Nanny Wang, ever so cunning, knelt straight in front of Ouyang Zhi at this moment. “It was all this old servant’s fault. Seeing Second Miss injured, my heart ached for her, so I lied to Master and Madam. Madam is still unwell— she knows nothing. She insisted on struggling out of bed to see Second Miss. I beg Master not to blame the innocent Madam!”

Ouyang Ke also reacted quickly, throwing herself forward and clutching Ouyang Zhi’s knees. “Father, punish your daughter instead. It was my fault, don’t blame Mother……”

Although Ouyang Zhi’s expression remained grim, the intense anger from earlier had clearly lessened, and he no longer mentioned family discipline.

Just then, Li Yue’e, having just received the news, hurried into the courtyard. Seeing the scene before her, she instinctively glanced at Ouyang Nuan. Noticing Ouyang Nuan’s composed and serene expression, she smiled and warmly advised, “Master, Madam is unwell. It would be best to carry her inside first and call for a physician.”

Seeing that Ouyang Zhi did not object, she swiftly directed the servants to carry Lin Wanru into Ouyang Ke’s room. Ouyang Ke no longer dared to act aggressively, instead lowering her head and following along, crying the entire way.

Ouyang Nuan sighed and spoke uneasily to Ouyang Zhi, “Father, my maid accidentally bumped into Ke’er. I feel truly guilty. I only came with good intentions to visit her. I never expected things to escalate like this. Had I known, I wouldn’t have come……”

Ouyang Jue grasped her hand and, a little angrily, protested, “Father, it wasn’t Sister’s fault at all!”

Looking at his eldest daughter’s remorseful face and his son’s indignant one, Ouyang Zhi suddenly felt utterly exhausted. He waved his hand. “I know it wasn’t your fault. Just let it go.”

Li Yue’e smiled at Ouyang Nuan before leading Ouyang Zhi inside. As they entered the house, Ouyang Zhi stepped on shattered porcelain shards, and his anger flared up again as he shot Ouyang Ke a sharp glare.

Ouyang Nuan coldly watched his retreating figure. This man was truly selfish. The only reason he was so furious today was that Ouyang Ke had attempted to strike her, the eldest di daughter, in front of so many servants— a huge scandal in a family that upheld strict etiquette. His outrage was nothing more than a cover-up. If he had truly intended to punish Ouyang Ke, how could a few words from Lin Wanru and a fainting spell have let the matter pass so easily? It didn’t matter. Her goal was merely to prevent Lin Wanru and Ouyang Ke from exploiting this incident, not to expect Ouyang Zhi to carry out true justice.

Lowering her gaze, Ouyang Nuan turned to Nanny Wang, who was still kneeling, and asked with concern, “Nanny Wang, is Mother alright? I only wanted to visit Ke’er, but I never expected her to be so angry…… Sigh……”

Nanny Wang looked at Ouyang Nuan with a strange expression. The second miss had been knocked down, and the maid responsible was from the eldest miss’s courtyard. What a coincidence. This should have been the perfect opportunity to lodge a serious complaint, yet Ouyang Nuan had deliberately come to visit, provoking Ouyang Ke’s temper. Not too early, not too late— just in time for the master to witness the scene. Could there really be such a convenient coincidence in the world?

Leaving Haitang Courtyard, Ouyang Jue was still fuming, childishly scolding Hongyu, “Why did you stop me just now? I should’ve given her a slap!”

Hongyu only lowered her head with a smile and remained silent. Instead, Nanny Fang spoke up, “Young Master, you silly child. If you had hit Second Miss today, would Eldest Miss still have been able to use this opportunity to suppress the situation?”

“But if Father had arrived a little later, Sister would have been beaten for nothing.” Ouyang Jue’s fair little face was still clouded with displeasure, his cheeks puffed up like a steamed bun.

Ouyang Nuan couldn’t help but laugh. Pinching his cheek, she teased, “Do you think I would let myself be beaten for no reason?”

Being knocked down for no apparent reason and thinking she could vent her frustration, only to be reprimanded instead— Ouyang Ke, the supposed victim, had truly been unlucky today.

“Hmph! Sister, stop pinching my face! I’m a grown-up now!” Ouyang Jue protested.

Hongyu still looked a little worried. “Young Miss, is this matter really over? Will Baihe be punished?”

“Baihe was acting on my behalf so of course, I’ll protect her. But this matter isn’t entirely over yet. Just wait and see.” Ouyang Nuan glanced in the direction of Haitang Courtyard. Every time she saw Ouyang Ke, she couldn’t help but recall her past life. Back then, Ouyang Jue had despised the mother and daughter just as he did now, yet she had been foolish enough to trust them, even defending them time and again.

“Jue’er, Ke’er is very sweet. You should be closer to her.

Jue’er, Ke’er respects you a lot. You should take care of her like a big brother.

Jue’er, the study attendant that Mother arranged for you seems nice. Look at how well she treats you!”

Memories of the past surfaced uncontrollably in Ouyang Nuan’s mind. She lowered her head and looked at Ouyang Jue seriously. “Jue’er, from now on, be extremely careful around that mother and daughter. Don’t come crying to me if they end up biting you.”

“……”

────ρя


Meanwhile, Lin Wanru remained unconscious. The physician who was called in examined her and concluded that she had fainted due to excessive worry. After much effort pressing on her philtrum, she finally woke up. She leaned weakly against the bedside and said to Ouyang Zhi, “Husband, please don’t blame Ke’er. If you must blame someone, blame me. I failed to discipline her properly.”

Seeing her looking so sorrowful, Ouyang Zhi couldn’t bring himself to scold her anymore. Li Yue’e, who stood beside him, smiled gently. “Master, Second Miss was just being childish for a moment. Madam is still unwell. For her sake, please forgive Second Miss this time.”

Ouyang Zhi glanced at the delicate and charming Li Yue’e, and his anger slowly subsided. He cast a cold look at Ouyang Ke. “Today, you must go and apologize to your elder sister. Keep begging until she forgives you!”

Ouyang Ke’s face turned red instantly and she opened her mouth to argue, but Lin Wanru quickly interjected, “Thank your father at once! He’s doing this for your own good.” If Ouyang Ke’s behavior today became widely known, who would dare propose marriage to her in the future? No respectable family would want a girl bold enough to strike her own elder sister in public!

Ouyang Zhi snorted coldly and left, holding onto Li Yue’e’s hand.

Nanny Wang, still kneeling in the courtyard, spat in the direction of Li Yue’e’s retreating figure before quickly getting up and heading inside.

As soon as the others left, Lin Wanru sat up straight on the bed, showing no trace of her earlier weakness. “Ke’er, let Mother take a look. Does it hurt?”

“Let go of me! Let go of me!” Ouyang Ke suddenly burst into tears. “Even you won’t help me! You’re making me apologize?! It was obviously her scheming against me! What if I had accidentally hurt my face?!”

Lin Wanru was filled with frustration. Ouyang Ke didn’t understand her motherly concern, and it was as if she had stabbed a knife into Lin Wanru’s heart. “Ke’er, I carried you for ten months before giving birth to you. How could I not love you? How could I ever take an outsider’s side? Everything I do is for you!”

“Then why didn’t you help me just now? You just stood there and watched them humiliate me! Are you afraid of her too? These days, I’ve been suffering every time I go to Grandmother’s place! I’ve told you so many times that I don’t want to go anymore! But you keep forcing me to pay my respects! Do you really think that helps me?” Ouyang Ke shoved Lin Wanru away forcefully. “If you truly care about me, then go tell Father that it’s all Ouyang Nuan’s fault! Make him punish her severely!”