As the white undergarment slipped down, it revealed Mudan’s pale, thin shoulders marred by shocking blue-purple fingermarks. The bruises resembled ink stains carelessly splattered on pristine white silk, destroying its overall beauty.

“Heavens!” Madam Cen clasped her hand over her mouth, looking fearfully at Mudan, then glaring hatefully at Madam Qi. She scanned the room, all pretense of composure forgotten in her fury. She screamed, “Who did this? Who did this?” Frantically, she tried to pull aside more of Mudan’s clothing to check for other injuries.

“Mother! Please don’t!” Mudan’s tears finally burst forth. She desperately clutched her garments, quickly turning to hide her face behind a screen, shame coloring her features. How fortunate that her delicate skin bruised so easily – even the slightest bump would leave marks, let alone Liu Chang’s forceful grip.

Caught off guard, Madam Qi inwardly cursed, unaware of Mudan’s injuries. She silently berated Liu Chang for his stupidity, realizing this was indeed karmic retribution. Still, she forced a smile and tried to placate Madam Cen: “My dear in-law, please calm down. Let’s discuss this rationally.”

Before she could finish, Madam Cen’s murderous glare made her flinch, feeling unprecedented anxiety. At this point, complete concealment was impossible. However, admitting Liu Chang’s intentional violence was out of the question. At most, she could claim it was a drunken accident. The testimony of Mama Lin and the others would be crucial now.

Madam Qi swept a threatening glance over Mama Lin and the others, silently warning them to mind their words in her domain. They all lowered their heads, remaining silent.

Seeing her daughter speechless, clutching her clothes, and weeping, while others stayed quiet, Madam Cen felt a mixture of anger, hatred, and heartache. She pounded the bed, sobbing and cursing: “Speak up! What happened? Have you gone mute? Did I raise you with such care only for you to be abused like this?”

Sensing her mother’s distress, Mudan finally spoke, her face turned away: “What more can your daughter say? I’m as worthless as grass, trampled upon without regard. Your unworthy daughter has disgraced the family. I’d rather die than speak further!”

Stunned, Madam Cen embraced Mudan, wailing: “My poor child! What sin have we committed to deserve this? It’s killing me!” Her words implied she believed Liu Chang was responsible.

Seeing this, Xue Shi quickly took Madam Cen’s hand, speaking softly: “Mother, please don’t cry or get upset. Let’s talk calmly. You’re not young anymore, and Dan’er is frail. Your crying will only upset her more…”

As Madam Cen’s tears subsided, Xue Shi draped Mudan’s robe over her shoulders and gently said: “Dan’er, while we’re here with your mother-in-law, you must speak up about any mistreatment, whether from servants or others. We can only help if we know. Don’t hide things and worry everyone. Today it’s just family, but if outsiders learned of this, both families would lose face.” She glanced at Madam Qi with a smile: “Don’t you agree, Madam?”

Madam Qi forced a laugh: “Sister-in-law is right, that’s exactly it.” She swore emphatically: “Dan’er, tell us what happened! Don’t worry, even if it was Zishu who carelessly hurt you, I won’t spare him!” She offered Madam Cen a cup of tea: “Here, have some tea to soothe your throat. Let’s discuss this calmly.”

Madam Cen’s anger simmered. She couldn’t bear to hear Madam Qi’s voice or see anyone from the Liu family, finding them as irritating as flies. Ignoring the offered tea and her status as a guest, she coldly ordered Mama Lin and the others: “All of you, kneel!”

The four women immediately knelt. Mama Lin wept: “Madam, it’s my fault for failing to protect Dan’er. I’m ashamed to face you!”

Sensing trouble, Madam Qi quickly interjected: “Mama Lin! You’ve been with the young mistress for years, even as her wet nurse. You know what’s important. Tell Madam Cen what happened – we mustn’t let misunderstandings worry her!”

Mama Lin’s face showed resigned determination: “Madam is right. I love the young mistress like my own life and can’t bear to see her suffer. But small grievances are nothing compared to matters of life and death – we must endure what we must. Yet when it becomes unbearable, we must fight back.”

She then loudly addressed Madam Cen: “These injuries on Dan’er’s body were inflicted by the young master last night! All because of that cursed princess! He publicly humiliated Dan’er at the banquet, and though she didn’t say a word and retreated early, he wasn’t satisfied. He beat her unconscious in her room. If we hadn’t desperately held him back, and if Kuan’er and Shu’er hadn’t quickly fetched Madam Qi, you might not have seen Dan’er alive today! You must seek justice for her!” With that, she prostrated herself, weeping loudly.

Mudan swayed, ashen-faced, nearly collapsing onto the bed. Xue Shi hurriedly comforted her, repeatedly rubbing her back.

Madam Cen trembled with rage. She stood abruptly, glaring at Madam Qi: “So you knew what happened last night all along.”

With evidence and witnesses present, Madam Qi couldn’t deny it and was left speechless.

Madam Cen, hardened by years of traveling with her husband, fiercely pointed at Madam Qi: “What a fine son you’ve raised! Are you trying to torture my daughter to death? Look how you’ve broken her – she can’t even speak to her own family! What more can you say? What did you promise me before? You’ve allowed him to abuse my daughter, let your servants walk all over her, feed her cold food, speak to her coldly, curse and beat her? I thought you were a person of substance! How dare you do this and not own up to it? Hiding and unable to speak a word of truth?”

Faced with Madam Cen’s aggression and Mama Lin’s boldness, Madam Qi seethed inwardly. However, knowing that losing her temper now would ruin her greater plans, she forced herself to be conciliatory: “My dear in-law! Your words are too harsh. What young couple doesn’t have their ups and downs? I kept quiet out of concern for you. You know how young people are – hot-blooded and proud. He lost face to Li Xing in public, was already angry, and had been drinking. A quarrel got out of hand, and he lost control momentarily. But I’ve already scolded him, and he knows he was wrong. Why else would he rush to fetch the doctor so early? If Dan’er is still upset, I’ll have him apologize when he returns. We can put this misunderstanding behind us and move forward. What do you think?”

A mere apology for such violence? Madam Cen sneered coldly: “By your logic, if I have someone beat and humiliate him publicly, then apologize, all would be forgiven. Is that right?”

With the conversation at this point, further humility would be useless. Madam Qi’s patience was exhausted. She decided to be direct, straightening her back and speaking loudly: “What’s done is done. It takes two to quarrel – how could he cause such trouble alone? Isn’t Dan’er also at fault? If an apology isn’t enough, what do you want?”

Madam Cen was caught off guard by the question. She quickly calmed herself, considering: What did she want? A complete separation? That wasn’t her purpose in coming today. Their ultimate goal was Mudan’s happiness and well-being. They had planned to teach Liu Chang and his family a lesson, to show them the consequences and prevent future mistreatment of Mudan. She didn’t covet the Liu family’s power, but this involved her daughter’s lifelong happiness and safety – she couldn’t act rashly.

After her outburst, Madam Qi worried that Madam Cen’s temper might lead her to demand divorce and repayment. Seeing Madam Cen’s hesitation, she grew confident again. She knew the He family had gone to great lengths for this marriage, and Mudan’s health was improving. How could they give up this lifeline now? What divorced woman could hope for a better remarriage?

Assured, Madam Qi smiled: “My dear in-law, this was just an accident. Let’s sit down and discuss this calmly. That woman is shameless, and this affects both our families. I’ll be frank with you, and Dan’er should listen too: I will never allow that woman into our family. Dan’er is my daughter-in-law. I’ll make up for all her past grievances. If I don’t keep my word, I’ll write my name backward!”

Xue Shi skillfully mediated: “Mother, you see how far Madam Qi has gone with her words. Why don’t you calm down, and we can discuss this further?”

Seeing the familiar look of indecision on her mother’s face, Mudan panicked. She tugged at Madam Cen’s sleeve, saying nothing but staring intently at her. Her gaze wasn’t feigned – it was one of determination and desperation! If threatening suicide would achieve her goal, she would try it! This was her best chance to escape the Liu family, and she couldn’t let it slip away! She had the resolve and determination to see it through!

Understanding Mudan’s expression, Madam Cen sighed: “Madam Qi, please give us a moment. I need to speak with Dan’er alone.”

At this point, Madam Qi wasn’t worried about what Mudan might say to her mother. After all, she had never imagined that Mudan’s ultimate goal was divorce. She believed Mudan loved Liu Chang deeply and would never consider or mention divorce or separation. Mudan’s earlier evasiveness seemed to confirm this. Therefore, she readily left the room.