Chapter 160: Chaos in the Marquis's Estate

Under Pearl's persistent questioning, Frost struggled to recall the scene from that day.

When she arrived carrying the child, all the servants in the room had been dismissed. Jiang Miaodan, Jiang Lin, and Shen Sisi were all with the Marquis's Lady, who sat upon the couch shedding tears silently. Jiang Miaodan sat to one side drinking tea with a sullen expression, while Jiang Lin looked grim and frosty. Nearby, Shen Sisi feigned worry, though schadenfreude radiated from the depths of her eyes.

Clearly, their conversation had been far from pleasant, and they seemed to be directing their grievances at the Marquis's Lady.

Seeing a room full of people harboring their own hidden agendas, Frost could not help but sigh inwardly. She leaped directly into the room with the child in her arms.

Her sudden appearance startled everyone present. Jiang Lin immediately jumped to his feet, staring at Frost with vigilance as he demanded, "Who goes there?"

Although the Marquis's Lady did not recognize Frost, the moment she caught sight of the familiar swaddling clothes in her arms, her eyelids began to twitch violently, and her hands involuntarily gripped her handkerchief with a deathly squeeze.

Frost said expressionlessly, "This is the Marquis's Lady's child. The Duke's Mansion has already verified it; this baby does not belong to our Lord Duke. Therefore, our Young Mistress specifically sent me to deliver him here."

Jiang Miaodan ran over in shock, only to find that it truly was a rosy little infant tucked inside the swaddling clothes.

Jiang Lin was utterly dumbfounded. A child? Not the Duke's?

Shen Sisi carefully examined Frost's face and exclaimed, "I recognize you! You are the maid by the younger sister's side, aren't you?"

"Jiang Qingchi?" Jiang Lin took a sharp breath and asked hurriedly, "Has she returned?"

Frost merely nodded coldly, offering no further reply. Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone in the room, she carried the child directly before the Marquis's Lady. "Marquis's Lady, I have brought the child. I must ask you to hold him now, as I need to return and report back."

The Marquis's Lady pushed the child away in sheer terror, waving her hands wildly as she screamed, "What child? This is not mine! Take him away! Take it away!"

Her arm accidentally struck the swaddling clothes, causing the little infant inside to burst into wailing cries.

Seeing this, Frost simply placed the child gently onto the couch and prepared to take her leave.

Jiang Lin hastily intercepted her. "How can you casually bring some random child here and slander my mother? This is utterly impossible! There has been some mistake. Take the child back at once."

Shen Sisi, however, wore a look of deep compassion as she scooped up the crying infant. "Oh my, such a tiny little thing, how pitiful, crying so heartbreakingly."

She glanced between the little infant and the Marquis's Lady, suppressing a smile as she feigned a murmur, "They do seem to bear a rather striking resemblance..."

"Don't talk nonsense! How could they possibly look alike!" Jiang Miaodan shrieked, glaring at Shen Sisi and the inexplicable infant in her arms. "Mother, say something!"

"It's not mine, it's not mine." The Marquis's Lady was frightened out of her wits, repeating only these few words over and over again.

Seeing her in this state, the growing unease in Jiang Lin's heart intensified.

Seeing that none of them would acknowledge the child's identity, Frost could only state coldly, "My Young Mistress made no mistake. This child is indeed the Marquis's Lady's. The midwife from the countryside can testify to it."

With that, Frost offered a helpful reminder: "On my way here just now, I even caught sight of the child's father, none other than your estate's Shi Shaohua. It looks like he is heading straight for the Marquis's estate."

Hearing this, Jiang Miaodan let out a piercing scream. "You vile maid, what nonsense are you spewing! I'll tear that mouth of yours to shreds!" Shi Shaohua was in love with her; how could he possibly have a child with the Marquis's Lady? This vile maid was clearly spouting utter rubbish!

Jiang Lin did not believe it either, especially since Shi Shaohua had only just eloped with Jiang Miaodan.

Upon questioning the doorman, however, he was told that Young Master Shi had indeed just returned to the estate.

Shen Sisi, ever eager to stir up trouble when it didn't concern her, chimed in with a feigned suggestion, "Why not summon Young Master Shi Shaohua here to confront them face-to-face?"

"That's right, young woman, do not leave just yet," Jiang Lin said stubbornly. "There must be some mistake here."

With that, he instructed his attendants to bring Shi Shaohua over.

At that moment, Shen Sisi suddenly recalled that she was the one who had brought Shi Shaohua into the picture in the first place, and a wave of guilt washed over her. What if this truly turned out to be the child of those two? She hoped it wouldn't implicate her.

Yet it was too late to regret running her mouth.

In truth, Shi Shaohua had no desire to return to the Marquis's estate. Knowing that his elopement with Jiang Miaodan could not be kept hidden, Jiang Lin undoubtedly despised him to the core.

However, the moment he stepped out of the Duke's Mansion, he happened to see Jiang Qingchi stepping down from a carriage at the main entrance and speaking with Si Moli. Realizing things looked ominous and finding himself completely out of money, he had wanted to sneak back into the Marquis's estate to grab some cash before fleeing.

Hearing that Jiang Lin was looking for him, Shi Shaohua's first instinct was to run. But the men Jiang Lin sent were skilled in martial arts, and Shi Shaohua's superficial combat skills were quickly subdued.

*I'm finished,* he thought to himself.

Jiang Lin was standing near the doorway blocking Frost when Shi Shaohua was dragged before him. Upon seeing Jiang Lin, Shi Shaohua immediately took the initiative to beg for mercy. "Young Master Jiang, I know I am unworthy of your esteemed sister, and our previous actions certainly lacked propriety. But now that I have escorted your sister back, knowing I am not a match for her, I beg Young Master Jiang to spare me. Shi will keep his lips sealed and leave the capital far behind, never to return."

Everyone in the room froze upon hearing Shi Shaohua's words.

The Marquis's Lady, still gripped by panic, looked over at Jiang Miaodan upon hearing this and asked in absolute disbelief, "What does he mean by those words?"

Jiang Miaodan choked up instantly. She and Jiang Lin had originally plotted to claim she had merely gone out to offer prayers, keeping the elopement under wraps, and naturally had not informed the Marquis's Lady.

Jiang Lin gave a dry cough. "I brought you here not to discuss Miaodan, but because a young woman has brought a child here, insisting it belongs to you. I need you to identify it."

Shi Shaohua was stunned. Just as he felt a momentary relief, he stepped through the doorway and caught sight of the child and the Marquis's Lady, breaking out in a cold sweat all over his body.

He had remained entirely in the outer courtyard; had he known he was being led into the Marquis's Lady's private quarters, he certainly would not have let his tongue slip so easily.

At that moment, however, the Marquis's Lady's eyes were bloodshot, and she had abandoned all restraint. She scrambled up from the couch and rounded on Jiang Lin, demanding, "What are you talking about? What about Miaodan?!"

Frost helpfully explained, "She must be referring to the elopement between Miss Jiang and Young Master Shi some time ago."

"An elopement? You... you people..." The Marquis's Lady looked from Shi Shaohua to the blushing Jiang Miaodan, trembling with rage from head to toe. Fire seemed to burn within her eyes as she suddenly lunged at Shi Shaohua, clawing fiercely at his face.

Shi Shaohua dodged in panic. Amidst the chaos, Jiang Lin's arm was also scratched by the Marquis's Lady's sharp nails, drawing blood. He roared, "Mother, calm down!"

"Calm down? How can I calm down?!" the Marquis's Lady screamed out of control. "It's bad enough that you betrayed me, but how could you do this to Miaodan... You beast, I'll kill you!"

The child in Shen Sisi's arms was startled by the commotion and began to wail at the top of his lungs.

Jiang Miaodan was utterly bewildered. Watching her mother's frenzied state and then looking at the child, she shrieked and lunged forward to dash the baby to the ground.

Panicking at the sight, Shi Shaohua rushed over and shoved Jiang Miaodan aside. He took a slap across the face from her, and the moment he turned around, he received another resounding slap from the Marquis's Lady.

Screams, weeping, and curses mingled together. Shaking her head, Frost turned and walked away.