The Wang family remained peaceful.
The young ladies tacitly agreed not to tell the elders about the events of Qingming. Those from the eldest branch dared not, while Wang Qingyao had no one to confide in. She did, however, mention it to Nian Momo and the others.
Within a few days, the news of Wang Qinglin snatching her cousin's fiancé spread throughout the capital.
Wang Da only learned of the matter when he was impeached by the Censorate during court. Enraged, he returned home and flew into a fury, pointing at Bai Shi and scolding her for her poor upbringing of their children.
"In front of all the civil and military officials and the Emperor, they impeached me for indulging my children in bullying an orphan, saying that the father is responsible for the son's lack of education! They said the Wang family's upper beams are not straight, and the lower beams are crooked!" Wang Da was still furious remembering it; he had never been so humiliated in his life.
The censors, having too much idle time, always focused on the private lives of officials. Even if he took another concubine, they would gossip about it for half a day, let alone such a colossal scandal!
Especially the Zuo father and son. They were related by marriage to the maternal grandfather's family of Prince Ding'an. Once Wang Qingyao married into Prince Ding'an's mansion, they would indirectly become relatives. Yet, these two cursed the most fiercely, showing him no mercy! Several political rivals also took the opportunity to kick him while he was down, sneering and accusing his family of having a corrupt upbringing.
The Emperor said nothing. He guessed it was entirely because the broken engagement had freed up Wang Qingyao, allowing the royal marriage to proceed so smoothly, that the Emperor was not holding it against him.
The Minister of Revenue was to retire next year, and it was a crucial time for him. Not a single mistake could be afforded!
"I disagreed with Qinglin and Tian Yu's matter from the start. You said everything was arranged and would not affect the Wang family's reputation, so I agreed. Now look, look at what they're saying outside! It doesn't matter if Qinglin is engaged, but she has two younger sisters below her! Who will dare to marry a daughter of our Wang family in the future?"
Bai Shi inwardly sneered repeatedly.
It was true that she had proposed Wang Qinglin and Tian Yu's matter, but Wang Da had clearly been delighted upon hearing it. Tian Yu possessed the talent of a top scholar and was certain to excel in the upcoming imperial examinations! It was precisely for this reason that Wang Da had agreed to the engagement.
Now, when trouble arose, he put on a righteous act and blamed her!
Bai Shi cursed Wang Da to the heavens in her heart, but outwardly, she showed no emotion, only feigning surprise, "How could this matter have gotten out? Everyone in the Wang family had agreed on a unified story, and no one would speak carelessly, unless..."
She implied that Wang Qingyao was spreading rumors.
Wang Da's face darkened, "Stop slinging mud at her. She is about to become a princess. She wishes no one would mention this matter, so why would she spread it herself?" He frowned when he recalled some officials who seemed to have mentioned "Qingming" while watching the spectacle.
He had been on leave that day and knew that the young ladies of the family, along with Tian Yu and Prince Ding'an, had gone out together. It seemed Wang Qinglin had returned quite early and was in a somewhat unusual mood...
Thinking of this, his expression grew even more somber. "Go and summon the children to my study."
Bai Shi sent people to call them one by one. The three young ladies from the eldest branch stood in a neat row, as beautiful as flowers. However, these three flowers were all somewhat trembling today.
Wang Qinglin's complexion was haggard, her face covered with a thick layer of powder, devoid of her usual radiance.
Wang Da stared at her for a moment and asked, "What happened on Qingming that day?"
Wang Qinglin visibly trembled, her lips quivering, unable to speak.
Seeing her like this, Wang Da's anger flared. He slammed the table, "Are you mute?"
Wang Qinglin was so startled that she immediately knelt down, "Father, please forgive me. It's just that I don't know where to begin."
As she knelt, Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu also knelt down.
Veins bulged on Wang Da's forehead. He suppressed his discomfort and said, "Start from when you left the house."
Wang Qinglin then said, "Yes," and slowly recounted the events of that day.
"...We accidentally ran into the Bai family's cousins and went over to greet them. Second sister was playing with the Prince when they saw her and asked a few questions, saying wasn't she originally engaged to Master Tian? I said it was originally arranged for me, but somehow it spread that it was for second sister. These words might fool those who don't know us well, but the Bai sisters didn't believe a word. They even said they would go and ask Prince Ding'an what was going on. Could the royal family bully others and snatch their wives? I was afraid of causing trouble, so in a moment of desperation, I had to make up a lie..."
"I said second sister broke off her engagement with Master Tian to repay the Wang family for raising her. But the Bai sisters insisted she was greedy for vanity and broke her promise to climb the social ladder. Cousin Chun even took a jade spider to scare her, wanting to get justice for Master Tian."
"Father, you don't know, Cousin Chun... she has always admired Master Tian, so she..."
"Who knew Cousin Chun's attempt to scare second sister backfired, and second sister made the jade spider disappear. They argued, and Cousin Chun, unable to control her tongue, said everything. Second sister then used her to confront me..."
"I thought this was a private matter for our Wang family and couldn't be laughed at by outsiders, so I hinted to second sister to discuss it at home. But second sister was relentless and even revealed the matter between me and Master Tian..."
Wang Qinglin finished her story in tears, then kowtowed heavily, "It is my daughter's lack of foresight that has implicated the Wang family's reputation. I beg Father to punish me!"
Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu knelt beside her, listening and finding it increasingly wrong. This eloquence, this logic, this ability to twist facts – they were truly beyond reach. In short, everything was someone else's fault. It was all because Bai Junzhu had overstepped, and Wang Qingyao had been tactless. It had nothing to do with her.
"Is that so?" Wang Da looked at Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu with half-belief.
How could these two dare to say "no"? They nodded repeatedly.
Wang Da's expression finally improved slightly. After a moment, he asked again, "Why didn't you report this matter that day?" If he had known then, he would have had a plan to deal with it. Now that the rumors had spread, it would be difficult to stop them.
Wang Qinglin shed silent tears, aggrieved, "My daughter thought it wouldn't get out..."
"You, you..." Wang Da was furious and wanted to scold her, but then felt that she hadn't done anything wrong. Yet, if she hadn't done anything wrong, the matter was still caused by her.
He paced back and forth in the room, growing more and more agitated.
Finally, he slapped the table and said sternly, "Issue my command: from today onwards, the eldest young lady is confined to her quarters for one month, the third and fourth young ladies for ten days, and their monthly allowances will be halved."
Wang Qingzhen was indignant. This matter had nothing to do with her and Wang Qingzhu.
Wang Da, as if he could read her mind, glanced at her and Wang Qingzhu, who were about to argue, "Do you two feel wronged, thinking I shouldn't punish you?"
Wang Qingzhen bit her lip and remained silent. Wang Qingzhu lowered her head and said, "My daughter dares not."
"The same character 'Wang' is used in both words, but they are written differently. No matter how you are within the family, outside you are all members of the Wang family, sharing glory and shame. Hiding it from the family is not sisterly affection, but harming yourselves! If Qinglin's reputation is tarnished, it will affect you two as well!"
Wang Qingzhen and Wang Qingzhu were stunned and said in unison, "Daughter knows her mistake."