On the bed, Liu Ruqing half-covered herself with her clothes, looking at the crowd of people.

She was so ashamed that she wished she could disappear into the ground.

But when she looked beside her, she was even more stunned.

Hadn’t she been with Jiang Yuanwu?

How could it be Second Master Jiang Qisheng?!

Jiang Qisheng had already dressed himself neatly.

Looking at the delicate beauty on the bed, he couldn’t help but recall the tenderness from moments ago.

“Qingqing, don’t be afraid. I will take responsibility for you.”

Liu Ruqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

But now that things had come to this, how was she supposed to explain to Jiang Yuanwu?

“Qingqing, listen to the master,” she said with reddened eyes.

“Move aside!” Jiang Yuanwu rushed in.

The scene before him hit him like a heavy blow.

“Brother Yuanwu…” Liu Ruqing’s tears fell like a broken string of pearls.

Jiang Yuanwu was shaken to the core, stumbling backward in pain.

“Brother Yuanwu! It’s not what it looks like, it’s not!” She herself didn’t even know how things had ended up like this.

Liu Ruqing suddenly felt as if something had slipped away from her forever.

In the front courtyard, people had rushed to the back to watch the drama unfold.

“Why is Jiang Qisheng’s woman looking at Jiang Yuanwu with such affection?”

“I heard that young General Jiang brought a woman home before the new year. Could it be the one on the bed?”

“It seems she does have the surname Liu, but wasn’t she supposed to be…”

Everyone suddenly understood.

So the uncle had slept with his nephew’s woman!

There had long been rumors that Duke An was harsh toward his eldest son but doted on his illegitimate son. Now, seeing this, it seemed the rumors were true.

“This beauty does have some charm. No wonder both uncle and nephew can’t seem to let her go.”

The Duke An residence was truly a place full of hidden intrigues.

Jiang Yuanxi gnawed on his fingers.

[Second Brother’s acting is flawless! I even feel bad for Brother Yuanwu.]

Being close by, Jiang Yuanwu heard his sister’s thoughts. His first reaction was—

His sister praised him!

It seemed he had real talent for acting.

He had to put on an even better performance—so his sister would praise him more.

However, he distinctly remembered arranging for someone else to be here.

How did it end up being his second uncle?

Jiang Yuanwu gazed at Liu Ruqing with reluctance, as if they were about to be separated forever.

“Congratulations, Miss Liu.”

Jiang Qisheng looked at Jiang Yuanwu’s distress with satisfaction.

No matter how impressive Jiang Yuanwu was, his woman had still been taken.

And with so many people present today, he doubted Jiang Yuanwu would dare to make a move against him in such a public setting.

Clearly, he had underestimated Jiang Yuanwu.

Jiang Yuanwu feigned anger, clenching his fists tightly.

But in his mind, he was considering how to strike—to make himself look even more heroic in his sister’s eyes.

“What a disgrace!” The Old Madam supported Madam Chen as they stood up.

Madam Chen’s face was full of sorrow. “Mother, that was Yuanwu’s chosen woman.”

The Old Madam raised her hand to her forehead.

Duke An, who had just arrived, looked even more displeased.

He could already imagine how the imperial censors would criticize him in court tomorrow.

Lord Li, who had sobered up from the wine, looked at his old friend.

Realizing that he had been tricked, he flicked his sleeve in frustration and stormed off.

Watching them suffer, Madam Chen felt no pity at all.

If it weren’t for Yuanxi, she would still be living in a web of lies.

Thinking of her falsely accused relatives far away in Liangzhou, Madam Chen felt an immense sense of relief.

Still, she had to keep up appearances.

She stood up and addressed the guests. “Apologies for making a scene.”

“This Miss Liu was originally Second Master’s concubine, but the matter was unknown to the public. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding caused a disturbance today. I apologize on behalf of the Duke’s residence.”

To keep things from escalating, this was the best way to handle it.

Wu Cuirou wanted to say something, but under the Old Madam’s piercing gaze, she finally shut her mouth.

It was clear that the guests were being dismissed.

The guests, many of whom had only come for the spectacle, were well aware of the situation.

Everyone felt that this trip had been worthwhile.

Crown Prince Nan’an frowned. Was the Duke An really so biased in favoring his illegitimate son?

But then again, the main branch of the Jiang family was truly pitiful—both the son and the daughter-in-law had been humiliated, yet they still endured it.

After watching the drama, the guests left, taking only a few steps before hearing a scream from inside the room.

Everyone knew that Jiang Yuanwu was not someone to be trifled with.

If he was angered, Jiang Qisheng’s fate would not be pretty.

People quickened their pace to leave.

Because of the incident, the second branch’s Wu Cuirou quarreled with Jiang Qisheng, and the Old Madam lost her appetite.

In contrast, Madam Chen’s family was unusually cheerful.

She had the kitchen prepare a grand meal.

The family sat around the table.

Jiang Yuanwu, in his dedication to his performance, had deliberately skipped eating.

Now he was starving.

Without waiting for everyone to be seated, he grabbed his chopsticks and started wolfing down food.

Jiang Yuancheng entered and saw that only one fried prawn was left.

He quickly picked up his chopsticks to grab it—but Jiang Yuanwu was faster and swallowed it in one bite.

Jiang Yuancheng pouted, his eyes brimming with tears. “Second Brother, you’re so mean!”

Jiang Yuanwu: …

What did I do wrong now?

Jiang Yuansheng silently picked up a prawn from his own bowl and placed it in Yuancheng’s bowl.

Yuancheng’s pout immediately turned into a bright smile.

“Thank you, Big Brother!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuanxi hugged her milk bottle, gnawing on it.

[What does prawn taste like? I really want to try it.]

Yuancheng paused.

He looked at the prawn in his hand, then at his sister’s expectant gaze.

Forget it, he’d give it to his sister.

Since little kids couldn’t eat hard food, Yuancheng personally peeled the prawn and handed it to Yuanxi.

Yuanxi was both shocked and delighted.

She immediately tossed aside her milk bottle.

Spring Branch swiftly caught it—after taking care of the young mistress for so long, the maids had become experts at catching things mid-air.

[Oh!] Yuanxi’s big black eyes sparkled.

[Prawn! Oh, Fourth Brother is the best. Only my Fourth Brother understands me!]

Now, everyone else felt jealous.

Jiang Yuansheng regretted giving his prawn to his brother. Jiang Yuanwu scoffed internally.

At nine months old, with only four baby teeth, Yuanxi chewed her prawn carefully, remembering how her stomach had hurt the last time she ate too fast.

Her little mouth moved as she chewed, completely enchanting the men at the table.

Madam Chen and Jiang Fengyuan gazed at their daughter, feeling that no child in the world could possibly be cuter.

Meanwhile, in her sleeve, the little black snake was hungry.

Smelling the fragrant food, it started to stir.

Feeling its movements, Yuanxi suddenly remembered—she hadn’t fed her little snake yet!

She quickly swallowed the prawn and reached into her sleeve with her greasy fingers, pulling out a glossy black snake.

“Hiss hiss hiss.”

The black snake flicked its tongue.

Jiang Fengyuan reacted swiftly, drawing his sword.

[Wait, Father! That’s my little snake!]

The blade halted just before the snake’s head.

The black snake trembled.

It had nearly lost its life.

It immediately bared its fangs at Jiang Fengyuan…