17 Wen Zeye's Gratitude

"Let go! Si Chengyu, let me go! Someone, help! Molestation! Help!" Lin Qingliu was truly panicked now, screaming uncontrollably.

However, Si Chengyu, pinning her down, remained deaf to her pleas.

"Big sister!" Lin Yuejiao cried out in alarm, shouting to Wen Zeye, "Young Master Wen, please, pull Young Master Si away! He’s possessed!"

Wen Zeye, completely stunned by the scandalous scene, only reacted upon hearing Lin Yuejiao’s words. He rushed forward and pulled Si Chengyu away. But as Si Chengyu’s hands were still clutching Lin Qingliu’s clothing, the struggle resulted in two sharp tearing sounds. The neckline of Lin Qingliu’s expensive, custom-made gown was ripped open, exposing half of a fair, fragrant shoulder and a glimpse of the red bodice underneath.

Lin Yuejiao and Lin Zijin were both dumbfounded. Lin Yuejiao had only intended to make Si Chengyu look foolish; she never expected him to drag Lin Qingliu down with him.

"Let go of me!" Si Chengyu struggled violently. Everyone else was left stunned and speechless by the spectacle.

Lin Yuejiao was the first to regain her composure. She took the cloak from Iris’s hands and draped it over Lin Qingliu, glaring at Si Chengyu. "Young Master Si, have you lost your mind? Molesting my big sister—do you have a death wish?"

Lin Zijin walked over to help Lin Qingliu up, but she appeared completely broken, her eyes vacant as she clutched her shoulders and sobbed.

"Si Chengyu seems to have been drugged. Call a physician quickly, or his life may be in danger," Wen Zeye said, frowning as he looked at Si Chengyu.

One of Rong Yu’s guards stepped forward, took Si Chengyu’s pulse, and swiftly inserted several needles into his body. "Young Master Si has been drugged with an aphrodisiac. I have used silver needles to suppress it temporarily, which will provide relief for half an hour. Fortunately, it is a common aphrodisiac, not a secret concoction, so it is treatable. Have the physician at your mansion prepare a bowl of Soul-Calming and Mind-Clearing Soup."

He was Shang Lu, the medicinal boy of the divine doctor Sai Huatuo and one of Rong Yu’s guards, skilled in pharmacology and toxicology.

Si Tingshen, having heard the commotion, hurried over and bowed to Rong Yu. "I thank the Heir of Loyalty for your timely intervention."

Rong Yu nodded.

Si Tingshen turned, raised his hand, and delivered a heavy slap to Si Chengyu’s face, roaring in anger, "Look at what you have done! You have disappointed me greatly!"

"Master Si, do not be hasty. It is evident that Young Master Si was drugged and conspired against. While he is lucid, we should ask him what he consumed," Li Moqian suggested aloud.

With the aphrodisiac suppressed by the needles and the sting of his father’s slap, Si Chengyu regained his senses.

"It was your doing!"

Lin Xueshu trembled violently, her face pale as she instinctively replied, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me."

But her defense sounded weak and hollow, making her appear all the more guilty.

"If not you, then who? Since the start of the literary gathering, I haven't eaten a thing or had a drop of water, except for the cup of wine you offered me." Si Chengyu, his face livid with rage, pointed at Lin Xueshu and roared, "Lin Xueshu, why would you harm me!"

Si Tingshen’s expression darkened. "Wine? Bring me the cup and the wine pot for inspection."

The servant following Si Chengyu immediately handed the cup Si Chengyu had used, along with the wine pot Lin Xueshu had poured from, to Shang Lu.

Shang Lu sniffed them and said, "The pot and the wine are clean. Only the cup is tainted. The aphrodisiac was placed inside the cup specifically, which means it was poisoned before being served."

"Exactly. Lin Xueshu was the one who brought this cup over," Si Chengyu said immediately. Suddenly realizing something, he glared at Lin Yuejiao. "You really are a jinx! During the couplet challenge, you snatched the lead, causing Lin Qingxu to encounter an ancient, unsolvable riddle. And now, Lin Xueshu’s toast—which was meant for Wen Zeye—was diverted to me all because you interfered!"

Lin Yuejiao sneered inwardly but kept her face masked in surprise. "Young Master Si, how can you say that? I had no idea the wine was drugged. What does this have to do with me?"

"Si Chengyu, don't think that just because you were drugged, you can spout nonsense. By your logic, should I have been the one drugged?" Wen Zeye’s eyes turned cold.

Si Tingshen backhanded Si Chengyu again, his beard trembling with rage. "You scoundrel! What kind of nonsense are you speaking? Young Master Wen is our guest; you failed to host him properly and nearly caused him to be drugged, yet you dare blame others?"

"Father, I spoke out of turn," Si Chengyu realized his mistake and hung his head in apology.

Si Tingshen bowed to Wen Zeye. "My son was delirious from the drug. I hope you will forgive his rudeness, Young Master Wen."

Lin Yuejiao walked over to Lin Xueshu. "Lin Xueshu, Young Master Si has been drugged, and our big sister has been implicated. Do you confess?"

Caught red-handed, Lin Xueshu found no room to defend herself. She felt a surge of infinite resentment. Why had a perfectly planned scheme turned into this?

"Slap!" At that moment, Lin Qingliu, who had been sitting on the ground sobbing, heard this and rushed over to slap Lin Xueshu across the face. Her eyes were filled with venom. "Lin Xueshu, you shameless harlot! To think you would use an aphrodisiac to crawl into a man’s bed—how could you be so shameless? It’s one thing for you to be shameless, but you dragged me into this! I was soft-hearted to give you this chance; I shouldn't have begged Grandmother to let you attend this gathering."

A clear handprint appeared on Lin Xueshu’s face. Furious, she retorted, "Lin Qingliu, don't put on this act of sisterly affection! If I hadn't given you all my mother’s money, would you have helped me? You were just doing it for money, so what right do you have to lecture me with such a condescending attitude..."

Before she could finish, Lin Qingliu raised her hand and slapped her again, silencing her.

"To dare speak to your eldest sister like that—you lowly wench, you have no respect for status!"

Seeing this, Si Chengyu hurried forward to curry favor. "Qingliu, let me deal with her for you. She drugged me; I will make her pay."

Lin Qingliu avoided him with disgust. "Young Master Si, please show some self-respect."

Having vented her anger with two slaps, she regained some sanity. Reflecting on the day’s events, she felt a burning hatred, but she merely swept a glance at the crowd and curtsied. "I am feeling unwell, so I shall take my leave." She turned and walked out, followed quickly by her two maids.

Lin Yuejiao watched her retreating back, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Seize Lin Xueshu." Stung by Lin Qingliu’s coldness, Si Chengyu vented all his rage on Lin Xueshu.

Lin Yuejiao couldn't allow him to take her away. She was, after all, a member of the Lin household. As the eldest daughter of the Lin family, she could not let an outsider whisk away one of their own before their grandmother could decide her fate.

"Young Master Si, please contain your anger. Our Lin family will certainly give you and the Si family an explanation. Young Master Wen, I will clarify the reasons to you as well. However, Lin Xueshu is a member of the Lin family and cannot be taken away by others. We will handle this quickly and ensure you are not wronged." Lin Yuejiao looked toward Si Tingshen. "I hope Master Si understands."

Her words were clear and logical, carrying the poise of a true noblewoman.

"She ruined me and thinks she can just walk away? There is no such easy outcome," Si Chengyu said angrily.

Si Tingshen shot him a glare, then turned to Lin Yuejiao. "I shall wait for news from the Lin family." Though displeased, he could not force the issue; he had to show the Lin family some respect.

Lin Yuejiao turned to her maid, Tu Mi. "Tu Mi, escort the Fifth Miss back. Report what happened at the Xinzhou Literary Gathering to the Matriarch and ask for her judgment."

"Yes," Tu Mi curtsied. Supported by her two maids, Lin Xueshu left the gathering.

"Fourth Miss Lin, why did your family’s young lady want to drug me?" Wen Zeye asked.

Lin Yuejiao replied, "This is a private matter of the Lin family, so it is difficult to say much. However, since it involved you, Young Master Wen, it is only right to inform you. A few days ago, a marriage was arranged for Lin Xueshu, but she was dissatisfied. Grandmother allowed her to attend this gathering, hoping she would show her talents so that if someone took a liking to her and proposed, that marriage arrangement could be reconsidered. I never expected her to use such despicable means, betraying Grandmother’s expectations and shaming our Lin family. Please forgive us."

"So that is how it was." Wen Zeye understood immediately.

He felt a sudden surge of goodwill toward this young woman he had just met. He bowed. "I am grateful that you switched the wine, otherwise I would have been humiliated."

"If it were you, Young Master, I suspect you wouldn't have been humiliated, but rather lured to a secluded spot under some pretext, and then forced to take responsibility," Lin Yuejiao said, looking at him.

Wen Zeye’s face turned pale. "Fortunately, thank you for your help."

"Young Master Wen, do not thank me. I didn't know the wine was tainted either," Lin Yuejiao said, naturally refusing to admit it.

Wen Zeye laughed heartily. "Even if the Fourth Miss didn't know, you saved me once. Otherwise, if such a scandal had occurred, my father would have beaten me again."

Lin Yuejiao smiled thinly at his lighthearted remark.

Lin Qingxu was in a very good mood today. She ordered her maid, Ying Tong, to hold a bowl of soup as she returned to her seat. After sitting down, she glanced at Lin Yuejiao next to her.

Lin Yuejiao was holding a pair of chopsticks, about to pick up a piece of preserved fruit while talking to Lin Zijin.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Qingxu intentionally "tripped," causing the bowl of soup Ying Tong was holding to splash entirely onto Lin Yuejiao’s right hand.

Under the scalding heat of the soup, Lin Yuejiao cried out in pain, dropping her chopsticks.