"To see her is not difficult. Bring that lowly thing up here. Today, I, the old madam, will make myself clear. Our General's Estate can no longer tolerate her. We ask that your Ministry official's estate take her back!"
Madam Yan was displeased upon hearing the old madam's words. Her daughter was a person, not a "thing." However, Madam Xiao was always shrewd. Seeing her current demeanor, it was possible that Jia Yi had committed a significant mistake. She quickly stepped forward to appease her husband and then smiled apologetically at the old madam.
"Old madam, please do not be angry. Whatever mistake Jia Yi has made, you may punish her as you see fit. But please, do not say such things," Madam Yan said tactfully.
The old madam glared at Madam Yan. "You teach your daughters well. They are truly going to ruin my General's Estate!"
Minister Yan's eyelids twitched. He felt an immediate unease. Strangely, none of the servants attending to his daughter were present. But considering his eldest daughter was an imperial concubine and had the Tenth Prince's backing, he felt somewhat reassured. However, the moment Madam Yan was brought in, Minister Yan's face turned ashen!
Madam Yan's cheeks were swollen, her hair disheveled, her clothes tattered, and her hands bound. Madam Yan shrieked and quickly took her cloak to cover Madam Yan. Besides the maids they had brought, there were many young servants in the room. How could her daughter's body be exposed to others?!
"All of you, leave!" Minister Yan immediately reprimanded the people he had brought with him. He finally realized, albeit belatedly, that the situation was not simple.
After the reception hall was cleared of outsiders, Minister Yan spoke with a displeased expression.
"Old Madam Xiao, what is the meaning of this?"
"Father, Mother." Seeing her parents, Madam Yan burst into tears. She had almost thought she would never see her family again.
The old madam snorted. "What is the meaning? Why don't you ask your good daughter what she has done? Ask her, my son is away in the army for long periods, what are these marks all over her body? And what is this bastard child she is carrying?"
The old madam's words struck like a thunderclap, leaving Madam Yan and her husband dizzy. They looked at their daughter with disbelief, as if they couldn't accept that their daughter, whom they had rigorously taught since childhood, would engage in clandestine affairs!
"Father, daughter does not know what is happening. Daughter has been framed!"
"Framed?" The old madam chuckled incessantly. "You say the estate physician framed you, so I went outside and found three doctors, all of whom are reputable. What, did they also conspire to frame you? If you think I have framed you, then let the doctors from your Ministry official's estate examine her, and see if I have framed you!"
Minister Yan had thought his daughter was framed. But hearing the old madam speak with such certainty, he was momentarily speechless. Not only had their daughter committed adultery, but she was also pregnant. The Protector General's Estate was no small household. With such an incident, no one would question it even if the Protector General killed Madam Yan.
When Madam Yan was helping Madam Yan put on the cloak, she had already noticed the marks all over her daughter and felt uneasy. The hand supporting her daughter trembled slightly. Minister Yan quickly assessed the situation. There were several other young masters and ladies in the estate, and in the palace, there was Virtuous Consort and the Tenth Prince. This matter absolutely could not get out, otherwise, his position as Minister of Rites would be over!
"Old madam, how do you intend to handle this matter?" Minister Yan, as someone experienced in officialdom, knew that Old Madam Xiao valued her reputation and would certainly not publicize it. This matter could only be handled privately.
"As I said, my General's Estate cannot tolerate her. You take her away. Killing her would dirty my hands."
Madam Yan supported Madam Yan, looking at her with a mixture of disappointment and anger. Even if Xiao Zhen was away in the army for long periods and she was lonely in her chambers, she shouldn't have done such a shameless thing.
"A married daughter is like spilled water. From the day Yan Jia Yi married, she became a person of the Protector General's Estate." Minister Yan naturally could not take her back. If Yan Jia Yi was brought home for no reason, who knew how many people would become curious, and then the truth would be out.
The old madam heard this and smiled. "So you mean we should bear with it? Don't forget, she has committed the 'seven grounds for divorce.' The General's Estate can divorce her!"
"Old madam, may I ask by what reason the General's Estate will divorce her?" Minister Yan's palms were already sweating, but he could not back down. As long as this matter was suppressed, nothing would happen. The key was to persuade Old Madam Xiao. "Does the General's Estate not care about its reputation?"
"Are you threatening me?" The old madam narrowed her eyes.
"Old madam misunderstands. Jia Yi has made a mistake. As a mother-in-law, whatever punishment you deem fit is deserved. My Ministry official's estate will absolutely not interfere. However, this matter concerns the reputation of both families. I implore old madam, for the sake of Virtuous Consort and the Tenth Prince, to handle this matter privately. After all, if it becomes public, no one will look good."
The old madam hesitated. She had always valued her reputation, but what Madam Yan had done was an insult to the General's Estate. She could not swallow this anger. Seeing Madam Yan made her feel extremely disgusted, especially since Madam Yan was carrying a bastard child. But if this matter became public, it would be the General's Estate that lost face.
"Have her confess that wild man."
Minister Yan immediately looked at Madam Yan. "Speak, who is that man?"
"Daughter... daughter does not know..."
Minister Yan was so angry that he raised his hand and slapped Madam Yan. "Even now, you are still protecting your adulterer!"
Madam Yan was in extreme distress. If there really was an adulterer, she would admit it. But there wasn't. Where would she find an adulterer to explain to everyone? But if there was no adulterer, how would she explain the child in her belly? Madam Yan knew she had been schemed against, but her courtyard was heavily guarded, and her food and drink were extremely carefully managed. Who had schemed against her? And how had that man entered her courtyard without being discovered?
"Daughter truly does not know. If it weren't for the doctor's diagnosis today, daughter wouldn't have known she was pregnant!" Madam Yan said with tears. "Father, Mother, daughter truly does not know what is happening. Daughter has not committed adultery, and daughter does not know how this child came about."
Even at this point, Madam Yan refused to confess. Minister Yan was in despair. If Madam Yan had obediently confessed, the General's Estate might have, for the sake of Virtuous Consort and the Tenth Prince, imprisoned Madam Yan, and after some time, found an excuse to send her to the ancestral temple. But Madam Yan stubbornly refused to admit her mistake. In that case, he could not save her. He would act as if he had never had such a daughter.
"Old madam, this matter is at your disposal. We have no complaints." Minister Yan steeled himself, pulled his wife over, and let Madam Yan fall to the ground without even looking at her. This was all her own doing. If she hadn't been so careless, they wouldn't be subjected to this old woman's insults today.