Chapter Eight: The Second Mistress’s Illicit Affair

For Jiang Lin was the spitting image of Yuan Yi!

Jiang Li held her younger brother, Jiang Lin, in her arms, too terrified by the scene in the council hall to speak or even dare to ask what had transpired.

Second Master Jiang looked at his wife, the coldness on his face quickly curdling into shock. He struck her across the face, roaring, "You vile woman! You dared tell me the nephew favored his uncle! You filthy, treacherous bitch!"

How could any man accept that his wife had been unfaithful?

As Second Madam Jiang endured the blows, screaming and struggling, Jiang Li set her brother down and rushed forward, weeping, "Father! Stop hitting her!"

But Second Master Jiang shoved Jiang Li to the ground and continued his assault on his wife.

Jiang Nian smiled, walked over, and tugged at Jiang Ping’s sleeve. "Father, you should stop Second Uncle. It is one thing for him to have been deceived and made a fool of, but if he were to shoulder the crime of murdering his wife, it would hardly be worth it."

Although Jiang An was no saint himself, Jiang Nian knew that dealing with Second Madam Jiang was the priority—she had other matters to attend to later!

Jiang Ping, who had been watching coldly, heard Jiang Nian’s words and intervened in a deep voice: "Second Brother, stop! Do you truly intend to beat her to death?"

Jiang An was dragged away, shouting hoarsely, "Why are you pulling me back? This wanton, adulterous woman! She has deceived me so thoroughly! I will kill her!"

Madam Qi cowered in the corner, not daring to move.

Jiang Nian looked at her and said, "Second Aunt, to climb into the Jiang family, you fabricated a lie about your family forcing you to break off with your fiancé. But after marrying into the Jiang family, you realized that life in a prominent household was not as simple as you had imagined."

"Grandmother despised you for being a merchant’s daughter; she took your dowry while looking down on your lowly status. You even once scolded Grandmother for 'eating from the bowl and cursing the mother who fed you' after setting the bowl down, didn't you, Second Aunt?"

Madam Qi shivered at these words. Seeing the fury mounting on Old Madam Jiang’s face, she stammered, "I merely have a sharp tongue. All these years, have I not been devoted to this family?"

Recalling the insults she had endured since childhood, Jiang Nian replied indifferently, "A sharp tongue is a sin in itself."

Madam Qi cast a venomous glare in her direction.

Jiang Nian commanded coolly, "Bring Honglian here!"

At the mention of Honglian, Second Madam Jiang’s expression grew even more savage. It was Jiang Nian! It had to be her! She had only just visited the Wei family today, and now people from the Wei house had arrived! And that earlier comment about her being unable to reach the capital—it was all her meddling! It was definitely her!

Suddenly, she scrambled to her feet and lunged at Jiang Nian like an arrow, her eyes wide, arm raised to strike!

But Jiang Nian had been prepared; with a quick step, she hid behind Jiang Ping. "Father! Second Aunt is trying to kill me!"

Jiang Ping, already disgusted by the damage Madam Qi had brought to the Jiang family’s reputation, would naturally not stand by while she attacked his daughter. He kicked Madam Qi away and bellowed, "Are you in such a hurry to die? You dare touch my daughter!"

Madam Qi clutched her chest, her face deathly pale, staring in terror at the assembled Jiang family.

Soon, Honglian was brought in.

Jiang Nian presented the packet of elephant-valley powder to her father. "Honglian has confessed everything to me. Second Aunt ordered her to use this powder to spook my horse on the way to the capital, hoping to kill me!"

Silence descended upon the council hall.

Jiang Ping looked at the powder, and in an instant, he seemed to grasp the situation. His first reaction was not to ask why his wife would want to harm Jiang Nian, but to exchange a sharp, knowing glance with the Old Madam.

Jiang Nian sneered inwardly but did not expose them. She simply looked at Jiang Ping with an expectant gaze, as if waiting for him to seek justice for her.

Jiang Ping pointed an angry finger at his wife. "Madam Qi, what unmitigated gall! Nian’er is your niece! How could you lay hands on a child? What on earth were you thinking?"

Jiang Nian added, "There is more. The incident at Grandmother’s birthday banquet, when Young Master Guo cornered me in the rockery—that was also orchestrated by Second Aunt through Honglian!"

Madam Chen, who had remained silent during the Second Branch's farce, could no longer hold back. "Was it you? Why would you destroy my daughter's reputation?"

Jiang Nian sneered, "The Second Branch intends to follow Father to the capital, where their own daughters would have better prospects. Naturally, Second Aunt grew to despise the marriage alliance in Luzhou, so she tried to use me to ruin that match!"

She then pulled a stack of love letters from her sleeve and tossed them before the Second Madam. "She didn't just want to ruin my reputation; she wanted to destroy Mother’s as well! Second Aunt, you planted this filth in my mother’s room and then had someone drug her, hoping to make it look like she was committing adultery, didn't you?"

The Second Madam gritted her teeth, glaring at Jiang Nian. "So you knew all along! You little bitch, you played your part well!"

The confession hung in the air, leaving everyone stunned.

Madam Chen was particularly shocked. How could it be Madam Qi who had been poisoning her?

Jiang Nian’s eyes held a mocking glint as she glanced at her Second Uncle and said deliberately, "Second Aunt, these love letters—don't tell me you were using them to hide your own affairs with some lover!"

At these words, the Second Master, who had just calmed down, flew into another rage and kicked the Second Madam in the face. "You slut! How many other lovers have you had? Speak!"

Jiang Nian scoffed inwardly. If she had simply brought Honglian out to accuse the woman, no one would have believed it. But the Second Madam was already rotting meat; no one would lift a finger to defend her.

"Second Aunt, I know you were jealous of my mother’s superior background. With the Chen family in decline, you must have been thrilled, right? Does it feel good to step on a noblewoman? All these years, you have made things difficult for my mother in secret and in the open. Your current fate is the retribution you deserve!"

The Second Madam spat out a mouthful of blood. "What are you gloating about! Do you think you’ll make it back to the capital alive?"

With those words, Jiang Nian smiled. This confirmed that there was someone behind the Second Aunt—she was merely a pawn.

But neither the Old Madam nor Jiang Ping would allow her to say another word.

As expected, in the next moment, Jiang Ping kicked the Second Madam straight in the throat—a precise and brutal strike!

The Second Madam was silenced instantly, unable to utter another sound.

Madam Chen was still pondering the meaning of the Second Madam's words, terrified by Jiang Ping’s violence. She had never known her gentle, scholarly husband could be so ruthless.

Jiang Nian felt a chill creep from the soles of her feet up to her head. Father knew! The person he needed to protect was none other than Madam Qiao! Or rather, he was protecting the alliance between himself and the Qiao family!

The Second Madam clutched her throat in agony, staring at Jiang Ping in shock. In that instant, she seemed to realize something, and she looked at Madam Chen, laughing silently!

Jiang Nian seized the final opportunity and asked, "Second Aunt, do you mean to say that someone ordered you to harm me and my mother?"

She knew the answer, but the question was for her mother to hear!

Madam Chen pressed her lips together, watching the Second Madam. She wanted to know what Jiang Ping would do once the name was spoken!

But before the Second Madam could respond, the Old Madam roared in a fit of rage, "Guards! Madam Qi has corrupted the family’s moral standing and brought shame upon our name. Drag her out and beat her to death!"

Madam Chen gave a cold, hollow laugh. They all took her for a fool!