The women in the courtyard heard Xiangru say this, and they all lowered their heads and whispered to each other. They didn't know which mansion this delicate little girl standing in the hall was from or what her background was. But with just a few words, it could stir up a wave of gossip and rumors.

  Qin Miao was indeed as she had wished, from the moment she appeared to when she finished speaking, she remained motionless for a long time. Her face was expressionless, and not a hint of joy or sorrow could be seen. This reaction made Xing Xiang very satisfied, thinking that what she said were all facts, Qin Miao indeed disappeared for two years, this iron-like fact, even the old lady had to admit.

  Qin Miao remained silent for a long time and still sat in her seat. Xing Xiang didn't mind burning another fire.

  "In the two years you've been away, everyone in the mansion has been worried sick. The old lady hasn't slept for several days, and Master Hou has been searching all over the city. We were afraid that something unexpected might happen to you, such as being kidnapped or losing your life, or perhaps..."

  She coughed softly, pretending to be embarrassed, without saying the two words "clear" and "white" together, as if leaving some room for maneuver, making everyone think she was being cautious. But people are not stupid, no matter how they listen, it's clear what is being implied. Therefore, everyone couldn't help but secretly wonder, this Madame Hou is now standing here safely, with her life unharmed, but the matter of her innocence is really hard to say, after all, it's been two years, and there are only more variables, not fewer.

  It's often said that when many people gather firewood, the flames rise high. But Xingxiang thought of something else - when many people add fuel to rumors, they spread quickly. So she didn't hesitate to make her point clear: "I heard that afterwards, your life was not in danger, and we were all relieved. This is also thanks to your childhood friend and sworn brother who came to your rescue and helped you escape the disaster. However, in times of crisis, true feelings are revealed, and since you've grown up together since childhood, your bond is naturally deeper than those who came into your life later..."

  It ends here, half clear and half obscure. What is meant by the true feelings of childhood friends? That naturally refers to Madame Hou and her sworn brother. And who else has a romantic relationship with Madame Hou that came about halfway through life?

  At first, it was indeed unclear, but after careful consideration. Apart from the Marquis, who else could have a chance encounter with the Marchioness and form a marital bond. After understanding this layer of meaning, many ladies couldn't help but feel curious about the Marquis, his wife, and that brother-in-law who had never appeared.

  " Matters of the heart, we as women all understand, I think Old Lady will also be considerate. Since you and that sworn brother have been through thick and thin together, bringing up divorce is also a matter of clearing things up. However, what Jingxiang can't figure out is, how come now you're stuck with Master Hou again? Could it be that your sworn brother was just playing around and not sincere? Tsk tsk tsk... If it's really like this, then we might as well give up."

  As soon as this remark came out, the whole place erupted! Madame Hou had previously proposed to divorce Master Hou, but now she was with him again. What's going on? Could it be true what this young lady said, that she was abandoned by her sworn brother and then came to seduce Master Hou?

  As everyone pondered, they couldn't help but think of the rumors that had been circulating in Jiangdu City before, about Qin Xiaoniang having an affair with Zhang Fu first and then flirting with Xie Houye. Was it really true?

  When all the ladies were either pondering alone or discussing in groups, Old Lady and Xie Wei had already been angered to the point of having pale faces. Xie Wei took a swift step forward, standing before Qin Xiang, and rebuked her sternly: "Miss Qin Xiang, how can you be so reckless with your words and insult my sister-in-law like this?! Are you not afraid of heavenly retribution?!"

  Xie Wei, after all, was a girl who had been taught etiquette and propriety since childhood. She always kept three parts of her words to herself and never spoke ill. Therefore, no matter how angry she was, she absolutely couldn't say anything that would be a shocking rebuttal.

  It was instead countered by Xiangxiang, who retorted a few sentences: "Young lady, how can you open your eyes and talk nonsense? Is Lord Hou confused, or are you also confused? The fact that the madam disappeared into thin air for two years is true, isn't it? And during that time, she sent letters directly stating her intention to divorce, which I didn't fabricate, did I?"

  "You!...... You!......" Xie Wei obviously didn't have the silver tongue like Jin Xiang, and being topped by her like this, she had nothing to say.

  Because what she said about those two things is indeed true. However, the truth about Brother and Sister-in-law's matter is not as Xiangxiang said. Moreover, she absolutely does not believe that Sister-in-law would have any improper relationship with that righteous brother, because from beginning to end, she has seen Sister-in-law's true heart for Brother. But clumsy as she is, at such a critical moment, she is tongue-tied and cannot help Sister-in-law at all.

  Her little face was as red as a pig's liver, puffed up like a defeated little rooster, hanging its head in the distance. Qin Miao looked at Xie Wei like this and walked over to gently press her back into place, also pinching Xie Wei's slightly trembling hands. "It's okay, we're not in a hurry, haha."

  Qin Miao walked up to Old Lady Xie, knelt down solemnly, lifted her head and smiled as she spoke: "Grandmother, since you and my grandmother agreed on the engagement between Ah Nuan and the Marquis, Ah Nuan's heart has always belonged to the Marquis alone. As for why Ah Nuan left without a word back then, I'm sure you're aware of the reasons behind it. And during this time, why I proposed divorce, Grandmother, you also know."

  During the time An Nuan was away, she indeed thought that from then on, she would not marry again and only wanted to support the Qin family, bringing glory to the Qin family. But why did she accept Hou Ye again and become his wife? It's because she had never let go of him. So when he searched for her with all his heart, waited for her with a sincere heart, An Nuan's cold heart would also be warmed. Also, please believe in me, grandmother, don't doubt me."

  After finishing speaking, Qin Miao heavily kowtowed to the old lady and did not get up. As soon as Xingxiang appeared on the scene, the old lady's heart was racing, and her subsequent words made her even more frightened. She wasn't that she didn't believe in Qin Miao, but rather she was afraid of this lingering ghostly presence of Xingxiang. In the past, it had stirred up trouble in the Hou Mansion, causing Qin Miao and Xie Yu to become estranged. Now, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and spouting nonsense in public, this behavior wasn't just directed at Qin Miao, but rather seemed to be intended to humiliate the Weiyuan Hou Mansion.

  "Good grandson, how could grandma possibly suspect you? I'm worried sick. You're pregnant now, hurry up and get up!"

  The old lady personally bent down to help Qin Miao get up, and didn't forget to give a sharp glance at Xiangxiang who was watching the show. "You this big-mouthed woman, Old Master had a good heart to let you stay in the mansion back then, but I never thought you were so venomous. You don't even know how to be grateful, yet you dare to bite back. Do you think our Weiyuan Marquis Manor is a place where you can insult with just your mouth?"

  Old Lady Xie's words this time were indeed more shocking than those of Miss Xue, and the female family members present couldn't help but shiver with fear, some even wavered slightly in their hearts.

  But how could this Xiang fragrance be so easily taken advantage of? Apart from Qin Miao, no one in the Weiyuan Marquis's household was her match.

  Why? Because they have concerns and don't dare to offend her, so they let her get her way every time. So this time, she is not worried about how Old Lady Xie or Miss Xie will react, as long as Qin Miao becomes a laughing stock, loses her reputation, and no one believes what she says or does anymore, then it's mission accomplished.

  So as soon as Old Lady Xie's words fell, Qin Xiang also knelt down on the ground with a thud, her expression humble and her voice choked with sobs: "Old lady, how can you believe Madame so easily? Haven't you and Master Hou been deceived by her enough? When she left the capital that year, her sworn brother also disappeared from the capital at the same time. Can't this explain the problem? Ah... You probably don't know yet, they have a child who is already half grown up. But Madame, in order to deceive others, actually lied and said that the child was the son of her elder brother and sister-in-law. You've seen that child too, it's the one being well taken care of in the mansion now.

  She spoke with a hoarse voice, only to regret that she had dug out her sincere heart and shown it to the Xie family. This inevitably made the women believe in it even more. "Which family doesn't have any issues? They brought their whole family into their own mansion, of course, it's all for that child! If you take a closer look, that child really resembles the madam!"

  The old lady was stunned, she had really underestimated Xingxiang, knowing that she had ambitions and private motives, coveting her own grandson. But she never expected that a person could be so shameless, taking anything and spinning it into a convincing story. If she hadn't known some of the facts, if she hadn't trusted Qin Miao, perhaps even she would have been deceived by Xingxiang.

  No wonder... really no wonder! No wonder his own grandson could be played around by Xiangxiang back then!

  The old lady's expression was interpreted in a different way by the crowd. That is, what this woman named Quanxiang said, eight or nine out of ten were true.

  What a huge scandal! The dignified young master, being deceived by his selfish and manipulative wife, was cuckolded and still doted on her, even raising her illegitimate child.

  It can be said that this play has reached this point, and Xiang has won. Because the official ladies present all believed it!

  Looking at the three people sitting in the front row, one was so angry that he was grinding his teeth, but had no power to refute. One was so furious that he was out of breath and looked old and useless. And the most critical one, from start to finish, did not say a word, and sat there with a cold face until the end.

  What a situation, it's really too un-Qin-miao! Where is the Qin Miao who used to intimidate people into admitting their own bad luck? Where is the Qin Anuan whose words were like a string of pearls that shocked and intimidated her subordinates? And where is the eldest Miss Qin who single-handedly debated with creditors?