Volume One, Chapter Five: Leng Yueheng, You Have No Shame

Bringing disaster eastward—just this little skill? Cold Moon Heng silently told herself not to be fooled; after all, the one who ultimately decides her fate is her father.

“What nonsense is mother speaking? Father is constantly busy with state affairs, a trusted minister of His Majesty. I hold nothing but respect for him! What, does mother think Father has done wrong?” Flattering words were her specialty.

Madam Jiang was momentarily speechless. No one had dared to speak to her this way before. Humiliated and furious, the gentle and modest facade she had maintained so far shattered.

“You, disrespectful wretch, how dare you—”

“Is this how mother usually instructs her daughters?” Cold Moon Heng raised her voice, cutting her off again, casting a puzzled glance at Cold Xuanru, as if to say: Is this the demeanor of a matron of the household?

Cold Xuanru shot a dark glare at Madam Jiang.

Madam Jiang’s face flushed red, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“I... I... Master! You see...”

“Mother, don’t get sidetracked. Let’s focus on the matter at hand!” Cold Moon Heng interrupted once more.

Madam Jiang had never encountered such defiance. Not allowing someone to finish speaking—it was as if she was being stifled alive. Her mind went blank, emotions in turmoil. At that moment, Madam Jiang’s only aim was to silence this shameless girl.

Everyone was dumbfounded, speechless. Had the third Miss been possessed? She seemed like a different person. Yet this was precisely Cold Moon Heng’s intention: to seize control of the conversation.

Cold Moon Mei, noticing Madam Jiang’s flustered state and incoherent words, hurriedly stepped in to steer the topic back.

“Third Sister, Mother was only upset because you did such a thing—”

“Second Sister has finally returned to the point,” Cold Moon Heng shot a glance at Cold Moon Mei, interrupting her, then turned to stare intently at Cold Xuanru and slowly spoke.

“Father, I do not know what you have seen, but I ask you this: my marriage to Young Master Xiao is imminent. He is talented and handsome. Why would I secretly meet another man and ruin my future? Did Father perhaps slip an aphrodisiac into the sweet wine he sent me, to make me lose control? To make me delirious, so that I would throw myself at any man I saw?”

As she spoke, she slowed her speech and scanned the room.

A flicker of panic crossed Madam Jiang’s eyes before she raised her head high, wearing an expression as if she had a clear conscience—a defensive guise to show she had nothing to do with this matter.

Little did she realize everyone averted their gaze. For a lady to utter such explicit words publicly—“losing control, delirious”—no listener wished to meet her eyes, avoiding embarrassment.

“Cold Moon Heng, you’re truly shameless!” Cold Moon Jiao said disdainfully, her face twisted with disgust.

Seeing Cold Moon Jiao’s scorn and outrage, Madam Jiang finally understood that they were trying to identify who had drugged her. When did Cold Moon Heng become so cunning?

Adjusting her skirt calmly, Cold Moon Heng said, “Father, I am pure and innocent. If you don’t believe me, summon a palace matron to examine me.”

Cold Moon Mei looked at Cold Moon Heng’s open demeanor, suspicious. If it were a potent aphrodisiac, how could she stand there and speak so boldly? Claiming innocence?

She whispered instinctively, “Impossible!” The voice was barely audible, but Cold Moon Heng caught it.

“Second Sister, you say impossible? Could it be that you were the one who slipped the drug?”

“No, it wasn’t me!”

“Then who was it?”

“I mean, Third Sister would never do such a thing!” Cold Moon Mei instantly panicked.

“Then why was my bed in disarray?” Cold Moon Heng fixed Cold Moon Mei with a piercing gaze, her tone suddenly sharp and rapid, as if interrogating a criminal.

“It... it must have been the maid!” Cold Moon Mei, feeling guilty, instinctively tried to defend Cold Moon Heng. A moment later, she realized her mistake and added, “I don’t know why your bed was messed up. Besides, Grandmother was indeed angered by you.”

Madam Jiang pressed her hand to her forehead, furious that they were speaking up for that shameless girl. The crowd exchanged uneasy glances.

“Third Sister, why shout at your sister?” Cold Moon Mei wrung her handkerchief tightly, tears swirling in her eyes, feeling stupid enough to cry. She weakly added that she was only frightened earlier, then began to sob softly.

Watching Madam Jiang and Cold Moon Mei’s panicked, incoherent responses, Cold Xuanru suddenly sensed the matter was more complicated than it seemed.

“Father, please send for a doctor to the Compassionate Grace Hall!” Without waiting for Cold Xuanru’s reply, Cold Moon Heng instructed the matron standing by the door, “Matron Zhuang, please fetch the household physician, saying I have caught a cold and the Master asked him to come.”

Madam Jiang and her daughters realized trouble was brewing. This matter of the drug was already fragile; with the tea boy who delivered it, the maid who reported it, and now the household doctor, there were too many loopholes.

Their original plan was to catch Cold Moon Heng in flagrante, have the old lady die of anger, and Cold Moon Heng be utterly defenseless. With Master being so careless, no one would investigate her death deeply.

But now, dragging this out would only expose more problems. They knew this shameless girl was difficult to control and should have devised a foolproof plan. Fortunately, they had already restrained that maid’s family. Yet the matter of drugging the old lady must never be uncovered.

“Master, Grandmother has already left. Please do not disturb her!” Madam Jiang wept bitterly, her emotion sincere.

“Father, Third Sister did not mean it. Grandmother will not blame her. Please do not punish Third Sister!” Cold Moon Mei wiped her tears and bowed deeply.