How dared she speak the truth!

Jiang Lingyao paused, lifted her gaze, and said word by word, "I am sorry, but everything from back then was merely idle talk. I must ask Your Lordship to put it out of your mind."

Pei Xingzhi felt as though his heart had been struck a violent blow. He opened his eyes wide in disbelief, his voice dry and strained, "You... Mingzhu, do not be willful. Do not make rash decisions just out of spite."

He thought that Jiang Lingyao must still be angry because, the last time he saved her, he had said in his annoyance that he had only rescued her because he mistook her for Song Lian'er.

Yet this was a matter of marriage! How could she speak such nonsense simply out of a momentary fit of pique?

Suppressing the anger rising within him, Pei Xingzhi said in a deep voice, "Mingzhu, calm yourself first. In a few days, I shall come to formally discuss the marriage with the Old Lady Jiang."

A trace of astonishment flickered across Jiang Lingyao's face at his persistence, but she then said indifferently, "There is no spite whatsoever. Must Your Lordship deliberately make an unsightly scene and force me to spell it out?"

"Lord Pei, I no longer hold the slightest bit of romantic affection for you. Besides, my reputation is now completely ruined; you can easily find a much better wife. There is no need to feel responsible for me simply because of a joke made by our elders."

Knowing how petty Pei Xingzhi could be, Jiang Lingyao restrained her disgust and stopped short of cutting all ties completely. She took a deep breath to suppress the rising irritation within her, and then said slowly, "Grandmother still needs to rest. I must ask First Brother to escort Lord Pei out of the estate."

A tempest raged in Pei Xingzhi's heart. He stared fixedly at Jiang Lingyao's utterly nonchalant expression, a sudden sense of surrealism washing over him.

In the past, whenever Jiang Lingyao spoke to him, she was always shy and bashful with gentle eyes. Whenever people at banquets teased them about their match, she would blush to the tips of her ears every single time and instinctively look up at him.

Yet now, she looked at him with absolute indifference, even bluntly rejecting the marriage, her gaze as cold as that of a stranger.

Pei Xingzhi was a favored son of the heavens; when had he ever suffered such a setback?

He stood frozen in place, a crimson hue gradually creeping into the corners of his eyes.

Seeing his expression, Jiang 修远 (Jiang Xiuyuan) felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly chimed in to appease Jiang Lingyao, saying, "Go, go, go, I shall escort Brother Pei out."

"Actually, Mingzhu is quite right. Brother Pei is so accomplished now, and noble maidens of every house are yours to choose from. Since Jiang Lingyao is indeed unworthy of you now, why must you dwell on this?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Jiang Lingyao's gaze turned abruptly chilling. Jiang Xiuyuan now constantly had words belittling her hanging on his lips—he was truly sickening.

Seeing that Pei Xingzhi remained silent, Jiang Xiuyuan could not help but continue, "Jiang Lingyao's temper is far too spoiled; she is incapable of assuming the role of a primary matriarch. If only she had even a ten-thousandth of Lian'er's sensibility, I would never try to persuade you like this."

"Besides..."

As he spoke, he seemed to be using this opportunity to voice his true thoughts, spewing out every single criticism of Jiang Lingyao all at once.

Jiang Lingyao's heart skipped a beat instinctively, and she quickly turned to look at the Old Lady.

She did not care in the least about the opinions of these people from the marquis's estate; her only concern was how her grandmother felt.

"Bang—"

With a swift and decisive motion, the Old Lady brought her teacup down, hurling it fiercely at Jiang Xiuyuan's head. It struck him with such force that his vision went dark, and before he could see what had happened, he cursed out, "Jiang Lingyao! How dare you strike me?"

Turning his head, he saw that the Old Lady had not yet retracted the hand she had used to throw the cup. In sheer disbelief, his tone dropped instantly, "Grandmother, why... why did you throw a teacup at me?"

Jiang Xiuyuan reached out, his hand brushing against the blood on his face, and raised his head with an even more rebellious expression.

"Why?" The Old Lady let out a cold laugh, her countenance turning frosty, her usually benevolent gaze gradually growing heavy. "When I am not at home on ordinary days, is this how you disparage your younger sister?"

Jiang Xiuyuan was stunned, yet he subconsciously muttered, "How is this disparagement? Clearly it is—"

His voice grew softer and softer, finally trailing off into silence beneath the Old Lady's cold and stern glare.

Yet Jiang Lingyao had already completely lost her reputation, and her temper was foul; how did she resemble a noble maiden in any way?

If she were to marry Pei Xingzhi, she would surely be spurned and abandoned sooner rather than later!

Jiang Lingyao inwardly sneered. Staring at Jiang Xiuyuan's current look of dissatisfaction, she could not help but let out a derisive laugh.

"Jiang Xiuyuan, is not the ruin of my reputation a gift bestowed by you? Was it not you who first turned on me when Song Lian'er smashed the Buddha statue? Was it not you who constantly went about various banquets proclaiming that I had a vile temper?"

As she spoke, her tone grew increasingly frigid. Unwittingly, she clenched her palms tight to quell the fury raging in her heart. "All of this is because of you, yet you turn around and point the finger at me? Jiang Xiuyuan, have you no shame at all!"

Having someone to back you up made all the difference.

The corners of Jiang Lingyao's eyes grew slightly warm, and her grandmother at her side had already reached out to gently pat the back of her hand, offering her boundless comfort.

Though she had initially felt calm, hearing her grandmother stand up for her today caused all the suppressed grievances of the past few days to instantly breach the levies, rushing a whole flood of accusations straight to her lips.

The Old Lady's face grew even darker.

Beneath the Old Lady's furious glare, panic began to creep into Jiang Xiuyuan's heart. How dared Jiang Lingyao drag this matter out into the open?