Jiang Xing was anxiously watching over his adopted sister Jiang Yonghe when Qi Yue suddenly accused him. His face changed, and he turned to glare at Qi Yue with a mixture of annoyance and fury.
If he had known Qi Yue was so unreliable, he never would have collaborated with him!
Jiang Yangxu glanced at his son Jiang Xing in a panic, his eyes filled with reproach as he whispered harshly, "What's going on?!"
If the chaos with the poisonous insects and snakes really was his son Jiang Xing's doing, their family would surely be skinned alive by the dignitaries present today!
Jiang Xing quickly shook his head. "Dad, it wasn't me."
Only then did Jiang Yangxu breathe a sigh of relief.
Aside from his adopted daughter Jiang Yonghe, the other seven poisoning victims, though not as prominent as the Qi family in the capital's social hierarchy, were more than capable of joining forces to deal a severe blow to the Jiang family if they chose to!
Jiang Youli curled her lips into a smile and quipped, "Huanhuan, looks like the dog-eat-dog show is about to begin."
The reason she and Qi Huan hadn't exposed Qi Yue and Jiang Xing's scheme earlier was precisely to let them play out their plan and let the situation escalate.
The bigger the mess, the worse their downfall would be.
Qi Huan said thoughtfully, "It's time to settle matters with Qi Yue tonight."
Hearing Qi Yue's words, the Qi family patriarch flew into a rage. "You worthless brat! Who do you think you are? How dare you meddle in your elder brother's affairs behind his back!"
Despite the harsh words, Qi Yue swallowed his humiliation and hurriedly apologized. "I was wrong, Grandfather, Elder Brother. I overstepped. I shouldn't have doubted Jiang Youli, shouldn't have questioned your choice, Elder Brother!"
Old Master Qi said coldly, "Qi Yue, don't think apologizing lets you off the hook. I'll deal with you later."
Then, he turned to Jiang Xing, his expression grave and solemn. "Jiang Xing, you'd better give an explanation for the poisoning and injuries of so many people today! Otherwise, I will see to it that you are handed over to the authorities, no matter what!"
"Old Master Qi, it was Qi Yue who approached..." Jiang Xing initially wanted to tell the truth about finding Xiao He (Yonghe), but on second thought, he didn't want to drag her into this again. So he immediately changed his tack. "Qi Yue found me and proposed collaborating to deal with Jiang Youli. I only gave Qi Yue information about Jiang Youli, but I had nothing to do with releasing those poisonous snakes and scorpions. Tonight's incident was entirely Qi Yue's own scheme! It has nothing to do with me!"
Jiang Yangxu also quickly chimed in to explain, "Old Master Qi, my adopted daughter was also bitten and poisoned in this disaster. My son Jiang Xing has always doted on his adopted sister. How could he possibly orchestrate something that would cause her such suffering?"
The guests found this reasoning convincing:
"That's true. Jiang Yonghe was also injured. If Jiang Xing had planned it, he would have taken precautions. How could he let Jiang Yonghe get hurt?"
"Looking at it this way, Qi Yue is still the most likely culprit."
Gritting his teeth, Qi Yue continued to shift the blame. "Jiang Xing! Stop lying! Your family has been ruined by Jiang Youli, and you hate her to the bone! That's why you took the desperate risk of causing this chaos at Jiang Youli and my elder brother's engagement banquet!"
Jiang Xing flatly denied it. "This is the Qi family residence. I wouldn't dare cause trouble here! Qi Yue, it was clearly you! You want to replace your elder brother Qi Huan as the Qi family heir! When you found out Jiang Youli might be able to cure Young Master Qi's legs, you panicked and resorted to this underhanded plan, intending to eliminate Jiang Youli so Young Master Qi would have no chance of recovery!"
"Nonsense!" Having his true intentions exposed, Qi Yue flushed with anger and shame.
Watching them argue back and forth, the Qi family side was amused.
Qi Tianjue cast a disdainful glance at Qi Tianxiang and couldn't help but sneer. "That good-for-nothing Qi Yue? Even if his elder brother Qi Huan can't become the heir, it wouldn't be that waste's turn. Does he think we're just air?"
Qi Xiuyuan immediately chimed in, "Exactly! If it weren't for relying on his elder brother Qi Huan, what does he think he is? And he dares to betray his own elder brother? It's a joke to all of us in the Qi family."
Qi Feixue sighed with feeling. "How terrifying it is when someone lacks self-awareness and is foolish."
Listening to the Qi family's undisguised scorn and mockery directed at his son Qi Yue, Qi Tianxiang frowned deeply, feeling humiliated but not daring to say a word.
Qi Tianhuai said, "But to be fair, Fourth Brother, although this Qi Yue is a bit foolish like your son Xiuyuan, he is quite ruthless in his actions. He actually dared to gamble with the lives of so many dignitaries on an occasion like today."
Qi Tianjue: "..."
Qi Xiuyuan: "..."
Qi Xiuyuan protested, "Uncle, don't compare me to that guy Qi Yue. It's bad luck!"
Qi Tianxiang: "..."
Just as the argument between Qi Yue and the Jiang family showed no sign of stopping, Qi Huan spoke up. "That's enough."
His voice was soft, yet it cut through the dispute from both sides.
Qi Yue quickly said, "Elder Brother, you must believe me. It's true, I intentionally brought Duan Jinghan here to disrupt your engagement with Jiang Youli. But I really was just worried about you. I never intended to harm you. And I had nothing to do with those poisonous insects and snakes either!"
No way was he taking responsibility for that!
Qi Yue's words sounded sincere, but unfortunately, Qi Huan remained unmoved. He simply stared at Qi Yue's face and said, "Qi Yue, I've already found out that the appearance of those poisonous insects and snakes tonight wasn't part of Jiang Xing's plan. It was your doing."
These words made Jiang Yangxu heave a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't his son Jiang Xing's doing, it was fine. Otherwise, if the poisoned guests held them accountable, not only would his immediate family be unable to withstand it, but the entire Jiang family might suffer disaster!
Jiang Xing also secretly sighed in relief, slumping back into his chair, feeling drained. He had almost taken the fall for Qi Yue.
Qi Yue was stunned. Coming back to his senses, he still tried to play the emotional card. "Elder Brother, I'm your own brother. Don't you believe me?"
Witnessing Qi Yue's shamelessness, Jiang Youli sneered. "Qi Yue, why haven't you realized it yet? You've already lost Huanhuan's trust. Playing the emotional card and acting pitiful is useless. Besides, whether you're really Huanhuan's brother or not is still up for debate."
Mentioning this, everyone present was utterly shocked, even Old Master Qi frowned.
"What does Jiang Youli mean? I don't think I understand."
"Wasn't Qi Yue only brought back to the Qi family from outside three years ago? Jiang Youli might be implying that this current Qi Yue is an imposter, not Qi Huan's real brother."
"No way?! What shocking gossip!"
"If this Qi Yue really isn't Qi Huan's brother, then his desire to harm his 'elder brother' Qi Huan makes sense."
This matter absolutely could not be exposed! Qi Tianxiang glanced nervously at Old Master Qi before rebuking, "Jiang Youli, since you are now married into our family with my son Qi Huan, we are family. How can you slander a family member's reputation on such an occasion!"
Jiang Youli wasn't having any of it. "Sorry, but Huanhuan and I are family. You and Qi Yue are not."
Qi Tianxiang was left red-faced and speechless.
Qi Huan's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Qi Yue, I have already apprehended all the people who carried out your orders. Do I need to bring them here and interrogate you in front of everyone before you will admit that tonight's incident was orchestrated by you?"
Upon hearing Qi Huan's words, Qi Yue was drenched in sweat but still persisted in his struggle. "Elder brother... Everything I did tonight was truly out of concern for your safety... I was afraid Jiang Youli's heretical tricks might harm you..."
Qi Huan gave a derisive laugh. "Is that so? But I have also uncovered another matter. The kidnapping of Qi Yu back then was also arranged by you and Qi Yu in collusion. So, failing to take my life but instead causing my legs to be crippled—was that also for my own good?"
