"Threats? So you're selfish and afraid of consequences, and that's why you care nothing about Xiangfu's reputation?" Su Yiyi's words made the woman in pink freeze. "Third Sister, what are you talking about? You're the one who humiliated the Prime Minister's estate!"
"If that's the case, then for the sake of our family's name, you should have stopped me right away and informed Father. Why are you only bringing this up now, after I've been missing the entire night? Clearly, you didn't care if I lived or died! And now that I'm back alive, you want to heap more humiliation on top of my wounds?"
Su Yiyi's voice rang loud and clear. The sharpness in her gaze rendered Su Yuanyuan speechless.
Why was Third Sister suddenly so sharp-tongued? Su Wanwan found it strange, but still stepped forward. "Why must Third Sister insult Fourth Sister like this? She's still young, and doesn't understand how serious this matter is. But you, Third Sister, how could you go in and out of a brothel as the daughter of the Prime Minister's house?"
"Didn't Eldest Sister go there too?"
What?! The whole hall fell silent in shock. But Su Yiyi stood tall, her back straight. She had realized something!
"Why did Eldest Sister go to Red Street to look for me? Or... did you already know I would appear there?" Her tone was suggestive as she stepped forward. Su Wanwan stiffened. For some reason, she felt a pressure pressing down on her. Third Sister today... felt like a completely different person!
Su Yiyi recalled the vague conversations she overheard while half-awake. The Third Young Miss of Xiangfu had clearly been framed! Now, the truth was beginning to surface.
"I—I heard from Fourth Sister that Father sent people out all night to look for you and got no news, so Eldest Sister led people to Flower Street to investigate. Who would've thought you'd actually go through with something like that, Third Sister..."
Seeing the guilty look flash across Su Wanwan's face, Su Yiyi felt more certain. "Then if Xiangfu's reputation is truly ruined, Eldest Sister must also bear responsibility!"
What?! Before anyone could react, Su Yiyi continued logically, "Sister, without knowing the truth, you rashly brought people to Flower Street to find me. Does that mean you didn't care about my reputation at all? If word got out, wouldn't the Prime Minister's estate become a laughingstock? As the eldest daughter, shouldn't you be considering the bigger picture? Even if I was on Flower Street, you should've gone in secret, not caused a big scene with our family banner waving in the wind!"
Su Wen's eyes shifted. It was his first time seeing Su Yiyi speak with such righteous clarity. Her words were... painfully reasonable.
The pig-faced girl sobbed sorrowfully. "Father, your daughter was truly kidnapped by bad people. To protect her purity, she had no choice but to jump into the river to escape. And when she returned, she was met not with comfort, but blame! Your daughter has been so wronged… I would've been better off drowning in the water..."
Su Yiyi clutched the handkerchief in her sleeve, dabbing at the tears she'd successfully squeezed out. Her piggish face looked even worse now that she was crying, yet only Su Wen could feel sorry for her.
"There, there. It's Father's fault. Don't cry." He reached out to take her handkerchief and gently wiped her tears. But unexpectedly, this simple action caused an audible gasp throughout the room.
"..." What the Prime Minister had picked up... wasn't a handkerchief at all. It was... underwear?!
Everyone stared in disbelief.
"Father!!" Su Wanwan cried out. She looked at Su Yiyi with undisguised contempt, the corners of her lips twitching.
She actually hid a man's underwear in her sleeve, and still dared to say she didn't visit a brothel?! Su Yuanyuan couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Third Sister's handkerchief is quite... unique! I wonder which male prostitute it belonged to!"
Su Wen finally looked at what he was holding... and his expression turned dark.
Su Yiyi's lips twitched. Ahem. Total accident! That was from a handsome ladyboy, and she had forgotten to destroy the evidence! But she would never admit she kept it as a souvenir.
"This... wuwuwu… Father, I'm so pitiful. This must be something that pervert slipped into my sleeve while I was struggling! I'm scared! What if he tries to break into the manor and… and… take my beauty for himself?!"
Su Yiyi huddled into Su Wen's arms, her shoulders trembling pitifully.
Everyone's expressions froze. Take her for her beauty?! No one dared to say it out loud.