freenovelworld Chapter 69 Kneeling
Chapter 69 Kneeling
Chapter 69 Kneeling
On the way back to the Marquis's residence, to avoid any further accidents, Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan traveled in the Prime Minister's carriage. Having gone through such an ordeal, almost losing her daughter, Gongsun Yuan held tightly to Ye Pianran's hand the entire way. Sensing her fear, Ye Pianran, though she had a thousand words to say, simply nestled obediently against her, silently comforting her emotions.
After a long while, once she had calmed down, Gongsun Yuan gently stroked Ye Pianran's hair and sighed, "I've heard everything from your maternal grandfather, Ran'er. Are you really sure you want to end this marriage with the Ouyang family?"
"Mother, it was Ouyang Shaoyu who first proposed breaking off the engagement," Ye Pianran said softly, her nose stinging with tears.
“He was young and impetuous, and indeed immature in his actions. If there was any misunderstanding between you, it would have been resolved if you had talked it out. Why did it have to come to this?” Gongsun Yuan said. “I still remember when you were young, he saw you at your maternal grandmother’s birthday banquet and made a huge fuss with his mother, saying he wanted to marry you. I never imagined that so many years would have passed and you would have ended up like this.”
Many things and many people change with time. If Ye Pianran hadn't lived a second life and witnessed firsthand the coldness of human nature, why would she have acted so decisively?
"Very well, it's just that your fate wasn't deep enough. Let's break off this engagement, and I'll find you another good man."
Ye Pianran frowned and said in a low voice, "Mother, what I told His Majesty was the truth. I only want to devote myself to studying medicine in this life and I don't want to get married again."
"Marriage should be decided by your parents, how can you act so recklessly?" As if realizing her tone was too harsh, Gongsun Yuan softened her attitude. "Even if your mother agrees, your father will never agree. You are the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion, you should consider the entire Anshi Marquis's mansion, not just yourself, do you understand?"
"Mother, if the Emperor hadn't arranged your marriage back then, would you have married Father?" Ye Pianran didn't answer, but suddenly asked this question.
Gongsun Yuan was stunned for a moment, then fell silent. She had thought about this question countless times when Marquis Anshi protected his concubines and mistresses while neglecting her and her daughter. But there are no "what ifs" in this world. Married is married, and no matter how bitter or aggrieved she is, it is all fate.
"Ran'er, never say anything definitively. One day, you will meet the person you truly want to marry," Gongsun Yuan said with a soft sigh.
Ye Pianran remained calm and composed: "Then let's wait until that day comes before we talk about it."
——※※※——
Ever since learning that the people from the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion had sent Lingyi back to the Marquis's Mansion, and that Gongsun Yuan, in a fit of rage, had ordered the steward to thoroughly investigate all the coachmen in the manor, Aunt Song knew that her plan to prevent Ye Pianran from making it to the banquet at Qionglin Garden had failed. Later that evening, when Ye Bijun was carried back unconscious and covered in blood by palace servants, Aunt Song felt an even greater unease.
Although she had already sent the coachman away from the capital overnight and cleared away all evidence, she didn't sleep well that Mid-Autumn Festival night. The next day, just as dawn broke, she learned that Gongsun Yuan had taken a carriage to Qionglin Garden early in the morning to pick up Ye Pianran and bring her back to the mansion. Aunt Song was practically restless.
What should she do? If her scheme to bribe the coachman to frame Ye Pianran is exposed, Gongsun Yuan and the Prime Minister's mansion will definitely not let her off the hook!
While pacing quickly inside the house, pondering a solution, Aunt Song suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She sent a maid to the kitchen to fetch a bowl of jujube soup, which was Old Madam Song's favorite dish, and hurriedly headed to Ciyuan Hall.
Upon seeing Madam Song, Aunt Song knelt on the ground, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Aunt, please save me..."
The moment she addressed her as "Aunt," Old Madam Song knew she must have gotten into trouble again. But Old Madam Song had just finished reciting scriptures and was in a fairly good mood, so she said, "Tell me, what trouble have you gotten into this time?"
Aunt Song gritted her teeth and twisted her actions of bribing the coachman to harm Ye Pianran into a story of good intentions for the Marquis's family, and poured out her heart to Old Madam Song.
After hearing this, Old Madam Song threw the Buddhist beads in her hand at her and said angrily, "That is the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion! How could you do such a foolish thing!"
“Although what my niece did was dishonorable, she was still trying to help the Marquis’s family. Your aunt wouldn’t want others to gossip about the Marquis’s family’s poor upbringing, would she?” Aunt Song knew she couldn’t escape the scolding, so she said in a low voice, “Besides, none of us know what happened to Miss Bijun in Qionglin Garden, but judging from her appearance, it must be related to the eldest young lady. If the third branch finds out, who knows what kind of trouble they’ll cause, and that will affect the Marquis’s family’s various expenses. Aunt, you can hit me or scold me, but I still think the eldest young lady shouldn’t have gone to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.”
"She's already gone, what's the point of saying all this now?" Old Madam Song sneered, but inwardly she completely agreed with her argument. She had long ago said that Ye Pianran shouldn't go to the banquet, but Marquis Anshi stubbornly refused to listen. She wanted to see what Ye Pianran could possibly salvage in her current disfigured state!
"Did Lanzhi take a carriage to Qionglin Garden early this morning?" Old Madam Song asked.
Aunt Song said, "That's right."
Old Madam Song stood up, her face stern, and walked outside: "Come on, wait outside."
Aunt Song quickly stepped forward to help her up, and cautiously asked, "About the coachman..."
"What are you afraid of? Just wait patiently with me."
The fact that Old Madam Song personally went to the gate to greet Marquis Anshi shocked the entire Marquis's mansion. Before long, everyone except Ye Bijun, who was still unconscious, came to the gate of the Marquis's mansion to wait with Old Madam Song. Even Aunt Meng, who was heavily pregnant, came.
After waiting for a while, everyone saw three carriages returning from the street one after another. When they realized that one of them was the Prime Minister's carriage, Aunt Song broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to herself how lucky she was that she had gone to find Old Madam Song in time.
Marquis Anshi had not expected to see such a grand spectacle upon returning to his residence. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. After getting off the carriage, he frowned and asked, "I just went to Qionglin Garden for the Mid-Autumn Festival, why are so many people waiting here?"
Ye Yanxun cupped his hands in greeting to Madam Song: "Xun'er greets Grandmother."
Madam Song hummed in agreement and turned her gaze to Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan, who were alighting from the Prime Minister's carriage, asking, "Why did you come back in the Prime Minister's carriage?"
Marquis Anshi paused for a moment, then replied, "I met my father-in-law outside Qionglin Garden."
"Hmph." Old Madam Song snorted lightly, clearly dissatisfied. "She's been married into the Marquis's mansion for over a decade, and she still doesn't understand her place."
Hearing this, Aunt Song secretly rejoiced. The more the Old Madam disliked the mother and daughter, the more opportunities she had to regain control of the Marquis's mansion. Gongsun Yuan was indeed difficult to deal with, but what abilities did she have besides a powerful family? In the end, wouldn't she be at Aunt Song's mercy?
Ye Pianran didn't believe that Old Madam Song came to greet her personally out of concern for her. After all, it was Old Madam Song who had previously tried to prevent her from attending the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Now that she saw Aunt Song also there, she knew that a storm was brewing.
As expected, before Gongsun Yuan and Ye Pianran could even reach them, Old Madam Song turned around with a stern face and walked towards the Marquis's residence: "All of you, come to the main hall!"
They were ushered into the main hall, where Old Madam Song sat down in the main seat and immediately reprimanded Ye Pianran:
"Ran'er, kneel down!"
As soon as the old lady said this, whispers immediately broke out in the main hall, and everyone kept looking at Ye Pianran with strange eyes.
Ye Pianran was not surprised by this outcome. She lifted her skirt and gracefully prepared to kneel down. However, Gongsun Yuan pulled her up and shielded her behind her, saying with extreme displeasure, "Mother, what crime has Ran'er committed? Why must you make her kneel?"
"What crime has she committed? She is vicious, vindictive, and cruel to her own sisters. Such a heinous crime, and you dare to ask me what crime I have committed?" Old Madam Song sneered. "Gongsun Lanzhi, is this how you raised your good daughter?"
“If Grandmother is referring to the incident of Bijun’s injury and return to the manor, then you are truly wronging Ran’er.” Ye Pianran grasped Gongsun Yuan’s hand and said calmly, “Bijun’s injury has nothing to do with Ran’er. At that time, my elder brother was presenting a painting to His Majesty. She suddenly rushed out and interrupted him, cutting her face with a shard of porcelain. My elder brother, Shanzhu, and even Father can all testify for Ran’er on this matter.”
"Is that really true?" Old Madam Song was taken aback and looked at Marquis Anshi.
Marquis Anshi was furious when he thought about what happened at the banquet, and his tone became harsh: "I don't know what suddenly went wrong with her. She ran out crying and making a scene, not only ruining Xun'er's plans, but also almost causing the Marquis's mansion to be punished by His Majesty!"
“Miss, it’s not that the old lady is deliberately making things difficult for you. It’s just that Miss Bijun was perfectly fine before she left home, so why did she suddenly go crazy at the banquet? Could it be that someone did something to her to embarrass her?” Aunt Song said from the side.
"Does Aunt Song mean she suspects Ran'er?" Ye Pianran laughed. She knew Aunt Song was stirring things up behind the scenes.
Isn't that so? Not only Aunt Song, but everyone in the Marquis's mansion thought so.
Everyone knows that Ye Pianran's facial injury was inflicted by Ye Bijun. For a woman, having her face disfigured is a huge deal. If the injury doesn't heal and leaves even the slightest mark, it will affect her future marriage.
Anyone would hold a grudge if they encountered something like this, right?
"That's Qionglin Garden. How could I possibly do something to her under the watchful eyes of the guards, with so many seats between us?" Ye Pianran said indifferently. "Besides, my elder brother was painting for His Majesty at the time. If his painting had caught His Majesty's eye, it would have been such a glorious thing for our Marquis's mansion. What reason would I have to sabotage it?"
"Sister Bijun is still unconscious, so of course it all depends on your words. Once Sister Bijun wakes up, she'll know whether you're lying or not!" Ye Wenjin couldn't help but jump in and kick her while she was down, adding under her breath, "Who knows if you've used any sorcery?"
Unlike Ye Pianran's composure, Gongsun Yuan was so provoked by the despicable faces of these people that she trembled all over. If it weren't for the medicine that Ye Pianran had been brewing for her every day, she would definitely have vomited blood on the spot.
She had been bedridden for three years, and during those three years she had never paid much attention to the affairs of the manor. She never expected that because of this, her Lanxin Courtyard would be isolated to this extent!
No wonder Aunt Song was so desperate to wrest control of the Marquis's household affairs from her! Power, power—without power, how can one consolidate their position?
They argued back and forth, each claiming to have a point. Old Madam Song gritted her teeth and said to Wen, the nanny serving her, "Wen, go to Bijun Courtyard and see if she has woken up. If she has, bring her here to confront the eldest young lady."
"Yes." Granny Wen bowed to accept the order, then turned and quickly walked out.