"A child? He's old enough to be engaged!" Wei Tingyu said, turning to Zhou Ruyin.
Zhou Ruyin was stunned and couldn't find a response.
"How did a family quarrel escalate to death threats?" Wei Tingyu asked the maids. "Tell me again, how did their argument start?"
"The young master cursed the Third Miss and threatened to hit her!" Shu Hong, on Zhuang Hanyan's side, bravely recounted the events. "The Third Miss asked how hitting her would solve anything. The young master then threatened to kill her. He then tried to push her into the pond... and then... you arrived, Duke!"
Shu Hong blushed as she spoke. The other maids' faces were also flushed as they remembered the scene. The image of Wei Tingyu holding Zhuang Hanyan was seared into their minds.
Even Zhuang Hanyan's cheeks were a little red. "Yes, I was wrong," she said, seizing the moment. "I shouldn't have angered my fourth brother." Her apology confirmed Shu Hong's account, leaving Zhuang Yuchi with nothing to say. He simply pouted and looked away.
"The assassin ran straight for the Third Miss," Wei Tingyu said, looking at Zhou Ruyin. "This is very suspicious. Your son is a suspect. I will have to take him to the Dali Temple for questioning."
"How can you arrest me?" Zhuang Yuchi yelled. "This is a family matter! What does it have to do with you?"
"I was there when the assassin appeared," Wei Tingyu said with a smile. "With so many people and the dim light, who's to say who the assassin was after? Perhaps they were after me! Since I witnessed it all, I can't stand idly by."
With a wave of his hand, Wei Tingyu's two Golden Shadow Guards stepped forward and grabbed Zhuang Yuchi, holding his arms behind his back. Zhuang Yuchi struggled, but he was no match for them. He squirmed and screamed like a rabbit in the jaws of a tiger.
"Duke! Duke!" Zhou Ruyin cried, holding her son and pleading with Wei Tingyu. "Please wait! This incident happened in our manor and is our family's business! I have already sent someone to fetch my husband. Please wait for him to return before you make a decision!"
Zhou Ruyin knew Wei Tingyu was just trying to teach her son a lesson. Her son was spoiled and deserved a beating, but she couldn't let him be taken to the Dali Temple. If he was interrogated and confessed to something he didn't do, the entire family could be in trouble.
"Who said there is no one to take charge of the Zhuang family?!" a cold, authoritative female voice announced from the entrance.
Everyone in the hall turned to see a woman in a wheelchair, her expression frigid. Her gaze briefly fell on Zhuang Hanyan before moving on, as if she were an irrelevant stranger.
Wei Tingyu saw Ruan Xiwen, the "mad mistress" of the manor and Zhuang Hanyan's mother. She was the biggest victim of the family's secrets. Dressed in a dark blue, almost black, gown, she looked like she had come from hell. The air in the hall seemed to drop several degrees, and the maids and servants shivered.
Zhuang Hanyan's eyes widened. This was the first time she had seen her mother. She took a step toward her, her face filled with hope.
Wei Tingyu grabbed her arm, knowing what was about to happen. Zhuang Hanyan looked at him, confused and a little annoyed that he was stopping her from reuniting with her mother.
But the next moment, she understood why. "Zhuang Hanyan has violated the family rules and caused a disturbance in the manor," Ruan Xiwen said in a low voice. "Take her to the ancestral hall and give her thirty lashes!"
Zhuang Hanyan's eyes widened in shock. This was not the reunion she had hoped for. Her mother seemed to despise her even more than Zhou Ruyin did. The servants and maids exchanged knowing glances. They knew how crazy their mistress was, but this was a new level of madness.
Zhuang Yuchi and Zhou Ruyin were secretly pleased. With Zhuang Hanyan's own mother punishing her, no one could say anything.
"Mother!" Zhuang Hanyan pleaded, kneeling before her. "I don't know what I've done! Please, tell me so I can die in peace!"
"Third Miss!" Nanny Chen said, speaking for Ruan Xiwen. "The family's affairs, whether right or wrong, are to be handled by the master and mistress according to the family rules! Why would you bring it to the attention of the Dali Temple? Is it because the elders are too stupid to tell right from wrong? Or are you afraid people in the capital won't laugh at our family enough?"
Everyone was silent, but Wei Tingyu rolled his eyes. This family was so absurd, you couldn't find another like them in the whole capital.
"Mother, I didn't mean it!" Zhuang Hanyan said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I never wanted to cause a fuss!"
Zhuang Hanyan could stand firm against the bullying of outsiders, but her mother's cruelty broke her heart. Wei Tingyu also found Ruan Xiwen's behavior hard to understand. Her actions were meant to protect her daughter, but they were so extreme. She seemed to think the best way to protect her daughter from harm was to hurt her herself.
"Beat her!" Ruan Xiwen commanded, her face devoid of any emotion. She was so angry that she wanted to punish Zhuang Hanyan in the hall instead of the ancestral hall.
A young servant with a cane walked forward, but Wei Tingyu stepped in and waved his fan, sending the boy flying. The boy rolled several times before stopping.
Ruan Xiwen glared at Wei Tingyu, who was interfering in her family's affairs. But Wei Tingyu was not afraid of his future crazy mother-in-law. "Madam Zhuang," he said with a smile. "How can you beat the Third Miss for no reason?"
"Duke!" Ruan Xiwen said, frowning. "You are interfering too much! This is a family matter! What does it have to do with you? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
Her warning was useless. Wei Tingyu just smiled even more broadly. "It is a matter of justice! I am a Duke. Am I to be less honorable than a common fighter who helps those in need?"
"Madam, you said the Third Miss wanted to bring this to the authorities. But it was I who wanted to do so! What does it have to do with her? If you beat her, it is no different than slapping me! Are you taking your anger out on me by punishing the Third Miss?"
Wei Tingyu's voice grew more serious, as if he were truly offended.
"Duke! Please, don't misunderstand!" Zhou Ruyin quickly intervened. She didn't want the Duke to turn against the Zhuang family. "The Madam has no such intention!"
Zhou Ruyin's quick thinking was for the benefit of her son. The family's future depended on him.
Ruan Xiwen was in a difficult position. She couldn't back down, but she couldn't hit Zhuang Hanyan with the Duke in the way. Zhou Ruyin saw her hesitation and immediately knelt down, hugging Zhuang Hanyan's frail body.
"Mistress! Please don't beat her!" Zhou Ruyin said, tears in her eyes. "The Third Miss has been through so much. She is sick and frail. She cannot handle the punishment!"
Ruan Xiwen's eyes twitched. "You two look like a pair of mother and daughter," she said coldly.
"I wouldn't dare!" Zhou Ruyin quickly let go of Zhuang Hanyan. "The Third Miss is your daughter. Even if she's at fault, you should wait until she recovers before you punish her!"
Zhou Ruyin's words were so sincere that even Zhuang Hanyan was surprised. Zhuang Yuchi, however, was filled with jealousy and rage.
Ruan Xiwen sneered and gave Nanny Chen a look. Nanny Chen walked over and slapped Zhou Ruyin across the face. The loud slap sent Zhou Ruyin reeling. Zhuang Yuchi flinched and didn't dare say a word, even though his mother was just slapped by a servant.
Wei Tingyu was speechless. Zhuang Yuchi was a coward. He was the only male heir. His father and family would never abandon him. If he had rushed forward to protect his mother, no servant would dare to touch him. But he was too cowardly.
"Do you know your mistake, Aunt Zhou?" Nanny Chen said, glaring at Zhou Ruyin.
Zhou Ruyin blinked, her cheek throbbing. She looked at Ruan Xiwen and said, "The mistress is in charge of the back quarters. I should not have interfered!"