"Is that so?"
Chu Ruoyan lowered her hand from her left cheek, raising an eyebrow. "Grandma Yan, have you forgotten that only my husband has the right to write a letter of divorce? And right now, he’s detained in the Ministry of Justice. Tell me, do you have a way to get him out?"
Her words dripped with sarcasm, practically pointing a finger at the old woman’s face—accusing her of having time to meddle in divorce but not to save her own grandson.
Grandma Yan, flushed with anger, grabbed a jade cup from the table, ready to hurl it.
Chu Ruoyan added coolly, "Grandma, think carefully. That jade cup costs twenty taels of silver. If you break it, you’ll have to pay to replace it."
Grandma Yan’s raised hand froze mid-air. "You—you—!"
She was so furious she could barely speak. Lady Xue quickly interjected, "Niece-in-law, that’s not how you should speak. You were the one who disgraced the Yan family by consorting with another man. If Third Brother knew, he would surely divorce you."
Chu Ruoyan let out a soft "Oh." "Aunt Xue, you sound so certain. Then you must have seen it with your own eyes. Perfect—I’d also like to know who this ‘other man’ is."
"Well…"
They had only followed her to the fourth floor of Baixiao Pavilion before being stopped. How could they know who was inside?
Li Yu chimed in, "But you did meet with an outsider—"
"Third Aunt, have you never met an outsider? Are the guards, gatekeepers, and coachmen in your household all women?"
Li Yu fell silent. Chu Ruoyan narrowed her willow-leaf brows and said sternly, "The Marquis is currently imprisoned, and we are doing everything we can to save him. If you can help, wonderful. If not, at least don’t get in the way!"
"We—"
Lady Xue tried to speak but was cut off by Chu Ruoyan’s icy glare.
"Let me make this clear one last time," she said, her voice frosty. "If anyone dares stir up trouble again, don’t blame me for enforcing the family rules on the Marquis’s behalf! Uncle Liu—escort Aunt Xue and Third Aunt out!"
Uncle Liu, who had been waiting outside, stormed in with four maidservants. Without hesitation, they seized the two women by the arms and dragged them out of the mansion.
The servants in Shou’an Hall trembled in fear.
Grandma Yan glared at her. "Fine, fine. You’re quite the imposing figure, aren’t you?"
Chu Ruoyan replied calmly, "Grandma, until the Marquis returns, I suggest you stay quietly in Shou’an Hall. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to send you to the estate in the outskirts."
Grandma Yan said nothing for a moment before letting out a cold laugh. "Very well. I’ll just watch and see what tricks you and my grandson have up your sleeves!"
Two days later, Old Madam Cao’s birthday banquet was held.
Since the Yan family was still in mourning, Chu Ruoyan dressed in plain robes and brought Yulu along.
The Cao residence was bustling with guests. After sending in their gifts, Chu Ruoyan scanned the crowd for Old Madam Cao.
There was a history between Old Madam Cao and the Chu family. Years ago, during a polo match where her aunt was being courted, Old Madam Cao had taken a liking to her and wanted her to marry her eldest son, Cao Yang.
But Cao Yang had been sent south to oversee flood control, and by the time he returned, her aunt had already married into the Marquis of Chengen’s Mansion.
Thanks to her aunt, Chu Ruoyan had met Old Madam Cao once as a child. If she could secure her help now…
Before she could finish the thought, a mocking voice interrupted her.
"Oh? Isn’t this the eldest Chu girl? No—now she’s the Marchioness of Anning, isn’t she? I heard the Yan family is in deep trouble. How surprising that you still have the leisure to attend banquets!"
Chu Ruoyan turned to see a group of brightly dressed young women approaching. She recognized a few—Gu Feiyan, the beloved granddaughter of the Grand Chancellor and a close friend of Chu Ruolan; Zou Yue, the cousin of County Princess Kanghe; and Rong Su, the youngest daughter of Grand Tutor Rong, renowned as the capital’s most talented young lady.
The one who had spoken was Zou Yue, whose family despised Chu Ruoyan after the incident involving County Princess Kanghe.
Unfazed, Chu Ruoyan nodded politely. "Miss Zou, the invitation came from the Cao family. If you think I shouldn’t be here, you’ll have to ask them to rescind it."
Zou Yue stiffened, then stomped her foot. "Sister Gu, see? I told you! This Marchioness of Anning is sharp-tongued. No wonder Ruolan always complains about being bullied by her at home!"
Gu Feiyan, who had befriended Chu Ruolan through polo, scowled. "Chu Ruoyan, you’re a married woman now. Where are your manners? Miss Zou was just trying to be kind—"
"Really? Then I must have misunderstood. But when the Yan family held the funeral, why didn’t either of you come to pay respects?"
Both women fell silent.
The Gu and Yan families weren’t exactly enemies, but civil and military officials rarely mingled. As for the Zou family—one of their own had once been executed by Yan Xun for military misconduct. With such history, they would never have attended…
But her question shattered their pretense of goodwill.
Chu Ruoyan didn’t bother engaging further. With a slight nod, she turned toward the adjacent courtyard.
As she passed by, Rong Su unexpectedly stepped into her path.
"Does Second Miss Rong also have something to say?"
Chu Ruoyan was surprised. Rong Su’s elder sister, Rong Shan, was married to Yan Xun, making their families connected by marriage. Surely she wouldn’t join in the mockery?
Rong Su quickly shook her head. "No, my lady, you misunderstand. I only heard that the Marquis of Anning was summoned to the Ministry of Justice for questioning. I wanted to ask… has he returned yet?"
Chu Ruoyan paused.
This youngest Rong sister seemed unusually concerned about Yan Zheng.
"Thank you for your concern, Second Miss Rong. It seems the Ministry hasn’t finished their inquiries. The Marquis hasn’t returned home yet."
"What?!" Rong Su gasped, her face clouding with worry.
Gu Feiyan tugged at her impatiently. "Sister Rong, why are you talking to her? Let’s go—ah!"
Her foot slipped on moss, and she tumbled into the pond with a splash.
"Sister Gu!"
"Feiyan!"
"Someone help!"
Chaos erupted. Once Gu Feiyan was fished out, dripping wet, Zou Yue pointed an accusing finger. "Marchioness of Anning, how dare you push Sister Gu into the water?!"
Rong Su opened her mouth to speak, but Gu Feiyan—now drenched—clutched her arm and cried, "Chu Ruoyan! We exchanged a few words, and you pushed me in? How vicious!"
Chu Ruoyan arched a brow.
So they were pinning this on her?
Madam Cao, who had rushed over at the commotion, frowned. "Marchioness of Anning, what happened here?"
Yulu moved to explain, but Chu Ruoyan stopped her. "Madam Cao, there’s a third witness here. Why not ask her?"
She gestured to Rong Su. All eyes turned to her.
Zou Yue panicked. "Sister Rong!"
Gu Feiyan stared at her pleadingly.
Rong Su bit her lip. "I… I didn’t see clearly…"
Zou Yue and Gu Feiyan exhaled in relief.
But Chu Ruoyan’s gaze flickered to the noblewoman who had been tending flowers in the corner. Now, surrounded by attendants, she approached.
"Second Miss Rong didn’t see, but I did. Feiyan, you fell in yourself. Why blame someone else?"
The crowd gasped and dropped into bows. "Greetings to Princess Ansheng! May the Princess live a thousand years!"
Princess Ansheng, the emperor’s elder sister and Madam Xie’s childhood friend, was resplendent in palace robes, a peony gracing her forehead.
Gu Feiyan paled. She hadn’t expected the princess to be present—let alone to have witnessed everything.
"Your Highness, I—I was wrong! Please forgive me!"
Zou Yue was so frightened that her legs went weak: "Please forgive me, Your Highness! Please forgive me!"
Princess Ansheng replied coolly, "It was not I whom you wronged, so why beg for my mercy?"
The two women trembled and hastily turned to Chu Ruoyan to plead.
"It was my fault—I shouldn’t have falsely accused you!"
"Madam of the Marquis of Chengen, please be magnanimous and overlook our mistake this time!"
One was the daughter of the Gu family, and the other was from Princess Yongyang’s maternal clan—how could they truly be punished?
After letting them squirm for a while, Chu Ruoyan spoke up at the right moment: "Your Highness, Miss Gu and Miss Zou were merely flustered for a moment. Surely, they meant no harm."
Princess Ansheng nodded in approval. "Very well, then let it pass. Madam of the Marquis of Chengen, come with me. I have a few words to share with you."
