Qiao Yuyan, after regaining her consciousness from her rebirth, realized the current situation and her first instinct was to prevent Mrs. Xu's suicide. However, with the blame now placed on her in the household, how could she make her way to the village to stop Mrs Xu's suicide?

Moreover, this so-called scandal was clearly a setup by someone else, and she was determined to unravel the truth once and for all.

The stack of papers she handed to Old Madam included Duke An's love letters to herself. It was because of these letters that she had believed a prestigious duke had truly fallen for her.

In reality, upon careful consideration, Qiao Yuyan from her previous life didn't so much love the Duke An as she loved the vanity of being pursued by someone.

Coming from the south of the Yangtze River, the noble ladies in the capital might look down on her, but their dream lovers prefer her!

How could she not be excited? So she walked into the trap designed by others step by step.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yuyan immediately kowtowed and cried, "He is of imperial blood and noble lineage. It was because of the letters he wrote to me that I believed he had taken an interest in me. I never expected such a thing to happen, and I am now deeply ashamed. That's why I've come today to request you to bring my second sister back, and I will go to Yuehua Nunnery to atone for my sins."

This move shocked everyone.

Everyone initially thought that it was just Qiao Yuyan being overly ambitious, but little did they know that there was more to the story, with the Duke An having written her letters!

The Old Madam read it several times with an uncertain look. Although it was indeed a man's handwriting, she couldn't believe that it was Duke An's.

"My Lord... Please don't be angry. The Eldest Young Lady is also feeling upset, and she didn't come to Old Madam's place on purpose to cause a scene. You know, on that day, she was genuinely frightened, and she has been unwell these past few days. Please don't hold it against her,"

Outside, the voice of Mrs. Pei, who was speaking hesitantly, interrupted the train of thought inside the room.

Qiao Yuyan, however, couldn't help but curl her lips. It was just like in her previous life! It seemed that her own father had been standing at the door for quite some time now!

However, in her previous life at this moment, Qiao Yuyan had been egged on to confront Old Madam, feeling that she was biased and deliberately suppressing her. In her anger, she showed no respect for hierarchy and directly made Old Madam faint from her anger. Qiao Weisheng happened to witness it and, in his fury, slapped Qiao Yuyan and had her locked up.

But this time, things were different.

Qiao Weisheng entered with a stern face, his hands behind his back. In the room, everyone except Old Madam and the kneeling Qiao Yuyan quickly stood up and greeted him.

He glanced at his daughter on the ground with a complicated expression, then proceeded to sit down beside Old Madam. Qiao Yurong also took her seat beside her mother.

Following him was a young woman dressed in a bean-green embroidered jacket with magnolia patterns. She wore a pair of emerald bracelets on her wrists, and her skin was as fair as frost and snow, with a pair of watery eyes on her lotus-like face. Two jade hairpins adorned her updo. She looked refreshing and exceptionally charming. This was Mrs. Pei.

As soon as Mrs. Pei saw Qiao Yuyan kneeling on the ground, a pained expression crossed her face. She quickly bent down, her voice choked with emotion. "Girl, you've suffered! Don't be afraid! Your father cares for you the most, but you were a bit reckless. Why would you come here to cause a scene in front of Old Madam? Show some humility to Old Madam and your father, as everyone cares for you."

Qiao Yuyan lifted her eyes, and her gaze was as sharp as a sword, as if she wanted to see into Mrs. Pei's heart. Then, she withdrew the piercing look and resumed her usual demeanor, tugging at the corner of her lips. "Mrs. Pei, who told you that I came here to cause trouble?"

Being stared at by her, Mrs. Pei felt a buzz in her head and extremely uncomfortable. When she heard what she said, she was stunned.

On the other side, Qiao Weisheng had finished reading those thin sheets of paper. His face was now clouded with dark expressions. "You said these were from Duke An? When did he give them to you?"

Qiao Yuyan paid no more attention to Mrs. Pei, who seemed confused about the situation. Instead, she turned to her father at the head of the room, bowed down, and then tears began to fall one by one. "Actually, it wasn't from him personally."

In her previous life, Qiao Yuyan had already figured out this matter. There was no real Duke An; from beginning to end, someone had deliberately used the name of Duke An to deceive her. They repeatedly sent gifts and letters, and she believed.

The result was naturally a few embarrassing incidents. As Duke An couldn't tolerate it anymore, he set the dogs on Qiao Yuyan.

Of course, at this moment, she naturally wouldn't say it so clearly. She just needed to portray herself as the same idiot who was deceived in her previous life. It's okay to appear a bit foolish; that way, she might gain sympathy.

Qiao Weisheng held the title of a count and had entered the imperial court based on his success in the imperial examination. Could he really not see through this deception?

Sure enough, after hearing her words, Qiao Weisheng slapped the table with a livid face, which shocked everyone.

"You just blindly believed in them without knowing where they came from? Who is this Duke An, and why would he take an interest in you?"

"Could it be... could all of these be fake?" Qiao Yuyan's eyes filled with tears as she hesitated for a while before bursting into tears.

Then, as if waking from a dream, she cried and murmured, "So... that's why he always seemed impatient with me! That's why he let the dogs loose..."

Qiao Weisheng looked at his eldest daughter kneeling on the ground. There was anger on his face, but at the same time, there was also a trace of heartache. "You're a young girl. Why didn't you tell your mother about such a thing?"

He finished speaking, feeling somewhat short of breath. His daughter had only returned last year, and not only was she not close to him as her father, but she also didn't have a close relationship with her biological mother, Mrs. Xu.

Qiao Yuyan with a face full of guilt, crawled forward and unexpectedly hugged her father's leg. "I... I just couldn't bring myself to do it! How could I possibly tell adults about such a thing? Besides, my second sister is so sensible, and she told me it was a good thing. She has always understood the customs of the capital, and she has the favor of grandmother and father. I thought, following her advice couldn't be wrong! So that's why I..."

She was naturally quite attractive, although she didn't possess the delicate beauty of her younger sister, Qiao Yuning. However, she was still a young girl, and her face still retained a hint of baby fat. Her tears made it even easier for people to feel sympathetic.

Moreover, ever since Qiao Yuyan returned from her maternal grandmother's house, her temperament had become quite obstinate. She had never been one to bow down easily. When had she ever been so distressed and wept like this before?

Qiao Weisheng was a little soft-hearted for a moment, but he was still angry.

He didn't say anything, but Mrs. Pei was anxious. "Eldest Young Lady, don't talk nonsense. The Second Young Lady will tell me whatever happens. She has never heard of it. You two are good friends, and the Second Young Lady always says that she is close to you. How can you say that about her?"

Not only she, but also Old Madam and Mrs. Yao on the side, when they heard her talk about Qiao Yunning, they all had an unhappy expression, clearly thinking that she was lying.