Chapter 206: General, Please Ensure Fairness for Miss

Upon entering, Qi Yiran immediately began to make a fuss, her gaze towards Shen Yu’an seemed as if she wanted to tear her apart.

Listening to her loud complaints, the onlookers couldn’t fathom where she had gathered such deep resentment towards Shen Yu’an.

Realizing that Shen Yu’an was a guest invited by Qi Wenzhen and Qi Wenqin, Xie’s family hurriedly stood up. Xie Shi gestured towards Qi Yiran, signaling her to come over and sit.

Despite the rage still burning within Qi Yiran, Shen Yu’an provocatively raised an eyebrow in her direction.

In an instant, her anger reached its peak.

Ignoring Xie’s family’s attempts to stop her, Qi Yiran’s eyes widened, and she took a step, by passing the table to scratch towards Shen Yu’an.

“You wretched person, I’m going to kill you!”

As she spoke, she had already made it around half of the table and was heading straight for Shen Yu’an’s face.

Shen Yu’an stretched out his leg and, before Qi Yiran could reach her, fell to the ground with a thud.

Qi Wenzhen also shouted for two maids to restrain the frenzied Qi Yiran on the ground.

With a slam of his hand on the table, the small bowl at his side also flew out.

He angrily exclaimed, “Outrageous! We’ve invited guests to dine together today, and you’re acting so recklessly. What are you trying to do?”

Then, he turned to Xie’s family and reprimanded, “Xie, is this the exemplary noblewoman you’ve always been proud to raise?”

As he mentioned “exemplary noblewoman,” Qi Wenzhen intentionally emphasized his tone.

Xie married Qi Wenyong, a son born from a concubine in the general’s household. In the household, he only took two concubines and allowed one of them to bear a child before her.

As a result, Xie felt she was constantly overshadowed by Wen’s family and Xin Rui.

Only her own daughter, Qi Yiran, was proficient in various arts and skills, being the young lady of the general’s household. Everyone gave her extra consideration due to her status.

She was a distinguished and prestigious lady in this city, and Xie had always taken pride in this fact.

Now, being scolded like this by Qi Wenzhen in front of the entire household, she felt as if her teeth were about to shatter from the force of her biting.

Her nails dug deeply into her flesh, the pain almost imperceptible.

She looked at her struggling daughter pinned to the ground and defiantly spoke from her seat, “Big brother, you can’t just blame my daughter without reason.”

“Everyone knows how kind Yiran is in her interactions with others on ordinary days. She wouldn’t even harm an ant. The moment she entered, she started berating this Miss Shen. It must be that this Miss Shen provoked Yiran first.”

Wen’s family looked at the chaos unfolding in the room, understanding that it was their turn to intervene.

However, there was a certain bias in her heart against Shen Yu’an.

As she pondered over how to respond, Xin Rui spoke up for Shen Yu’an, “Sister, your words can’t defame Miss Shen just because Yiran is your own daughter. Miss Shen isn’t someone who goes looking for trouble without reason.”

Xie, infuriated, retorted, “Xin Rui, what do you mean by that!”

“…”

Neither of them was willing to back down. Shen Yu’an sat quietly on the side, playing with a spinning top and bead string.

Wen’s family’s perception of Shen Yu’an diminished slightly, and Wen stepped in to stop the argument between Xin Rui and Xie.

Sighing, Wen said, “Alright, alright, let’s hear what Yiran and Miss Shen have to say.”

Xie was so exasperated by Xin Rui’s interference that her face turned red and her neck thickened. In contrast, Xin Rui sat calmly, unperturbed by the argument that had gone on for so long.

As Wen’s words faded, Xin Rui turned to Shen Yu’an, who was on the other side of the spinning top, and reached out to lightly pat her hand. She said, “Miss Shen, don’t be afraid. Just speak your mind, and I’ll support you.”

Xin Rui’s offer of support was not unconditional; it was not just about supporting her if she was in the right.

Shen Yu’an gratefully smiled at Xin Rui.

Qi Wenzhen pounded the table again and said, “Since that’s the case, Yiran, you can go ahead and speak first.”

Before Qi Yiran could even begin to defend herself, Qi Wenzhen interjected, “But regardless, it’s not an excuse for you to disregard etiquette and harm a guest the moment you enter.”

Qi Yiran was so furious that her lips trembled. In order to prevent her from launching another attack, the two maids continued to hold her down. Without Qi Wenzhen’s permission, they dared not release their grip on her.

With her cheek pressed against the ground, her words were not entirely clear, but she managed to say, “This wretch… I… I merely asked her about her familiar clothing, and she attacked me within the estate. She hung me from a tree. I have witnesses.”

Hardly had Qi Yiran finished speaking when her two maids promptly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Qi Wenzhen, saying, “Every word the young lady spoke is true.

The young lady merely asked about the clothing on the lady’s body, and this lady flew into a rage, attacking her without cause.”

As they spoke, the two maids remained on their knees, weeping and lamenting the injustice done to their young lady.

Wen’s family turned their gaze to Shen Yu’an and asked, “Regarding what they said, Miss Shen, what is your perspective?”

“Of course it’s not as they described,” Shen Yu’an scoffed, continuing, “I was walking peacefully on the road when Third Miss approached me, demanding that I kneel and apologize for wearing a dress she claimed was hers. She even ordered someone to come and strip my clothes off.”

Shen Yu’an chuckled, “Originally, I wanted to give those maids a lesson, but in the heat of the moment, they were rather clumsy and accidentally injured Third Miss.”

She raised an eyebrow and looked at the prostrate Qi Yiran, playfully asking, “I had thought about apologizing to Third Miss, but looking at the situation, it seems unnecessary, wouldn’t you agree?”  

Qi Yiran lifted her gaze to Shen Yu’an. At this moment, Shen Yu’an was seated high above, wearing the clothes that should have belonged to her. Meanwhile, she was being held down on the ground, ridiculed by the people in the room.

Her lips were almost bitten through, her eyes filled with resentment.

Listening to Shen Yu’an’s words, Wen’s family couldn’t help but feel a sense of arrogance. Wen looked at Qi Wenzhen, trying to gauge his opinion.

Both sides held their ground: Qi Yiran as the young lady of the household, and Shen Yu’an as the lifesaver of Zhu Zhu. Given the circumstances, it wasn’t easy to decide who should be penalized.

Qi Wenzhen liked Shen Yu’an’s composed demeanor as he observed her.

He inquired, “Where is the maid who was assigned to attend to Miss Shen? Bring her in for questioning.”

Before long, the maid was summoned and knelt down, trembling.

Wen asked her, “What exactly happened between Third Miss and Miss Shen on the way here? Tell us in detail.”

The young maid knelt with her head lowered, and upon hearing the question, she hesitated to look towards Qi Yiran, who was being held down on the ground, seemingly unsure about speaking.

Seeing this, Wen frowned and sternly commanded, “Why hesitate when asked? Speak the truth. Whatever happened, reveal it all. If you dare to conceal anything, you won’t be spared.”

“Just now… just now, I was leading Miss Shen towards this side of the main hall when we encountered Third Miss…”

The maid didn’t know the exact details of what had just happened in the hall, and her words weren’t coordinated with anyone beforehand.

She stumbled through her words, struggling to choose what to say. Then, with rapid speech, she continued, “Miss Shen took advantage of the bond she shares with Miss Zhu Zhu and insulted Third  Miss. She even kicked Third Miss, sending her flying onto a treetop.”

After finishing, she kowtowed heavily to the ground once more, pleading, “General, you must ensure fairness for Third Miss.”

Unexpectedly, as her words came to an end, the room fell into silence. The young maid maintained her prostrate position, not daring to move, her heart filled with anxiety.

She had spoken up for Third Miss. Hopefully, Third Miss wouldn’t hold it against her for giving her clothes to Miss Shen.