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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

n“What?” Startled, Ye Jiuge pressed Qing Liu, “When did you see the belt in Fifth Concubine’s room?”

n“Three days ago!” Qing Liu replied.

nThen, carefully, she explained what had happened. When she and Qing Hu first arrived at the Qiu Shui Residence, they had wanted to build good relationships with the other maids, so they consistently helped out as much as they could.

nXing Hua, who was staying in the same room as her, was responsible for cleaning Fifth Concubine’s private chamber. One day, Xing Hua was feeling unwell, so Qing Liu volunteered to help her.

nHowever, shortly after she entered Fifth Concubine’s interior room, Qiu Mama rushed in angrily and chased her away. She also rebuked Xing Hua. From then on, Xing Hua did not dare let anyone help her again.

n“I only looked at the top of the table briefly, but I vaguely saw something black with jasper embellished on it. Before I could take a closer look, Qiu Mama chased me out. Just now, after listening to sister Xing Hua, I remembered that the thing was the belt on the man’s waist!”

n“Qiu Mama?” Ye Jiuge’s brow furrowed.

nShe had not considered that Qiu Mama was connected to this incident. Nor did she believe that Ye Yuxuan would allow Qiu Mama to help Su Yufeng frame Fifth Concubine for adultery.

n“No wonder Qiu Mama wanted to poison and murder me! Here is the reason.” Hatred and fear took hold of Qing Liu’s heart. She could not believe that Qiu Mama would attempt to kill them for such a trivial matter.

n“Qiu Mama must have pretended to be ill to prevent people from suspecting her. It is reasonable that she would want to silence you. The question is: how did Madame manage to secure Qiu Mama’s help?” Ye Jiuge wondered.

nQiu Mama was an old servant from Ye Yuxuan’s side of the family, so she had always been loyal. Unless Su Yufeng had a strong hold over her, she never would have helped Su Yufeng. It seemed that Qiu Mama needed to be investigated.

n“Eldest Miss, Qiu Mama deliberately planted that belt in Fifth Concubine’s room for Xing Hua to see to prove the adultery rumors about Fifth Concubine. What should we do?” Xing Hua had a worried look.

nQiu Mama had intentionally set this trap; the entire Ye Residence knew that Xing Hua was simple-minded and never lied.

n“Act according to the circumstances!” Su Yufeng had planned in advance and arranged everything perfectly. At present, Ye Jiuge could not find any loopholes.

nFortunately, the situation was not as bleak as it could have been. Fifth Concubine and the man were not lying together in bed. She wanted to see Su Yufeng’s next moves before countering them.

nJust as Ye Jiuge was thinking of bringing Qing Liu back into the room, she heard the servants outside the courtyard cry out in unison: “Old Master.”

nThe next moment, Ye Yuxuan appeared at the entrance to the courtyard. He looked exhausted, and his face was black, like the bottom of a pot. However, if anyone were to find out that his concubine was cuckolding him at home while he was out working, he wouldn’t be happy.

n“Father!” Ye Jiuge greeted him coolly.

n“Why are you here?” Ye Yuxuan frowned. His mood worsened when he saw Ye Jiuge.

n“I heard that Fifth Concubine encountered a thief, so I came to take a look,” Ye Jiuge said with a look of worry.

n“A thief?” Ye Yuxuan was stupefied. Hadn’t Fifth Concubine been caught cheating? How was it that, now, she had faced a thief?

n“Old Master, don’t listen to Jiuge’s nonsense, she gets along well with Fifth Concubine and is taking her side,” snapped Su Yufeng, who had been eavesdropping as she came out of the room. Now, she was furious.

nThis wicked girl was waiting outside to be the thief who cries thief—what a conniver!

n“Is that so? Then, why did I hear that, recently, Madame, you and Fourth Sister have been chummier than Fifth Concubine and I ever were—so much so that Father even praised you for it?” The tip of Ye Jiuge’s lips curled into a smile as she laughed sarcastically.

n“Elder Sister, I know that you wish to clear Fifth Concubine’s name, but you do not have to involve my mother!” Ye Shanshan growled.

nBefore she came out, Ye Shanshan’s mother had repeatedly instructed her not to speak carelessly. But Ye Shanshan had bitten her tongue for a day and could not hold it anymore.

n“Second Sister, what do you mean? Did Madame have an affair as well?” Ye Jiuge covered her mouth, looking appalled.

n“What nonsense are you spouting?” Ye Shanshan scowled fiercely, itching to step forward and tear Ye Jiuge’s mouth apart.

n“You said that this matter involved Madame.” Ye Jiuge made a face as though she had been wronged.

n“When did I say that? You are intentionally misinterpreting my words to insult my mother!” Ye Shanshan said through gritted teeth.

n“That’s enough! Shut up!” Ye Yuxuan glared at Ye Jiuge and scolded, “Isn’t this humiliating enough for you?”

n“Father, don’t be angry. You know that Second Sister has a thick skin and is not afraid to lose face. Let me apologize to you on her behalf.” Ye Jiuge’s obedient words almost made Ye Yuxuan, Su Yufeng, and her daughter swoon with anger.

nYe Yuxuan’s chest heaved a few times before he decided to ignore the infuriating Ye Jiuge. He turned his head and asked Su Yufeng, “Where is Fifth Concubine?”

n“Old Master, she and the adulterer are inside her room. I was scared that you would be angry when you saw them, so I rearranged them slightly.” Su Yufeng spoke as though the sight of Fifth Concubine was too much to bear.

nWith a sweep of his sleeves, Ye Yuxuan hastened into the room.

nEverything appeared as it had been. With Qing Mama keeping watch fastidiously, nobody had dared to mess around. However, the scene was enough to infuriate Ye Yuxuan.

n“Wake up this pair of shameless adulterers.” Ye Yuxuan’s finger, which was pointing at Fifth Concubine, was shaking.

n“Father, the situation has not been investigated clearly, how can you convict Fifth Concubine like this?” Ye Jiuge almost wanted to salute Ye Yuxuan; was he so eager to be cuckolded?

n“Old Master, I have investigated clearly. This man was Fifth Concubine’s cousin before she entered our residence, and they did such an insufferable thing because they are deeply in love. Please, for Ruyi’s sake, forgive Fifth Concubine!” As she was wiping her tears, Su Yufeng pleaded on behalf of Fifth Concubine.

nHowever, her pleading infuriated Ye Yuxuan even more. “That b*tch concealed this from me for so long!”

n“Father, this is only Madame’s side of the story. Furthermore, you have seen that this room is a mess. Who makes such a huge mess when making love?” Ye Jiuge questioned.

n“Jiuge, as I have already explained, when Fifth Concubine realized that her adultery had been discovered, she locked herself in. She made this mess all over the floor. She chose this room because she did not fear that she would be unable to dodge the bullet, because of her relationship with Ruyi.” Su Yufeng changed her demeanor completely and sneered, “If a woman is too arrogant, she easily forgets her surname.”

n“Madame, why do I feel like you are describing yourself? How convenient that such a huge incident should occur in the Qiu Shui Residence just after your release from confinement!” said Ye Jiuge, standing her ground.

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