Xiao Tao’s face was streaked with tears, as if she had suffered a great grievance. She turned to Ouyang Zhi and knocked her head against the ground repeatedly. “Master, I don’t know why the eldest miss chose me! I was merely following her orders. I truly didn’t dare to disobey…… Please, Master, uphold justice for me.”

Old Madam Li had long been accustomed to the power struggles within the rear courtyard. She quickly deduced that this matter was likely connected to her daughter-in-law. Just by observing how Lin Wanru never forgot to implicate Li Yue’e in her words, she could already glimpse Lin Wanru’s scheme. On one hand, she eliminated Ouyang Jue’s elder sister to pave the way for dealing with Ouyang Jue in the future, and on the other, she used the excuse of negligence to dispose of Li Yue’e! What a vicious mind! She actually dared to sacrifice the Ouyang family’s reputation just to fight for power. Old Madam Li’s heart burned with anger. She grabbed the teacup before her and hurled it. “Nonsense!”

The teacup struck Xiao Tao’s right cheek with a harsh thud. Covering her face, she cried out, “Old Madam, everything I said is true!”

“Grandmother, Father, Mother, Xiao Tao is indeed a maid from my courtyard, but she committed a serious mistake and was punished by me with a beating. She has resented me ever since. All the servants know this. How could I possibly entrust such a secret matter to a maid I dislike? Besides, I have never even seen this so-called engagement token, let alone harbored any admiration for this man. It’s clear he attempted theft and is now trying to throw dirty water onto me!”

Hearing that, Zhang Wending stiffened his neck and declared, “Every word is true! I even have physical evidence!”

Lin Wanru’s heart surged with excitement. As long as Zhang Wending produced an item belonging to Ouyang Nuan, this matter would be settled beyond doubt. After all, what kind of thief would steal a young lady’s personal belongings instead of valuable treasures? As long as he insisted on having an illicit relationship with Ouyang Nuan, regardless of whether others believed it or not, Ouyang Nuan’s reputation would be utterly destroyed! Inwardly, Lin Wanru sneered, but on the surface, she acted as if she had been gravely insulted. “Shut up! Stop spouting nonsense!”

Ouyang Ke surveyed the situation and secretly admired her mother’s tactics. When her gaze fell on Ouyang Nuan, her eyes brimmed with smug satisfaction. So you have a day like this too? After suppressing me for so long, you deserve this! Just wait to marry that good-for-nothing!

Tears welled up in Lin Wanru’s eyes as she anxiously pleaded with Ouyang Zhi, “Master, we cannot interrogate any further. If he truly produces something incriminating or says something even more indecent, how can our family endure such humiliation? He isn’t even a villain— he is the son of your old friend. It was only because of his family’s poverty that he sought refuge with you as a retainer. Why don’t we just…… Sigh…… My poor Nuan’er……”

Ouyang Zhi clenched his fists tightly, his face darkening to an almost purplish hue. His jaw tightened as he looked at Ouyang Nuan with gritted teeth. But what could be done? Even if he beat Zhang Wending to death, it wouldn’t resolve this matter! Lin Wanru was right. He had no choice but to turn a blind eye and force his daughter to marry such a man…… someone even he found beneath contempt!

Ouyang Nuan’s gaze remained cold. Suddenly, she spoke, “Search him!” Her voice was slow, clear, and resolute.

Lin Wanru froze for a moment, unable to believe that even now, Ouyang Nuan was still stubbornly resisting. Since Ouyang Nuan refuses to see reason, she would just let everyone witness the evidence with their own eyes! Ha, Ouyang Nuan would only humiliate herself further!
Ouyang Zhi, seeing Ouyang Nuan’s unwavering confidence, hesitated. His eldest daughter had always been obedient and sensible. How could such a young girl commit such a disgraceful act? Perhaps Zhang Wending really was spouting lies. Besides, Xiao Tao was merely a punished maid and her words alone were not credible. As long as Zhang Wending had no solid proof, he could be convicted as a thief, and Ouyang Nuan’s reputation would remain intact. After all, she is the granddaughter of the dowager marchioness. If she were forced to marry such a scoundrel without justification, the dowager marchioness would never let him off! With that in mind, he ordered coldly, “Did you not hear the eldest miss? Search him!”

The steward immediately stepped forward and searched Zhang Wending thoroughly. Finally, they found a gold hairpin at his waist. Lin Wanru didn’t even look at it before crying out in feigned despair, “What do we do now? My poor Nuan’er!”

Ouyang Zhi’s face darkened completely. His breath became ragged, and his chest heaved violently with fury. They actually found the so-called token of affection! He suddenly lifted his gaze, his eyes filled with rage as he glared at Ouyang Nuan. If there weren’t so many people present, he would have slapped her on the spot!

“Ah! That’s the second miss’s hairpin!” All of a sudden, Hongyu cried out in shock. Then, realizing she had misspoken, she immediately fell to her knees, trembling and silent.

Lin Wanru was stunned. She took a closer look and nearly fainted on the spot.

The hairpin was indeed Ouyang Ke’s favorite! How had it ended up in Zhang Wending’s possession? She had clearly ordered Xiao Tao to steal something from Ouyang Nuan’s room. Could Xiao Tao have switched it?! Whipping around, she shot a murderous glare at Xiao Tao, as if she wanted to tear her apart.

Xiao Tao was completely dumbfounded. She had stolen a jade hairpin from the eldest miss’s room and given it to Zhang Wending. How had it turned into the second miss’s gold hairpin? Heavens!

“Ke’er, this hairpin…… What is going on?” Old Madam Li asked, her voice thick with anger.

Ouyang Ke, who had been enjoying the spectacle, suddenly froze. Instinctively, she touched the hairpin in her hair. What was once a pair was now missing one, and the missing piece was precisely the one found on Zhang Wending!

As the room fell into stunned silence, Ouyang Nuan suddenly knelt before Old Madam Li. Tears shimmered in her clear, delicate eyes, her expression full of grievance and sorrow. “Grandmother, perhaps Ke’er was just momentarily confused— no! It can’t be that she invited him…… It must be that he stole her hairpin. If I had known, I would have taken all the blame myself!”

Zhang Wending was utterly shocked, yet still tried to defend himself, “But it was—”

“Still daring to spout lies!” Nanny Fang, who had been standing beside Ouyang Nuan, stepped forward in a flash and delivered a harsh slap, knocking Zhang Wending’s face sideways. Then, she turned and knelt. “Old Madam, Master, Madam! Our eldest miss has such a kind heart that she’s bearing this burden for someone else!”

The crowd turned their attention to Zhang Wending. He had claimed the young miss invited him and that she was deeply in love with him, unwilling to marry anyone else. Seeing Xiao Tao, he had naturally assumed the young miss in question was the eldest miss. Now, however, it was revealed that the item he carried belonged to the second miss. Could it be that the second miss had arranged the meeting, and he had mistakenly thought it was the eldest miss? Many people suddenly showed expressions of realization.

Ouyang Nuan inwardly sneered but maintained a sorrowful facade. “Ke’er is so young, how could she understand love between men and women? She must have been influenced by those romantic plays about scholars and noble ladies meeting under the moonlight and tried to imitate them. How could she have known that it would lead to disaster? The most hateful one here is Zhang Wending! He came to the meeting without knowing the truth, and Xiao Tao— knowing that the second miss is naive— didn’t stop her and instead played along. When things went wrong, she tried to shift the blame onto me…… Ah, my poor sister!”

Ouyang Ke, realizing that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, immediately knelt down and repeatedly pleaded, “Grandmother, I don’t know anything! I didn’t do it! He is falsely accusing me!” As she spoke, she began to cry, glancing at Lin Wanru before quickly adding, “I clearly lost my gold hairpin during the day. How could he have picked it up……? No matter how I think about it, I just can’t understand! Losing the hairpin was just an accident, how could I have known that it would……”

Ouyang Ke trailed off as she noticed Old Madam Li looking at her with a mocking expression. She could no longer continue speaking.