"You!" First Master Tong pointed at her in anger: "How dare you speak of mutual love? Fine, if you want to be a nun, you do have some spirit. In that case, I’ll grant your wish and send you to Puji Temple tomorrow!"

"Father!" Tong Xiyu’s vision suddenly went black.

"Master," Madam Mei kowtowed: "Master, Eighth Miss cannot shave her head. No matter what, she’s your daughter. How can you bear it?"

Not mentioning it would have been better; bringing it up only fueled First Master’s anger: "If she remembered she had a father, she wouldn’t have done such a disgraceful thing, meeting with a man in a temple. Ask around the entire Capital, which noble family’s daughter behaves so shamelessly? I, Tong Zheng’an, don’t have a daughter like you!" After a pause, he roared angrily, "Someone, tie her up and send her to Puji Temple at dawn tomorrow!"

Madam Jiang put down the teacup, stood up abruptly, and walked out without looking back.

Xiqiu knew that although Madam Jiang was angry, the marriage with the Qian Family was definitely off given the circumstances. However, no matter what, they couldn’t really send Tong Xiyu to the temple. Initially, no one knew about this, but once she was sent there, any attempts to cover it up would be futile.

Tong Xiyan’s face was also pale, with disbelief still lingering on his face. He slowly turned his head and, with a dazed tone, asked Xiqiu: "Am I dreaming? Eighth Sister met a man at the temple?"

Xiqiu couldn’t believe it either. Tong Xiyu had always been well-behaved. How could she do such a thing? If the Qian Family hadn’t come to propose, how long would she have kept this secret?

No wonder she went to Puji Temple three times in the past two months.

Was it to meet Second Master Lou?

This Second Master Lou is indeed something; just a month ago, Second Madam Lou was still alive at home, and he was already having an affair with Tong Xiyu. Now that Second Madam has just passed away, he’s eager to propose...

"Let’s go take a look." Xiqiu pulled Tong Xiyan and followed Madam Jiang out the door, turning to the neighboring room. Madam Jiang was already standing inside, while Madam Mei was being held by two servants, and Tong Xiyu clung to Madam Mei, crying amidst the chaos with broken pieces of a cup scattered on the ground. First Master stood in the hall, fuming, clearly very upset.

"Father," Madam Jiang tried to persuade: "Please calm down. There are still guests in the house. Let’s discuss this later tonight and first think of a way to send the Qian Family back..." This was a tricky situation. Though today was the agreed date between the two families, the Qian Family was full of joy, unaware that they had decided against the engagement, and finding an excuse to send them away would be difficult.

First Master waved his hand in anger: "Deal with it yourselves!" He was also displeased with Madam Jiang. After speaking, he turned around, his gaze cold on Tong Xiyu: "Reflect well on your actions. You are going to Puji Temple at dawn!"

Tong Xiyu collapsed on the ground, fainting. Madam Mei, her hair disheveled and her face tear-streaked, cried holding Tong Xiyu.

After finishing, First Master waved his sleeves and entered the inner room. Seeing Xiqiu there, he hesitated but still walked inside.

"Send Eighth Miss back, take good care of her," Madam Jiang also showed a stern face: "Send Madam Mei back as well." There was no warmth in her voice.

Several servants came up and separated Madam Mei and Tong Xiyu without hesitation. A few carried Tong Xiyu, while others supported Madam Mei. Madam Mei looked towards Xiqiu, struggling to rush over: "Sixth Lady, Sixth Lady... please beg the Master. Eighth Miss has suffered so much, enduring all these years. Second Master Lou is not just any family; marrying Eighth Miss will only benefit you, not harm you." She paused, clutching Xiqiu’s sleeve: "Eighth Miss has always respected you as her sister. Please, help her."

She said Tong Xiyu had endured so many years... Xiqiu remained silent, but Madam Jiang, already furious, shouted: "Drag her away, why keep her here?" After a pause, she added, "Keep her under watch!"

The servants followed the order, bowed to Xiqiu, pried Madam Mei’s hand from Xiqiu’s sleeve, and dragged her out the door.

"Sister-in-law, Brother, what on earth is happening here?" Tong Xiyan looked between Madam Jiang and Shenzhi: "How did she get involved with Count Shouning?"

Madam Jiang finally couldn’t hold back her tears, turning away to speak quickly: "We’ll discuss this later, I need to think of a way to send the Qian Family away." She tidied her hair, preparing to leave with a sense of duty and resolve. Xiqiu watched her with a silent sigh, about to speak when Shenzhi stood up: "I’ll go."

Madam Jiang paused, looking back in surprise at Shenzhi, who usually did not involve himself in household affairs. Today he volunteered to approach the Qian Family: "Eldest Brother?"

Shenzhi’s gaze paused, deeply looking at Madam Jiang: "You rest, I’ll be back soon." After speaking, he looked at Tong Xiyu and Xiqiu: "Stay with your sister-in-law," then turned and left.

Watching Shenzhi’s back, Madam Jiang could no longer hold back her tears, which fell in grievance. Xiqiu quietly walked over, holding Madam Jiang’s hand, softly comforting her: "Father does not have any other intention, Sister-in-law, don’t overthink."

"Yes!" Tong Xiyan nodded: "If you must blame someone, blame Eighth Sister." he said, still unable to calm his anger.

Xiqiu linked arms with Madam Jiang: "Let’s discuss it back in your room." This matter wasn’t easy to handle; Second Master Lou was still waiting next door. The three of them silently left the room, heading to Madam Jiang’s chamber.

"Sister-in-law, how did I not notice anything beforehand? When did Eighth Sister meet Second Master Lou?" Tong Xiyan asked as soon as he sat down.

Madam Jiang took a sip of tea and sighed: "It was last time; before our mother’s mourning ceremony, Eighth Sister said she wanted to light a Long-lasting Lamp for mother at the temple. That day, she was gone for a long time, not returning until dusk. Seeing she was fine, I didn’t think much of it... Now that I recall, her expression that day was strange. It was probably when she met Second Master Lou. Later, one day, Sixth Sister came back; she had gone to the temple early in the morning and also stayed until dusk before returning. With a few servants accompanying and Master Puning overseeing, I felt reassured because casual people don’t usually visit Puji Temple." After a pause, she glanced at Xiqiu: "Until yesterday, when Sixth Lady let Chunliu inform me to keep an eye on Eighth Sister, I suddenly realized that Eighth Sister has been in an extremely good mood lately, even Madam Mei stopped speaking after Lord Han’s incident..."

It seems Tong Xiyu and Second Master Lou have known each other for a while!

"Sixth Sister, how did things turn out like this?" Madam Jiang felt immensely wronged. After all, she wasn’t the Lady; even if she wanted to discipline Tong Xiyu, there were limits, so she turned a blind eye to some things. She never imagined it would result in such disaster, causing First Master to grow angry with her: "If I follow my current anger, I wouldn’t bother with her anymore, leaving it to Father to deal with her. However... we can’t really send her to the temple." Such matters aren’t respectable.