Chapter 257

Chapter 262: Unwillingness (Part 1)

Xu Siqin, Xu Siyu, and Xu Sijian, dressed in servants' attire, knelt in a row on the ground. Hearing the noise, everyone in the room turned their gaze towards Eleven Miss, except for Xu Siyu, who kept his head down, his face ashen.

"Sister-in-law, you've finally arrived!" The third wife, sitting on the official's chair with a stern expression, pointed at a piece of white silk in front of Xu Siyu. "This is the kind of trouble your Yuge has caused!"

Eleven Miss glanced quickly and saw only the words "Tianya" on the silk handkerchief. The handwriting was graceful, unmistakably Xu Siyu's own.

She quickly glanced at Xu Siyu once more.

His head, which had been lowered, was now raised high, his face grew even paler, his thin lips tightly pressed, and a tragic resolve and desolation etched across his brow.

Eleven Miss already had some understanding of Xu Siyu's attitude.

She remained composed and said coldly, "I just walked in, haven't even steadied my feet, and you, sister-in-law, are already berating me. Those who know might say you're angry with the children, but those who don't might think I've done something unforgivable. I wonder what you mean by this?" Her gaze carried a hint of anger.

The third wife was taken aback.

Eleven Miss had always been tolerant, why this time... But thinking about the gravity of today's matter, she didn't have time to ponder and hurriedly said, "What's going on? Ask your good son!"

"Sister-in-law, that's strange!" Eleven Miss stared at her intently. "Yuge is being punished by you, yet you don't explain the reason, and instead ask me to question the punished. Is it that whatever Yuge says is the truth?"

She pressed the third wife to state her position whether Yuge's words were indeed true.

Her attitude caused a flash of surprise on the third wife's face.

Xu Siyu also showed a hint of astonishment.

Xu Siqin, however, had a glimmer of joy on his face and quickly said, "Aunt, this matter has nothing to do with Yuge..."

But before he could finish, the third wife glared at him angrily, "When elders are speaking, there's no place for you to interrupt!"

Xu Siqin wanted to argue further, but the third wife had already turned to Eleven Miss and said, "I didn't want to say it, but since you asked, I have no choice but to tell you. So you know what kind of disgraceful things your Yuge has done." As she spoke, she glanced at Xu Siyu, who was kneeling with his head slightly lowered, silent.

"Your Yuge copied some nonsense poem from somewhere, used my name to visit the Gan family, and then sneaked into Yuan Jieer's courtyard while the maidservants weren't paying attention..." She paused, "Luckily, my sister-in-law discovered it early, otherwise who knows what shameless things might have happened!"

A twelve or thirteen-year-old child, in broad daylight, educated by feudal scholars, what could he possibly do?

"Oh!" Eleven Miss raised an eyebrow, "I wonder who this Yuan Jieer is?"

"She's the illegitimate daughter of my elder brother."

"So she's your niece!" Eleven Miss looked sharply at the third wife, stressing the word 'niece' heavily. "Sister-in-law, your words confuse me. Yuge is already twelve. A child of three feet should not enter the inner chambers. Our Yuge must have really strong legs, not even his maternal family, yet he managed to enter the inner gate, all the way to Yuan Jieer's courtyard. Not only did he reach Yuan Jieer's courtyard, but he also smoothly met Yuan Jieer herself and did some disgraceful things. The servant girls and maidservants of the Earl of Zhongqin's household must have been really 'inattentive'! How 'inattentive' indeed!" She spoke sarcastically, even casting a glance at Xu Siqin.

The third wife was choked by her words.

Seeing the third wife's weakened demeanor, Eleven Miss seized the initiative. She asked the third wife, "Sister-in-law, where did you get this silk handkerchief?"

The third wife took a moment to catch her breath before saying, "My sister-in-law gave it to me this afternoon..."

Before she could finish, Eleven Miss interrupted her firmly, instructing Amber beside her, "Bring that silk handkerchief here for me to see. I want to know what kind of nonsense is written on it that makes it so unspeakable!"

Amber, who had been startled by Eleven Miss's aggressive attitude upon entering the room, took a moment to regain her composure. She quickly stooped to pick up the silk handkerchief and handed it to Eleven Miss.

Eleven Miss unfolded the silk handkerchief and slowly read aloud, "Within the seas, there are close friends; at the ends of the earth, we are like neighbors. Do not linger at the crossroads, children, let us share our tears."

As she read, the third wife gradually calmed down. Like a drowning person grasping a floating log, she regained her composure: "Sister-in-law, look carefully. That is indeed your Yuge's handwriting."

Eleven Miss, upon hearing this, swiftly folded the silk handkerchief and muttered, "I don't know if it's because I've read too few books, or if the world has changed. Wang Zian's poetry is now being called 'nonsense.'"

Her voice was soft but clear, and everyone in the room could hear her distinctly.

Third Madam's face turned slightly green.

Eleven Miss, however, directly asked Amber:

"Who attended to the second young master today?"

Amber, knowing that Eleven Miss was currently in a confrontation with Third Madam, was even more respectful than usual in her speech and actions. She bowed her head and replied, "Answering Madam, it was Qin Xiang who attended to the second young master today."

"Bring her in!"

Amber complied and left.

"Fourth Aunt, I was the one who asked Second Brother to write the poem," Xu Siqin, who had remained silent after being scolded by his mother, seized the opportunity to speak. "It was also my idea to visit Yuan Jieer."

"Hold your tongue," Third Madam trembled with anger. "Don't think that by taking all the blame upon yourself, I won't punish you. You knew about this and didn't report it, allowing Yuge to make such a grave mistake. When your father returns, I will tell him everything and have him punish you severely."

"No," Xu Siqin said urgently, "This is my fault. It has nothing to do with Second Brother..."

Such arguments were futile and meaningless.

Eleven Miss smiled gently at Xu Siqin, "Your mother is right. It's good that you brothers are close and respectful to each other, but you can't just watch him make mistakes without correcting him. That's not the way to be a good elder brother." She gently deflected Xu Siqin's good intentions.

Xu Siqin was stunned.

Xu Siyu's expression darkened slightly.

Third Madam felt a sense of triumph in her heart.

The eldest son of a concubine, disregarding the boundaries between men and women, privately exchanging gifts... Anyone with a bit of sense would seize upon this.

This was her leverage, which was why she had quietly summoned Eleven Miss.

A faint smile appeared in Third Madam's eyes.

Amber led Qin Xiang in.

Before they could offer their greetings, Eleven Miss had already thrown the handkerchief in front of Qin Xiang: "Are these words on the handkerchief written by the second young master?"

Amber didn't know what Eleven Miss was planning. But she knew that in such situations, unless lies were rehearsed beforehand, spontaneous lies would always have flaws. It was better to be truthful. So she had repeatedly instructed Qin Xiang to be truthful before coming. Despite this, the sternness in Eleven Miss's demeanor made Qin Xiang tremble, her lips moving for a long time without uttering a word.

All this posturing was because he had no one to defend him.

He said softly, "Mother, there's no need to ask further. I wrote the words on the handkerchief." His tone carried a hint of desolation.

Eleven Miss smiled faintly and reiterated what she had said to Xu Siqin, "It's good that you brothers are close and respectful to each other, but you can't just take the blame for mistakes. That's not helping; it's enabling."

Xu Siyu was surprised, but Xu Siqin laughed.

Eleven Miss turned to look at the frightened Qin Xiang.

Qin Xiang bit her lip and nodded, "The second young master wrote it."

Third Madam breathed a sigh of relief.

"When was it written?" Eleven Miss asked her gently, "Where was it written? What kind of white silk was used? What kind of ink?"

Qin Xiang was dumbfounded. How could she have paid attention to such details?

Before she could answer, Eleven Miss said, "So, you don't know?"

Qin Xiang nodded without thinking.

"If you don't know anything, how can you say it was written by the second young master?"

Qin Xiang was stunned, not knowing how to respond.

Eleven Miss continued, "Is it because the handwriting resembles that of the second young master?"

Qin Xiang quickly nodded.

Eleven Miss immediately said, "So, you only think the handwriting looks like the second young master's, but you're not sure if he actually wrote it."

Before her voice faded, the Third Young Master secretly thought it was bad. Without waiting for Qin Xiang to answer, she interjected, "Who knows when Yuge wrote it?"

"True," Eleven Miss gave a slight smile and instructed Amber, "Go and summon all the servants who attend to the second young master. Let's see if anyone knows when the second young master copied such a poem on a handkerchief."

Xu Sijian, who had been kneeling beside her with wide eyes watching Eleven Miss, covered his mouth and silently laughed.

The Third Young Master began to feel anxious.

She had called Eleven Miss at this moment to avoid making the matter public and to prevent the Elder madam from finding out. Once the matter became public, Xu Siqin (Brother Qin) would also be implicated.

The Third Young Master had to say, "It's not a favorable matter; why broadcast it to everyone?" Her tone was subdued.

"Third sister-in-law, that's not right," Eleven Miss seized the opportunity, "Since this handkerchief was brought by Madam Gan from the Zhongqin Earl's residence, and you were not present, yet you insist it was written by our Yuge, it must be Madam Gan's intention. If we let this matter go unresolved, how can I explain it to the Marquis?"

She invoked Lord Xu's authority. "With such an incident, both children are trying to take the blame, showing their brotherly affection. If we don't investigate thoroughly, should we punish Xu Siqin or Yuge? If we punish neither, how do we explain to the Zhongqin Earl's residence? If we punish both, wouldn't we be protecting the one who made the mistake and wronging the one who cares for his sibling?"

After speaking, her tone shifted, and a steely resolve flashed across her brow, "This matter must not only be investigated but thoroughly investigated. Besides Yuge's attendants, Xu Siqin's and Xu Sijian's attendants must also be investigated, both the inner and outer courtyards." Then she slightly raised her voice, speaking with a solemn tone, "Otherwise, where is the Xu family's reputation?"

She directed Amber, "Go and summon the Third Young Master and the Marquis." Then she declared in a voice that carried throughout the room, "This is not just a matter for our family, it also concerns the reputation of the Gan family's daughter. If we don't clarify this, I think that Yuan Jieer will have to commit suicide to prove her innocence..."

Everyone in the room changed their expressions upon hearing this.

Seeing Eleven Miss's firm attitude, the Third Young Master feared she would continue the investigation and make the matter public. Meanwhile, Xu Siqin and others were worried about Yuan Jieer.

"Mother, this matter was my doing," Xu Siqin hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a resolute expression, "Last time when my cousin had smallpox, I went to visit and met my third cousin who was taking care of her..."

His words tumbled out quickly and urgently, like falling pearls, as if afraid of being interrupted.