Still, Wen Ningxuan would rather his little wife not witness such matters, lest her eyes be sullied.

Wen Ningxuan curved his lips, summoned a servant from his own courtyard, and ordered them to wake the occupants of the inner room, granting them the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to tidy themselves up and proceed directly to the courtyard.

Having given his instructions, Wen Ningxuan smiled gently toward Madam Wen. “Mother, I leave the handling of this matter to you. I suspect neither my wife nor I are equipped to manage it. If, by chance, Mother finds herself unable to settle it, please send word for Father to attend to it. Though, I hear Father is currently away; if you deem it necessary, inviting Grandmother over would suffice.”

When Madam Wen heard Wen Ningxuan speak these words, her steps faltered, and she struggled to keep her balance. From the look in his eyes and the implication of his words, she understood that Wen Ningxuan likely knew she was behind this incident, and that things had not unfolded according to her plans. Moreover, the people in that room might be connected to her—could it be...?

With that thought, the silhouette of the person she had just seen flashed through Madam Wen’s mind; the figure seemed intensely familiar. Coupled with Wen Ningxuan’s pronouncements, Madam Wen could be reasonably certain of that person’s identity. At this realization, she nearly collapsed, only being steadied by the quick action of Granny Xu behind her.

The other women present had undoubtedly grasped the undertones of Wen Ningxuan’s speech, exchanging puzzled glances between him and Madam Wen, struggling to decipher the true meaning behind their exchange.

But in this world, there are always the hopelessly obtuse, and Li Yuzhen was one such person—not merely foolish, but spectacularly dense. Upon hearing Wen Ningxuan’s words, everyone recognized the gravity beneath the surface, especially given the uncharacteristic gentleness of his smile toward Madam Wen. Yet, Li Yuzhen failed to perceive this subtlety. She blithely followed up on his statement: “Second Brother, since you and Second Sister-in-law cannot manage the affairs of your courtyard, let Mother handle it. She is the mistress of this house; what matter can she not resolve? Such trivialities hardly warrant summoning Father.”

“Since this occurred in your courtyard, and it wasn’t you, Second Brother, it must be one of your servants. Such brazenness, committing such acts in broad daylight, utterly disgraces our Wen family name. Once they emerge, beat them all to death with cudgels; spare them no effort.”

Wen Ningxuan glanced at Li Yuzhen, a look of extraordinary warmth gracing his devilishly handsome face. “Big Sister-in-law speaks with perfect sense. It seems I previously underestimated you. I never realized you possessed such decisiveness; you are even more resolute than Mother. I have no doubt that with your assistance, Mother will handle today’s matter flawlessly.”

Li Yuzhen swelled with a misplaced sense of triumph at Wen Ningxuan’s praise and was about to speak more when a sharp glare from Madam Wen silenced her. She pouted, uttered no further sound, and the entire courtyard fell into a silent wait.

Frankly, Lin He held zero interest in such gossip. As the others strained their necks toward the suspicious room, Lin He sat listlessly by the stone table. Had this entire affair not somehow involved her and her husband, she would have simply departed, leaving these onlookers to their melodrama.

Wen Ningxuan, seated beside her, observed her distinct lack of engagement with some amusement. He found her composure remarkable, her disinterest in such a juicy spectacle strange. However, noticing the faint shadows beneath her eyes, a pang of concern struck him. “Why don’t we have the maids bring some food over? You can eat and retire early.”

Lin He was indeed both hungry and drowsy, but looking around at the assembled women and uncertain how long this spectacle would drag on, she shook her head softly. “No need. I will rest after noon.”

Wen Ningxuan nodded, settling back down quietly beside her without another word.

Finally, after a considerable wait, a distinct commotion arose from within the room. This instantly revitalized everyone seated in the courtyard; after such long anticipation, the mystery was finally about to be revealed. They waited eagerly to see who the culprits might be.

Yet, even after the door had been open for quite some time, no one emerged. Only the faint, choked sobs of a woman could be heard from inside. Seeing the prolonged delay, Wen Ningxuan exchanged a meaningful look with Ling Xiao standing behind him. Ling Xiao, his face stern, walked to the doorway and called out, “Young Master, Miss Ningnuo, the Madams are waiting in the courtyard.”

Ling Xiao’s announcement elicited gasps from the women assembled. Initially, everyone suspected it involved Wen Ningxuan; their shock at learning otherwise was considerable. Then, they assumed it must be one of the servants in this courtyard, as the owners, Wen Ningxuan and Lin He, had remained silent. They stayed to watch the spectacle—after all, life for noble ladies was dreadfully monotonous, requiring some amusement.

If Lin He hadn’t grasped the situation from Wen Ningxuan’s earlier remarks, she too would have been utterly astonished right then.

After their collective shock subsided, the expressions of the women shifted dramatically, their faces mirroring a thousand emotions. Second Madam and Fourth Madam initially remained relatively composed, expressing surprise but little else, sitting in quiet observation. Madam Wen and Li Yuzhen, however, were different; their complexions cycled from pale to red, from red to ashen, then to dark, like a wildly spinning color palette.

Third Madam, sitting nearby, was the first to react after the initial surprise faded. With a note of schadenfreude, she declared, “No wonder Xuan’er said this matter was best left to Big Sister-in-law and Yuzhen to handle. Look now—it involves people from Big Sister-in-law’s own household; no outside intervention is required.”

Second Madam chuckled softly after hearing Third Madam’s comment. “Indeed. One is her son, the other an adopted daughter she personally recognized. A true family affair now! Third Sister-in-law, it seems we must prepare a congratulatory gift soon; Big Sister-in-law is taking in another daughter-in-law.”

Li Yuzhen, perhaps initially stunned into inaction, finally snapped out of it upon hearing the mocking remarks from her two aunts. She sprang abruptly from her seat and marched toward the inner room. Moments later, Li Yuzhen’s furious curses echoed out: “Wen Ningchen, well done! You didn't return all night, and I assumed you were out womanizing again. It turns out you were sneaking around with this temptress! And engaging in such filth in broad daylight!”

A sound of slapping and violent scuffling then erupted from the room, interspersed with her tirade: “You harlot! You always look so respectable, but it was all a pretense! How dare you seduce another woman’s husband! Have you no shame? Today, I will beat you to death!”

The sounds of a struggle continued within the room for a moment before Wen Ningchen’s strained voice cut through: “Enough! Stop this madness here! If you want to cause a scene, take it back to your own courtyard! If you lay another hand on her, I will divorce you today!”

A moment of silence followed. Then, Li Yuzhen fled the room in tears, rushing to Madam Wen. “Mother! He commits such acts, and then threatens to divorce me! You must deliver justice for me!” With that, she collapsed onto the ground in a spectacular, earth-shattering wail, appearing only a hair’s breadth away from rolling on the floor in despair.