"It was actually my fault. In the beginning, I thought of telling Marquis Jing Yuan something about Yuewu. However, Marquis Jing Yuan had set off to pick up Yuewu. So I told Wei Yan"s personal maid to take a message to Marquis Jing Yuan when she saw him. I never knew that the maid was so bold that she actually followed Marquis Jing Yuan along without asking for permission. Lady Li, dismiss that girl when you go back. We can"t keep such a servant at our house."

The Madam Dowager coughed and opened her smiling eyes as she responded to Lady Tu. By giving a casual order to Lady Li, she intended to understate the matter.

"Yes, mother."

Perceiving the Madam Dowager"s anger, Lady Li didn"t dare to say any more. She lowered her head in a respectful manner and heaved a sigh of relief in her heart. Wei Yan"s reputation was at least saved by blaming Shuiyun for everything.

"Madam Dowager, it was amazing that maids at your house should be so presumptuous and so disloyal that a maid dared to take the initiative to look for a man outside your house and stay with him all along. I heard that the maid is the head maid of the Second Young Lady at this mansion. It is really inappropriate for such a girl to serve the Second Young Lady!"

Lady Tu remarked blankly, without the slightest intention to let Wei Yan get away.

Hearing what Lady Tu said, the Madam Dowager could not help but flush despite her usually perfect composure, and her face was as red as pig liver.

Secretly applauding Lady Tu, Wei Yuewu slightly curled her lips with a flash of cold mockery in her eyes. When the Madam Dowager and Lady Li tried to blame Shuiyun for everything, they both neglected one critical point: although Shuiyun acted on her own, she was still a maid of Wei Yan for her service. The logic was that if the servant behaved improperly, the mistress could not be better in that aspect.

It was more so in the case of young ladies" head maids, who could make most decisions for their mistresses.

"Madam Dowager, although our mansion is not very large, we keep our door tight against those who are unfit for the job of a servant. Yuewu has lived in our mansion for so many years, and the maids and nurses around her are all well-behaved. I never heard of a servant doing such things."

Lady Tu clicked her tongue as she glanced sideways at Lady Li and covered her mouth with a handkerchief. "It"s impossible in our mansion that an unclean girl like the Second Young Lady"s head maid be allowed to serve an unmarried young lady."

The ridicule in Lady Tu"s words was clear to everyone. And the fact was simply undeniable because the Madam Dowager and Lady Li had admitted themselves the existence of such a maid serving the Second Young Lady!

"Lady Li, kneel down! How are you running this family?"

The Madam Dowager rebuked Lady Li with piercing sharpness in her eyes as she turned to Lady Li and slapped her hand heavily on the table. Her face had changed colors several times, turning from red to blue.

In front of Lady Tu, she had no choice but censure Lady Li for not managing the house well.

When she heard Lady Tu referring to Wei Yan again, Lady Li was so angry that her lips trembled. She was just about to argue when she heard the Madam Dowager"s sharp rebuke. Noticing the Madam Dowager"s livid face, she fell on her knees, arguing anxiously, "Mother, mother, listen to me. It"s not that I didn"t manage the affairs well in this house, but that cheap maid was too bold. She always had her own way of doing things."

At this point, Lady Li had to put things this way. She must insist that it was all Shuiyun"s fault and blamed Shuiyun for everything. And she made a decision in her heart to kill Shuiyun and make her a scapegoat for Wei Yan.

"Madam, it"s interesting to hear what you said. Are you saying that you knew the maid was a defiant girl a long time ago? Then why didn"t you find another maid for the Second Young Lady? Was it because the Second Young Lady wasn"t born by you so that you didn"t care about her reputation?"

Lady Tu seized the loophole in Lady Li"s words. She sneered and pointed it out bluntly.

"I... I"m too busy with all sorts of things in the whole back courtyard to find another maid for the Second Young Lady!"

Lady Li stuttered as she couldn"t find a reasonable answer for the question.

"Oh, so you have so many things to deal with in the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. Then I have to worry about our Yuewu. Since the Second Lady can"t even manage her own daughter"s affairs well, how can she take good care of Yuewu! It is better for Yuewu to go back home with me, so that she would not disgrace the whole family of Marquis Hua Yang by being entangled to such a scandal as the Second Young Lady."

Lady Tu taunted coldly, her eyes glancing sideways at Lady Li.

Lady Tu made it clear: if the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang couldn"t take good care of Wei Yuewu, she would take her back home.

It would make the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang a big laughing stock that the first daughter should be unable to stay in her own mansion.

The Madam Dowager had to take a stand now. She slapped her hand heavily on the table and threw a fierce glance at Lady Li before she angrily scolded, "See how well you are managing the house! Since you are so busy dealing with all sorts of things in the mansion, your third sister-in-law Lady Zhang will be in charge together with you from tomorrow on! "

"Mother, I..." Lady Li got really anxious when she heard that she was about to be deprived of half of her power. Lady Zhang standing on one side, however, was overjoyed. She had only come to watch the drama, never expecting such a good opportunity to fall into her lap. She immediately stepped forward and smiled at the Madam Dowager. "Yes, mother. I will do my best to help my second sister-in-law run the house."

"Madam Dowager, what about the engagement with Marquis Jing Yuan? He must be unsatisfied with Yuewu so that he had attempted to murder her. If this matter cannot be settled well, we will do whatever we can and never let Marquis Jing Yuan get away."

Satisfied with the Madam Dowager"s disposal of Lady Li, Lady Tu let it pa.s.s and changed the subject.

Although she didn"t mention Wei Yan, she threw glances at Wei Yan from time to time, which made Wei Yan uncomfortable. Obviously, the Madam Dowager noticed the glances as well, and her heart missed a beat.

She had to think carefully about Lady Tu"s threatening words. They certainly couldn"t let Mo Huating get away, but what about Wei Yan? Wei Yan would also be ruined!

"Yuewu, come here!"

The Madam Dowager said in a low voice as she beckoned to Wei Yuewu who was standing aside.

Wei Yuewu raised her head and came over to the Madam Dowager.

With a gentle expression on her face, the Madame Dowager put Wei Yuewu"s hands into her own and said in all earnestness, "Yuewu, this engagement was made by your mother and Marquis Jing Yuan"s mother years ago. Zhaoyi Tu was also present at that time as a witness for the engagement."

Zhaoyi Tu, like the queen, was also a first daughter from the Tu family. She gave birth to the Fourth Prince and Third Princess. Although her rank was not as high as Empress Tu, she was very powerful in the Palace.

No wonder Mo Huating didn"t dare to break off the engagement in an open way. It was because Zhaoyi Tu was involved as well. However, Wei Yuewu was determined to break off the engagement today no matter who was involved. A trace of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes.

"Grandmother, I insist that the engagement be broken off!"

Her low-pitched voice evinced absolute firmness that was perceivable to everyone. Her delicate, childish face showed coldness and hatred that did not match her age.

Since the Madam Dowager asked for her opinion, Wei Yuewu would never hide her hatred for Mo Huating.

n.o.body would have the slightest favorable impression of the murderer who was chasing after her. Whether the Madam Dowager spoke those words to Wei Yuewu or not, her answer would be the same. The Madam Dowager did so only because she was pressed by Lady Tu and couldn"t find another way out of the embarra.s.sing situation. Wei Yuewu was willing to cooperate with the Madam Dowager, provided that the Madam Dowager agreed to break off the engagement.

"Marquis Jing Yuan is a promising young man and is greatly valued by the emperor now. He has a very promising future. As he has no parents or other elders alive in his mansion, you can be in charge of the house immediately after you marry him."

The Madam Dowager let out a sigh and remarked.

"Grandmother, I have nothing to do with all the splendor and wealth in the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan. Perhaps someone likes it, but that person is definitely not me. I"m just bitterly disappointed in someone. If this person really likes Marquis Jing Yuan, she can wait for me to break off the marriage before she herself marries Marquis Jing Yuan. There is no need to kill me to get what she wanted. What is honey to someone is poison to me. I understand this!"

A sharp chilly curl was formed around the corner of Wei Yuewu"s mouth as her eyes fell on Wei Yan, who became obviously nervous.

Those so-called benefits never belonged to her. It was only appalling that they should be so evil that they had attempted to fulfill their wish by killing her.

On this day and at this moment, she was not that Wei Yuewu who was contented with a quiet life! She had realized the law of the jungle...

"Yuewu..." the Madam Dowager still wanted to persuade Wei Yuewu, but she stopped short as she noticed Wei Yuewu"s eyes fall on Wei Yan. She was involuntarily less confident with what she was going to say.

"Madam Dowager, considering the present situation, do you think it"s necessary to honor the engagement? Who knows what will happen if you don"t make a decision in time? Besides, it might also be unsafe in the backyard of this mansion. Maybe the same thing that happened to the Second Young Lady will happen to Yuewu as well. For an unmarried girl, this kind of thing is not something pleasant to the ear."

With a sneer, Lady Tu who was sitting aside interrupted the Madam Dowager.

Lady Tu was clearly referring to Wei Yan and Lady Li. Enraged and humiliated by Lady Tu"s words, Wei Yan was about to mouth back thoughtlessly when her sleeves were tightly pulled by Lady Li. For a moment, she couldn"t move. She had no guts to glare at Lady Tu and could only stare hatefully at Wei Yuewu.

"Then what excuses shall we make for breaking off the engagement?" Pressed by Lady Tu"s aggressive att.i.tude, the Madam Dowager had no choice but agree. She had to compromise even if it was only the sake of Wei Yan.

"The Second Young Lady"s maid fooled around with Marquis Jing Yuan by disguising herself as a man. We can use this reason if Madam Dowager thinks it pa.s.sable. If you don"t, let"s say it"s because Yuewu deems herself not good enough for Marquis Jing Yuan for she is neither talented nor good-looking. A promising young man like Marquis Jing Yuan deserves a more beautiful and talented young girl."

Lady Tu took up the teacup and had a sip. Then she remarked, as if she wanted to make a concession.

Of the two reasons, the first one would make people think that Wei Yan"s behavior was not decent, whereas the second one would only make Mo Huating a joke. Now that Wei Yuewu was in the capital, she certainly would make her appearance in social occasions of the capital. No one would say anything like lacking talent or good appearance when they saw Wei Yuewu as she was now.

"No!"

Wei Yan was extremely upset and suddenly rushed out, disregarding the fact that her sleeves were being seized tightly by Lady Li.

"No?"

Wei Yuewu sneered in her heart and coldly turned her shining eyes to Wei Yan. Then she remarked sharply, "Second Elder Sister, what do you have to do with my engagement? Why do you disagree? I don"t think you are my superior and can make any comments on my engagement."