"Is Master Xie trying to force a confession?"

  After all, as the son of a high-ranking official, Wei Zhan was not intimidated by being surrounded. After being scolded by Xie Qigong, he also calmed down a bit, "You all insist that I had a private meeting with my cousin in the backyard, can you please invite my cousin over and let us confront each other here? If my cousin personally admits it, then I won't say anything else!"

  He was certain that Xie Wei, one of the parties involved, would never lie, so he said this sentence with conviction.

  Xie Wan immediately stood up and said loudly: "No!"

  Xie Wei has dug this hole and let him jump, how can he possibly ruin his own future at this critical moment? If she confesses the truth, wouldn't this sacrifice be in vain? In that case, she would not only fail to marry Wei Xiao, but also ruin her own reputation. What could she gain from it? He actually made such a request, isn't it equivalent to handing over the city?!

  Xie Qigong and Wang's face suddenly fell after hearing her words.

  "Get out of here! This is no place for you to speak!"

  Xie Wan's emotions steadied instantly, and she said slowly: "I'm just thinking of my elder sister. After all, she's a young lady, and considering how elegant and refined she usually is, whether the matter is true or false, spreading such rumors would already make her feel ashamed. If we were to bring her out in front of everyone to discuss this matter, wouldn't that be even more embarrassing for her? It's better to let Wei Gongzi return to his room for now; if our two families become relatives in the future and things become awkward, it won't look good."

  She was speaking in defense of Xie Wei, and Xie Qigong couldn't say anything.

  Wang stared at Xie Wan for two seconds, pinching her palm to prevent herself from speaking out.

  Ren You saw Xie Wan's gaze never fell on himself from start to finish, and now he stood out to speak for Wei Cuo, so he couldn't help but bite his lower lip tightly.

  Wei Cai's expression softened as soon as he saw Xie Wan come forward. After hearing her explanation, he thought she was really doing it for Xie Yu. So he said: "Everyone present is from the noble family, and they won't let the eldest miss lose face in front of outsiders. I, Wei Mengqiu, have never suffered such injustice since childhood, and today I must clear my name! If the eldest miss doesn't come forward to clarify things today, isn't it obvious that she's framing me?"

  Young masters of aristocratic families all have this problem, usually when there is nothing to do, they are polite and courteous, talking about etiquette and morality, but once they are forced into a corner, the inferiority complex of being superior to others starts to emerge, look at him now. Where is the gentlemanly demeanor that considers the reputation of other people's daughters? He is simply an unyielding child!

  Xie Wan was furious in her heart, but she couldn't do anything about him.

  Wang heard that he was going to tell the story of last night in public, and he was afraid of causing trouble, so he hurriedly urged Su Luo: "Don't you go call Big Sister yet?"

  Xie Qigong and Huang's family both secretly let out a sigh of relief. Wei Cai's face also relaxed along with them.

  Probably the only person in the whole hall who was worried about this matter was Xie Wan alone.

  Xie Wei soon followed Su Luo over.

  When she saw the room full of people, she first stopped at the door for a moment, then entered the hall. When she saw Wei Zuo, her almond-shaped eyes suddenly welled up with tears again, and after biting her lip, she nodded and walked to the front of Xie Qigong and Wang's wife. She lifted her skirt and knelt down.

  Wei Xiao saw her like this and also felt a sense of foreboding, so before she even opened her mouth, he had already walked forward: "Big girl, last night you and I had some misunderstandings in the back garden. Now I've specially invited you over to clear things up. Please tell everyone clearly what happened yesterday evening?"

  Xie Wei's body swayed slightly, and she raised her face to ask, "What does this mean, Master Wei?" She slowly stood up with the support of the table, her lips trembling as she looked at him. "Didn't we just have two cups of tea together in Cuixi Pavilion last night?... Now that things have come to this, what do you want me to clarify?" Before she finished speaking, another two streams of tears rolled down from her eyes, contrasting with her pale complexion and making her look like a small white rabbit, innocent.

  The whole room was in an uproar.

  Xie Wan covered her eyes with her hands and turned her face to the side.

  Wei Xiao was petrified on the spot and completely lost for words.

  She indeed only had two cups of tea with him there, to be strict, they didn't even have time to drink them yet. But how much tea they drank is not the point! The point is that by saying this sentence, she has already confirmed that her secret meeting with him was indeed a private affair.

  It wasn't until now that he finally understood why Xie Wan wanted to stop him from inviting Xie Wei over. It turned out she had known all along that Xie Wei would frame him! But why did Xie Wei want to do this?!

  He felt like he was going to collapse. This had completely exceeded his tolerance!

  "Big girl, speak clearly! How did you meet me in the backyard last night and how did you invite me to the teahouse?"

  He grasped Xie Wei's arm tightly, his red eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. The Xie manor in front of him no longer gave him a sense of closeness, all these people were in cahoots with each other to scheme against him alone! How did he end up falling into this quagmire?

  "Lord Wei, don't force me anymore." Xie Wei choked back tears and said in a low, suppressed tone: "If you really feel embarrassed, I won't insist on anything. I know I'm not worthy of you, but you should also know that the situation I'm in today is not entirely without your responsibility. The gates of my estate are wide open; when you want to come, just come, and when you want to leave, we can't stop you!"

  She finished speaking and turned her back on him, standing with her spine straighter than the door panel.

  In September, Wei Zhan's sweat had already dripped down his forehead. As soon as he spoke these words, he was completely unable to wipe it clean.

  For over a decade, he had received an education that emphasized the importance of being a junzi (a man of noble character), which made it impossible for him to loudly and crudely argue like a rascal. Xie Wei was a girl, and he couldn't possibly clear his name by speaking out of turn and saying that she had seduced him into the teahouse. In that instant, he suddenly felt that good upbringing could sometimes be a rope that bound people, making it impossible for him to even save himself!

  Xie Wei said he could leave at any time, but in this situation, could he? If he left, he would not only lose face, but also the face of his entire family. Even if he managed to escape with a guilty conscience, how could he escape his father's punishment? His mother was always reasonable, and even if she loved him dearly, she would never let him off easily in this matter!

  At this thought, he not only broke out in a sweat on his forehead, but also felt a chill run down his spine.

  Xie Qigong let out a long sigh, although he didn't say a word, the disappointment in his expression said it all. Wang sat beside him, her face calm, but also filled with helplessness. Huang looked at Xie Qigong and then at Wang, finally lowering her head to look at her toes. The most expressive faces in the room were probably only Ruan and Ren Yun.

  Ruan Shi was initially filled with ridicule, but now her gaze towards Huang Shi and her daughter had turned into unconcealed jealousy. In any case, the Wei estate had always been a difficult place to climb, and it seemed that they were going to get their way this time.

  Ren Shuai's gaze has always been wandering between Xie Wan and Wei Cai, now that Wei Cai is in a predicament, seeing that he will soon be tied to Xie Yu with an unbreakable knot. His tightly furrowed eyebrows suddenly relaxed a little. As long as the marriage between Wei Cai and Xie Yu is settled, isn't it possible for Xie Wan to return to his side again?

  Xie Wan's mind was preoccupied with her own thoughts and she hadn't noticed Ren Yun at all.

  At this time, to save Wei Qian from the predicament, there is a way. She herself is a witness and can come forward to prove that Xie Wei is lying. However, if she directly comes out to testify, the three families will definitely not be able to get off the stage, and she will have to face the situation of having a falling out with Xie Wei. Now Huang's mother and daughter still have use for her, so it would be unwise to make things awkward at this time.

  Furthermore, Xie Wei is her sister, and Wei Jiao is just an outsider. She doesn't mind going against her family for Wei Jiao's sake, where does her stance lie?

  So it's not just the three houses that will regard her as an enemy, Xie Qigong will also not tolerate her. Moreover, as a target of public criticism, her reputation may be exploited by some people, although she will eventually have to set up her own household, but being so passive is still not worth it.

  After a moment of contemplation, she turned around and let Yuxue come closer, whispering a few words to her.

  Everyone in the house was focused on Xie Wei and Wei Jiao, and no one paid attention to Yu Xue's coming or going.

  Huang dragged Xie Wei and began to sob quietly.

  Xie Qigong sighed and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back.

  No one in the house said a word, and indeed there was nothing to say. Now that things have come to this point, saying more would be too much, and there's also the risk of being seen as taking pleasure in others' misfortune. Who would want to be the first to speak up at this time?

  At this moment, a faint commotion suddenly came from the quiet corridor outside. Wang looked out and said, "Who's outside?"

  The little maid at the door walked in with quick steps: "Madam, it's the masons from Qifengyuan who are causing trouble. They say that Master has deducted their wages for ten days and won't continue working unless they get paid."

  "Seifuin?"

  Xie Qigong furrowed his brow upon hearing this.

  Wang was afraid that Zhang Fang would intervene, and upon hearing this, he immediately said: "What's the big deal? Can't our master still afford to pay them their wages? You go take a look!"

  Madam Ruan stood up and replied. Just as she was about to leave, she was blocked by Pang Sheng's wife at the door: "Big Madam, did Second Miss return the eight-sided purple copper stove borrowed from our kitchen yesterday? If it's done, would you please ask someone to bring it back to my place? I'm waiting for it to make ginseng soup for Master."

  Ruan's family was stunned and had not yet responded when Xie Qi stood up: "When did I ever borrow your purple copper furnace?"

  Pang Sheng's family saw her and smiled: "The second lady is indeed a noble person who forgets things easily. It seems that last night, you and the third lady had a great time drinking tea in Cuixuan Hall, but forgot about this matter. Fortunately, everything in this mansion belongs to the Xie family, not my personal belongings, otherwise others would think I'm reluctant to part with this stove?

  "Yesterday evening, after dinner, the young lady asked Xinyue to borrow a stove from the large kitchen and said that she wanted to invite San Gu Niang to drink tea in Cui Yi Xuan. She said that only the water-boiled tea made with this purple copper stove is good to drink, what do you think?"

  She looked at Wei Qian and said, "Is the young master also here? That's great. I heard that you were also at Cui Yi Xuan yesterday. So, I dare to ask, Young Master, do you remember what kind of stove it was? If you say it out loud, it can serve as evidence for me, and I won't be suspected of being a dirty mistress."

  PS: Thanks for the sachet from April's gentle rain~~~~Thank you so much~~~~