Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

Chu Shaoyuan was the first to arrive. He saw Xie Yihua with tears welling up in her eyes, and then looked at Jiang Sese standing quietly by the pavilion, her bright and beautiful eyes illuminated by the lamplight.

Chu Shaoyuan felt inexplicably angry. His brows furrowed suddenly, and his eyes showed a hint of disgust and disappointment. He coldly rebuked, "Miss Jiang, I never expected that someone of your humble origins could be so vicious and ruthless!"

That day, I listened to Jiang Sese's words of integrity and character.

Chu Shaoyuan had initially been quite impressed with Jiang Sese. One's background is not something one can choose, and it was normal for Jiang Sese to have a humble origin and a desire for wealth and status. However, he did not expect her to have such remarkable insight and demeanor, which was quite rare.

Commoners and nobles are different, so how can you demand the same standards of nobles from a commoner?

When granaries are full, people know etiquette; when food and clothing are plentiful, people know honor and shame.

But seeing her today, I realize I misjudged her again!

She is not a woman of integrity at all; she is clearly a narrow-minded, jealous, and vicious woman!

Xie Yihua had always been tolerant and caring towards her, but a few intimate words were enough to provoke her to take such ruthless action and push her down the pavilion steps.

Such a vicious nature and ruthless actions are even more despicable than those mediocre and shallow women from humble backgrounds!

Jiang Sese looked at Chu Shaoyuan's utterly disappointed expression and felt completely bewildered.

Jiang Sese looked directly at Chu Shaoyuan with neither servility nor arrogance: "Young Master Chu, you speak so lightly. Just because my cousin fell down the steps and I was standing by the pavilion, you're so certain that I pushed and injured her?"

Jiang Sese couldn't help but sneer: "In the eyes of the young master, he probably only recognizes social status and doesn't care about right and wrong. Such a biased and gullible way of judging good and evil based on status—so this is what a gentleman is really like."

This is like if something goes missing in a class, the poorest person is the thief.

Jiang Sese spoke in a calm tone, without the slightest hint of confrontation or sharpness, yet her words were clear and distinct.

Everyone present was stunned for a moment.

I originally thought that someone from a humble background like Jiang Sese, who had committed such a crime, would be panicked, kneeling on the ground crying and unable to speak properly.

After all, this is how servants in the household behave when they make mistakes.

Jiang Sese's background was only slightly better than that of a servant.

"You..." Chu Shaoyuan pursed his thin lips, wanting to refute sharply, but he couldn't find a single righteous word to say.

He did not see Jiang Sese push Xie Yihua.

But if she hadn't intervened, would Xie Yihua have fallen off the pavilion on her own?

Just then, Xie Jue walked over from a distance with his maid.

The lights of Lingyun Pavilion, towering eight zhang high, reflected on him from afar, outlining his refined and aloof features.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xie Jue. The noble ladies all held their breath and subconsciously adjusted the hairpins and ornaments in their hair. Their eyes shone brightly as they stared at Xie Jue, filled with admiration and shy joy.

Everyone secretly regretted that tonight was supposed to be a wonderful night.

If this hadn't happened, they could have at least used the festival as an excuse to go up to Xie Jue and say a few words, and perhaps even get his attention.

When Chu Shaoyuan saw Xie Jue arrive, his expression softened slightly. The anger he felt from being rebuked by Jiang Sese subsided a bit, and his tone became respectful: "Brother Xie has also arrived."

Xie Jue glanced at Jiang Sese, then turned to Xie Yihua and asked, "What happened?"

Xie Yujiao was the first to come to her senses. She immediately stepped forward and pointed at Jiang Sese, saying, "Big brother, it's Jiang Sese! She pushed Sister Yihua, causing her to fall down the pavilion steps and almost get hurt."

Xie Yujiao spoke urgently and with certainty, as if she wanted Xie Jue to immediately convict Jiang Sese.

After all, Jiang Sese is a relative of the second wife's family.

Right now, Xie Yujiao needs to distance herself from Jiang Sese. How can she do that? Of course, she has to jump out and accuse Jiang Sese.

Xie Yihua was not surprised by Xie Yujiao's performance.

The other noble ladies echoed her sentiments, though they dared not speak loudly, they whispered among themselves, their gazes toward Jiang Sese still filled with disdain.

Xie Yihua, carefully supported by Hongshao and Zhixi, saw Xie Jue looking over and quickly suppressed her tears. She weakly curtsied, her voice choked with sobs and grievance, each word revealing her understanding and forbearance: "Big brother, I never expected that my cousin Se Se would..."

Xie Yihua hesitated, her face displaying a gentle and yielding demeanor that made her all the more endearing.

Look, this is the demeanor and refinement of a noblewoman from a prominent family.

Chu Shaoyuan looked at Xie Yihua with heartache, then turned to Xie Jue and said, "Brother Xie, this matter is clearly due to Miss Jiang's narrow-mindedness, who attacked Miss Xie. She comes from a humble background, yet her actions are so vicious. I hope Brother Xie will handle this matter fairly and not let Miss Xie suffer injustice for no reason."

All eyes were on Xie Jue.

Everyone felt sorry for Jiang Sese.

Everyone knows that Xie Jue is always protective of his own, especially since Xie Yihua is his own sister.

Hongdou was extremely anxious. She wanted to speak up for Jiang Sese several times, but she hesitated to speak because of Xie Jue's intimidating presence. She could only look at her with worry in her eyes.

After listening to the others, Xie Jue suddenly asked Jiang Sese, "Listening to both sides leads to clarity, while listening to only one side leads to obscurity. What does Cousin Jiang say?"

Everyone was taken aback.

She probably didn't expect Xie Jue to ask Jiang Sese so calmly.

Jiang Sese and Xie Jue exchanged a glance, also taken aback, and without thinking, blurted out: "I didn't push him."

Before Xie Jue could ask any more questions, Jiang Sese, who was already prepared, turned to Xie Yihua and asked, "Fourth Miss, which hand did I use to push you?"