The Noble Lady's Rebirth: She just wants to Rest in Peace!-Chapter 45: Returning from the Mountain

Kong Tianru half-opened her mouth, tears in her eyes, looking pitifully at Mrs. Gao.

Mrs. Gao, however, didn’t want to hear her excuses, "From the beginning, we hired a nanny from the palace to teach you etiquette. You went to school with your siblings, read so many books, all to help you discern right from wrong. But look at your behavior. The Duke Mansion’s century-old reputation is now ruined by your hands because of what you did." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Sister Ning must have done it on purpose. If not for her, how could I have fallen into the water? How could I have ended up like this..."

Before Kong Tianru could finish, Mrs. Gao harshly interrupted her, "Enough! You don’t even believe your own excuses, do you? How could that be the calculation of a five-year-old child? Besides, the Gu Mansion has been in mourning, you haven’t seen each other during this time, so how could she know about this shameless act and the child in your belly?"

Mrs. Gao’s face was full of shame and anger as she mentioned ’the child in your belly,’ "You were acknowledged by the Duke family and taught the Three Obediences and Four Virtues since childhood. A woman’s first responsibility is her character, staying upright is essential. A noble lady should avoid scandal, maintain decorum, and act with dignity. Look at you! The Duke Mansion’s reputation is in ruins because of you, yet you still have the nerve to blame others?"

"It was Second Brother who insisted back then. How can Mother only blame her daughter? As a woman, how could I possibly resist him..." Kong Tianru’s face turned from blue to red, stubbornly refusing to admit her mistake, insisting on her own vindication.

"You can say that to my face, or maybe fool yourself, but do you think others are fools and you’re the only smart one? Avoiding responsibility is foolishness. To lose one’s virginity before marriage is something even the children of merchants wouldn’t do." Mrs. Gao felt cold-hearted, but mostly disappointed. "The engagement was set, you just had to wait a few more months, yet you couldn’t, resorting to such disgraceful means to rush into the mansion. I said you were wrong, yet you won’t admit it, so I won’t say more. The path is yours to walk. Once you enter the Marquis Mansion, live with the consequences."

"Mother..." Kong Tianru’s face went pale; her body swayed and she sat heavily on the ground.

A married daughter depends on her family’s support to live well in her husband’s home.

Now that Mother said she wouldn’t help her, what was she supposed to do?

With a weary face, Mrs. Gao exited the room, holding the hand of the head maid as she walked out, instructing Nanny Guan, "Take good care of the girl. Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion will come to set the date. Let the girl rest and recover in her room."

Nanny Guan agreed respectfully, her heart sinking. The Madam is placing the girl under house arrest before she even gets married.

Clearly, the Madam was truly angry.

After such an incident, how could the Madam not be furious?

The girl was just too willful, doing such things without regret, even hitting Miss Lin. Who in the Capital doesn’t know how much Mrs. Gu Sr. from the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion dotes on Miss Lin?

Yet, the girl still committed an offense.

They originally planned to go down the mountain on August 8, but because of this delay, they ended up descending on August 10, with five days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Dingyuan Marquis Mansion is located in the East Market. The area is home to noble families, and though the Mid-Autumn Festival hasn’t arrived, the residences have already put up lanterns, celebrating joyously.

Since the Marquis Mansion is in a mourning period, they did not put up such decorations.

Mrs. Dong waited early at the door with the mansion’s children and Gu Yifeng’s concubine. When Mrs. Gu Sr. got off the carriage, Mrs. Dong greeted her.

Seeing the fatigue on Mrs. Gu Sr.’s face, Mrs. Dong was slightly surprised. Mrs. Gu Sr. accepted everyone’s salutations, merely said she was tired, and let everyone disperse, then returned to her yard in a sedan chair without needing Mrs. Dong’s assistance.

Lin Youning was brought back to the mansion by Nanny Chang, being so weak that she fell into a deep sleep shortly after getting into the carriage, only waking before dinner after returning.

"What time is it?" Lin Youning yawned, lazily allowing Shanmoi and Tingnan to help her dress.

"It’s just past a quarter past 3 p.m.," Shanmoi replied quickly, "The old lady at Shi’an Garden had Sister Wenxin send word that someone from the Duke Mansion came. Miss should eat dinner in Tingxue Hall. The food is being kept warm on the stove, and Miss can eat after freshening up."

"Someone from the Duke Mansion came?" Lin Youning wasn’t surprised.

Kong Tianru lost her virginity before marriage and became pregnant; such a big affair would indeed force the Duke Mansion to bow to the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion.

In the previous life, Kong Tianru also married in after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now, it seemed to match with past events.

But in the previous life, no one knew that Kong Tianru was pregnant before marriage.

"After noon, the old lady from the Duke Mansion arrived," Tingnan added disgruntledly. "It’s clearly the girl from the Duke Mansion who disgraced herself, but she hit Miss, using this to bully our Miss for not having a family to rely on while the old lady didn’t even stand up for us..."

"Silence," Lin Youning’s face instantly lost all traces of sleepiness, displaying anger. "The matters of the masters are not for you to comment on. If you speak such nonsense again, find somewhere else to work. Such a valuable person is not needed here."

"Miss?" Tingnan looked hurt and incredulous.

She was always thinking of Miss’s best interests, yet Miss said such things, as if cutting into her heart with a knife.