She was buried alive at the start, but she's determined to smash her ex-husband's head in

If a person wants to establish a good reputation, it takes a long time to convince people. But to ruin a person's reputation, especially a woman's, all it takes is to add some ambiguous gossip about her.

People are really strange, especially jealous women.

Lin Xiuyao looked at everyone with a pale face and quickly defended herself, "I was worried about my sister. Young Master Li said before that he was fond of her, and I thought she felt the same way! It just so happens that both my sister and Young Master Li came to the side hall..."

"Oh, then I really have to thank you for your concern, little sister," Lin Qingwei said, staring at her.

Upon receiving the news, the Duchess rushed over. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lin Qingwei standing there unharmed. If something had really happened to Lin Qingwei under her nose, she would have felt guilty to death.

Although they hadn't seen each other for over ten years, the Duchess still had deep feelings for Lin Qingwei, treating her like her own daughter. Therefore, she would never believe that Lin Qingwei could do anything bad.

This little girl has been careful with her words and actions since she was a child, and she is a very kind-hearted child.

The Duchess smiled and greeted the young ladies and wives, instructing the servants to take them to the garden to admire the flowers and drink tea. Lin Xiuyao, keeping her head down, also wanted to sneak away, but was stopped by the Duchess.

"Second Miss, wait a moment."

Lin Xiuyao felt a chill run down her spine and a sense of panic gripped her. The Duchess of Mingming was so gentle and kind. She looked for Ye Shi with pleading eyes, but Ye Shi had already disappeared without a trace.

She could only force a smile, not daring to look at the Duchess: "Is there anything else, Madam?"

More than one gaze fell on her. Lin Xiuyao felt as if she had been stripped naked and humiliated. She only regretted that she had not been able to nail Lin Qingwei to the pillar of shame in one fell swoop!

The Duchess slightly raised her chin, and the maid beside her immediately understood her meaning. She brought up a servant who had been gagged and tied up with ropes, and threw him directly at Lin Xiuyao's feet.

Lin Xiuyao almost screamed in fright when she saw the servant's face clearly.

"Miss, you should give me an explanation for this matter. Why did you bribe the servants of the Duke's mansion?" The Duchess's voice was still gentle, but it carried the undeniable pressure and authority of a person in a superior position.

"Madam, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I... I don't know this servant at all," Lin Xiuyao stammered in denial.

She had no one behind her. In the past, she always had Ye Shi backing her up. Now that Ye Shi was gone, she lost her backbone and naturally lost half of her prestige. On the other hand, what about Lin Qingwei?

Lin Qingwei stood upright on the steps. Beside her stood Qi Yanzhi, who looked concerned. Behind her stood Prince Yong, who was silent but with a furrowed brow and an imposing presence. There was also Shen Yushu, who was looking at her with utter contempt, arms crossed.

The Duchess stood in front, pressing her for answers.

They are simply bullying others by abusing their power!

"Don't you recognize him? But Chen San didn't say that." The Duchess spoke up, and the maid immediately ripped the gag from the servant Chen San's mouth.

Chen San crawled up from the ground, knelt down to the Duchess, and kowtowed repeatedly to admit his mistake.

"Please forgive me, Madam! I shouldn't have been so greedy as to accept Miss Lin's money and bring the drunken Young Master Li here, and even put a lot of sleeping potion in the room! I thought Miss Lin herself liked Young Master Li and that's why she arranged this! I really didn't know that Miss Lin was trying to frame the future Princess Consort!"

Lin Xiuyao pointed at him, her face deathly pale, and shouted, almost jumping up and down, "Nonsense! I didn't mean to harm my sister!"

Then, with reddened eyes, she looked at Lin Qingwei and said pitifully, "Sister! Believe me! I'm your own sister! How could I possibly want to harm you!!!"

Shen Yushu was furious at Lin Xiuyao's shameless words and sneered, "You can guard against anything, but it's hard to guard against a thief within your own family! Do you think we're all fools? You don't believe the evidence but believe your so-called sisterly affection? At such a young age, you actually came up with such a vicious method to ruin someone's reputation! Good heavens!"

"How exactly did your mother raise you?" Prince Yong's words were tinged with anger.

Lin Xiuyao panicked, she was truly panicked. If this matter spread, her good reputation built up over the years would be ruined! Not only would she be unable to marry Qi Yanzhi, but even ordinary scholarly families would not want someone like her who framed her elder sister and plotted to destroy her innocence!

She cried with genuine emotion, terrified beyond measure. She almost lunged forward to grab Lin Qingwei's hand and beg her to plead for her life, but Qi Yanzhi, thinking she was furious and wanted to hurt Lin Qingwei further, kicked her away.

Although this action was extremely rude and lacked manners, no one present felt it was inappropriate.

Lin Xiuyao's hair was all messed up, her hairpins were scattered all over the ground, her newly made clothes were covered in dust and torn in some places, she looked utterly disheveled.

She wept bitterly, "Sister! Believe me! I'm your own sister! You can't just watch me get ruined! Father and Mother will be heartbroken!"

Lin Qingwei sneered inwardly. Why couldn't she? Whether it was her or Miss Lin herself present, no one had the compassion to forgive someone who used such despicable means to frame them.

Will the Ye family and Lin Zhengwen be heartbroken? That would be wonderful!

"Sister, you really didn't mean to hurt me?" Lin Qingwei suppressed the nausea in her heart and pretended to look at Lin Xiuyao with a very reluctant expression.

Lin Xiuyao nodded frantically: "Of course! He's talking nonsense! I would never harm my sister!"

Lin Qingwei bit her lower lip, looking very hesitant. The Duchess, fearing that she would be fooled by Lin Xiuyao, couldn't help but say, "Qingwei, I have Chen San's indenture in my hands. He wouldn't lie."

To show his loyalty, Chen San kowtowed several more times and shouted, "How could this servant dare to lie! The silver given to me by the Second Miss is still in my room, I haven't been able to bear spending it!"

"Sister! I really didn't! You're my own sister, my only sister, how could I possibly hurt you!"

Both sides were crying and shouting, and the scene was incredibly tragic. Lin Qingwei was caught in the middle, in a dilemma. Then, as if she suddenly understood something, her eyes lit up.

“I understand!” she said. “Chen San wouldn’t lie, which means that my sister really did give him money and asked him to bring Young Master Li here. My sister also said that she wouldn’t hurt me, so I’ll believe her for now.”

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone except Lin Xiuyao and Lin Qingwei seemed to hold their breath, their expressions looking extremely uncomfortable.

Lin Xiuyao nodded frantically, tears welling in her eyes: "Yes! Sister! You're right to believe me! We're the real family!"

"Then there's only one possibility." Lin Qingwei's gaze fell on Lin Xiuyao with a hint of reproach as she continued, "It's because my sister likes Young Master Li! She's ashamed to admit it, so she used me as an excuse, right?"

Brilliant! That's a brilliant way to put it! The Duchess immediately felt relieved.