"I will not trouble the Duke for his concern. Please keep this century-old ginseng for yourself," Xu Mingyue said with a cold laugh.
Once the scandals of the Wei and Liang families spread, it would likely be the Duke himself who would be bedridden.
With that, she sidestepped his obstructing figure and walked towards Liang Pan and Miss Wei.
"I never knew Young Master Liang and Miss Wei shared such affection. Heaven cherishes life, and I am not one to break up couples. Since that is the case, I ask everyone present to bear witness."
The determination in Xu Mingyue's eyes terrified Liang Pan, who inwardly cursed his bad luck.
As expected, Xu Mingyue's next words were, "My engagement to Young Master Liang is hereby nullified. From now on, we shall go our separate ways, with no further entanglement in marriage. A letter of broken engagement, along with the betrothal gifts, will be delivered to your manor at a later date."
With that, she lifted her sleeve and tore it with a swish, exuding an air of severing ties.
Duke Wei was greatly alarmed. If the Xu family were to truly break off the engagement, their Wei family would face immense criticism.
He hurried forward to block Xu Mingyue's path. "Miss Xu, you must be somewhat intoxicated. Young Master Liang's act of saving someone today is a good deed. Instead of cherishing this fine gentleman, why would you speak of breaking off the engagement? Perhaps you've had too much to drink and are speaking nonsense. Someone, escort Miss Xu to sober up."
"Yes." Two or three burly women immediately stepped forward. Ostensibly to help her sober up, they were in fact threatening to detain her.
How could Bai Siruo tolerate this!
With a few words, Duke Wei attempted to completely reverse the situation. Unfortunately for him, he was facing Xu Baifeng and two others, and they would not allow him to handle this so easily.
"Hmph, the Duke has quite the audacity. His own granddaughter and an outsider with an existing engagement engage in such a disgraceful act, and yet you can still speak such blatant falsehoods. Do you think all of us here are fools? Saving someone? If it were truly about saving someone, they would be let go once rescued. How long have we been here, and they still refuse to let go?"
Bai Siruo was the first to unleash her scolding. The conflict had already escalated, and the more it was aired out now, the better it would be for Xu Mingyue's reputation.
After all, it was the Liang and Wei families who were disgraced, while the Xu family was the wronged party. She had no fear; the more people knew, the better.
"County Princess, mind your words. The Wei family's reputation is not something you can tarnish so casually."
With that, he shot Bai Siruo a sharp glance, the warning unmistakable. He then swept his gaze over the surrounding noble ladies who were standing around watching the spectacle.
They were merely young ladies of noble families. How could they withstand the fierce gaze of a veteran of three reigns? One by one, they lowered their heads in fear, their earlier expressions of watching a good show completely gone.
"The imperial decree for the marriage will arrive at the manor soon. This is a matter personally facilitated by His Majesty and the Imperial Consort. I doubt anyone would dare to criticize it. Ladies, you should all go elsewhere for tea. Leave this matter to this old man to handle."
Using the Emperor's authority and the Imperial Consort's influence to suppress them, the previous murmurs gradually died down. Who didn't know how formidable the Imperial Consort was? If they truly angered the Wei family, these individuals might not see the sun tomorrow.
Instantly, they scattered like birds and beasts.
Feng Jinyao's eyes deepened. Duke Wei truly had a masterful hand.
Indeed, one should not underestimate him. With a single sentence, he could turn a dire situation around. It was no wonder that in his assistance, the Ninth Prince was able to ascend to the throne in his previous life.
She glanced at Xu Mingyue, who seemed to have a determined resolve.
With things having reached this point, if Duke Wei were allowed to continue to cover everything up with his authority, it would truly become a case of making a mountain out of a molehill.
"It's thoughtful of the Duke to remember that his granddaughter is also engaged. Given their actions, how does the Duke intend to explain this to His Majesty, the Imperial Consort, and the Xu family?"
Her words, however, managed to ensnare Duke Wei, making it seem as though he had condoned their illicit affair.
"You..."
Duke Wei was so angered by her retort that his face turned red, and he was unable to utter a single word.
"Brother, brother..." Liang Luo came running from a distance. Upon seeing the scene, his legs felt weak, and he could barely stand.
He rushed to the front of the two, and along with some servants, finally managed to pull Miss Wei's tightly clasped hand away. Duke Wei signaled for the servants to quickly help Wei Lanxuan away, but Bai Sihan suddenly intervened.
"What are you doing?"
A dog that bites doesn't bark. Bai Sihan, who had been acting meek and subservient moments ago, was now acting like a bully, her voice rising.
"Miss Bai, you have quite the audacity. Do the actions of my Wei family require your reporting!" Duke Wei reprimanded, scaring Bai Sihan's outstretched hand back, leaving her with lingering fear.
Seeing this, Wen Yuwei immediately stepped forward to placate her. "Sister Xu, you've misunderstood. Miss Wei's silk threads had gotten tangled with Young Master Liang's jade pendant, which is why they couldn't be separated. It wasn't because they had any illicit feelings."
"Exactly, exactly," Liang Luo nodded repeatedly beside her. At this point, they couldn't admit anything. If they did, the Liang family would be facing ruin.
Seeing that the two were about to be taken away by the Wei family, and having finally exposed this matter, how could they let it go? Thus, Feng Jinyao whispered a few words into Xu Mingyue's ear.
"Ayao, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Faced with this situation, Xu Mingyue, who had remained silent until now, was waiting for this very opportunity. The Wei and Liang families had not only disgraced their Xu family but were also trampling on their reputation. How could she stand by idly?
Looking at the behavior of the people on the ground, Xu Mingyue let out a cold laugh, flung her cloak, and dashed towards the waterside pavilion.
"This is bad. His Highness and the others are in the waterside pavilion! Stop her! We absolutely cannot let her disturb the Prince."
Wen Yuwei cried out urgently. However, the maids and servants from earlier were no longer around. She could only run forward, hoping to prevent something.
Xu Mingyue arrived with a face full of fury, followed by Feng Jinyao and the others. As soon as they entered the waterside pavilion, they ran headlong into the First Prince and his entourage.
Inside were also people from the palace, holding the imperial decree for the marriage.
The Ninth Prince's heart lurched. This was bad. The granddaughter of Grand Secretary Xu had the same temper as him – upright and unyielding, and also someone who liked to butt heads against a stone.
He had originally intended to use the marriage between the Liang family and her to at least establish some sort of reciprocal relationship, if not to win them over.
How could she have stormed in with such anger? It surely meant no good.
He immediately stepped forward to block Xu Mingyue's path and said to her with a gloomy expression,
"Weren't people sent to invite your maternal grandfather? Why is Miss Xu here? Please step aside. This Prince and the Wei family are about to receive the imperial decree."
Xu Mingyue sneered, "The Ninth Prince is truly carefree."
With that, she sidestepped his obstructing figure and walked towards Prince Ding, Xiao Tingyi, her eyes filled with malice. Her attendant, Yang Zhao, immediately channeled his energy, fearing that this person might pose a threat to the Prince.
Who knew that just three steps away from Xiao Tingyi, she would suddenly fall to her knees with a thud and declare loudly, "I beg Your Highness to be my judge."