Han Yue’e looked at Qingsong in utter disbelief. If she had a knife in her hand right now, she would have killed him without hesitation.
This useless wretch, this scoundrel!
He could have set the fire and slipped away without anyone ever finding out.
But not only was he caught, now he was dragging her down with him!
She immediately burst into tears: “Uncle, how would I dare?!”
There were so many guests present, and with Qi Yuan watching from the side, Han Yue’e decisively knelt down, crawling toward Qi Zhen, grabbing the hem of his robe as she sobbed.
“Uncle, my father died on the battlefield, and the other family members coveted his lands and rewards—they hated me so much they would have devoured me alive…”
Many of the guests looked on with sympathy.
At this reunion banquet, Qi Zhen had invited quite a few people from the military.
After all, he had served in the army himself, and many of his old friends were still active officers.
Most of them knew Han Yue’e’s father and were aware of why Han Yue’e was living with the Qi family.
Yes, Han Yue’e really did have a pitiful background…
Han Yue’e pushed on, choking back sobs: “Uncle, I am just a rootless drifter. That you would give me a place to stay and treat me as your own daughter—I am already endlessly grateful! Burning the Qi ancestral hall—how would that benefit me?”
Qi Yuan quietly smiled to himself and applauded Han Yue’e in his heart.
What a skillful player—just a few words and she had completely distanced herself from the situation.
Who wouldn’t feel sorry for such a girl after hearing that?
Qi Zhen was now caught in uncertainty.
He actually tended to believe Qingsong—after all, Qingsong was a born-and-raised servant of the family, what benefit would lying bring him?
But looking at Han Yue’e now, crying like she wanted to die, it also seemed like she truly had a clear conscience.
If it were someone else, Qi Zhen would have simply conducted a strict interrogation to get to the bottom of it.
But Han Yue’e’s status was special. She was the orphan of one of his fallen comrades, raised in the Qi family. If anything happened to her, he would easily be accused of being ungrateful and heartless.
The Old Marquis finally barked at Qingsong: “You’d better think carefully before you speak! If even half of your words are false, I will not spare you!”
Qingsong shrank on the ground like a prawn and burst into loud sobs: “Old Marquis, Marquis, I swear I am not making this up! I did it because Miss Han ordered me to! Miss Han said, if we burn the ancestral hall, the young lady will never be able to show her face in this family again…”
Han Yue’e was so furious she almost ground her teeth to dust.
Had Qingsong gone insane? Why was he clinging to her and biting like this?!
Even if he had framed Qi Yunting, it would have been more convincing and less dangerous!
Why wouldn’t he let go of her?!
Qingsong banged his head on the floor, again and again, as if he didn’t feel any pain: “Old Marquis, Marquis! Miss Han is lying! She clearly has other motives—I’ve seen her maid Lian’er frequently sneaking out of the residence to deliver messages!”
Leaving the residence, delivering messages?
Qi Zhen turned back to scrutinize Han Yue’e, as if digesting Qingsong’s words.
The Old Marquis, however, acted decisively, lowering his gaze and instructing Liu Zhong: “Take some men and search Miss Han’s quarters! See if there’s anything unusual!”
The crowd erupted in surprise.
Qi Yuan also glanced at Han Yue’e’s expression. He noticed that she was clutching Qi Zhen’s robe so tightly that the veins on the back of her hand were bulging.
It was clear—there was something in her room that couldn’t see the light of day.
The Old Marquis took a deep breath, cupped his hands to the guests, and said solemnly: “Honored guests, I apologize for this farce. But this concerns our family’s ancestral hall and heritage—I cannot afford to overlook even the smallest suspicion.”
He spoke openly and forthrightly, implying that the matter was too serious to ignore, and no one could object to that.
Everyone agreed, “Perfectly understandable, perfectly understandable.”
The Old Marquis then said, “I swear here today, if the servants falsely accused Miss Han, I will personally kneel and apologize to her, and I will see to it that she is married off as a cherished granddaughter.”
His words left no room for complaint—this was the most proper way to handle it. The guests all exchanged knowing glances and looked at Han Yue’e.
Han Yue’e was so anxious it felt like her blood had frozen. The cold winter wind sliced across her cheeks like knives.
Why was this happening?!
It was Qi Yunting who ordered Qingsong to burn the ancestral hall and frame Qi Yuan.
Why had Qingsong turned around and accused her instead?
Qingsong trembled on the floor, pretending not to notice Han Yue’e’s murderous glare.
Before long, Liu Zhong quickly returned and whispered a few words into Qi Zhen’s ear.
Qi Zhen immediately lost control of his temper: “What?!”
Liu Zhong stepped back and nodded slightly.
Han Yue’e’s heart leapt into her throat.
She had hidden her things very carefully—especially the letters between her and His Highness. She had already burned the critical ones.
Even if Liu Zhong’s men searched, they shouldn’t have been able to find anything.
But then she suddenly remembered—there were still a few recent letters stashed in a secret compartment under her pillow.
Could Liu Zhong have found them?!
Her heart nearly stopped from the fright, but she quickly reassured herself. No, no, they couldn’t have found them.
That secret compartment was so well hidden under her pillow, Liu Zhong couldn’t possibly have discovered it.
But Qi Zhen was now staring at her coldly, suppressing his rage as he demanded: “If you didn’t want to stay in the Qi family, you could have just told me! Why bother playing these ghostly tricks in my house?!”
Han Yue’e was utterly stunned, her eyes wide in panic: “Uncle, I don’t understand…”
“You don’t understand?” Qi Zhen sneered, snatching a stack of letters from Liu Zhong’s hands and hurling them directly at Han Yue’e.
The letters scattered like snowflakes, landing on her shoulders, her clothes, and the floor around her.
No one expected Qi Zhen to be this furious—everyone was momentarily dumbfounded.
Lu Shangshu frowned and called out, “Marquis Yongping, what is going on here?”
Qi Zhen was grinding his teeth in fury. After calming himself, he said to Lu Shangshu, “Sir, take a look at these letters. Over the years, she’s been secretly corresponding with someone, revealing every detail about our family! Even the fact that my daughter returned and had conflicts with the family—she reported it all! What does she intend to do?!”
Secret correspondence, exchanging sensitive information, transmitting family affairs.
Any one of these accusations was enough to shake the entire room.
Lu Shangshu picked up one of the letters, scanned it, and his expression immediately changed. He frowned at Han Yue’e—though he said nothing, his face had already said everything.
