Gu Qianying's composure at this moment made the Su family members uneasy.
Recalling what she had seen the previous day, Su Xiuer was truly anxious and stepped forward, pointing at Gu Qianying's nose and speaking proudly.
"It's useless for you to try to conceal it. My people saw you leave the palace privately last night and meet with a man. You have no excuse for this."
So, she had indeed seen her.
Gu Qianying knew what was happening and guessed that even if Su Xiuer had seen her, she wouldn't know who the man was. That's why she had Su Ming come over to frame her.
With this in mind, she felt relieved and began to clap her hands at Su Xiuer.
Not knowing what she meant, the three members of the Su family took a few steps back.
"Miss Su San, I admit I did leave the palace last night, but I did not leave privately. Instead, Grand Tutor Su sent someone to bring me away."
Last night, Su Qingqing had made a big fuss. Even if the people in her residence hadn't noticed, the palace attendants and guards along the way had seen it clearly.
If she didn't mention Grand Tutor Su, the three young ladies of the Su family would likely continue to slander her.
Upon hearing the name Grand Tutor Su, the three Su sisters were stunned, and the onlookers began to whisper.
"My goodness, is this true? She was actually invited out by the current Grand Tutor?"
"It doesn't seem fake. After all, the Grand Tutor's status is extraordinary. If this were fabricated, it would cost them their heads."
After a round of discussion, the crowd couldn't help but envy Gu Qianying.
They had all entered the palace together for the competition, but she was fortunate enough to meet the current Grand Tutor.
Seeing that Su Xiuer remained silent, Gu Qianying continued.
"As for the figure Miss Su San saw, it was likely Grand Tutor Su's attendant. Also, I parted ways with him outside the palace. How did you know? Were you perhaps following me? Miss Su, such petty behavior is rather inappropriate, wouldn't you say?"
Her words instantly shifted everyone's attention. The matter of meeting a man privately, or her closeness or distance with Su Cheng, was all forgotten. What everyone was gossiping about now was how Miss Su San, with her narrow-mindedness, had acted like a villain, engaging in such underhanded tactics.
Sarcastic remarks reached the ears of the three Su sisters.
Su Zirong naturally couldn't retort. She hadn't known what leverage Su Xiuer had grasped all along; she had merely added fuel to the fire earlier.
Su Yuxi, however, wore a cold expression.
Gu Qianying's words were like a slap to the faces of the Su family. If this incident were to spread outside the palace and their mother found out, they would surely face severe punishment upon their return.
With this thought, her fingers clenched tightly, and her nails dug into her flesh, drawing blood from her palm.
"You, this is a misunderstanding by my third sister. I hope Miss Gu will conduct herself properly." Su Yuxi would never utter an apology.
Originally, they had come to embarrass Gu Qianying, but now they had become the ones to be embarrassed. After saying this, Su Yuxi turned away angrily, leading the dejected Su Xiuer away.
With the commotion over, the onlookers gradually dispersed.
Just as everyone was waiting for the next round of the competition, thunder suddenly rumbled in the sky, followed by an immediate downpour.
Autumn rain always came and went as it pleased.
Palace attendants quickly came to guide everyone out of the Imperial Garden. No one knew how long the rain would last, so the competition had to be postponed. Everyone returned to their respective accommodations for the time being.
It could be said that the rain was timely. If everyone had still been in the courtyard at that moment, the three from the Su family would have inevitably been subjected to further ridicule.
Upon returning to their quarters, Su Yuxi was the first to enter the room. Su Xiuer followed cautiously. Just as she was about to step through the doorway, she caught sight of Su Ming hiding by the porch.
"You, stop right there."
She lifted her skirt and chased after Su Ming.
Seeing that his attempt to hide was futile, Su Ming could only stand still obediently.
"Slap, slap."
Su Xiuer slapped Su Ming across the face twice, then put her hands on her hips and began to scold him fiercely.
"You damned thing, where did you run off to just now? I ordered you to do something, and you actually ran away."
Her anger had reached its peak. She was determined to take out her embarrassment from today on Su Ming.
With the situation having escalated, Su Ming knelt on the ground obediently.
"Miss Gu has shown us kindness and loyalty. I couldn't be so heartless as to frame her!" He was unwilling to do so. Not to mention that she had helped him out of a difficult situation before, his younger brother had also been bullied multiple times, and it was this Miss Gu who had stepped in to save him.
Although Su Ming's status was humble, he was a reasonable person.
Seeing that such a lowly person had developed a compassionate heart, Su Xiuer couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha, this is truly laughable. What are you? You're just a low-class servant. Do you think she'll be grateful to you if you let her off this time? You're dreaming."
After saying this, Su Xiuer picked up a wooden plank nearby and struck Su Ming with it.
After a few blows, the person on the ground collapsed, and Su Xiuer, with a look of disdain, kicked him into the rain, letting the rainwater mix with his blood as it flowed out.
"Hahaha, you fool, do you think she'll come back to save you? Do you think you are Su Cheng, who is frequently in danger? You're truly a fool, an idiot."
Su Xiuer shouted loudly, her blows carrying considerable force.
She was venting her emotions. If it weren't for this boy's betrayal at the last moment, she wouldn't have acted in front of so many people.
"Stop!" With a clear voice, a sword was thrust into the ground in front of Su Xiuer, and she was forced to retreat a few steps.
Looking up, she saw that it was indeed Gu Qianying standing in the corridor opposite.
She gestured for Duan Xifeng to help Su Ming to her side, then lightly tapped her feet and flew in front of Su Xiuer. The soft sword was immediately in her hand, pointing at the woman before her.
"You made a mistake and tried to frame someone, yet you casually beat others. Su Xiuer, if you don't repent, don't blame me for being impolite."
The threatening words came from Gu Qianying's mouth, and her gaze was no joke.
Looking at the sword tip pointed at her neck, Su Xiuer's legs went weak. If she hadn't held onto the pillar of the corridor, she would have already collapsed on the ground.
"You, don't be reckless. If anything happens to me, the Su family will not let you off." Her voice trembled, and she was already sweating profusely.
Seeing her cowardly nature, Gu Qianying withdrew her sword from Su Xiuer's neck, but she had no intention of letting her off so easily.
With a twist of her wrist, she picked up the wooden plank that had fallen to the ground and struck Su Xiuer heavily with it.
"Ah, it hurts, ah!"
Sharp, piercing screams tore through the corridor and reached the room inside.