Chapter 57: Break Up the Family
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Hearing the Duchess’s scolding, Qiao Ruoshui didn’t dare to say anything more.
The Duchess said to Old Madam Qiao, “Mother, I believe that Jin’er is definitely not such a person.”
Old Madam Qiao said, “Jinniang left the Duke Mansion without a word, knowing that you feel guilt towards her, but guilt is not connivance!
“Which family’s daughter doesn’t report to her mother when she goes out? Don’t indulge her out of guilt.”
Qiao Jinniang entered from outside the courtyard and knelt down to Second Madam.
“Grandmother, I know I should be punished for going out of home without permission and breaking the rules of the Duke Mansion, but I don’t accept Sister Ruofeng and Sister Ruoshui’s accusations of me of seducing Prince Mediocre!”
Seeing Jinniang kneel down as soon as she came in, Old Madam Qiao couldn’t vent her anger. After all, the Duke Mansion owed her a kit.
She said, “Get up. Can you explain the matter about Princess Fu’an?”
Qiao Jinniang certainly couldn’t tell the truth.
Qiao Jinniang stood up and lowered her head, saying slowly, “It was Junior Duke Rong. He liked to eat the dishes I cooked, so he often invited me to the Duke Rong’s Mansion.
“Because he was a junior duke, His Majesty’s favorite nephew, and the best friend of the Crown Prince, I dare not refuse him.
“But if this matter was revealed, it would damage the reputation of Junior Duke Rong and I, so I used Princess Fu’an as an excuse.
“The box of gold gifted by Princess Fu’an was the money that Junior Duke Rong paid for the dishes I cooked. Grandmother, if you don’t believe me, you can go ask Junior Duke Rong.”
“Junior Duke Rong agreed to use Princess Fu’an as the excuse in case the reputation of the Duke Mansion gets damaged. Although I didn’t grow up in the Duke Mansion, I knew the reputation of the Duke Mansion will affect everyone in the Duke Mansion.
“And now that the two sisters slandered me for seducing Prince Mediocre, what good will it do to them?”
Qiao Ruofeng snorted coldly and said, “I saw with my own eyes that you and Prince Mediocre were talking and laughing on the street.
“If you didn’t seduce Prince Mediocre, why would Prince Mediocre bother to make Ruyu set up Third Cousin? ”
“Besides, how do you explain this mutton-fat white jade? I searched your room and found it!”
Qiao Ruofeng ordered a maid to put the mutton-fat white jade in front of Qiao Jinniang.
Qiao Jinniang clenched her hands and said, “Searched? Grandmother, Mother, forgive me but I can’t stay in the Duke Mansion any longer.
“I didn’t do anything serious, but the Duke Mansion actually searched my courtyard. What do they take me for?
“I’ll leave the Duke Mansion right away so as not to be treated as a prisoner!”
The Duchess hurriedly stepped forward and held Qiao Jinniang’s hand. “You don’t have to leave. I really didn’t know about this matter, and I wasn’t aware that they searched your courtyard!
“Come, ask the Duke to come over!
“I would like to ask the Duke who is in charge of the Duke Mansion? ”
Second Madam glared at Qiao Ruofeng. “How could you search Qiao Jinniang’s courtyard?”
Qiao Ruofeng placed the jade heavily in front of Qiao Jinniang and said,
“Anyway, this filthy thing has been found! Do you dare to say that this was not given by Prince Mediocre?”
Qiao Jinniang sneered. “How do you know this is from Prince Mediocre?”
Qiao Ruofeng paused. She knew this jade belonged to Prince Mediocre because she had seen this thing when she went to Prince Mediocre’s mansion a few days ago.
However, she certainly couldn’t say that she had seen it in Prince Mediocre’s mansion.
Noticing the panic in Qiao Ruofeng’s eyes, Qiao Jinniang said to the Old Madam,
“Grandmother, this jade is indeed a birthday gift from Prince Mediocre to me.
“However, there’s nothing between Prince Mediocre and I. I’ve never violated any rules.
“Besides, if a girl has done something wrong, her family will only cover up for her.
“But why are Second Madam and Qiao Ruofeng so eager to plant the charge of adultery on me?
“Everyone said that I was lucky enough to be the daughter of a duke, but if as the daughter of a duke, I have to be slandered like this, I would rather leave the Duke Mansion.”
When the Duke came in, he heard Qiao Jinniang’s words, and he immediately came over and said, “What happened? How could you say such stupid words?”
Qiao Jinniang saluted and said, “Father, Second Madam and her daughter slandered me for seducing Prince Mediocre and even searched my courtyard.
“If I still stay in the Duke Mansion, I don’t know if something even worse will happen to me.”
A servant reported to Duke Anyuan what happened, and the Duke frowned and said,
“So it’s Second Brother who is in charge of the Duke Mansion now?”
Old Madam Qiao said to Second Madam with anger, “Apologize to Jinniang.”
Qiao Ruofeng said unhappily, “Grandmother, it’s obvious that Qiao Jinniang and Prince Mediocre are having an affair.
“Look, this is the evidence I searched from her room.
“My mother is Qiao Jinniang’s elder. Why should she apologize to Qiao Jinniang? My mother never said anything wrong!”
Qiao Jinniang saluted the Duchess. “Forgive me, Mother.
“As long as Second Madam and Qiao Ruofeng are in this Duke Mansion, I won’t stay!
“Sister Ruoshui has insulted me several times, but I tolerated her because we are blood sisters after all.
“She has Mother protecting her, so she causes trouble with me from time to time. I can only accept it.
“But Second Madam and Qiao Ruofeng are not my immediate family, I don’t have such a good temper to tolerate them!”
“Today, if you want me to stay, then break up the family and let them leave. If they don’t leave the Duke Mansion, please let me leave!”
Second Madam was shocked. “You want to break up the family just for such a trivial matter?
“Your grandmother is still alive! How dare you be so unfilial to demand to break up the family?”
Qiao Jinniang said to Nuomi, “Go pack up. Just take what we brought from the South.”
Nuomi nodded and didn’t forget to say, “Although my miss grew up from the grassroots, she has never suffered such grievances since she was a child.
“Even her clansmen in Lin’an, who coveted the Myriad Taste, dared not search her room when her foster parents were still alive. The people in the Duke Mansion are even worse than those people!”
The Duchess held Qiao Jinniang’s hand tightly and said, “I won’t let you go alone.”
Then she turned to the Old Madam and said, “Mother, I know it’s a bit unconventional to split up the family now, but if we don’t, Sister-in-law and her daughter will definitely do things even more outrageous!”
Second Madam hurriedly knelt down and said, “Mother, it’s my fault this time. Sister-in-law, Jinniang, please forgive me.”
Second Madam slapped herself a few times as she said, “I shouldn’t have talked such nonsense!”
Old Madam Qiao said, “Okay, Jinniang, your second aunt has apologized. You are your father’s daughter, and no one dares to bully you.”
Qiao Jinniang insisted. “I will leave if they don’t.”
Qiao Jinniang remembered that Lu Chen told her that Prince Mediocre and Qiao Ruofeng had an affair…
If this scandal was revealed, the reputation of the Duke Mansion would be ruined.
In the eyes of everyone, Lu Chen had already said that he would take a daughter of the duke as his concubine, but the Sixth Miss of the Duke Mansion was in love with Prince Mediocre.
People wouldn’t think it was Qiao Ruofeng’s personal conduct. They would only think that Duke Anyuan had used his daughter and niece to please the Crown Prince and Prince Mediocre.
If Father became a fence-sitter in the eyes of the courtiers, his reputation would be ruined.
If she hadn’t known about this scandal, she would have endured Qiao Ruofeng.
But Qiao Ruofeng who actually had an affair with Prince Mediocre slandered her as a slut with her mother and even went to search her courtyard, so she didn’t need to save them any face.
It was better to separate relations with them than let Qiao Ruofeng ruin the reputation of Duke Anyuan Mansion.
Qiao Ruofeng said indignantly, “My mother has already knelt down, yet you still want to split up the family?!
“You can leave. I’d like to see if you really will go!
“You are nothing if you leave the Duke Mansion. Do you think Prince Mediocre will help you?
“Do you think Prince Mediocre will accept you, an abandoned woman who has once been married and had a child?
“Go, if you have what it takes, leave the Duke Mansion now!”
