Meng Huiyun's expression stiffened—it truly wasn't Meng Shuping who had been hit. What was Meng Ziyun thinking, striking Meng Shuping's maid?
Now she was in a truly awkward position. Meng Huiyun composed herself, her expression earnest. "Third Sister, I was just joking with Fifth Brother and didn't think much of it. You've always been tolerant and generous—you won't hold it against me, will you?"
Meng Shuping murmured admiringly, "Tsk tsk, what a clever thing to say. It frames the mistake as unintentional and flatters the other person. If you press further, you'd seem unreasonable. You know what? With a line like that, most people would feel too awkward to retaliate."
"But if someone called me a dog, I wouldn't be able to let it slide."
"Sigh," Meng Shuping thought, "Third Sister is going to have a hard time winning this round. She already comes off as domineering—if she pushes too hard or gets aggressive, no one will take her side. They might even gang up on her. Even if she wants to fight back, she probably won't be able to unleash her full strength and will just end up being criticized."
Meng Huiyun was quite pleased. Just as Meng Shuping had predicted, since Meng Ziyun had already hit someone and stormed off earlier, if she lost her temper again now, everyone would sympathize with Meng Huiyun and side with her.
Meng Ziyun also realized she was in a tough spot. The others were already displeased with her earlier behavior—if she made things difficult for Meng Huiyun now, they'd definitely take Meng Huiyun's side again.
But letting Meng Huiyun off the hook was the last thing she wanted. She could tolerate Meng Shuping, but why should Meng Huiyun get to act high and mighty over her too?
Torn and hesitantly unsure what to do, Meng Ziyun was still weighing her options when she heard Meng Shuping's voice again.
"Of course, it's not like there's no way out at all."
Meng Ziyun perked up immediately and pricked up her ears. Meng Jiayun and Meng Qingyun also looked at Meng Shuping with interest, curious to hear what solution he had.
Worried that Meng Shuping might actually give Meng Ziyun advice, Meng Huiyun quickly picked up a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. "Third Sister, your silence—does it mean you're really angry with me? Then hit me. I won't fight back."
After saying this, she lifted her head, closed her eyes, and put on an expression of resignation, as if ready to endure any scolding or beating.
Hearing this, the others also chimed in: "Third Sister, Fifth Sister didn't mean it. Don't blame her."
"We're all sisters—why let it come to blows? Forgive where you can."
"You're not really going to hit Fifth Sister, are you? Third Sister, that would be too much."
"Third Sister, Fifth Sister is younger than you. Can't you let it go?"
Meng Shuping looked impressed. "Wow, what a slick move—playing the retreat-to-advance card. After she said all that, if Third Sister still hits her, it'd be going too far. And even if she won't fight back, others will stop Third Sister from hitting her. Straightforward aggression really has limited impact—it's the schemers who are hard to deal with."
Meng Ziyun was getting impatient with Meng Shuping. "Then hurry up and tell me what to do! Why keep beating around the bush?"
Meng Shuping sighed. "Sigh, at this point, the only way is to fight magic with magic. If Fifth Sister can cry, so can Third Sister. And Third Sister really has been wronged—not only was she called a dog, but she didn't even get an apology and is now being blamed by everyone. She really should cry."
Meng Ziyun hadn't felt all that wronged before, but after hearing Meng Shuping's words, she suddenly felt deeply aggrieved. Wasn't it true? Meng Huiyun was the one at fault, but after just a few words from her, everyone turned their criticism toward Meng Ziyun.
Thinking about everything that had happened today, Meng Ziyun grew more and more upset. She couldn't hold back anymore—pulling out a handkerchief, she began to sob, whimpering softly.
Unexpectedly, her crying stunned everyone in the room. Meng Ziyun had always been fierce and arrogant—when had anyone ever seen her cry like this?
Meng Huiyun opened her eyes in surprise. Was Meng Ziyun really crying?
Meng Shuyu asked worriedly, "Third Sister, are you alright?"
Meng Ziyun sniffled as she spoke, "Even if Fifth Sister didn't mean it, didn't she still insult me? Since she insulted me, it's bad enough that she won't apologize—why are all of you blaming me too? What did I do wrong in this?"
Hearing this, everyone thought she had a point. Meng Huiyun was the one who started it—she really should apologize. And if even the usually arrogant Meng Ziyun was driven to tears like this, she must have been deeply wronged!
So they all turned their disapproving gazes toward Meng Huiyun.
"Fifth Sister, since you were in the wrong, you should apologize to Third Sister. Why haven't you apologized?"
"Exactly. No matter what, you should show some remorse. Besides, Third Sister didn't even do anything to you."
"Did Third Sister say she was going to hit you? What was that performance for?"
"Sigh, we were wrong too—we shouldn't have blamed Third Sister without knowing the full story."
Meng Shuping was also stunned by Meng Ziyun's move. "Wow, Third Sister is actually crying. Now it's hard to say who'll come out on top. To reduce the always strong-willed Third Sister to tears—Fifth Sister is really going too far! Always picking on those who are straightforward."
"But Third Sister's tears are even more effective than Fifth Sister's. Look—now the pressure is on Fifth Sister."
Meng Huiyun was also caught off guard by Meng Ziyun's sudden change of tactics. If Meng Ziyun had tried to hit her, she had plenty of ways to handle it, but now that Meng Ziyun was playing the victim, she found it trickier to respond.
So she said with tears welling in her eyes, "It's just that Third Sister seemed to be in a bad mood today, and I misspoke earlier. I thought Third Sister was going to hit me. Since she isn't planning to take it out on me now, I'm relieved."
Hearing this, the others also felt Meng Huiyun's earlier reaction was understandable. After all, Meng Ziyun had seemed irritable all day—it wasn't impossible for her to hit someone over a minor issue.
Meng Shuping also turned his gaze to Meng Ziyun along with everyone else. "Sigh, Fifth Sister is clearly more skilled. Look—it's not that I wronged you, it's that you already had a tendency to hit people. Can't blame me for misunderstanding. If we're talking about fault, we're about equally guilty. Are you going to hit me too? Honestly, just take the out. Otherwise, you'll come off as refusing to yield even when you're in the right."
"Third Sister is really at a disadvantage against an opponent like this. See—now the pressure is back on her."
Meng Ziyun shot Meng Shuping a resentful look. "Stop just commenting and tell me how to handle this!"
Meng Shuping was baffled by her glare. "Why is she looking at me? She's not thinking of taking it out on me, is she? Trying to pick the easy target?"
Meng Ziyun almost laughed in frustration. After all the trouble Meng Shuping had caused her, how dare he call himself an easy target?
Seeing Meng Ziyun look away again, Meng Shuping relaxed. "That's more like it. Don't just look at me—go confront Fifth Sister. No matter what, insulting people is wrong. Refusing to apologize after insulting someone and trying to divert attention is even worse."
Delighted, Meng Ziyun quickly said, "Fifth Sister, even if I let it slide, does that mean you can just insult people whenever you want? And earlier, you clearly meant to insult Fifth Brother. Is it alright to call someone a dog just because you're 'joking' with them?"
Then she sighed. "Luckily, it's just us here. What if you slip up outside? You can't always expect others to be tolerant and generous. If you make a mistake, you apologize—that's the right thing to do."
Hearing this, everyone again turned their disapproving looks toward Meng Huiyun. Yes, if Meng Huiyun hadn't gotten the facts straight, she would've been insulting Meng Shuping.
They glanced at Meng Shuping, sitting there timidly and awkwardly, looking small, pitiful, and helpless. Wasn't Meng Huiyun just bullying him?
Who would've thought? Meng Huiyun seemed gentle and delicate, but when it came to bullying others, she was even worse than Meng Ziyun.
Meng Shuping had just returned and was already feeling uneasy—and she had to go and insult him too? How cruel!
Displeased with Meng Huiyun's tendency to bully the weak, everyone spoke up: "Yes, Fifth Sister, no matter what, you shouldn't insult people, especially not your own siblings."
"Fifth Brother just got back—how could he have offended you? Why insult him like that?"
"Fifth Sister, if you made a mistake, just apologize. How can you avoid it?"
"Fifth Sister, others being tolerant is their business—you can't use that as an excuse not to apologize. Hurry up and apologize to Fifth Brother and Third Sister."
Surprised that Meng Ziyun could say such things, Meng Shuping remarked, "Third Sister has really changed her style—switching from physical to verbal combat all of a sudden. It's kinda hard to get used to."
"But I have to admit, Third Sister is the real dark horse. Usually, she'd rather act than talk, striking enemies head-on while giving off an unthinking, reckless vibe that makes them let their guard down."
"Compared to her, Fifth Sister's scheming is a bit shallow. There should be no doubt about the outcome now. Sigh, who would've thought? Turns out Third Sister was pretty decent to me—she never tried to outsmart me."
Meng Ziyun gave Meng Shuping an unhappy look. It wasn't that she didn't want to scheme—it was just that Meng Shuping had way too many tricks up his sleeve. Just look—even the cunning Meng Huiyun was no match for him.
Meng Jiayun could hardly keep from laughing. "Dark horse"? Meng Ziyun genuinely disdained scheming! Given her status in the household, she could pretty much do as she pleased.
Meng Huiyun's expression darkened. If not for Meng Shuping stirring the pot, she wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Why did he have to meddle so much?
But since things had come to this, there was no point in saying anything else. She had no choice but to lower her head and admit fault. "Third Sister is right. I spoke without thinking and said the wrong thing. I here apologize to Third Sister and Fifth Brother. I hope you won't hold it against me."
Seeing that they had resolved things peacefully, Meng Shuyi was relieved—it would've been awkward if a fight had broken out. He said, "Since Fifth Sister has apologized, Third Sister and Fifth Brother should let it go. No need to dwell on it and ruin the mood."
Meng Shuping was somewhat dissatisfied with Meng Huiyun's dismissive attitude. "She spoke without thinking? If she's so straightforward, how did she manage to spin all those excuses? Besides, if apologies were enough, what would we need constables for? If you make a mistake, there should be consequences—otherwise, she'll just do it again."