Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 31

“Clap! Clap!”

Crisp applause rang out. Xiao Fuguang stepped out from the crowd, a coldness on his youthful face that seemed at odds with his age.

Gu Yongjia stood at a distance with her maids and guards, leaning against the pavilion pillar as she watched him.

“The Xu Family’s upbringing is truly impressive. Was Miss Xu taught on the opera stage? She jumps into the water herself, slanders others’ innocence, and then acts all aggrieved.”

After these words, Xiao Fuguang’s tone sharpened. “Such reckless slander-does Miss Xu really think the Xiao Family has no authority left?”

If not for his sister’s bold move today, threatening Xu Tian’s maid to tell the truth, once the Old Master and Old Madam of the Gu Family arrived, they surely would not have stood by and let her handle things this way.

Then all the blame would have landed squarely on her, and there would have been no way to clear her name!

“Younger brother? What brings you to the back garden?”

Xiao Wangshu tossed aside the tree branch in her hand, acting as if nothing had happened. She slowly took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands and strolled over to Xiao Fuguang.

Xu Tian’s maid hurried to help Xu Tian out of the water.

Although the Gu Mansion’s guards were reluctant, they feared someone might get hurt, so they quickly gathered around to help rescue her.

Xiao Fuguang stepped forward to steady Xiao Wangshu and began, “Just now, I-”

He had barely started speaking when the crowd began to jostle, and a large group surged over toward them.

“Tian’er!”

Lady Xu broke away from the crowd, rushing to the edge of the pond and crying out in anguish, as if her daughter were already lost.

After Xu Tian was pulled from the pond, she clung to Lady Xu, shivering and staring at Xiao Wangshu with terror.

A demon!

Xiao Wangshu was a demon!

She actually dared to push her under the water in front of everyone!

Every time she was forced down, she felt water flooding her nose and mouth. Her mind filled with suffocation, her whole body teetering on the edge of death.

“Xiao Hong! You are the Prime Minister, an important court official, yet you repeatedly allow your daughter to commit violence! In the Capital, under the Son of Heaven, does the Xiao Family have no respect for the law?”

From the men’s side, a portly middle-aged man rushed over to Xu Tian and Lady Xu, checked on them, then turned to Xiao Hong and began to question him sternly.

At this moment, Xiao Hong still did not know the full story, so he could only look to Xiao Wangshu and Xiao Fuguang.

Xiao Wangshu looked at the portly man and smiled. “Lord Xu, as an official, do you not know to be cautious with your words? Shouldn’t you ask what happened before making accusations?”

Xiao Fuguang sneered. “Lord Xu, your well-bred daughter stepped into the water herself-twice-and then dared to accuse my sister. She gathered so many people to cry that she was pushed in. Now the truth is out: her maid admitted it herself, and she’s still pretending to be the victim.”

Seeing how confident the siblings were, Xiao Hong-who had been prepared to clean up after them-now realized he probably didn’t need to step in at all.

“How can the maid’s words be trusted? My daughter nearly drowned in the pond-is that just stepping in twice? For the two young masters and miss of the Xiao Family to slander her like this is truly heartless!” Lady Xu retorted, raising her voice.

Xu Tian clung to her, not daring to make a sound.

The grand birthday banquet at the Gu Mansion was abruptly cut short, and the Gu Family members looked quite displeased.

Just as the Old Master of the Gu Family was about to speak, Xiao Wangshu stepped in first and suggested:

“Lady Xu, you really won’t give up until you reach the Yellow River! Since you refuse to accept what so many people saw and heard, let your daughter write it down herself!

“Today, Xu Tian fell into the water. The three of us (myself and two maids) and the two of them (her and her maid), five people in total, will each write out exactly what we saw and heard, without omitting a single word, and present it to all the gentlemen and ladies here for judgment.”
“I must trouble everyone to separate the five of us completely, forbidding any communication of testimonies between us! When the statements are compared, if any master and servant pair lies, their accounts will surely not match. Who is innocent and who is slandering will be clear for all to see!

“If Lady Xu feels that five people are not enough, then I must trouble you all to randomly select ten young ladies from among those who witnessed the scene earlier and have them write down what they saw and heard!

“Since neither side is willing to yield today, at the very least, one person should be cleared of suspicion!”

As soon as this solution was proposed, an uproar broke out all around.

Everyone began to discuss it animatedly, and even Xiao Hong seemed to have an epiphany.

Indeed, there can be many ways to fabricate a story, but the truth is often only one.

If the five of them are separated, and any master and servant pair is telling the truth, there is no need for them to coordinate their statements in advance. As long as they describe things honestly, their accounts will match in the end.

But if any pair lies and dares not tell the truth, then without prior collusion, their fabricated testimonies are unlikely to align.

Wouldn’t the truth then reveal itself?

“Father, Fourth Sister’s method is sometimes used even in interrogating criminals,” Xiao Pingnan thought for a moment and whispered to Xiao Hong, who stood beside him.

A faint smile finally appeared on Xiao Hong’s face. He looked at Xiao Wangshu, standing in the center of the crowd, and nodded gently.

It was unclear whether he was responding to Xiao Pingnan’s words or approving of Xiao Wangshu’s approach.

Upon hearing Xiao Wangshu’s words, Xu Tian’s already pale face turned even whiter. She immediately raised her hand to her head and fainted weakly into Lady Xu’s arms.

This fainting spell carried a hint of avoidance.

“Brother, send someone to fetch a Household Physician for Miss Xu to administer a few needles. We have already disturbed Old Lady Gu’s birthday banquet today; let us not delay any further,” Xiao Wangshu said.

Xiao Fuguang replied, “Yes, Sister, I’ll go right away.”

Then, Lady Xu could be heard wailing, “My daughter has already fallen into the water and fainted, and you still want the physician to revive her for further questioning? Is there no law left in this land? Even in a Three Departments Joint Trial, it shouldn’t be this cruel!”

Fang Qin’er spoke up, “Lady Xu, you are mistaken. If this were a Three Departments Joint Trial, they wouldn’t even bother calling a physician, let alone revive her. A whip dipped in brine-after a few lashes, she’d wake up naturally.”

Before Lady Xu could respond, Fang Qin’er continued-

“As a mother myself, I believe Lady Xu, like me, would not want her daughter to be falsely accused and bear unjust charges for no reason.

“And I also wish to know: my Wangshu has always respected her elders and cared for her siblings in our household. Even when visiting her maternal family, she never forgets to pick out the finest bracelets for her grandmother.

“My daughter behaves so well at home; I trust she is no different outside. Yet in this Capital, why do such malicious rumors about her keep surfacing?”

It is true what they say: the older, the wiser. Fang Qin’er proved it once again.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Seeing Xiao Wangshu so confident in demanding a thorough investigation, Fang Qin’er was certain her daughter was not at fault.

She was determined to seize this opportunity to wash away all the slander that had ever been thrown at Xiao Wangshu!

Upon hearing these words, Old Master Gu glanced at Old Master Fang and Xiao Hong, realizing that today’s matter would not be easily resolved. He simply left it alone and let his sons accompany Xiao Fuguang to fetch the Household Physician.

After a while, when the Household Physician arrived, he noticed Xu Tian’s brows furrowing even before he inserted the needles.

The Household Physician was momentarily at a loss for words, but, fearing retaliation from the Xu family, he said nothing and merely performed a few symbolic acupuncture points with his silver needles.