Gasps filled the air at Chen Jinyu's statement and Shen Xiatang materialized above Chen Wenjin.
"This again?" Shen Xiatang said as she yawned.
"What new accusation has she come up with now?" Shen Xiatang asked as she floated beside Chen Wenjin.
"You will get to know soon." Chen Wenjin thought as Liu Tiancheng ran towards Chen Jinyu.
"Chen Wenjin I know that you have always been jealous of Chen Jinyu but targeting an unborn child is truly shameful of you." Liu Tiancheng said as he held Chen Jinyu to his chest and guests began to whisper instantly.
"What a vicious woman!" whispered a male scholar.
"She won't even spare an unborn child!" a noble woman whispered.
"Chen Jinyu, are you saying I," Chen Wenjin said, pointing to herself.
"Pushed you?" Chen Wenjin asked as she stared Chen Jinyu down.
"Sister," Chen Jinyu said in a rebuking manner.
"It has come to this," Chen Jinyu said as she gestured to herself on the floor.
"And you are pretending not to know what you have done?" Chen Jinyu asked in disbelief and the crowd began to whisper once more.
"What a truly shameless woman." muttered a fourth ranked official.
"She does something wrong and doesn't take ownership of her faults, is this how the Chen family raises their previous daughter?" a third ranked official asked and Chen Zixuan held Chen Lihua's hand discreetly.
"A situation like this is most difficult." Shen Xiatang said with a hum.
"You have no witness," Shen Xiatang said as she did a backstroke in the air.
"And it's her word against yours but there is a simple way to get out of this." Shen Xiatang said as she stopped mid backstroke.
"What is it?" Chen Wenjin asked discreetly.
"Whoever is more wronged is the winner." Shen Xiatang said with an evil smile and tears began to drip down Chen Wenjin's cheeks in an instant.
"What?" Chen Zixuan asked in shock as he saw tears drip from his daughter's eyes
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me or is Chen Wenjin crying in public?" Chen Zixuan asked in shock as he stared at his daughter in confusion.
"It seems," Chen Lihua said with a smile.
"Our daughter has some tricks to turn the tides in her favour." Chen Lihua said with a pleased smile.
"It's not like you have given me a choice." Chen Wenjin said in a heartbreaking tone and everyone except her parents gaped at her.
"Yes I am shameless and can't admit my fault but can you blame me," Chen Wenjin said as a tear silently dropped from her right eye.
"The one I called sister for twenty years went behind my back to lie in bed with a man who has treated me like a fool." Chen Wenjin said sorrowfully and the noble ladies in the room softened up immediately.
"For twenty years I took care of you, protected you and fed you medicinal soup by hand when you were sick. I taught you calligraphy, I taught you how to draw and how to present yourself in public and this is how you repay me." Chen Wenjin said as she pointed at Liu Tiancheng in tears.
"Sister," Chen Wenjin said sorrowfully.
"After all these things I have done for you," Chen Wenjin said as tears gathered in her eyes.
"What did I do to deserve this from you?" Chen Wenjin asked as her tears dripped down silently.
"19 over ten," Shen Xiatang said before shaking her head.
"No 100 over 10." Shen Xiatang said as she clapped.
"You have managed to tip the scales so badly that it will be difficult for the guests to side with Chen Jinyu." Shen Xiatang said as some noble ladies began to tear up.
"Still," Chen Jinyu said in a desperate attempt to get everyone back on her side.
"Pushing me when you know I am with child is utterly wrong." Chen Jinyu said as she rubbed her belly.
"Does my unborn child have to suffer the wrath of your anger too?" Chen Jinyu asked pitifully and a noble woman snapped.
"Then stay away from Chen Wenjin!" the noble woman snapped at Chen Jinyu.
"Chen Wenjin didn't go to look for you," the noble woman said, pointing to Chen Wenjin.
"Chen Wenjin was by herself on her table but you" the noble woman said pointing a finger at Chen Jinyu.
"Were the one that had been bothering her throughout the banquet claiming to apologize." the noble lady said as she stared Chen Jinyu down.
"If you wanted to apologize so badly and so desperately, why did you choose to do so in a public setting just like this?" the noble woman asked as she glared daggers at Chen Jinyu.
"That's right." another noble woman said as she came to back the first one up.
"She knew it would be difficult for Chen Wenjin to accept her apology so she chose this event to corner her and when she didn't budge, she caused this to happen in order to ruin her reputation." the second noble woman said as she gave her an unimpressed look.
"I didn't-" Chen Jinyu said, shaking her head.
"Chen Jinyu didn't plan to-" Chen Jinyu tried to say but another noble woman cut her off.
"Like how you didn't plan to steal her husband to be." a third noble woman said.
"Everyone in Longcheng knows how much Chen Wenjin chased after Liu Tiancheng. Everyone from the shop keepers to the commoners on the street knew how madly in love she was with Liu Tiancheng so I find it hard to believe that someone who stayed with her for twenty years and called her sister," the third noble woman said emphasis the word "sister"
"For the same amount of years wouldn't have had the sense to stay away from her husband to be!" the third noble woman snapped and whispers spread across the banquet hall like a ripple.
"You mean she planned this to further ruin her sister's reputation?" whispered a male scholar.
"Her dainty looks really are a shell used to cover up her bad acts because who would have thought she had the heart to do something like this?" asked a fourth ranked official.
"No wonder the Chen family disregards the Liu family, with what Chen Jinyu has done to their daughter who would be happy to come to an event like this." a third ranked official asked as he shook his head.
"Is this the daughter in law the Liu family is so proud of?" a male scholar asked and the Liu family began to sweat.
"Everyone please calm down." Madam Liu said and some people stopped whispering.
"This is a truly terrible display of the familial ties between the Liu and Chen family and for that I am deeply sorry." Madam Liu said with a respectful bow and the whispers stopped instantly.
"I thought that with this event we might have the chance to get closer but perhaps it's too soon." Madam Liu said and all the guests apart from the Chen family nodded.
"We will take our time to strengthen our relationship in due time and I am sorry you had to witness such a disgraceful thing." Madam Liu said as she bowed again and the tense atmosphere relaxed.
"The Emperor has arrived." an eunuch announced and everyone in the room knelt and bowed respectfully.