Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

Suddenly, there was a "hum" sound, and the string broke, accompanied by Miss Lin Er's cry of surprise: "Ah..."

"Second sister, what's wrong with you?" Miss Lin San hurried over and saw that she looked panicked, her fingers were cut, and blood was oozing out.

Miss Lin Er was bewildered, not understanding why the strings of her zither suddenly broke. But Qiu Shizao saw it all clearly.

Just now, Ji Nuan had pinched a watermelon seed and flicked it with a gentle flick, sending it flying outwards as if breathed with life. Her subtle movement, though inconspicuous, hadn't been shy about hiding anything from anyone, clearly demonstrating her evil deeds.

Qiu Shizao was stunned, shocked and awed. A tiny watermelon seed could unleash such power in Ji Nuan's hands. She truly possessed unparalleled skills! It perfectly matched the heroine setting in her new storybook.

Seeing that her sister hadn't reacted yet, Miss Lin San quickly took out a handkerchief and carefully wrapped Miss Lin Er's wound, comforting her: "It's okay, Second Sister, the wound is not big. We'll go back later and ask the doctor to re-apply medicine and bandage it. It won't leave a scar."

However, Miss Lin Er was worried. She didn't dare look up at the expressions of the people around her, fearing that she would see ridicule and sarcasm. She held Miss Lin San's hand tightly and said anxiously, "Third sister, what should I do? Everyone must be laughing at me."

Miss Lin San was heartbroken and quickly comforted her, "No, Second Sister. You played so well just now. It was the strings that had a problem. It has nothing to do with you. We are all well-educated people and will not laugh at you for this."

The ladies present all maintained decent expressions and didn't openly mock Miss Lin Er. However, some ladies couldn't control their expressions well, and a look of mockery slipped across their faces without them realizing it.

Shen Mingzhu was one of them. If the occasion had allowed it, she would have laughed so hard that she would have rolled over on the ground.

She gloated, "You really thought it was so easy to get attention? Now you've made a terrible fool of yourself. Tomorrow the whole city will hear that Miss Lin Er is not a good enough virtuoso. She couldn't show off at the Marquis's flower viewing party, and instead hurt her hand on the strings."

Mrs. Qi, who was standing by, was very disappointed with her son. She tried to hold back but couldn't help herself. She warned him coldly, "Watch your words and actions. Don't tell others everything. Be careful of the consequences of your words."

Shen Mingzhu shut her mouth awkwardly, found an excuse to go to the bathroom, and left the banquet with her maid Cui'er.

The Marquis's wife ordered someone to take the two young ladies of the Lin family to see a doctor. Only then did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief and barely escape the mocking gazes of the crowd.

No one caused any more trouble, and the luncheon quickly ended. The ladies of each household, along with their daughters, said their farewells to Shen Songhe. Mother Wu escorted the guests out, and Ji Nuan followed suit, escorting the young ladies to the main gate.

Qiu Shi waited until Chen Rong and Qiao Qiao got in the car and left, but she was reluctant to leave. She lingered and walked over to Ji Nuan. Seeing this, Ji Nuan felt anxious for her and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Do you have anything else to say to me?"

Qiu Shizao's face turned slightly red, and she said a little embarrassedly: "Hey, Sister Nuannuan, do you like reading storybooks?"

"It's okay. I like to use it for entertainment when I have nothing to do."

When Qiu Shizao heard this, he immediately became happy. He took Ji Nuan's hand and said, "Can I come and play with you? Next time we meet, I want to share my treasured sketchbook with you."

Ji Nuan smiled and agreed: "Okay, when I'm free, I'll invite you to Fusheng Tower for tea. When I'm free, I'll invite your eldest sister as well."

Qiu Shizao nodded repeatedly and said excitedly: "Yes, yes, my eldest sister will like you too when she sees you."

At this moment, a carriage stopped in front of the two of them. A handsome young man leaned out of the window and saw Qiu Shizao chatting enthusiastically with a girl. He called out, "Zao Zao."

Qiu Shizao turned around and saw the person coming, and shouted happily: "Big brother, are you here to pick me and mother up?"

Qiu Shishen lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, explaining, "My mother is already in the carriage you came in. Seeing that you haven't been there for a while, I asked me to come and see you." Then, his eyes naturally turned to Ji Nuan beside Qiu Shizao, and a glint of surprise flashed in his eyes, "This girl is..."

"Big brother, this is Ji's elder sister, Mr. Song's fiancée." Qiu Shi had already introduced Ji Nuan, and then introduced Qiu Shishen, "Sister Nuannuan, this is my elder brother, Qiu Shishen."

After the two exchanged greetings, Ji Nuan smiled and urged Qiu Shizao: "Hurry up and go back with Mr. Qiu. Don't keep Madam Qiu waiting for too long."

Qiu Shizao was reluctant to leave, and after repeated confirmation that they wanted to have tea together, he left with Qiu Shishen, looking back as he walked.

At the same time, Tongpan Mansion.

Xiaoyao Jian, along with Madam Ye and her two children, stormed into Aunt Liu's yard in a menacing manner.

Seeing that the visitor had ill intentions, Ye Tongpan hurriedly protected Aunt Liu behind him, his eyes wide with anger as he scolded Madam Ye: "Mrs. Meng, who asked you to come here? How can we tolerate your being so presumptuous in the Tongpan Mansion?"

Xiaoyao Jian ignored his angry rebuke and directly kicked Ye Tongpan to the ground. He stepped on his chest and cursed, "You bastard, who gave you the guts to speak to my aunt like that? You're really tired of living!"

Ye Tongpan felt a dull pain in his chest from the kick she gave him. He coughed several times and looked at Xiaoyao Jian with horror. He asked in a trembling voice, "Who... who are you? This is Tongpan Mansion. How dare you attack an official appointed by the imperial court? Don't you want to die?"

Xiaoyao Jian's eyes were cold and fierce. He made a strange gesture with his hands and pulled out a cold and sinister long sword from his palms. He placed it on Ye Tongpan's neck. Ye Tongpan was so frightened that his face turned pale and he couldn't even speak clearly.

Aunt Liu, who fell to the ground next to her, saw that Xiaoyao Sword could actually pull out a sword directly from the body. She thought she had seen a demon in broad daylight, rolled her eyes and fainted.

"I don't think you're the one who wants to die!" Xiaoyao Jian said coldly, "You're eating the Meng family's free rice and you want to destroy it. What's the matter? You've been living a good life for so long that you don't even remember who you are?"

Ye Tongpan, a frail scholar, had never seen such a scene before. He tried his best to turn his head away from the cold sword, fearing that the sword would pierce his flesh if he didn't hold it firmly. He asked in a trembling voice, "Who are you? Swords have no eyes. Hurry...hurry and move the sword away."

Xiaoyaojian raised his eyebrows and smiled, saying, "Want me to hold the sword farther away? Sure, as long as you sign the divorce book, I'll let you go immediately."

Upon hearing this, Judge Ye became stubborn again and shouted angrily, "Don't even think about getting a divorce! Meng, is that you? Are you so anxious to sever ties with me now that you see I'm about to be purged by the court?"

Xiaoyao Sword ignored Ye Tongpan's shouting and instead brought the sword closer to him. The cold tip of the sword lightly grazed Ye Tongpan's neck, leaving a trace of blood and causing him to tremble uncontrollably.

"Be careful... be careful! Put down your sword quickly, this is not a joke." There was obvious fear and panic in Ye Tongpan's voice. He knew very well that the current situation did not allow for any carelessness.

- ??(?????)Thanks to Xuanying Baoer for the gift!