HLnovel Chapter 33: No Attending the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet!
Chapter 33: No Attending the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet!
Chapter 33 033 You are not allowed to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet!
"Yes, sister, you don't know, these past two days, people have been climbing up to the gate of the Marquis's mansion and pointing at it. If this continues, not only will the Marquis's mansion be disgraced, but the Ouyang family will probably also be unhappy, right?"
Aunt Song chimed in. Her tone sounded like she was worried about Ye Pianran, but her eyes were full of schadenfreude: "If this affects the eldest young lady's marriage, that would be terrible."
Madam Song said, "Lanzhi, I know you want to take over the household affairs again, but you have been ill for many years and are not capable of handling many things. Trying to do one thing at a time will only cause you more trouble. You should stay in Lanxin Courtyard and teach Ran'er properly so that she can learn how to be a proper young lady."
Gongsun Yuan had long guessed that Aunt Song would not willingly relinquish the seal of office, and sure enough, she took this opportunity to try to get Old Madam Song to remove her from office. Ha!
“Although I don’t know why those rumors suddenly started circulating outside, Ran’er went out of the manor to find a cure for my illness,” Gongsun Yuan said. “It is thanks to Ran’er’s trip outside that I was able to escape this calamity. Otherwise, my memorial tablet would probably be placed in the ancestral hall by now.”
Taking a small sip of tea, Gongsun Yuan said, "Mother knows how Ran'er got the injury on her face. This alone is completely different from what the rumors say. There must be someone maliciously slandering her."
After she finished speaking, her gaze swept lightly across Aunt Song's face, causing Aunt Song to break out in a cold sweat for no reason.
"Yes, Grandmother, many people saw me go to the clinic to ask for medicine for Mother. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to the clinic to ask." Ye Pianran said calmly.
Seeing the mother and daughter working together, and thinking about how her marriage would be controlled by Gongsun Yuan in the future, Ye Wenjin gritted her teeth in hatred and said, "But the common people outside don't know Eldest Sister. Why would they make up stories about her out of thin air? Aren't they afraid of being punished by the Marquis's mansion?"
Ye Pianran: "Whether it's fabricated or not, we'll know the truth once we bring those people who spread the rumors to the Marquis's residence to confront me."
Ye Wenjin: "Who knows if you're feeling guilty, sister, and you're trying to kill them to silence them?"
Ye Pianran looked at her, her shimmering eyes as cold as a deep mountain pool: "Then what does Second Sister think is the best course of action?"
For some reason, when she met that gaze, Ye Wenjin trembled and dared not speak again.
"What should we do?" An Shihou's furious voice suddenly came from outside the door. He strode into Ciyuan Hall, and the expressions on the faces of the people inside were all different, which was quite interesting.
"This whole thing was caused by you leaving the manor without permission. If you hadn't gone out, none of this would have happened!" Marquis Anshi glared at Ye Pianran and said fiercely, "You dare ask me what to do!"
Ye Pianran met his gaze without fear: "But Father, if I don't leave the manor, I won't be able to get the antidote for Mother. Is this the outcome you want?" Do you really want to watch my mother die?
Beside Ye Pianran, Gongsun Yuan tilted her head slightly, looking at An Shihou with a detached expression. Her gaze was devoid of any former affection, completely calm, as still as a stagnant pool.
Marquis Anshi felt uneasy under her gaze and was momentarily speechless: "I—"
Madam Song promptly took over the conversation: "You've said everything, so you're naturally the most reasonable. In short, Ran'er is not allowed to leave the manor for the time being. She should stay in the Marquis's residence! She doesn't need to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet either. She will be free again when the rumors outside have subsided."
Before Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan could speak, Marquis Anshi's heart skipped a beat. If Ye Pianran couldn't attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, wouldn't their Marquis's mansion be unable to mend fences with the Ouyang family?
“Grandmother, Ran’er’s act of seeking medicine for Mother is upright and without guilt. Why can’t she attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet?” Ye Pianran naturally refused to follow the old path of her previous life and immediately retorted, “If Ran’er doesn’t go, it will truly confirm the rumors that she is guilty and afraid to face people.”
"You've brought such disgrace upon the Marquis's mansion, and you still want to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet? Impossible! I won't allow it!" Old Madam Song shouted angrily.
An Shihou's mind raced, and he coughed twice, surprisingly speaking up for Ye Pianran for the first time: "Mother, Ran'er is right. Those rumors circulating outside are just that—rumors. If Ran'er doesn't attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, it would be an admission of what's said in the rumors. Ran'er should not only attend, but also go in a grand and honorable manner, right, Lanzhi?"
Gongsun Yuan chuckled lightly and said meaningfully, "Yes, we've prepared for so long, wouldn't it be a pity if Ran'er didn't go?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Song and Ye Wenjin felt a surge of intense disappointment, and their gazes towards Ye Pianran became even more venomous. Only Aunt Chen, the young Ye Junxiang, and the always aloof and indifferent Ye Shanzhu appeared detached from the situation.
Madam Song's expression was very unpleasant: "Ran'er's facial injuries look like they haven't fully healed yet. What if she offends His Majesty?"
Marquis Anshi said, "Ran'er is engaged to Prince Ouyang, so it is reasonable for her to attend the banquet with her face covered by a veil. I think His Majesty will not mind."
Seeing that Marquis Anshi was determined and there was no way to reverse the situation, Old Madam Song resumed her usual calm and composed demeanor: "Since the Marquis is clear about this, let's do it as the Marquis says. It's time for me to chant sutras, you may all leave."
Everyone got up and left Songshou Hall. Ye Pianran was helping Gongsun Yuan back to Lanxin Courtyard when they were stopped by the unpredictable Marquis Anshi.
"Ran'er, come with me."