Qiao Yuyan sobbed and said, "I don't have anyone else to talk about this kind of thing. After thinking about it, only my second sister can talk about it. And I also know that I can't tell you this kind of thing for the time being. So, in the end, both of us think it's better to keep it a secret for the time being, so neither of us told you."

After saying this, Qiao Yuyan looked at Mrs. Pei with a pair of phoenix eyes and said, "Second sister has always been true to her word and very trustworthy. Since she promised me, she naturally wouldn't go back on her word in front of you."

This made Mrs. Pei feel choked up, and she couldn't come up with a rebuttal. Unfortunately, her daughter wasn't present at the moment, so she had to endure this accusation without a chance to defend herself.

"Who gave you these things?!"

Qiao Weisheng, as the head of the family, set aside their personal disputes and focused on the crucial matter at hand.

From his perspective as a man and his knowledge of Duke An, he knew that such a thing was simply impossible. Since it wasn't the doing of Duke An, it was clear that Qiao Yuyan had been set up and deceived by someone else.

"It was... someone else who gave it to Mang Zhong to bring in," confessed Qiao Yuyan, pointing towards her personal maid.

Mang Zhong had felt uneasy ever since Qiao Yuyan took out that stack of letters earlier. Now, she seemed completely out of sorts. "No, no, no, it wasn't me!" she stammered nervously.

"Dad, Mang Zhong is extremely loyal, but the items were all collected and given to me by her. I'm not entirely sure who delivered them into her hands," explained Qiao Yuyan.

"Bring two people and take this servant girl to the front yard," ordered Qiao Weisheng sternly, while Qiao Yuyan continued to plead on her behalf.

Mang Zhong immediately felt weak and couldn't even utter a plea for mercy.

Qiao Yuyan still murmured, "Dad, she is my senior maidservant. If I was deceived, she was deceived alongside me. Please don't be too hard on her!"

Qiao Weisheng had now stood up and was looking at his kneeling daughter. When he heard her speak like this, he felt even more frustrated. How could he have such a foolish daughter!

With everyone in the room watching him, Qiao Weisheng walked towards the door. However, when he reached the entrance, he suddenly turned around and looked at the still kneeling Qiao Yuyan. "I have some questions for you. Come with me!" he said.

Qiao Yuyan, without paying attention to the people in Ninghe Pharmacy, quickly got up and followed her father as they headed to the outer study.

Since she returned to the Qiao Family at the age of twelve, Qiao Yuyan had only come to the study of Qiao Weisheng few times before she got married.

Twelve years ago, for reasons she wasn't quite sure of, her maternal grandmother from the Xu family came to their home with people. While it didn't lead to her parents' divorce, it did result in her being taken to the southern region, and she remained there for twelve years.

Upon returning to the Qiao family, she found it difficult to adapt to everything. She lived with her rebellious and headstrong nature for a little over a year. Before she could establish a strong relationship with her parents, her mother, Mrs. Xu, passed away.

Since then, the family was practically governed by Mrs. Pei and her daughter. They became the dominant figures in the household, while Qiao Yuyan became a somewhat insignificant presence.

Perhaps Qiao Weisheng also felt that his daughter's appearance would remind him of bad memories, so he almost never took the initiative to look for her.

Looking at the situation today, it seemed that her biological father might not be an unreasonable person. Qiao Yuyan decided that she should try to spend more time with him in the future. However, her immediate concern was to prevent Mrs. Xu from taking her own life.

The outer study had already received the news. After Qiao Weisheng and Qiao Yuyan came in, all the servants left. There was no one in the yard. Qi Xi stood alone in the yard and did not dare to approach.

Qiao Weisheng looked at Qiao Yuyan, who was about the same height as his other daughter Qiao Yuning, but with a different personality. She had a pair of phoenix-like eyes that gave her a somewhat assertive look, unlike Qiao Yuning's round, gentle eyes.

Her long eyelashes were still wet with tears, and she had a slight pout on her face. The remaining traces of baby fat on her cheeks became more pronounced at this moment, making her look like a pitiable young girl.

Seeing her like this, Qiao Weisheng cooled down a little, but his tone was still stern. "Have you figured out what's going on now?"

Hearing this, Qiao Yuyan raised her head, realizing that it was not the time to pretend anymore. Continuing to feign ignorance might make her father think she lacked intelligence.

"Were the letters from Duke An fake?"

"At least you're not hopelessly foolish!" Qiao Weisheng's expression remained displeased. "I will have someone thoroughly investigate this matter. If it turns out as you say, I can't entirely blame you. But you're a young lady, should you have accepted such things if they are really from Duke An? Do you have no sense of shame?"

Qiao Yuyan did not hesitate to acknowledge her mistake, "I was wrong. I let you down..."

After saying that, she paused and changed her tone. "I failed to live up to my mother's instructions."

"You..." Qiao Weisheng was at a loss for words. He couldn't exactly accuse her of betraying his teachings, as he had never really given Qiao Yuyan any guidance from the beginning.

"That's right," Qiao Weisheng continued, "You've been unfairly treated in this matter, but that doesn't mean you should blame your sister for it. You made a mistake, and it's your responsibility to bear the consequences."

"I..." Qiao Yuyan began but stopped herself.

Yes, the most promising young lady of the Qiao family is the Second Young Lady, Qiao Yuning. If it weren't for her secondary status holding her back, there would likely be many suitors coming to visit her now.

Certainly, the most beloved daughter in the heart of Qiao Weisheng is undoubtedly his second daughter.

Qiao Yuyan clenched her fists, suppressed the crazy hatred in her heart, and did not defend herself.

Her spoiled and domineering character was too deeply rooted in people's hearts. On the contrary, Qiao Yuning was praised by everyone for being well-behaved and sensible.

Today, when she said such words, not only would no one suspect Qiao Yuning, but they would even think that she deliberately framed her.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold," she thought. Trying to deal with Qiao Yuning with just a few words was unlikely to be successful.

Moreover, she had more important matters to attend to. Soon, it would be the anniversary of her birth mother Mrs. Xu's death, which meant her suicide would happen in the next few days. She needed to prevent this from happening first!

Seeing her fall silent, Qiao Weisheng snorted, "You were just talking about replacing your sister Yuehua Nunnery in front of Old Madam. You should play fewer of these tricks in the future. I don't know where you learned this kind of cunning."

Dragging her maternal grandmother into the conversation was unnecessary; Qiao Yuyan did play mind games.

Yuehua Nunnery and Qili Village, where Mrs. Xu lived, were in the same direction. Her first priority now was to find Mrs. Xu.

Thinking of this, Qiao Yuyan quickly knelt down. "Dad, you have to believe me. I'm not lying. It's just that this matter was caused by me. I shouldn't have asked my second sister to go to the nunnery to pray for me."

"That's why I want to replace my sister. Besides, I also want to go out and think something through. Now everyone is laughing at me. I can't stay here any longer."