Chapter 28: When Confronted Face to Face

The Yun family matron was now doing her utmost to restrain her anger.

“I wasn’t causing trouble. I went to ask Nanny Li to find a physician for Second Brother. And I didn’t hurt anyone,” Wei Ruo replied, her voice steady and unyielding.

Nanny Li hastened to explain, “Madam, I did not refuse to call a doctor for Second Young Master. I simply thought his illness was not serious and planned to wait until tomorrow. I already informed his attendant, and when Miss Wei came to ask, I explained it all to her. I don’t know why Miss Wei made such a fuss, nor why she pushed Second Miss and caused her injury.”

“So you claim Second Brother’s illness isn’t serious? And you’re saying I pushed Qingwan?” Wei Ruo’s gaze was cold as she looked at Nanny Li.

“Everyone saw Second Young Master during the day—he was perfectly fine. The servants can all testify!” Nanny Li knelt and pleaded her case.

Wei Ruo gave a cold laugh. “How amusing. Who told you that someone who’s fine during the day can’t worsen at night? Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘illness comes with the force of a landslide’? If you’re so adept at diagnosing the seriousness of an illness, why aren’t you a physician?”

“Miss Wei accuses this old servant of deliberately neglecting Second Young Master’s illness. But what reason would I have to do so?” Nanny Li asked Wei Ruo.

“You simply think that since Second Young Master isn’t favored, you can bully him as you please!” If this were Wei Yichen or Wei Yilin, would she dare behave this way?

Nanny Li protested, “Miss Wei, what are you talking about? How is Second Young Master not favored? Madam is kind and fair, treating all her children equally, regardless of birth or age. We servants would never dare show neglect!”

Nanny Li’s words made the matron’s face grow even darker.

It was true she didn’t care for Wei Jinyi, but she’d never let him lack for food, clothing, or anything else! Wei Ruo’s remark about him being “unfavored” was a direct slap to her face!

Seeing the matron’s expression grow more and more grim, Nanny Li realized her words had hit their mark.

Nanny Li then continued, her tone mournful, “Truly, I only judged that Second Young Master’s illness wasn’t serious, so I decided to wait until tomorrow for the doctor! If Miss Wei finds fault with my judgment, she should come at me, not Second Miss! Yet she pushed Second Miss for no reason, causing her to bleed so much…”

She began to weep. “My poor Second Miss, in the prime of her youth, suffering so! If this leaves her with a lasting ailment, what shall we do…”

Nanny Li was deftly shifting the topic, making it sound as if Wei Ruo had deliberately harmed Wei Qingwan.

At this, the matron’s fury boiled over. She slammed her hand on the tea table. “Ruo, you’ve gone too far! Without learning the truth, you stormed into Plum Pavilion, pushed Qingwan to the ground, and injured her! What did Qingwan do to deserve this from you?”

Seeing the matron’s rage, Wei Ruo had to silently admire Nanny Li’s cunning.

Wei Ruo replied, “First, I went to find Nanny Li for Second Brother’s illness. Second, I did not push Wei Qingwan. Those are the facts. If you wish to believe me, then believe me. If not, there is nothing I can do.”

Her voice was strong and unwavering, her gaze clear and steady.

“You say you didn’t push Qingwan?” the matron pressed.

“No, I did not,” Wei Ruo declared.

“Very well, I’ll take you to confront Qingwan right now and see who is lying—you or Nanny Li!” The matron rose in anger.

She strode ahead, with Wei Ruo following, closely watched by Nanny Zhang.

Upon entering the bedchamber, Wei Ruo saw Wei Qingwan lying on the couch, her face pale as paper.

Her foot was wrapped in white cloth, making it impossible to see the extent of her injury.

“Mother…” At the sight of the matron, tears began to stream down Wei Qingwan’s cheeks.

The matron’s heart ached. She hurried forward and embraced her. “Qingwan, you’ve suffered.”

After a while, when Wei Qingwan’s sobs had settled, the matron gently asked, “Qingwan, tell Mother—how did you fall tonight?”

Wei Qingwan froze at the question, raising her eyes uncertainly toward Wei Ruo.

At that moment, Wei Ruo was watching her closely, taking in every expression, every move.

She and Wei Qingwan had never truly been at odds. Even in the original story, there was nothing to suggest Wei Qingwan had ever tried to harm her.

As the gentle and kind protagonist of the tale, Wei Ruo was curious to see what answer she would give.

Wei Qingwan, feeling the weight of Wei Ruo’s gaze, hesitated, unsure whether to repeat what Nanny Li had instructed her to say.

Glancing to her right, she saw Nanny Li watching her intently.

Still, she remained silent. The matron reassured her, “Qingwan, you needn’t worry. Tell me directly who pushed you—Mother will handle it fairly.”

“It… it was Sister…” Wei Qingwan stammered out the words.

In that instant, every eye in the room turned to Wei Ruo—accusing, severe, furious.

Yet Wei Ruo almost wanted to laugh.

Who would have thought that the gentle and fragile heroine of the original story would resort to lying and slander?

The matron turned to Wei Ruo, demanding, “What do you have to say for yourself now?”

“I do have something to say: Wei Qingwan is falsely accusing me. I didn’t push her; she claims I did.”

The matron laughed bitterly in her anger. “You grow more outrageous by the day! I truly misjudged you! I thought, even if you grew up in the countryside, you’d not pick up any bad habits—but clearly, I was wrong!”

“I haven’t picked up any bad habits,” Wei Ruo retorted. “There are no bad habits to learn in the countryside. Farming isn’t a vice, and the villagers are honest and upright. The only vice here is lying and falsely accusing others!”

She shot a fierce glare at Wei Qingwan lying on the bed.

Whether it was fear or a guilty conscience, Wei Qingwan lowered her head and silently wiped away her tears.

The matron’s anger surged. “You still won’t admit your fault? Why are you staring at Qingwan—what do you intend to do to her next?”