Chapter 352

The "bang bang" sound at the gate continued, and the person outside was definitely not a friend of Su Ruyue, only someone seeking revenge would bang on someone else's gate like this!

"My daughter hasn't been out these past few days, where could she have caused trouble?"

Su Ruyue naturally denied it, after all, the witness was already dead, so what could they do to her?

"Bang!"

The onlookers outside all gasped in shock as the gate of the Su residence was smashed open by the guards with a log, creating a large hole. Not only that, but the entire gate collapsed with a loud crash.

The sight outside the gate clearly startled Lady Su and Su Ruyue.

A pretty maidservant, holding a handkerchief, waved it in the air to check for danger before signaling for the palanquin bearers to enter.

At just a glance, Lady Su froze in place.

"Your Highness, the Imperial Noble Consort? Why... why are you here?"

Lady Su hurriedly pulled Su Ruyue to kneel and pay their respects, and all the servants in the courtyard followed suit, kneeling on the ground.

The atmosphere froze for a moment, and no one dared to move without Jiang Xinyue's permission. After all, she had thirty-plus guards in official uniforms behind her.

To the uninformed, it looked as if something had happened to her husband and their home was about to be raided.

The onlookers at the gate, their eyes gleaming with excitement, whispered: "It really is the Imperial Noble Consort! My goodness! The Su family is in big trouble this time."

"The Imperial Noble Consort is so domineering, so mighty. Is she here to seek revenge for the rumors about Miss Jiang? They said the Su family spread rumors about Miss Jiang."

"I wish I had a relative like the Imperial Noble Consort who could be my backer!"

Lady Su, still unaware of what was happening, looked up with confusion: "Your Highness, what... what do you want with our family?"

Having severed ties with the Jiang family, Jiang Xinyue no longer treated Lady Su with the same kindness as before.

She raised her chin, looking down at Su Ruyue, who didn't dare to lift her head: "Xi Que, go and wash Su's filthy mouth."

With her natural aura as a high-ranking noble, Jiang Xinyue had her palanquin set down and sat comfortably: "Let the people of the capital see for themselves how the Su family raised such a vicious, selfish, and foolish daughter."

"Yes!"

Xi Que stepped forward, grabbing Su Ruyue by the back of her neck like a chick, dragging her towards the water tank.

"Ah! What are you doing? Ahhh... Mother, save me!"

Lady Su alternated between looking at her daughter and the relaxed Jiang Xinyue: "Your Highness! What... what are you doing? My... my daughter, how has she offended you? Why did you break down the gate and barge in? Is there no law left?"

Jiang Xinyue let out a cold laugh, not saying a word, lazily stroking the guard on her finger: "Xi Que, wash it a few more times."

"Splash!"

Su ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍Ruyue was thrown into the large water tank, which was filled with water and had a thin layer of ice on the surface. The ice cracked as she fell in.

Xi Que grit her teeth, lifting her head and pushing it back down, over and over again...

After more than ten repetitions, Su Ruyue went from initial cries for help to being too exhausted to speak, her eyes filled with stars, wishing she could faint.

"Words can hurt as much as cold in June. Now, Miss Su, do you understand how heartbroken our young lady was?"

Xi Que shouted sternly: "You, a young girl, don't learn good. You instigated your brother to force our cousin to elope. When she refused, you spread rumors everywhere. What... you're already looking to marry off your brother to the Pei family, yet you still want to ruin our cousin's reputation and force her to be your second son's concubine, is that it?"

"What elopement? What about abandoning the injured Second Master Su? That night, our cousin had a cold and stayed home the entire time. The doctor from Jinghe Hall who treated her can testify. You're twisting the facts, slandering her, forcing our cousin to jump into the lake to prove her innocence, do you understand?"

With her loud voice, the onlookers at the gate heard everything clearly.

"What's going on? It seems Miss Su is the one trying to harm Miss Jiang?"

"What's so surprising? In many families, sisters-in-law don't get along. It seems Miss Su prefers Miss Pei as her sister-in-law and wants to ruin the reputation of her brother's original fiancée."

"If Miss Jiang's reputation isn't ruined, how can the Su family justify breaking off the engagement?"

"This is too much. The rumors outside are so bad, yet they're scheming to destroy her reputation, forcing her to marry into the Su family as a concubine."

"Splat!"

After being washed in the water more than twenty times, Su Ruyue, like a wet rag, was pulled out of the tank and thrown to the ground.

She was completely soaked, but no one dared—or could—go up to cover her with a garment, because Jiang Xinyue forbade it.

Wasn't it her who had taken over the body of her older cousin?

This was already Jiang Xinyue being merciful.

Su Ruyue shivered all over, feeling both angry and ashamed, hugging herself and not daring to look at the crowd of men and women at the gate.

"You... you're going too far!"

Jiang Xinyue glanced over with a cold stare: "Then is what Lady Su did any better? You first broke off the engagement with false accusations, and when my uncle didn't want to entangle further, you agreed. But you weren't satisfied and wanted to ruin my cousin, forcing her to become your son's concubine. How dare you even consider making my cousin your son's concubine?"

Lady Su's husband, Su Tianying, was merely a censor, but the Su family was a branch of the Jiangnan salt transport family, which is why they had a prestigious name in the capital.

Truly, the bigger the ambition, the greater the outcome!

On one hand, they wanted to marry the granddaughter of the Chief Secretary, and on the other, they wanted to take the Imperial Noble Consort's cousin as a concubine.

It's truly a case of "a small knife cutting one's butt, opening one's eyes to something new".

Conspiracy! It's all a conspiracy!

The onlookers suddenly understood. All this time, they've been used as pawns by these high-ranking noblewomen.

Just now, the maidservant of the Imperial Noble Consort mentioned that Miss Jiang had jumped into the lake to prove her innocence. Is she alright? Did she die?

If she did, then they would all be accomplices.

No!

The Su family is the real culprit, the ones who plotted and schemed.

"Your Highness, without evidence, you claim that all of this was done by me and my daughter. Isn't that going too far? I..."

"I recognize that man. He's the one who told my husband at the tavern that Miss Jiang eloped with Second Master Su."

"I know the one next to him too. He said the same thing."

Without evidence, Jiang Xinyue created evidence.

They used public opinion to pressure the Jiang family, so why couldn't she arrange for people to spread lies?

The Su family also had no evidence to prove those people were lying!

"I can be even more excessive, and today, I'll let you see it for yourself."

With just a slight movement of her hand, the guards behind her charged in.