Chapter 96: Slapping in the Face

Chapter 96: A Humiliating Blow

Wei Jin’s heart lurched as she turned to look at A Yuan.

Not just her—everyone present was eager to catch a glimpse of Lady Xie’s face.

"Chun Tao."

A Yuan spoke softly, and Chun Tao responded by removing the cloak from her head.

At the Eastern Palace banquet, A Yuan had not dressed plainly.

She now represented Xie Zheng’s reputation, and being too humble would only make people disrespect him.

Moreover, she’d have to step into the spotlight eventually. She couldn’t change her past, but she could decide her future.

Xie Yuan would stand proudly before others, living in no one’s shadow.

As the cloak was lifted, her stunning face was unveiled.

Trained as a prized courtesan in Chunyan Tower, A Yuan’s beauty had always been undeniable, but now, adorned in exquisite attire, she was spellbinding.

She wore a red cross-collar dress, her gold headpiece studded with rubies enhancing her unparalleled allure. Her lotus-like face was delicately made up—arched brows, a jade-like nose, and pearl-like lips—every feature flawless.

A sharp gasp rippled through the crowd, not just at her beauty but also at her identity.

"So, the long-lost younger sister of General Xie is her! No wonder she snubbed my invitation."

"Exactly! A mere concubine turned into the beloved sister of a third-rank general—an irony of fate!"

"Look, Wei Jin’s face has flushed with rage and shame."

"..."

The murmurs in the hall continued as Wei Jin stared at A Yuan, her face shifting between anger and humiliation.

"If you’ve returned to the capital, why didn’t you inform the Marquis’s household?"

Wei Jin’s eyes flashed with fury—this wretched girl must have done it on purpose, hiding her identity to humiliate her in public!

A Yuan chuckled lightly, meeting Wei Jin’s gaze with cool defiance. "What right do you have to question me, Lady Wei? As far as I recall… I no longer belong to the Marquis’s household."

So how dare Wei Jin presume to command her?

"You—!"

Wei Jin, stung by the retort, was left speechless. Never quick-witted, she couldn’t even muster a proper rebuttal.

Shen Qiuyu stood smoothly, gently squeezing Wei Jin’s hand to silence her before turning a disapproving gaze toward A Yuan.

"Lady Xie, there’s no need to be so aggressive. A Jin was merely concerned for your safety. After all, you faked your drowning death and fled without the Marquis’s permission."

Truly a noble lady raised in aristocratic tradition—with just a few words, she shifted the narrative.

Two years ago, A Yuan had faked her drowning death. If the Marquis’s household pressed the matter, she could still be tried as a fugitive slave.

"Indeed, the Wei Crown Prince even called off his engagement for her. Speaking of which, Shen Qiuyu is the one who suffered most, left waiting all this time."

Some in the crowd suddenly understood and began to sympathize with Shen Qiuyu, turning against A Yuan.

Shen Qiuyu lowered her eyes, a trace of smugness flashing within, then put on an even more pitiful look.

"It’s all my bad luck, not Lady Xie's fault. Now that Lady Xie and the Wei heir are a perfect match, perhaps we should congratulate Lady Xie in advance."

"She wants to marry my third brother? Impossible! When my father discussed the marriage alliance with General Xie, my third brother outright refused!"

Wei Jin lifted her chin defiantly and declared triumphantly. Everyone in the Marquis’s estate knew this—she wasn’t lying.

A Yuan’s hands clenched slightly within her wide sleeves. She knew Xie Zheng had visited the Marquis’s residence but had no idea Marquis Wei had proposed a match between her and Wei Xun.

And Wei Xun... had refused.

A Yuan’s heart ached with bitterness, while the murmurs around her grew louder.

"It seems the Wei heir only ever intended to keep her as a concubine, no matter how much he doted on her. After all, someone with her shady past could never be worthy of the Marquis’s heir."

"Exactly. No matter how noble her status now, she can’t erase her origins as a Yangzhou courtesan. Madam Wei cares deeply about appearances—how could she ever approve of her?"

Their words ripped open A Yuan’s old wounds. Despite her preparations, her face still paled.

Standing alone in the center of the hall, she faced the crowd’s scornful gazes, completely alone.

Just then, Wei Xun arrived.

"I’m the one who isn’t good enough for Lady Xie."

"The Wei heir? Why is he here?"

"Did he overhear everything we just said...?"

Another round of whispers broke out, though the earlier arrogance had vanished.

Wei Xun took his place beside A Yuan, shielding her from their cruelty.

"Lady Xie comes from an honorable family. She’s beautiful, talented, and virtuous. I’m the one who isn’t good enough for her. Even during her years in the Marquis’s estate, she respected her elders and showed kindness to servants, never once disrespected the Marquis’s family. On the contrary, it was the Marquis’s estate that failed her."

"Third Brother!" Wei Jin gasped in shock, never expecting Wei Xun to speak so bluntly in public—this was dragging the Marquis’s name through the mud!

"The Marquis’s estate gave her shelter—how have we failed her? Third Brother, don’t talk nonsense!"

Wei Xun turned to face her and Shen Qiuyu, his cold eyes veiling a dangerous glint.

"Did you not constantly harass her, bossing her around with made-up rules? Am I wrong?"

Wei Jin flushed and shrank back. "But I was her mistress—"

"Then what of the time you and Shen Qiuyu made her kneel in the snow for three hours straight? What kind of mistress does such a thing?"

"What? Wei Jin and Shen Qiuyu were that cruel? Kneeling in the snow for three hours could’ve killed her—no wonder Lady Xie fled. If she hadn’t, they might have worked her to death!"

"No, that was all A Jin’s idea—it had nothing to do with me!"

Under the crowd’s contemptuous stares, Shen Qiuyu quickly tried to wash her hands of it.

Wei Jin gaped at her, stunned. "A Yu?"

"It was clearly her idea, yet she's shifting all the blame to me."

Wei Xun glanced at his idiotic sister, the coldness in his eyes intensifying.

"And what about Mrs. Shen intentionally burning A Yuan's hand and forcing her to rush to finish the embroidered screen? Was that Wei Jin's idea too?"

Having decided to drop all pretenses, Wei Xun held nothing back.

A Yuan's background was her stain, and if not rectified, it would inevitably be used against her in the future.

Shen Qiuyu sought to distort the facts, so he would expose her true nature.

Wei Xun's words shocked everyone in the hall.

No one had imagined that the seemingly gentle and magnanimous Mrs. Shen could be such a person—forcing her to kneel in the snow, scalding her hands—each act revealing a malicious nature.

"...So you knew all along."

Shen Qiuyu staggered, her bloodshot eyes locking onto him. "Does the Shen family disgrace have anything to do with you too?"

What are the odds that right after she schemed against A Yuan, her father's affair was exposed?

So this was Wei Xun's revenge for A Yuan.

Shen Qiuyu's face turned ghostly pale, realizing for the first time how terrifying this man was.

"Why?"

Had he not even the slightest affection for her, to go this far?

"You shouldn't have harmed A Yuan."

His voice boomed like a drum. When he was still constrained by decorum, he had truly wished to marry a gentle and virtuous wife.

Shen Qiuyu had deceived him too well, making him believe her honeyed words and allowing A Yuan to suffer.

Now, it was time for him to set things right.

Shouldn't have harmed A Yuan?

Shen Qiuyu curled her lips in self-mockery. Despite all her scheming, she had still lost to that scheming woman in the end.

Clenching her fists, her nails cut into her palms. Gone was the gentleness in her eyes, replaced only by venom.

"Wei Xun, you'll regret this!"