already withered and blackened—faster even than the speed at which the vines themselves had shot up!
More vines kept emerging, and Ziqing kept tearing through them. After several exchanges, the Bai family’s gate suddenly burst open with a loud crack. Ziqing pulled the Jiang couple back sharply, nearly knocked off balance herself.
There stood Bai Feiyao, still dressed in white brocade menswear, dark hair bound up high, striding out.
At that same moment, the Gu family finally arrived. Seeing the crowd gathered, Madam Gu didn’t even dare get off the carriage, while Gu Suying kept her brow furrowed tightly, not daring to show her face at all. Only the family head stepped down.
He hadn’t expected Beiyue to make such a scene of it! But things had gone this far now—there was nothing left to do but find Jiang Chen.
“Jun Beiyue, Han Ziqing, what exactly do you think you’re doing!” Bai Feiyao shouted furiously.
Gu Suying had sent word the previous night, telling her Jiang Chen was dead, that she would be safe, and asking her to pin everything on him.
But that wretched girl had never told her that Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing would drag the Jiang parents here to her doorstep!
Gu Suying had cleverly washed her own hands entirely clean, yet left her to face Jiang Chen’s parents coming to expose the affair themselves!
Gu Suying’s scheming had been far too clever by half!
“Hand Jiang Chen over!” Ziqing said coldly.
Bai Feiyao glanced at the Gu family’s carriage and snorted coldly. “Jiang Chen? You should go ask the one inside that carriage! Why would the Gu family’s son-in-law come looking for him at my family’s estate? Aren’t you afraid word will get out and people will laugh?”
Ziqing was about to speak, but Jun Beiyue beat her to it, smiling faintly—a smile that made Madam Jiang’s scalp crawl. “This isn’t the Gu family looking for their son-in-law—it’s the Jiang family looking for their son. Madam Jiang, you’re looking for your son, why would you come looking for him at the Bai family’s?”
At this, Bai Feiyao shot a vicious glare at Madam Jiang—clearly a warning.
But Madam Jiang had already retreated to Jun Beiyue’s side, gritting her teeth and committing fully. “I… this old woman… this old woman came today on behalf of my daughter-in-law to catch them in the act! That wretch Jiang Chen couldn’t withstand your repeated seduction, young miss, and carried on this shameful affair with you. I’ve scolded him time and again with no effect—he’s abandoned his wife and child for days on end to come to your family’s estate. This old woman… this old woman won’t leave today until I drag him out and bring him back to kowtow and apologize to my daughter-in-law—otherwise I’m simply not going home!”
At these words, the entire crowd fell utterly silent. Inside the carriage, Madam Gu abruptly threw back the curtain, wishing she could tear Madam Jiang limb from limb.
There were plenty of discreet ways and means to look for Jiang Chen at the Bai residence—did she really have to humiliate them all right at the front gate?
Bai Feiyao’s face turned ashen, and amid the uproar spreading through the crowd, she couldn’t help but stumble back several steps.
Just moments earlier, in a private chamber, she’d been discussing matters with her father—so what if she was a woman? She could still inherit the position of family head, still have children, could simply take in a husband to marry into the family.
With the Bai family’s power and status, would they really have trouble finding a good man?
But… but… she never expected Madam Jiang to actually…!
Well then—what a Gu Suying indeed! How dare she frame her like this!
Bai Feiyao suddenly clenched her fists, roaring furiously, “Gu Suying, get out here!”
Instantly, two thick vines shot up from either side of the Gu family’s carriage, flipping it over entirely. The family head rushed to grab his wife, while Gu Suying leapt skyward, dodging out of the way in a hurry.
At this point, there was nothing left for Gu Suying to hold back—she had committed fully. Jiang Chen was already dead, and the dead could never defend themselves.
She had plenty of excuses ready to explain everything, and with the Jiang couple having come to the door themselves, Bai Feiyao had no room left to explain anything at all.
“Gu Suying, how vicious you are! You’re the one who killed Jiang Chen—and now you come to my door demanding I hand him over, what exactly do you mean by this!” Bai Feiyao shouted deliberately, loudly.
At these words, the whole scene fell utterly silent—even Madam Jiang’s weeping cut off abruptly.
This was exactly the statement Jun Beiyue had been waiting for. He pulled Ziqing back to the side, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.
Only then did Ziqing slowly turn to look at him, suddenly understanding this man’s deviousness. He must have been driven to this by sheer fury at Gu Suying—she should have seen it coming!
Jiang Chen had been rescued by Jun Beiyue all along—he was in Jun Beiyue’s hands this very moment!
What better way to bring satisfaction than letting these two women tear each other apart?
Jun Beiyue glanced sideways at her, grinning slyly. “Behave, would I really let you suffer any wrong?”
Ziqing couldn’t help but burst out laughing, recalling her own fury just moments ago, lowering her head somewhat embarrassed. But Jun Beiyue tilted her chin up, laughing, “This king went to all this trouble just to win a smile from you—and you still won’t look at me?”
Seeing how earnest he looked, Ziqing burst out laughing again, glancing at him before looking back toward Madam Gu.
Madam Gu’s expression was truly a sight to behold!
If the poisoning hadn’t counted as a big deal before, did this count as one now?
Suddenly, in the silence, the family head bellowed furiously, “Gu Suying, tell me the truth!”
“Father, Bai Feiyao is talking nonsense, trying to frame me—surely you won’t let her drive a wedge between us like this?” Gu Suying explained hurriedly.
But Bai Feiyao burst out laughing, flinging out two Gu family tokens. “Look at these! The second young miss of the Gu family personally gave these to me. Jiang Chen is nothing—second young miss, Jiang Chen was merely the go-between for our little partnership. If you murdered him to silence him, that’s the Gu family’s own business—don’t try pinning it on this young master!”
“You’re talking nonsense! It was you and Jiang Chen carrying on shamelessly, hiding your affair from my sister, and trying to drag me down with you! Your true gender was exposed, and you were afraid the scandal would break, so you killed him to silence him!” Gu Suying said, then rounded furiously on the stunned, gaping Madam Jiang, shouting, “Madam Jiang, tell them—hasn’t Jiang Chen been carrying on with Bai Feiyao for a long time already? Speak up! Why didn’t you come knocking on the Gu family’s gate today, why did you have to come here to the Bai family’s gate instead, tell them!”
Undoubtedly, the Jiang couple were a major bargaining chip for Gu Suying.
Bai Feiyao immediately turned the accusation back on her. “What Jiang family? This young master has never even heard of them. Family head Gu, has your family run out of people, that you’d bring such a shabby, poor relation here to embarrass yourselves?”
The scene descended into complete chaos. The family head no longer knew who to believe, and just as he was about to lose his temper, Madam Jiang suddenly wailed loudly, “Waaah… my son! Bai Feiyao, give me back my son, give him back to me! Jiang Chen has been with you since five years ago, if he’s not at the Gu residence, he must be in your bedchamber—how could you possibly… give me back my son!”
At this, Bai Feiyao’s face turned deathly pale, while the corner of Gu Suying’s mouth curled into a triumphant, provoking smile. Compete with her? Bai Feiyao was still far too green.
Ziqing watched Gu Suying’s smug expression coldly, her own smile even colder. “Yingzi, bring Jiang Chen out.”
…