"Third sister, we... we are sorry!" Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan respectfully offered tea as an apology, with red eyes.

Wei Changying took a sip of the tea to show her forgiveness and said with a pleasant face, "It's not all your fault. These servants have black hearts and made rumors carelessly. You are young, so it's inevitable that you are frightened."

She also taught them, "We should have our own opinions in all things, and we should not just follow the herd. What happened this time is also an alarm bell for you. Suspecting your family will easily break up the affection. What can't be said and asked between us? Why didn't you ask me directly when you have doubts in your hearts? Why did you listen to the words of outsiders or servants?"

Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan were too ashamed to look up at her. They said, "We were muddled."

"Who has no fault? Just correct it!" Wei Changying said with a smile, "Well, we are all sisters. There is nothing that can't be said. That's it. Don't mention it anymore."

She put down the tea bowl and said amiably, "In the mansion of Duke Jingping, aunt has already got over and planned to manage things by herself. Today, our mothers are coming back. Let's go and meet them."

"Yes." Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan wouldn't refuse. They were relieved in their hearts. It was good to end this resentment before their eldest aunt and their father's wife come back.

Otherwise, it was not a big matter to make Madam Pei worried. The eldest aunt, Madam Song, was a person who regarded her children more important than her life. If she knew that they listened to the rumors and despised her daughter, she would definitely fight with the third branch.

Now, although all the servants familiar with them had been changed, they also brought tea to apologize and finally got the forgiveness of their cousin.

In this way, even if their mother blamed them and the eldest aunt was not happy about it. She wouldn't look into it, would she?

With such a worried and happy mood, they accompanied Wei Changying to the second gate to meet the Madam Song and Madam Pei who had been helping in the mansion of Duke Jingping for several days.

After meeting each other, they greeted as usual. They went to Old Madam together to pay respects and went back to their rooms.

Madam Pei's face darkened as soon as he stepped into the third room. When she got to the room, she sat down and told the servants to leave. Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan were scared by her face. Because of the inferiority of her family background, Madam Pei wished to show everyone that she was "able and virtuous". Either to her own daughter or to other children, Madam Pei was always amiable. Even if the children made mistakes, she was gentle and patient, and would not give such a look easily.

Now it was obvious that she had known that they had offended Wei Changying!

Wei Gaochan was the eldest daughter of the concubine. To avoid that people would say that she was jealous, Madam Pei was more tolerant to her than to her lineal daughter, so at the moment, Wei Changyan dare not speak. However, Wei Gaochan became brave enough to ask, "You have been working hard these days. Now you finally come back. Do... do you want to have a rest first? Shall we come back and pay respects later?"

"You two evils! Did you have any respect to me?" Madam Pei gave them a cold look, but she didn't go around in circles. She asked directly, "I heard that you listened to the words of several servants who spread the rumors. At the first time that you went to Duke Jingping mansion to mourn, did you refuse to share the carriage with your third elder sister?"

“… We just apologized to the third sister, and the third sister said that she would forgive us." Wei Gaochan explained timidly, "And those servants were also dismissed. Just now, the third sister invited us to meet the eldest aunt and you at the second gate together!"

Madam Pei had been helping in Duke Jingping mansion these days. Since her husband was assassinated, the little Mrs. Liu, the royal heir of Duke Jingping, had been unable to get up and hadn't eaten or drunk. Until yesterday, she gradually recovered. However, Duke Jingping's wife had already passed away, and her daughter-in-law had to keep vigil beside the coffin, leaving the huge backyard to Madam Song and Madam Pei.

So these sisters-in-law were so busy and exhausted these days that they didn't go back to Ruiyu Hall in person. She only heard a few words from her trusted servants. She only knew part of what happened in Ruiyu Hall these days. At this moment, listening to Wei Gaochan's words, Madam Pei was surprised, "Did you apologize?"

Wei Changyan said, "Yes, mother. Sister and I offered tea to the third sister to make amends. She drank the tea and taught us. She said that it was over."

Pei was relieved. She knew that although her niece was extremely favored, she was not bad-hearted. Since she said it was over, even if Madam Song vexed, but they went to plead with Wei Changying in private, Wei Changying would also speak for the third branch. A big stone fell to the ground in her heart, but Madam Pei was still dissatisfied with her two daughters and scolded, "What were you doing?! If it were not for your third sister, Gaochuan would not have been able to return safely! Your father didn't have many sons. If something happened to Gaochuan... Gaoya was still young. When you get married, the third branch would be weak and don't have any heir. Do you think you will have a good life?"

Wei Gaochan couldn’t help but explain, "I heard that on that day on the highway, the third sister was just desperately saving the fifth younger brother. Later, she retreated into the forest only with the fifth younger brother. The fourth brother was shot down and hid under the horse. He escaped by chance."

Pei hesitated to make a response and then said angrily, "What do you know? If your third sisters and others had not fled and led the assassins away, would those assassins not have carefully examined the bodies on the highway? In that case, can Gaochuan survive? What's more, Gaochuan was already shot by the arrow. It was inconvenient for him to move. It would encumber others, if they had escaped with him. No one could escape with him! It's right to lead the assassins away without him! Do you know?!"

“… Yes! "Wei Gaochan blushed and said, "I'm not ungrateful to the third sister. Not to mention what happened on highway, usually, the third sister took good care of us."

"Then why are you so muddled this time?"

"But this time, the reputation and integrity of the third sister was a big scandal all over the city!" Wei Gaochan was very aggrieved and dragged her clothing. "On that day, when we saw that the third sister was going to visit Duke Jingping mansion, my sister and I wanted to persuade the third elder sister not to go for her own good. We were afraid that the third elder sister would go there and heard the rumors, which would make her sad."

Wei Changyan nodded.

Pei sneered, "You can't even fool me! So why didn't you tell her straight? And why did you propose not to share the carriage with her later? Do you know that even if your third sister were not Old Madam's favorite, you would also break the taboo in the family!"

Wei Gaochan bit her lips and said cautiously, "Mother, please listen to me. The rumors about the third sister were too... too awful. It was too much for me to listen to those words. I thought if we go out with my third sister, others would definitely talk about my sister and me, so... I became cowardly. I really had no face to go with the third sister. Mother, you didn't know what those people in the rear courtyard of Duke Jingping mansion said about her. My sister and I were... If the third sister hadn't told us to be quiet, we couldn't even have borne sitting in the pavilion!"

Seeing that the eldest daughter of the concubine said it for some reason, the lineal daughter nodded frequently. Madam Pei almost got speechless. She said in a trembling voice, "Whether for a noble family or not, the reputation and integrity of girls is a big matter! Although, before, the rumors said that your third sister's innocence was flawed, our family didn't admit it! You chimed in with others, and disliked her first. What do you think of it would sound like for the outsiders?!"

"Of course, they would think your third sister is really not chaste! That's why you two sisters disliked her! "Madam Pei couldn't bear it and her tears dropped down like rain, "Why didn't you think about it? Will it be good for you, if your third sister was really considered unclean? You are her cousins! The outsider hasn't found the evidence yet. You cut the ground from under her feet first and stabbed her! Today, although no one talks about it in the clan, they have actually recorded it! Do you think that refusing to take the same carriage with her at that time can prove your innocence? Wrong! The family will only see your coldness and foolishness! You almost ruined the reputation of the clan!"

Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan's faces changed at the same time, "But on that day, in the mansion of Duke Jingping, we also heard that people in our family said some bad words about the third sister, which was very unpleasant to hear!"

"Stupid!" Madam Pei was so angry that she pounded the table and said, "Do you really think that the conversation between the daughters of our family was accidentally heard by you?"

Wei Changyan said with a sigh, "Is it...?"

"That was arranged by Old Madam!" Madam Pei said angrily, "Two days ago, the old lady sent someone to Duke Jingping mansion to ask me to send something to our mansion in the name of Duke Jingping mansion, which included a white silk!"

"How... how could it happen?!" Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan panicked and said, "Grandma..."

Pei sneered and said, "Old Madam only has one lineal granddaughter, your third sister. How can you be compared with her? Don't you think it's strange that you didn't get punished harshly these days for doing such a stupid thing? After all, it's just because, like the white silk, the conversation you heard in rear courtyard of Duke Jingping mansion was regarded as something honing your third sister by Old Madam. That's all!"

She lowered her voice, "There is a lot of gossip outside. It's impossible to hide it from your third sister for a lifetime! But Old Madam didn't want your third sister to be tired of the rumor. She simply took an extreme measure. First she blocked the news to your third sister, then she let it be revealed to her at once, and then she forced her with the white silk. It was just to force your third sister to give vent out and pass it! Otherwise, look at your third brother! He is the lineal second son of your second uncle. He hasn't offended anyone in your oldest uncle's branch! Just because your second uncle said to let him succeed, now you can see him trembling in front of Old Madam!"

Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan suddenly had no idea. They turn pale and said, "Mother, what can we do now?"

"Thanks to the kindness of your third sister." Madam Pei sighed and said, "You are lucky. In order to let your third sister survive the rumor alone, the old lady deliberately forbade your eldest aunt to come back. I was asked to prepare the white silk. Your third sister has already put the responsibility on the servants for you. Otherwise, this time if your eldest aunt were in the mansion, she could almost eat you alive! Don't mess with the eldest branch. I've been teaching you this since you were young. Why don't you listen to me?"

Seeing that her two daughters were frightened and helpless and couldn't help crying, Madam Pei herself was tired and didn't want to reprimand them. She shook her head and said, "Well, it's the bad of the servants this time. You should also pay attention to others in the future. Don't just listen to people around you!"

It seemed that there were all new people. Madam Pei frowned and asked, "How did you deal with those servants who gossiped this time? Don't punish them without sincerity. Your third sister would still have unpleasantness in her heart! And whom have you dismissed, and where are the people around you from today?"

Wei Gaochan and Wei Changyan saw that Madam Pei seemed to end it. They were all relieved. Wei Changyan hurriedly said, "Mother, don't worry. They were all punished according to the third sister's order. She will be satisfied."

Wei Gaochan also said, "Most of the close servants have been changed. Although there are a few who haven't spread the rumor, it's important to let the third sister calm down. Now the servants are transferred from the outer courtyard."

The two sisters thought that they completely followed the rule "not to provoke the eldest branch" in this matter and Madam Pei should be satisfied. Unexpectedly, Madam Pei's face turned black after hearing this. After a while, she said, stressing each syllable, "You two fools! Gaochan is 17 years old and Changyan is 15. Within three years, both of you will be married. Now you have changed all the people who serve you since you were children. Will you have enough reliable servants after you get married?"

She went on with a trembling voice, "Not to mention that! You knew who were spreading the rumors and who were innocent but implicated. Why didn't you ask for favor for these innocent people? If you pleaded for them, it would be up to your third sister. If you didn't speak for them, you would be too cold and merciless. The servants who have been serving you for many years have taken the blame for you. How couldn't you say a word for them!"

"As such a ruthless master. No matter who will serve you in the future, do you expect them to be loyal to you?!"

"You can't even see such obvious calculation of your third sister. How dare you dislike her?!"