The three or five noble ladies standing on the very edge all tumbled into the lake.
Deng Xuelian had intended to take the opportunity to push Deng Youning in as well. However, with her superior martial arts and keen reflexes, Deng Youning simply shifted slightly to the side, causing Deng Xuelian to fall in herself.
The noble ladies floundered in the water, and the guest seating area descended into complete chaos. The Deng family members wore faces full of distress; if anything were to happen to these noble ladies, their State Protector Estate would truly be finished. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Han Qiongyue ordered her own maids, who were skilled in martial arts, into the water to fish the ladies out one by one, saving their lives and preserving their reputations.
Lady Gu and Deng Zheng spent the entire time offering apologies to everyone. The once-elegant banquet could no longer continue. This overly dramatic day left even Deng Youning feeling overwhelmed. Logically, even with a crowd, the railing on the bridge shouldn't have snapped under pressure. Deng Youning felt that something about the situation was amiss. Thinking back to the moment Deng Xuelian tried to drag her into the water, she suspected that the incident might have been related to her.
After the guests dispersed, Deng Youning stood alone on the bridge, staring at the broken railing. The ends were sticky, coated with something like paste. Deng Youning felt certain that this was a conspiracy by someone with malicious intent. She quickly reported her discovery to Han Qiongyue.
"You say someone intentionally sawed through the railing and camouflaged it with a special, highly adhesive paste?" Han Qiongyue’s brows furrowed tightly as she paced the room.
"That is correct."
"However, such a task would not be quiet; the person would not have done it during the day. Therefore, finding witnesses will likely be very difficult."
This was precisely why Deng Youning had chosen to report to Han Qiongyue first; she lacked the means to conduct a search on her own. As they were speaking, the sound of footsteps approached from outside—at least two or three people. The grandmother and granddaughter exchanged a look. Immediately after, a maid at the door entered to report that the State Protector and his wife had arrived.
Without giving them a chance to react, the pair burst into the room. Lady Gu, leading the way like a madwoman, ignored all decorum and began berating Deng Youning the moment she entered:
"You black-hearted, rotten-lunged wretch! What exactly were you planning when you returned to this estate?!"
"Mother, you must seek justice for your daughter-in-law and for your granddaughter, Lian'er!"
Lady Gu wept and cursed, acting as if Deng Youning had inflicted some terrible grievance upon her. Deng Youning: ?
Although she knew her biological mother did not like her, this kind of reckless, unhinged cursing was a first in both of her lifetimes.
"You disgraceful creature!" Han Qiongyue smashed a teacup to the floor. "Lady Gu, as the mistress of this house, how can you be so devoid of manners? Furthermore, Ningning is your own flesh and blood. Even if she had truly done something wrong, you have no right to berate her like this!"
Seeing that Han Qiongyue was still favoring Deng Youning, Deng Zheng was so angry his face turned red. "This wicked daughter! Mother, if it weren't for her, Lian'er wouldn't have fallen into the water today and been running a high fever ever since! She only just returned from the gates of death a few days ago."
Lady Gu added through her tears, "Deng Youning, Lian'er is only a concubine-born daughter—do you truly find her so intolerable?"
Deng Youning, who had been watching the spectacle as if it were a farce, shook her head. Looking at the furious faces of the Deng couple, she was certain that if her grandmother weren't present, they would have made her life a living hell.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Deng Youning feigned innocence. "Deng Xuelian fell into the water because the wooden railing suddenly snapped. What does that have to do with me?"
"You—you still dare to argue!" Lady Gu glared at her. "Lian'er said that if you hadn't pushed her, she never would have fallen!"
Deng Youning sighed. After two lifetimes, Deng Xuelian’s ability to bite back was still as... riddled with loopholes as ever.
"Accusing someone requires evidence! Aside from her own testimony, do you have any witnesses or material proof? If not, that is slander!"
Though her face bore a gentle smile and her eyes appeared innocent, her tone was sharp and aggressive. This contrast caught the Deng couple off guard. Han Qiongyue cast an approving look at Deng Youning—composed and unperturbed in the face of danger.
Lady Gu rolled her eyes and switched tactics: "Even if her falling wasn't your fault, as a sister, with your excellent martial arts, why didn't you reach out to help her?"
Deng Youning was momentarily speechless. This... she couldn't afford the reputation of being selfish and cold-hearted in front of her grandmother. After a moment of thought, she raised an eyebrow and said, "If I recall correctly, Elder Sister was wearing soft smoke gauze today, wasn't she? That fabric doesn't handle pulling well. Did the two of you want me to watch as her dress was torn and her reputation completely ruined?"
The corners of her mouth lifted, but her eyes were cold as frost, a silent sarcasm. The Deng couple couldn't utter another word. They were conflicted. One of their two daughters was lying. Deng Youning was reasonable and dignified. Could it be... No, that was impossible; their Lian'er was so kind!
"I truly don't know what kind of parents you are, dumping every pile of filth onto your own daughter? From now on, before the matter is clarified, if anyone dares to trouble Ningning again, don't blame me for being discourteous!"
While speaking, Han Qiongyue informed them of Deng Youning's discovery.
"So, today's incident was not a coincidence?" Deng Zheng reacted quickly. The estate underwent major renovations every few years. The wooden railing was perfectly fine; it was impossible for a few young women to have broken it by bumping into it!
"Gather everyone responsible for cleaning that area and investigate them one by one," Deng Zheng ordered his servant.
Half an hour later, by the bridge, a servant who had once been a carpenter stated his opinion boldly: "Reporting to the Master, in my humble opinion, the break isn't like a saw cut at all. It looks as though it was sliced clean through using internal energy and a sharp blade."
Deng Youning observed it carefully. A saw would leave obvious teeth marks, and if sanded down, the railing would be shorter. But the length was correct, and the cut was flat and clean.
"There are many practitioners in this estate, but few who possess such sword skills and internal energy!" Han Qiongyue’s brows finally relaxed. The pool of suspects had shrunk.
However, Deng Zheng quickly countered, "Mother, forgive your son for speaking bluntly, but the only people in this estate who possess such internal energy are... you and Youning!" He had self-awareness; at the very least, neither he nor his son, who possessed only superficial skills, were capable of this. As for the guards and attendants, they were even less skilled.
Deng Youning was at a loss this time. It seemed she really had wronged Deng Xuelian!
*Slap—*
In the midst of her thoughts, she was suddenly struck. Regaining her senses, she met Lady Gu’s furious gaze.
"I knew it had to be you! It is you who harbors evil intentions and wants to destroy our entire State Protector Estate!" What a misfortune it was for the family that she had given birth to such a beast that plagued the household!
Deng Youning glared back resentfully. She wanted to strike back, but she knew that if she did, even her grandmother might stop protecting her. She forced herself to remain calm. For now, it seemed all evidence pointed to her.
"We share the same glory and the same shame. What reason would I have to harm you?" Deng Youning asked back, her eyes devoid of any emotion toward the couple, save for loathing.
Han Qiongyue also believed that Deng Youning had not done it. "Treat today's incident as an accident. Everyone, take a step back; no one is to mention it again." She asserted her authority as the matriarch. Although Deng Zheng and Lady Gu were dissatisfied, they had no choice but to comply, as they could find no concrete evidence to implicate Deng Youning.
"The Qingming Festival is approaching. Ningning has just returned, so the ancestral rites must be handled properly. Lady Gu, put more effort into this."
Night deepened, and with it, the chill. The State Protector Estate, which had been in an uproar all day, did not seem particularly peaceful come nightfall.