Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

The next morning, the door of Jinxian Courtyard was kicked open from the outside.

Qingdai ran out from under the eaves with a bowl of medicine in her hand and saw seven or eight people standing at the courtyard gate. The leader was Xi Yuefu, who was wearing a brand-new pomegranate red jacket. Her face was covered in tears, and she was pressing a handkerchief to the corners of her eyes as she cried, her shoulders shaking.

Behind her were two old women, four servants, and a young man in a blue robe.

When Xi Yueli came out of the house, the man in the blue robe was standing in the middle of the courtyard, holding a letter in his hand, his face ashen.

"Miss Xi," he said, his voice not loud, but everyone in the courtyard could hear him clearly, "Shen Yanzhi has come to say one thing today—although my Deng family is not a high-ranking clan, we still know how to write the words 'shame' and 'honor'."

He paused, unfolded the letter in his hand, and read it aloud in front of everyone: "I'd rather marry a prostitute than a madwoman."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

The medicine bowl in Qingdai's hand crashed to the ground with a "bang," splashing the dark brown medicine all over her feet.

Shen Yanzhi showed no remorse. Instead, he seemed to exhale as if a heavy burden had been lifted. "Our engagement is hereby terminated. If the Xi family wants to pursue the matter of breaking off the engagement, I, Shen Yanzhi, will bear the full responsibility. As for the amount of compensation you want, just name your price."

Xi Yuefu cried even harder behind him, covering her face as if she couldn't bear to see her sister humiliated, but her fingers were parted, revealing one eye, which was staring at Xi Yueli's face.

Xi Yueli stood on the steps, her hair still uncombed, wearing only a thin jacket over her plain inner garment.

She looked at Shen Yanzhi, then at Xi Yuefu behind him, who was crying with tears streaming down her face. A few fragmented images suddenly flashed through her mind, as quickly as the wind blowing through pages.

The man in the blue robe stood in front of her window, looking down at the account books on her desk. He paused for three breaths when he reached the third page, and then stuffed something into his sleeve.

Another scene flashes by: the same man in the blue robe, holding a handkerchief in his other hand, with the character "芙" embroidered on the corner. He lowers his head and rubs it against the handkerchief, as if wiping away some trace.

Xi Yueli closed her eyes briefly and then opened them again. The images were incoherent and she didn't know where they came from.

But she saw clearly that the handkerchief Shen Yanzhi was wearing in the picture was exactly the same as the handkerchief Qingdai had taken back from under the bricks in the corner last night.

"Young Master Deng," she spoke, her voice light and calm, "I've remembered your saying, 'I'd rather marry a prostitute than a madwoman.'"

Shen Yanzhi retorted, "Whether you remember or not is your business, but I'm definitely breaking off this engagement."

"Okay." Xi Yueli walked down the steps and stood in front of him step by step. Her figure looked pitifully thin among the group of old women and servants, but her steps were steady, unlike someone who was terminally ill.

She stopped in front of him, took out the handkerchief from her sleeve, unfolded it, and held it up to the sunlight.

"Then let me ask you, you just said you'd rather marry a prostitute, so how did this 'prostitute's' handkerchief end up in my yard from your sleeve?"

The plain white silk handkerchief had the character "芙" (Fu) embroidered on one corner, clearly visible in the sunlight.

The courtyard was completely silent. Shen Yanzhi stared at the handkerchief as if he had seen a ghost, his lips opening and closing but no sound came out.

Xi Yuefu was the first to react, lunging forward to snatch the handkerchief: "Sister, you're talking nonsense! That's my handkerchief, I dropped it myself—"

"Your handkerchief?" Xi Yueli stepped aside, holding the handkerchief up so she couldn't reach it.

"It's true that your handkerchief is embroidered with the character '芙' (Fu), but look closely, sister. This handkerchief is two fingers wider than your usual one. It's a man's handkerchief, something that fell out of Young Master Deng's sleeve. It has your name embroidered on it. What do you call this?"

She turned to Shen Yanzhi, "Shen Yanzhi, I have nothing to say if you want to break off the engagement, but you shouldn't have used the word 'crazy' to humiliate me."

Xi Yueli threw the handkerchief at Shen Yanzhi's face, took a step back, and straightened her back.

"Grandmother is at Xici Courtyard. If you want to break off the engagement, go and talk to her. In front of her, repeat what you just said and explain the origin of this handkerchief. If you dare to say it, I dare to break off the engagement."

Shen Yanzhi's face turned pale and then red. He looked down at the handkerchief at his feet, then looked up at Xi Yuefu's face, which was covered in tears.

Xi Yuefu grabbed his sleeve and shook her head vigorously, her tears washing away the makeup and leaving two white streaks.

He abruptly shook off Xi Yuefu's hand and turned to leave, but was stopped by Xi Yueli.

"Shen Yanzhi, a man should be responsible for his actions. Today, when you kicked open my gate and said in front of the servants, 'I'd rather marry a prostitute than a madwoman,' you were quite loud. Now, why don't you dare to tell the truth to Grandmother?"

Shen Yanzhi clenched his fists, turned around and glared at her fiercely. His eyes contained anger and resentment, embarrassment at being exposed, and a hint of guilt.

He stared at her for three breaths, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll go."

The group walked in a grand procession toward Xici Temple.

Xi Yueli walked at the very back. She suddenly looked down at her hands. These hands, which had been holding the handkerchief and questioning Shen Yan just now, were as steady as someone who was used to holding a knife, without the slightest tremor.

She used to stutter when speaking in crowded places, but just now, in front of seven or eight people, it was Shen Yanzhi who was trembling, not her.

We've arrived at Xici Temple.

The old lady sat at the head of the table, Xi Mingyuan sat to the side, and Shen Yanzhi knelt in the hall. He did not mention the handkerchief at all, but only pleaded, "I dare not marry someone who does not remember what happened yesterday. I hope the old lady can understand."

"You, Shen Yanzhi, you don't even dare to admit what you said in my courtyard, and now you've changed your story, saying you've come today to annul the engagement. Is it because you think I'm too sick to remember things?"

"But I remember it clearly! The other day you sat in my room for almost half an hour, flipping through the account book on my desk, and even hid a piece of paper in your sleeve. Do I need to recite what was written on that paper?"

Shen Yanzhi trembled all over. He thought she wouldn't remember, and she definitely wouldn't remember. People with dissociative identity disorder can forget yesterday's events by today. He deliberately chose the day before yesterday to do the trick, because he was sure she wouldn't remember.

Xi Yueli leaned down and whispered something in his ear that only the two of them could hear. Shen Yanzhi looked up at her abruptly, his eyes filled with terror.

She took a half step back, her voice rising again: "Grandmother, Father, my illness came on strangely, but my memory is sometimes good and sometimes bad; it's not that I can't remember anything at all. Since Young Master Deng has put it this way today, I won't insist."

"The engagement can be annulled, but the reason must be changed. It's not that the Deng family dislikes the Xi family's daughter for being sick, but that the Xi family's daughter looks down on Shen Yanzhi because of his improper conduct and is unworthy of being a match for him."

She threw the handkerchief in front of Shen Yanzhi: "Please, Grandmother, decide to annul this marriage."

The old lady remained silent for a long time before finally looking at Shen Yanzhi: "Yanzhi, is the account book that Li'er mentioned true?"

Shen Yanzhi's lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Xi Mingyuan's face was ashen. He had originally come today to "uphold justice" and help Xi Yueli break off this ill-matched marriage, and also to send her to the estate, killing two birds with one stone.

But at this moment, the atmosphere in the hall completely shifted, and he couldn't deliver a single word he had prepared. The veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the teacup, bulged. He suddenly stood up and slammed the teacup onto the table, the sound so crisp that it shook the entire hall.

"What kind of behavior is this! Get out of here!"

His words were cut short because Xi Yueli suddenly turned around and glanced at him. In that single glance, a chill ran down Xi Mingyuan's spine.

He abruptly shut his mouth, the last three words "get out" stuck in his throat, turning into a muffled groan, which he swallowed whole.