Seeing her third sister’s fierce expression, Su Ming knew that if he refused, she would not let him off lightly.
Recalling the scars on his body that had not yet healed, he nodded tremblingly.
Su Xiu’er was full of confidence regarding this matter.
She knew that Gu Qianying had left the palace last night. Although the people sent to track her did not see where she went, they did spot her meeting a man in secret as she returned to the city gates.
Who the man was did not matter, as long as she had met a man in secret.
Su Ming stood by her side obediently. Su Xiu’er nodded with satisfaction, and they agreed that he would make his move when everyone had gathered in the backyard.
Although it was already late autumn, many vibrant flowers still bloomed in the imperial garden.
Aunt Wang led everyone there and then instructed them to admire the flowers at their leisure, with the competition to be held later.
At first, everyone was still somewhat confused.
“Do you think admiring flowers might be the content of the second round of the competition?” Wu Bingbing whispered to Cao Liyun.
The second round of the competition adopted a cumulative scoring system. This meant that even though many people had not provided an answer in the initial part of the competition, they could still participate in the second round, though their cumulative score for that segment would be marked as zero.
As the winners of the first round, Wu Bingbing and Cao Liyun found themselves with few allies. The Su family members were too arrogant to approach, and Gu Qianying, being solitary, did not wish to form factions. Thus, only the two of them, considering themselves aloof, gravitated towards each other.
Observing the others happily admiring the flowers, Cao Liyun took Wu Bingbing’s hand.
“The number of remaining contestants is dwindling. If we are not meticulous, we might lose this round of the competition. We should be cautious and observe more.”
These two, one with a delicate mind and the other suspicious and worried, were a match made in heaven.
Most people gravitated towards the autumn chrysanthemums in the southeast corner of the imperial garden to admire the flowers. However, Gu Qianying, accompanied by her servants, headed towards the north.
Su Xiu’er knew that opportunities should not be missed. She signaled to the two people beside her, and they immediately went their separate ways.
Su Ming nodded and then walked in Gu Qianying’s direction.
As the figures disappeared, Su Xiu’er’s maid whispered in her ear.
“What? Such a thing has happened!”
She deliberately raised her voice. As everyone was admiring the chrysanthemums in that area, her voice naturally attracted their attention.
Seeing everyone’s gaze turn towards her, Su Xiu’er quickly walked to Su Yuxi’s side.
“Sister, our fifth brother was momentarily bewitched and lost his chastity after being seduced.”
The words were rather amusing. How could a perfectly fine man lose his chastity?
Su Yuxi frowned, unsure of what this was all about.
Seeing Su Xiu’er’s eyes drift towards Gu Qianying’s location, Su Zirong quickly chimed in.
“Is that so? What a foolish brother. What is he doing there at this time?”
She said this while holding Su Xiu’er’s hand with a look of feigned anxiety.
“My maid just told me that he went to find that woman. He was seen heading in that direction.” Su Xiu’er then directed everyone’s gaze towards that area.
The act put on by these two was too exaggerated. Everyone present had witnessed how they treated the three Su brothers, so why would they care about any one of them?
Although they knew they were acting, who wouldn’t enjoy a bit of drama? The people present lost their composure and followed the three Su sisters towards the direction they were pointing.
“Mother, why aren’t you going to admire the flowers over there? There’s nothing here, what are we looking at?”
Little Yi Hao was holding Gu Qianying’s hand, wondering why she had come to this spot.
Duan Xifeng was also puzzled, but just as he was about to speak, he heard the rustling of footsteps.
Turning around, he saw that the other contestants, who had been admiring chrysanthemums opposite them, were now all walking towards this side in a grand procession.
He glanced at Gu Qianying’s reaction. A faint smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of her lips.
“Do you know something?” Seeing the girl’s demeanor, he knew she had something planned. However, before he could get an answer, the voices from ahead grew closer.
“Gu Qianying, today you must give our Su family an explanation!” The speaker was naturally Su Xiu’er, who was full of confidence. However, upon seeing only Gu Qianying and her attendants before her, her expression changed instantly.
“Where has that damned Su Ming gone? He was clearly coming this way just now.” A surge of doubt arose in her heart. However, due to the large crowd, there was no opportunity to retreat.
Seeing that everyone had gathered around, Gu Qianying finally spoke slowly.
“Hmm? Miss Su San, you are truly strange. I have no grievances with your Su family. What explanation do you require from me?”
Actually, she had merely wanted some quiet time here. For some reason today, she had constantly felt Su Cheng looking at her.
The person she was uneasy about was Su Cheng, but then she saw Su Ming walking towards her.
His expression was very troubled, and he paced back and forth on his way towards her. Seeing his actions, Gu Qianying sensed that something was amiss.
She pretended to turn away, ignoring him, wanting to see why he was approaching. Yet, after a moment of hesitation, he found a corridor and hid himself.
This truly made one suspicious. Looking across, she saw that Su Xiu’er was already surrounded by people, so she had concluded that the three Su sisters had devised some new scheme to frame her.
Upon hearing Gu Qianying’s words, Su Xiu’er froze. She couldn’t think of how to answer her question.
The plan, which had been meticulously designed, had faltered at the crucial moment. She cursed Su Ming in her heart, while her eyes helplessly sought help from her elder and second sisters.
Su Yuxi immediately saw her third sister’s predicament. It seemed her plan had failed. This fool, without absolute certainty, had brought everyone here to witness her embarrassment, truly disgracing the Su family.
Now, she could only settle accounts later. Su Yuxi suppressed her anger and glared fiercely at Su Xiu’er, then stepped forward.
“You have been frequently interacting with the young men of my Su family recently. Either you have some ulterior motive towards our Su family, or you have some affection for him. We are all women, what is there to be afraid of admitting?”
In the current situation, she could only argue forcefully, but Gu Qianying did not answer her.
“Oh? Is it because of this that Miss Su San has gathered everyone to surround me and question me with such an accusatory tone?”
She was not in a hurry, but was waiting for Su Xiu’er to reveal more flaws. She wanted to see if this person was so foolish as to make baseless accusations or if she had indeed discovered something and was coming to frame her.