At this thought, Jiang Yonghe immediately rushed to Qin Yulian, raising her tearful eyes and pleading, "Dad, if you must hit someone, hit me instead. I know Second Brother only did this foolish thing because he wanted to stand up for me in this family. All the blame is mine—mine for no longer being the Jiang Family's young lady yet still daring to compete with Sister Youli for pride."
Jiang Zhao couldn’t bear to see his cherished younger sister in such distress. No longer afraid, he stepped forward, pulling his mother aside and standing protectively beside Jiang Yonghe. With a resolute expression, he faced Old Master Jiang. "Grandfather, this matter has nothing to do with Yonghe. She had no idea of my plans—it was entirely my own doing. I couldn’t stand seeing her suffer after Jiang Youli returned. Punish me alone if you must."
Jiang Yonghe shook her head, her eyes red and voice trembling. "Second Brother, you don’t have to shoulder all the blame. If not for me, you wouldn’t have asked Sister Kitty to do such a thing."
Jiang Zhao’s own eyes reddened. "Yonghe, I told you—this isn’t your fault!"
Then, he turned back to Old Master Jiang, unwavering. "Grandfather, I accept my punishment! Just don’t take it out on Yonghe!"
Old Master Jiang snorted coldly. "You’re nothing but a fool, still defending your adopted sister at this point!"
Jiang Zhao squared his shoulders. "Grandfather, I take full responsibility. This was my doing—Yonghe had no part in it!"
"You still dare to argue!" Old Master Jiang angrily swung his cane at him.
Jiang Zhao didn’t dodge, enduring the strike without flinching.
Qin Yulian’s heart ached at the sight, but as she moved to intervene, Jiang Yangxu grabbed her arm and scolded sternly, "Leave him be. He deserves this!"
Qin Yulian knew that, no matter what, Old Master Jiang had to make a show of discipline. She could only stomp her foot in frustration, shooting a venomous glare at Jiang Youli, whom she blamed for her son’s suffering.
Seeing Jiang Zhao stand firm, a bruise swelling on his forehead, Old Master Jiang’s expression softened with a flicker of regret. Then, hesitantly, he turned to his granddaughter. "Youli, how do you propose we handle this?"
Jiang Youli arched a brow, half-joking, "How about we follow Elder Qi’s suggestion and remove Jiang Zhao from the Jiang Family registry?"
Her words instantly darkened Jiang Yangxu’s face, his gaze turning icy.
Old Master Jiang also frowned slightly, clearly displeased with the idea.
Jiang Youli knew full well that, no matter how angry Old Master Jiang was, he would never truly disown Jiang Zhao over an incident like this—neither trivial nor grave.
Plainly put, in Old Master Jiang’s heart, this newly returned granddaughter still couldn’t compare to the grandson he’d watched grow up over twenty years.
"Never mind. Jiang Zhao must face consequences, but let Second Uncle deal with it. After all, tonight is my welcome banquet, and I’d rather not escalate things further and ruin the evening for our guests." It wasn’t yet time to drive them to the brink—Jiang Youli refrained from pressing further.
Her goal had already been achieved.
Old Master Jiang’s frown eased. He glared at Jiang Zhao and barked, "Apologize to Youli at once!"
Though seething with resentment, Jiang Zhao forced himself to bow his head. "I’m sorry… Cousin."
Jiang Youli easily caught the deliberate emphasis on "cousin," as if he wanted everyone to know he refused to acknowledge her.
But she remained unbothered, smiling breezily. "No harm done. Just be more careful next time, Cousin."
She stressed the word "next," confident Jiang Zhao wouldn’t let this go.
Jiang Zhao met her mocking gaze, teeth clenched. "I will."
Jiang Yehan spoke up then. "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, it seems you need to discipline your children better. We can’t have them embarrassing the Jiang Family at important events like this."
Jiang Yangxu had to admit defeat this time. "Elder Brother is right. I’ll make sure Zhao learns his lesson and never acts so recklessly again."
He then turned to his son and adopted daughter. "Take your sister and go change!"
Without another word, Jiang Zhao gripped Jiang Yonghe’s wrist and strode out of the banquet hall.
With the drama over, Old Master Jiang sighed and addressed Elder Qi. "My apologies for tonight’s spectacle."
But Elder Qi only smiled approvingly at Jiang Youli. "No need. If not for your grandson’s little stunt, I wouldn’t have realized how clever and capable my grandson Qi Huan’s chosen bride is. She’s won my admiration."
Old Master Jiang beamed. "For Elder Qi to hold my granddaughter in such high regard is an honor."
The guests now understood—Elder Qi had openly confirmed the engagement between Qi Huan and the Jiang Family’s newly returned heiress.
Meanwhile, the young masters who’d once eyed Jiang Yonghe began stirring with renewed interest.
If Jiang Yonghe wasn’t marrying Qi Huan, didn’t that mean they had a chance?
Even though they now knew she was merely an adopted daughter, her brilliance and beauty remained undeniable.
Even setting aside political gains, winning Jiang Yonghe’s hand would be no small prize!
And Qi Yue’s goal tonight aligned perfectly—he intended to secure Jiang Yonghe for himself.
Despite the evening’s chaos, Qi Yue believed the Jiang Family’s future lay not with the unambitious Jiang Yehan but with Jiang Yangxu and his sons.
The fact that Jiang Yangxu would rather marry his biological daughter to the wheelchair-bound Qi Huan than his adopted daughter spoke volumes about Jiang Yonghe’s importance.
Gaining Jiang Yonghe meant gaining the Jiang Family’s support—and with that, crushing Qi Huan underfoot would be effortless!
As the commotion settled, Zhang Susu noticed new arrivals at the venue’s entrance.
"Yehan, the Duan Family is here."
Jiang Yehan nodded, walking with her to greet the latecomers.
Duan Jinghan stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression bored, clearly attending only out of obligation to his father, Duan Pinchao. He exchanged stiff pleasantries with Jiang Yehan and Zhang Susu—until a familiar voice from the banquet hall snapped him to attention.
With the evening gown incident resolved, Jiang Youli lifted her skirt slightly and stepped confidently before the crowd.
"Tonight marks my homecoming to the Jiang Family. Though we had a minor hiccup, it’s been settled. Now, I hope all our distinguished guests enjoy the festivities. Later, there’ll be a special performance as my thanks for your presence!"
