Su Hele was pushed back a few steps before barely steadying herself, but her mind was muddled by the words, "You've already admitted it on my behalf."
When had she ever admitted anything on He Jin's behalf? The only thing she had admitted was that He Xun had molested her...
In a split second, Su Hele felt as if she had been struck by lightning and froze on the spot.
Could they be talking about different things?
At that thought, she turned stiffly to look at Su Nansheng, only to find that Su Nansheng was also looking at her and gave her a strange smile.
That smile was like a cold draft that blew in through a crack in the window on a winter day, causing a chill to run down her spine and making her hair stand on end.
Su Hele suddenly realized something. Su Nansheng!
Just as she took a step forward and was about to explain, she heard He Jin say,
"Mother, I do have feelings for Hongzhu, and I was overcome with passion and made a mistake. I've long wanted to confess this to you, but I didn't know how to say it. This is a good opportunity for me to plead for your grace. I would like to take Hongzhu as my concubine."
"No!"
"No!"
Concubine Li and Su Hele said in unison. Then, Concubine Li glared at Su Hele.
However, Su Hele was too busy to care about her and said loudly,
"Mother, this is not what I wanted to admit. It's a misunderstanding. What I wanted to say was that the eldest young master molested me repeatedly."
After she said that, the room was suddenly silent. Everyone looked at her.
At that moment, Su Hele no longer had time to act bashful and said urgently,
"The reason why I wanted to commit suicide was that I felt that I could no longer live on after being molested by the eldest young master. This has nothing to do with my husband."
Chen Wanrong looked at Su Hele with a complicated expression and did not say a word for a long time.
"Second Young Mistress, this is your fault. Even if you don't want the second young master to take a concubine and want to find an excuse for him, you can't just slander my husband like that."
Su Nansheng frowned and said with dissatisfaction.
After she said that, He Jin's expression grew even uglier. However, the few young maids who were waiting on them showed a look of sudden realization.
"I'm not finding an excuse for my husband. What I said is the truth. He Xun molested me. I even told you about this. Didn't you say that you would confront me in front of mother?"
Su Hele gritted her teeth and said with resentment.
Hearing that, Su Nansheng sneered and said disdainfully,
"If you really told me about this, I would've been too busy covering it up. Why would I bring it up in front of mother? Second Young Mistress, you should think of a better excuse."
Su Hele was so angry that she was trembling all over. She no longer cared about her dignity and pointed at Su Nansheng's nose and said,
"Su Nansheng, you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, her hand was suddenly waved away by Su Nansheng. The force was so great that she thought her arm was broken.
Su Hele cried out in pain. Just as she was about to scold Su Nansheng, she was scared by her cold expression.
"I've said before. Watch your words and actions! If you're so disrespectful again, I'll break your hand!"
Su Nansheng's voice was cold and sharp. Su Hele immediately lost her confidence and did not dare to say another word.
"Ah, just a concubine can bully our second household like this. What kind of world is this?"
Concubine Li's voice was sharp and ear-piercing. It was extremely jarring.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Concubine Li waved her silk handkerchief and said with teary eyes,
"This is too much of a bully!"
"Su Nansheng has a title, but Su Hele is only the wife of a concubine's son. However, she has repeatedly spoken rudely. She is truly rude. Su Nansheng only gave her a verbal lesson, and this is considered bullying?
If that's the case, then she shouldn't give a verbal scolding next time."
Chen Wanrong said slowly. Her voice was authoritative.
Hearing that, Su Nansheng's heart moved. At the same time, she took a big step forward and slapped Su Hele across the face.
"This slap is to teach you a lesson for being disrespectful and having no manners."
She used a lot of strength, and the sound of the slap was very crisp. Su Hele's face was even slanted.
While Su Hele was still in a daze, Su Nansheng slapped her again.
"This slap is to teach you a lesson for spouting nonsense, slandering my husband, and ruining his reputation."
Just like that, Su Hele's face turned back to normal with a white palm print on it.
After Su Nansheng finished slapping, she took a step back and silently retracted her hand into her sleeve. Her hand hurt from the slap.
"Su Nansheng, you dared to hit me!"
Su Hele covered her face with a delayed reaction. Her eyes were wide open, and her face was filled with disbelief.
"Why wouldn't I dare? I've already hit you. If you're disrespectful again, it won't just be a slap to the face."
Su Nansheng met Su Hele's angry gaze. There was even a hint of a smile on her face.
"You..."
Su Hele was furious. She took a big step forward and was about to rush towards Su Nansheng, but she was stopped by He Jin's angry roar:
"Shut up! Watch your words and actions!"
He Jin's eyes were red, and his expression was cold. He immediately extinguished the fire in Su Hele's heart and even made her feel cold.
Chen Wanrong scoffed and said,
"Finally, there's someone who understands, but he can't control himself."
Her words were extremely harsh. It made He Jin blush:
"Son was not good at discipline, which caused her to lose her manners."
"No no no, this is all my fault. It has nothing to do with A Jin. I'll definitely discipline her well when I get back."
After being reminded by Chen Wanrong, Concubine Li also remembered Su Nansheng's title. She immediately stopped making a fuss about being bullied.
"Let's talk about what happened just now. You said that you wanted to take Hongzhu as your concubine?"
Chen Wanrong sighed silently and finally brought the topic back.
"She's just a maid. She's not worthy of being a concubine. Take her as a chamber maid."
Concubine Li said before He Jin could say anything.
"Mother, what I said just now is the truth. I..."
Su Hele did not give up and was still trying to convince everyone to believe her. However, she could not continue speaking halfway through.
It was because Chen Wanrong's expression was too terrifying, and her gaze was too sharp. It seemed as if she could see through all of her actions.
When she stopped talking, Chen Wanrong said slowly,
"You've already sworn an oath just now. Do you think anyone will believe you if you say this now?"
Su Hele did not dare to say anything, but she was also unwilling for her plan to fail.
There was nothing she could do. She looked at He Jin for help, but she saw He Jin's back. Even so, Su Hele could feel his anger.
Then, she looked at Concubine Li. All she saw was a face full of resentment. Even the maids who were waiting on them in the room showed a look of contempt.
Su Hele immediately felt weak all over. Her vision was darkening, and there was not a single person who was willing to believe her. It seemed that her plan had failed.
However, even so, she could not let He Jin take a concubine.
Thinking about it, Su Hele bit her inner lip. The intense pain made her regain some of her senses. She raised her head and said,
"I don't agree. She's not qualified to be a chamber maid either."