Once the situation was confirmed to be safe, the guests, still shaken and fearful, began to hold Qi Huan and Jiang Youli accountable.
"Young Master Qi, Miss Jiang, shouldn't you give us an explanation? How could such a major breach of security occur at your engagement banquet?"
"That's right! It seems some among us have already been bitten and poisoned!"
"If anyone loses their life because of this, even your Qi family might not be able to bear such immense responsibility!"
At this point, the guests looked at each other, searching for the victims who had been bitten earlier.
Qi Yue watched the scene unfold with a sense of triumph.
All the criticism that had previously been focused on him had now shifted entirely onto Qi Huan and Jiang Youli.
As for him, he only needed to find the right moment to explain that he had known all along about Jiang Youli's malicious intentions, which was why he wanted to prevent her marriage alliance with Qi Huan. That would settle the matter regarding Duan Jinghan.
At this moment, Jiang Xing, having calmed Jiang Yonghe's emotions, stepped forward and loudly questioned, "Jiang Youli, you were the one who summoned those venomous insects and snakes just now, weren't you! Little He was bitten too!"
Zhang Susu immediately refuted, "Jiang Xing! How dare you slander Youli like this!"
Jiang Yehan, standing nearby, also warned with a cold expression, "Jiang Xing, slandering Youli like this in front of so many outsiders, do you truly intend to push her to her death?"
Jiang Xing said sternly with a cold face, "Uncle, Aunt, it's not slander!"
"Not slander? Do you have evidence?" the guests asked in surprise.
Jiang Xing nodded heavily, "Yes, I have evidence!"
He hadn't originally planned to step forward at tonight's engagement banquet, but seeing Little He poisoned, he simply couldn't hold back any longer!
Tonight, he was determined to bring about Jiang Youli's downfall; he absolutely could not let her escape unscathed again!
As Jiang Xing spoke, more and more guests grew suspicious of Jiang Youli.
"I think it must have been this Jiang girl who summoned them! Otherwise, how could she possibly command those venomous insects, snakes, and ants!"
"We came to attend her and Young Master Qi's engagement banquet, and this is how she repays us? Trying to take our lives!"
Listening to the guests' doubts and accusations one after another, Jiang Youli lightly flicked away a leaf she was holding between her fingers. After scanning the circle of guests around her, she said calmly, "May I ask those who question me to use your brains and think carefully. Today is my engagement banquet. Why would I release these venomous insects, snakes, and ants to ruin my own engagement banquet?"
The guests were taken aback.
From the crowd, Qi Yue said loudly, "Because you're simply a psychopath! The fact that you can deal with these venomous insects and snakes proves you're abnormal yourself, a twisted monster!"
Having said that, Qi Yue then looked at Qi Huan and said, "Elder Brother, weren't you just asking for my explanation? This is the explanation."
Qi Huan's dark eyes deepened, "Oh? Let's hear it."
Qi Yue continued righteously, "I investigated some information about Jiang Youli. She herself is very sinister. Since childhood she has been able to interact with those venomous insects and snakes we just saw. I was terribly afraid that after she married you, elder brother, she would endanger you and grandfather's safety. That's why I wanted to sabotage your marriage alliance with her."
At this point, he put on an expression of heartfelt concern, even shedding a tear. "But I also knew that you, Elder Brother, must have truly fallen for Jiang Youli. If I had told you this directly, you definitely wouldn't have believed me and it would have alerted the enemy. I didn't want this matter to trouble you, so I handled everything myself, including seeking out Duan Jinghan, all to use him to sabotage this engagement."
The guests listened intently.
"So that's the hidden reason."
"I spoke too soon earlier, thinking he was an ingrate."
Qi Huan said thoughtfully, "Is that so?"
Qi Yue affirmed solemnly, "Yes. I have evidence in hand. Once you see it, Elder Brother, you will believe it."
As he spoke, he took out the documents Jiang Xing had given him, walked forward, and handed them to Qi Huan.
Qi Huan took the documents, glanced at them, then handed them to Cheng Jing, who in turn passed them to Old Master Qi.
Old Master Qi took them and looked through the documents, then looked at Jiang Youli and asked calmly, "Xiao Li, how do you explain this matter?"
Jiang Youli replied composedly, "Grandfather Qi, it's true that I can interact with and command those venomous snakes and scorpions. Even if I really were a psychopath, I could have done all this much more discreetly. What would be the purpose of creating such a blatant, large-scale disturbance?"
"To offend all of you? To bring trouble upon myself?"
"Am I so full and idle with nothing better to do?" Jiang Youli rolled her eyes. "Everyone present here is also a person of considerable standing in the capital city and even the whole country. Surely you won't let Qi Yue's few words lead you by the nose, will you?"
Some of the guests who had been questioning her choked on her words.
Qi Yue immediately said, "The reason you dared to so brazenly command those venomous insects and ants to cause trouble at the engagement banquet is because you thought we were unaware of your sinister past and wouldn't suspect you!"
Moreover, Miss Jiang Youli, haven't you always behaved quite crazily since being brought back to the Jiang family? You probably just revel in that madness!
Seeing an opportunity to take advantage and kick Jiang Youli while she was down, Qin Yulian, who had been holding back a bellyful of resentment, immediately chimed in tearfully, "That's right! She's always been so extreme and crazy in her actions! As her birth mother, I can vouch for that!"
Everyone's gaze shifted from Qi Yue to Qin Yulian.
Old Master Jiang frowned and said sternly, "Daughter-in-law of the second branch, mind your words."
In response to Old Master Jiang's warning, Qin Yulian inwardly scoffed, thinking "bah!"
Now that her family had been harmed so badly by Jiang Youli, she was determined to kick him while he was down!
Do you all think that, as her birth mother, I wouldn't want to acknowledge my own biological daughter? Am I really that heartless?
No! It's because I know how vile her true nature is. I didn't dare acknowledge her, afraid she would harm our family!
"But who would have thought that, because we were unwilling to drive our adopted daughter, Little He, out of the Jiang family, we still angered her. She retaliated against us crazily! My son, Jiang Zhao, was harmed by her and is still lying unconscious in the hospital to this day! And now my adopted daughter, Little He, has been bitten by a venomous scorpion that she used at her engagement banquet. Faced with such an extremely perverted biological daughter, tell me, how could her father and I acknowledge her as our own without any reservations?!"
Many guests were moved by her tearful accusations and expressed understanding.
"I'd also find it rather creepy."
Yes — originally the family of Second Master Jiang was so happy and perfect. Although Jiang Yonghe was a fake heiress, she was so outstanding and beautiful, and they had raised her for so long that their affection for her ran so deep. It's understandable that they were unwilling to give her up for such a malicious biological daughter.
"Young Master Jiang is too tragic, being harmed into a vegetative state."
"Miss Jiang Youli, how do you explain tonight's situation to us?"
After listening to Qin Yulian's accusations and facing everyone's doubts and judgment, Jiang Youli said unhurriedly, "By the way, isn't the most important thing right now to administer the antidote to those who have already been bitten and poisoned, rather than suspecting me here?"
