The weather had turned cold, and it was also the time of winter leisure. Could such juicy gossip be missed?

Absolutely not!

A whole crowd of onlookers rushed after them in a hubbub.

The teahouse was still quite a distance from the Tao residence.

People on the road, seeing this spectacle and relying on their rich experience watching excitement accumulated from long residence in the capital, immediately asked those following behind.

“What happened?”

“The Court of Judicial Review Minister Tao’s household went to Grand Marshal Luo’s household to break off an engagement. Then Young Master Tao invited Miss Luo out and tried to trick the young lady into becoming his concubine, so Miss Luo beat him…”

“Tsk tsk, that’s rather unscrupulous, isn’t it?”

With Grand Marshal Luo’s status, when something happened, everyone in the capital paid attention. Upon hearing this, they immediately knew which family was being discussed.

“Isn’t that right? Breaking off the engagement is one thing, but how could he do such a thing? No wonder they say he must be beaten.”

The inquiring person nodded repeatedly: “Exactly, he deserves it!”

Soon the increasingly large crowd of onlookers all understood the sequence of events and unanimously agreed that Young Master Tao absolutely had to be beaten.

The procession became a long dragon, marching magnificently toward the Tao residence.

It happened to be a rest day. Minister Tao was drinking tea with Madam Tao.

“Why isn’t Master going out to meet with friends today?”

Minister Tao sighed: “Breaking off an engagement isn’t a glorious matter. Better to stay home and have some peace for a while.”

If not for the matter of clinging to Grand Marshal Luo to become Court of Judicial Review Minister back then, when the family one was allied with encountered such a calamity, breaking the engagement wouldn’t invite gossip.

But because of that prior history, even though Grand Marshal Luo had lost favor, the Tao family breaking off the engagement at this time would inevitably invite idle talk.

Better to stay home and lie low for a while. When spring came and their eldest son placed on the imperial examination rankings, this small storm would pass and no one would tactlessly bring it up again.

“We shouldn’t have formed an alliance with such a family back then.” Thinking about all this made Madam Tao feel vexed.

Minister Tao glanced at her and said coolly: “Then you wouldn’t be the Minister’s wife.”

Madam Tao immediately had nothing more to say.

The two drank tea in silence, suddenly feeling that the excellent tea had lost its flavor.

Just as it was quiet, a servant rushed in: “Master, Madam, trouble!”

“What trouble?” Minister Tao set down his teacup and asked with furrowed brows.

“Miss, Miss Luo has come—”

Madam Tao’s face turned cold: “What is she here for?”

The two families were already unrelated. What was that stinking girl making a fuss about now?

The engagement was already broken—if she kept causing trouble, don’t blame the Tao residence for being impolite!

“She, she beat the young master and brought many people to watch the excitement!”

“What?” Minister Tao and Madam Tao rose abruptly, faces full of shock.

The two exchanged glances and, caring about nothing else, rushed outside.

Outside the gate, there was already a sea of people pointing at the vermillion-lacquered gate and discussing animatedly.

Luo Sheng stood at the very front, staring at the entrance expressionlessly.

Standing beside her was Luo Ying wearing a veiled hat. Further back were Kou’er and Hong Dou, who was holding Young Master Tao.

That’s right—when they were nearly at the Tao residence, Hong Dou had finally displayed the prowess of a senior maid and snatched the war trophy from Shi Yan’s hands.

Although she wasn’t the one who beat him, having him in her hands would do well enough.

As for Shi Yan, he had long been squeezed to the side, almost submerged by the crowd of onlookers.

Madam Tao hurried out and her eyes immediately fell on her son. She stumbled forward: “Eldest son—”

Had these lowlifes beaten her eldest son to death?

How dare they!

“Eldest son, how are you?”

Hearing Madam Tao’s cries, Young Master Tao’s eyelids trembled slightly.

He wasn’t unconscious. It was just that, unable to break free and being watched by so many people, he could only pretend to have fainted—that way it wasn’t quite as humiliating.

Hong Dou wouldn’t allow Young Master Tao to evade like this. Seeing Madam Tao wailing to the heavens, she quickly said: “Madam Tao, don’t cry as if your son died. Your son just has superficial injuries.”

“Superficial injuries? How could superficial injuries possibly—”

Before she finished speaking, Hong Dou forcefully pinched Young Master Tao, causing him to let out a miserable shriek.

Hong Dou pursed her lips: “See, Madam Tao? I didn’t lie to you, did I?”

With her years of experience following the miss and being undefeated throughout the capital, she could tell at a glance that this person was feigning unconsciousness.

Shi Yan was too dumb. When the miss told him to beat the man into a pig’s head, he just struck the face, not injuring muscles or bones at all.

Lucky for this thing.

“Eldest son, how are you?” For the moment, Madam Tao couldn’t be bothered about the matter of the beating, her mind full of her son’s injuries.

Young Master Tao weakly glanced at her.

Madam Tao, startled by her son’s pig-head face, let out a shrill scream: “Quickly call for a physician!”

A group of Tao residence servants surged forward to carry Young Master Tao away.

“Wait a moment.”

Madam Tao looked toward the young lady who had spoken.

“Is Madam Tao just going to take him away like this without needing to give the Luo residence an explanation?”

Madam Tao flew into a rage: “Miss Luo, don’t go too far! The matter of injuring my son won’t end like this. We’ll see each other in court!”

“See each other in court?” Luo Sheng smiled faintly. “How perfect. Had I known Madam Tao would be so forthright, I shouldn’t have saved face for your honorable residence and should have directly brought Young Master Tao to wait at the court.”

Seeing Luo Sheng turn to leave, Minister Tao called out: “Miss Luo, speak clearly.”

Luo Sheng stopped, turned to look at Minister Tao, and said with a smile: “So Minister Tao is at the residence? Not out meeting with friends?”

Minister Tao’s face grew hot.

These words sounded ordinary, but said at this moment, they always seemed to be mocking him.

“Why did Miss Luo strike my unworthy son?”

Minister Tao asked seriously, and Luo Sheng answered earnestly: “Mainly because he deserved a beating.”

Madam Tao was infuriated: “My eldest son has the best temperament. He never even raises his voice when speaking with others. How exactly did he offend Miss Luo to make you strike with such viciousness?”

Luo Sheng sneered: “By virtue of your honorable residence rushing anxiously to break off the engagement when my family fell into trouble, your son not only felt no shame but ran to trick my eldest sister into becoming his concubine in the future. Everyone say, should this kind of shameless scoundrel be beaten or not?”

“He should be beaten!” The people watching the excitement didn’t mind matters escalating and joined in the commotion.

“Eldest son, you went to see Miss Luo?” Madam Tao looked at her son in shock.

Those words of hers were just to coax her son to study well, merely a delaying tactic. Had her son actually secretly gone to see that Luo wretch?

Madam Tao glared fiercely at Luo Ying and said sarcastically: “The Grand Marshal’s residence is a high and noble household. Could my son see Miss Luo just because he wanted to? Miss Luo says my son tricked your sister—why don’t you ask your sister why she was together with my son? Perhaps Miss Luo has misunderstood. How do you know it wasn’t your sister who came looking for my son for the sake of her future?”

As soon as these words came out, the commotion stopped and countless pairs of eyes fell on the young lady wearing the veiled hat.

What Madam Tao said… seemed to have some logic to it.

Lu’e was so anxious that tears welled in her eyes.

She knew it—in this kind of matter, it was still their miss who suffered the loss. Third Miss had been too impulsive.

Through the thin veil hanging from her veiled hat, Luo Ying endured Madam Tao’s words sharp as knives and countless gazes cutting through her like slow execution, staring only at that wretched man.

But that person didn’t say a single word.

She suddenly raised her hand and removed the veiled hat, throwing it to the ground, revealing her beautiful but deathly pale face.