At 9:45 a.m., the scent of agarwood drifted from the bronze brazier in the Warm Chamber. Marquis of Dingbei Shen Mingyuan paused, his hand gripping a teacup, as his gaze swept over the young servant standing below. "Are you saying that the Eldest Miss and the Second Miss had a dispute in Tinglan Courtyard? And it even involved rumors?"
The servant lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze. "Replying to the Marquis, it is what the older maids in the mansion have been discussing in private... they say that Biyue, the maid in the Second Miss's quarters, has been spreading rumors about the Eldest Miss outside the mansion."
The teacup landed heavily on the desk with a sharp clatter. Shen Mingyuan’s thick brows furrowed, and he tapped the edge of the table with his fingertips. "Go and summon Madame Li, the Eldest Miss, the Second Miss, as well as Nanny Zhou and that Biyue to the main hall."
When Jiang Wan followed Wanqing into the main hall, Madame Li and Jiang Rou had already arrived. Madame Li was dressed in simple daily attire, but her face wore a look of deliberate haggardness. Jiang Rou kept her head bowed, her fingertips gripping her handkerchief so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
"Father." Jiang Wan curtsied, her eyes sweeping over the plain paper and account books laid out on the table. She understood clearly that it must have been Nanny Zhou who had informed her father of the matter.
Shen Mingyuan glanced at her before turning his gaze toward Madame Li. "Speak. What is really going on here?"
Madame Li sighed softly and looked at Jiang Rou. "Rou'er, you tell your father yourself."
Jiang Rou looked up, her eyes brimming with tears. "Father, it is your daughter’s fault... Yesterday, my sister came to Tinglan Courtyard and said that Biyue, the maid in my room, was spreading rumors. I was anxious at the time and ended up arguing with her..."
"An arguing?" Shen Mingyuan interrupted her. "I heard that the Eldest Miss produced evidence, yet you stubbornly refused to admit it?"
Jiang Rou’s face paled, and she looked instinctively at Madame Li. Madame Li coughed lightly and spoke up: "My Lord, it is all a misunderstanding. Biyue is Rou'er’s personal maid; how could she do such a thing? Someone must have deliberately framed them."
"Deliberately framed?" Shen Mingyuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Nanny Zhou, who stood to the side. "Nanny Zhou, you are a veteran of this household. Tell me, what is going on?"
Nanny Zhou curtsied and presented the account books and the plain paper. "Replying to the Marquis, yesterday the Eldest Miss asked me to verify the handwriting and found that Biyue, from the Second Miss's room, was indeed spreading rumors. This is a comparison between Biyue’s signature and the plain paper; the handwriting is identical."
Shen Mingyuan picked up the account book, examined it closely, and his expression grew increasingly dark. He tossed the book onto the table and turned his gaze to Jiang Rou. "What else do you have to say?"
Jiang Rou trembled all over and fell to her knees with a thud. "Father, your daughter knows she was wrong... It was your daughter’s foolishness, listening to Biyue’s instigation, that led to this..."
"Silence!" Shen Mingyuan slammed his hand on the table. "As a concubine-born daughter of the Marquis's Mansion, you do not think to uphold your duty, but instead, you slander your legitimate sister behind her back and bring disgrace upon the mansion's reputation! If not for the Eldest Miss’s magnanimity, if this matter had spread, would the Marquis's Mansion have any face left?"
Jiang Rou was too terrified to speak; she could only lower her head and weep. Seeing this, Madame Li hurriedly knelt. "My Lord, please calm your anger. It is because my discipline was lax that Rou'er committed such a grave error. I implore you to consider her youth and deal with this leniently."
Shen Mingyuan looked at Madame Li, his eyes full of disappointment. "As her stepmother, you not only failed to discipline your concubine-born daughter but even attempted to shield her. If it were not for the Eldest Miss’s sense of justice, this matter would likely have been swept under the rug by you two!"
Madame Li’s face turned deathly pale; she did not dare to speak again.
"Father," Jiang Wan interjected at the right moment, her tone laced with "forbearance," "Sister is young, and it is possible she was merely confused for a moment. I beg Father to consider that this is her first offense and forgive her this time."
Shen Mingyuan looked at Jiang Wan, his expression softening slightly. "You are indeed kind-hearted. But if this matter is not punished, I do not know what kind of chaos will plague the house in the future."
He paused and looked at Jiang Rou. "From today on, you will reflect on your actions in your own courtyard. You are not permitted to leave for three months. Every day, you are to copy the *Lessons for Women* ten times. You are not to eat until you have finished."
"Father!" Jiang Rou gasped, her face full of disbelief. "Three months? Your daughter knows she is wrong, I beg Father to forgive me..."
"Enough!" Shen Mingyuan barked. "If it weren't for the fact that you are my daughter, for the sole crime of ruining your legitimate sister’s reputation, you would have been sent to the clan school to be confined for reflection!"
Jiang Rou went limp and collapsed to the floor. Madame Li hurried to support her, her eyes full of heartache, yet she dared not say another word.
"As for you," Shen Mingyuan turned his gaze to Madame Li, "as a stepmother who failed to supervise, you are confined for half a month to reflect on your actions."
Madame Li gritted her teeth and curtsied. "Yes, My Lord."
After dealing with Jiang Rou and her mother, Shen Mingyuan turned to Jiang Wan. "You did well this time; you did not allow the Marquis's Mansion to lose its reputation. In the future, if you encounter such a situation again, you need not be soft-hearted—come directly to me."
Jiang Wan curtsied. "Yes, Father. Your daughter will keep your teachings in mind."
Shen Mingyuan nodded and waved his hand. "You may all withdraw."
Once outside the main hall, Jiang Rou was supported by her maid, her steps unsteady. Madame Li followed behind her, her face terrifyingly dark.
"Mother, how could Father treat me this way?" Jiang Rou cried out. "I am his daughter, how could he treat me like this for the sake of Jiang Wan?"
Madame Li turned abruptly and slapped Jiang Rou across the face. "You still have the nerve to speak! If you weren't so stupid, would you have allowed Jiang Wan to seize such leverage? It’s done now—you are confined for three months, and you can forget about attending the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet!"
Jiang Rou clutched her face, her eyes filled with shock. "The Crown Prince’s birthday banquet? Mother, didn't you say you would find a way for me to attend?"
Madame Li sneered. "In your current state, how could you possibly attend? Even if you went, the Crown Prince would only see your disheveled appearance and think you were a disgrace to him!"
Jiang Rou collapsed to the ground, her tears falling uncontrollably. She never imagined that a small scheme would lead to such an ending.
"Remember this," Madame Li leaned in close, her eyes filled with ruthlessness. "In the future, when you do things, use your head. Jiang Wan now has the favor of your father; we cannot afford to clash with her head-on again."
Jiang Rou nodded, though her heart was filled with resentment. She secretly swore that she would make Jiang Wan pay the price.
On the other side, once Jiang Wan returned to her own courtyard, Wanqing could not help but speak up. "Miss, you finally got your revenge this time. The Second Miss is confined for three months; let’s see how she acts so arrogant in the future!"
Jiang Wan smiled faintly, her gaze fixed on the blue sky outside the window. "This is only the beginning. That mother and daughter will not give up so easily; there will be many more hard battles to fight in the future."
Wanqing paused, then suddenly realized. "Miss, do you mean the Madame and the Second Miss will take other actions?"
Jiang Wan nodded. "Madame Li has always been sinister and cunning. Having suffered a loss this time, she will only be more ruthless the next. But it does not matter; I have plenty of time to wear them down."
She turned and walked to her desk, picked up a brush, and wrote four characters on the rice paper: "Step by step, plan for every move."
In her previous life, because of her foolishness and blind trust, she had ended up dying in bitterness. In this life, she would not repeat the same mistakes. She would proceed step by step, staying steady and grounded, and ensure that those who had harmed her would pay the price they deserved.