klisemfg Chapter 575 Deliberate Frame-Up?
Chapter 575 Deliberate Frame-Up?
“I don’t need to ask to know that Nian Tang would never do such a thing. It’s impossible for her to be exchanging letters with Young Master Ling!”
Madam Ruan was absolutely certain that she knew her daughter's temperament better than anyone else, and that her upbringing from a young age would never allow her to do something so unreasonable.
"I didn't!" Ruan Niantang said anxiously. "I only met Young Master Ling once, and we have no contact whatsoever, let alone exchange letters!"
She had no recollection of Ling Yuchen when she first met him, until she heard about the Jade Mountain Gathering, at which point she remembered that she had indeed been accidentally bumped into by a young master that day.
At the time, she only heard the apology, didn't say much, and didn't remember much.
Madam Ling's words are clearly slander!
Madam Ruan frowned and immediately instructed her maid to inform Grand Tutor Ruan and the master that the situation was likely to be difficult to resolve and that she alone could not handle it.
Now that this matter has come to light, if it cannot be explained clearly, Nian Tang's reputation will be completely ruined!
She clearly has someone she likes, yet she's still exchanging letters with other men. This kind of behavior, typical of women from brothels and entertainment venues, is absolutely impossible among young ladies from noble families!
This is not only about Nian Tang's reputation, but also about the family traditions of the entire Ruan family!
When Ling Yuchen saw Ruan Niantang deny it outright, he seemed to have suffered a great shock, and his handsome face was tinged with unconcealed sadness.
"Nian Tang, how could you do this to me?"
He slowly took out a letter from his chest, his eyes reddening slightly. "You're the one who told me to come and propose today, so I asked my aunt to bring me here. Could it be... that you've been using me all along?"
When Ling Yuchen presented all the evidence, the room erupted in uproar, with everyone unsure of whom to believe.
The Ruan family has always been strict in its family traditions, and Ruan Niantang has always been gentle and obedient, and there has never been any bad rumors about her.
However, Ling Yuchen had only recently returned to the capital and had no grudge against Grand Tutor Ruan's family, so there was no need for him to be wronged.
It's not worth offending Grand Tutor Ruan for this.
Madam Ling took the letter from Ling Yuchen and handed it directly to Madam Ruan.
"Look at this, we wouldn't make things up like this."
Madam Ruan didn't believe it at all and quickly took the letter, but her face turned extremely ugly after seeing the familiar handwriting on it.
This handwriting... is exactly the same as Nian Tang's!
How can this be?
"Mother, what's wrong?"
Ruan Niantang was waiting for her mother to prove her innocence, but when she noticed her mother's strange expression, her heart jumped.
"There's Miss Ruan's seal on it, so it couldn't be something we made up," Madam Ling emphasized.
Madam Ruan couldn't help but look at Ruan Niantang. This personal seal was a gift from Grand Tutor Ruan to Niantang on her birthday, and it was specially carved by a master craftsman.
Nian Tang liked it very much and had always kept it carefully, but now the letter, whether it was her own seal or her personal stamp, all matched!
For a moment, Madam Ruan even doubted whether Nian Tang was really behind this, but she believed in her daughter more; she would never do such a thing!
Just by looking at Madam Ruan's expression, Song Ruozhen and Song Yi'an knew that there was probably a real problem.
The brother and sister exchanged a glance. They didn't doubt Nian Tang, but the person who did this was truly cunning!
Song Ruozhen nodded slightly, indicating that she knew what to do.
Angelica dahurica.
Song Ruozhen called out, and Bai Zhi, following her mistress's instructions, did not delay and quietly left when the others were not paying attention.
"I accidentally lost my personal seal a while ago, and all the maids around me know about it. Could it be that someone found my personal seal and is deliberately framing me?"
Ruan Niantang also realized that something was wrong. She had always kept her personal seal safe, but it had gone missing a few days ago.
However, she didn't know exactly when it was lost.
Ling Yuchen gave a self-deprecating laugh, his gaze filled with disappointment as he stared at Ruan Niantang. "So, you're now trying to deny all of this?"
"Young Master Ling, I have no grudge against you, I really don't understand why you would frame me for no reason?"
Ruan Niantang clenched her fists, her eyes filled with shame and indignation. She had been looking forward to this day so much, to hear the Second Young Master Song say that he wanted to marry her.
This should have been her happiest day, but she was slandered like this, especially in front of so many people.
To exchange gifts in secret and to have clandestine dealings is a grave crime!
Even though she admired the Second Young Master Song, she had to be careful even when exchanging a few words with him, and she always gave him gifts under the guise of repaying a debt of gratitude, never daring to overstep any boundaries.
If the Ling family truly confirms her guilt today, she won't be able to marry Ling Yuchen even if she doesn't want to, because she will never be able to get married again.
Even if she gets married, people will talk behind her back, and her life will be completely ruined!
"I'm accusing you? I've always been sincere with you, you're just playing me on purpose!"
Ling Yuchen glared at Song Yi'an with hatred, as if he understood everything. "From beginning to end, you just wanted to use me to make Young Master Song jealous, didn't you?"
"I don't!"
Even with Ruan Niantang's gentle nature, she turned red with anger.
At this moment, Grand Tutor Ruan and the eldest son of the Ruan family arrived upon hearing the news. Both of them had solemn expressions, having learned the whole story from the servants on their way here.
"Father-in-law, husband."
Madam Ruan handed over the letter, feeling a sense of unease.
When Ruan Yucheng saw that his younger sister had been wrongly accused, he was anxious and was about to go over to see what was going on when Chu Junting reminded him.
"Since the personal seal was lost before, if someone really framed you, where do you think the personal seal is now?"
Ruan Yucheng was slightly taken aback, but after calming down, he said, "You mean... someone will take the opportunity to send the official seal back?"
"If the private seal disappears, this plot will not succeed. If they came prepared, they will have made all the necessary arrangements."
"There are many people and a lot of noise in your residence today. If someone were to sneak into the backyard, there would be no way of knowing."
Chu Junting's deep eyes shone with wisdom. "Go there immediately. Even if you find it, you must lose it quietly."
You know perfectly well what's been going on in your household lately, and you surely know who is most likely to be the culprit.
Ruan Yucheng calmed down completely and immediately forgot about helping his sister confront the situation. He had to deal with the potential trouble first, otherwise, if the charge was truly established, his sister's life would be completely ruined.
After reading the contents of the letter, both Grand Tutor Ruan and his companion felt their hearts sink.
This handwriting... it's so familiar!
"May I take a look?" Song Yi'an asked.
The Ruan family members had slightly complicated expressions. Gu Ruyan frowned and signaled Song Yi'an not to speak, as this was not the time for them to interfere.
It's absolutely impossible for him to lie through his teeth; the Ling family would definitely take it to heart, and it would only make people more suspicious of Nian Tang.