Gu Qianying's father, Gu Kun, and the First Madam traveled in one carriage. Gu Qianying, along with her maid Lu Zhu and Gu Mingyue, rode in another carriage. The remaining two, Fourth Miss Gu Yumei and Third Miss Gu Ziran, were in yet another carriage, with several attending maids following outside.
Gu Mingyue was Gu Kun's most beloved daughter, but due to her status as a concubine's daughter, there were occasions she was not supposed to attend.
Therefore, the First Madam suggested that all the young ladies of the household should go. Firstly, all the young ladies were of marriageable age, and this palace banquet could be an opportunity for the imperial princes to catch a glimpse of them. Secondly, it would also allow them to get acquainted with other young ladies from different households.
With such reasons, Gu Kun naturally agreed.
Inside the carriage.
"Eldest Sister's attire today is like a celestial maiden descending to earth, truly beautiful."
Looking at Gu Qianying's unique attire, Gu Mingyue felt a surge of jealousy.
How could this foolish daughter, Gu Qianying, be so beautiful today? How could she!
"My lady is naturally beautiful; she looks good in any dress," Lu Zhu's mouth was quick, blurting out without thinking.
Before coming, her lady had instructed her to oppose the Second Miss. If the Second Miss said east, she would pull west; if the Second Miss said south, she would blow west! It was best to infuriate the Second Miss.
Gu Mingyue's smile froze, her face a palette of changing colors.
Being chided by a lowly servant, Gu Mingyue became enraged.
"Sister, where did you find this maid of yours? So ill-mannered!"
Gu Qianying gave Gu Mingyue a cold glance, remaining silent.
Gu Mingyue felt a little timid under Gu Qianying's gaze. She always felt that this foolish woman in front of her was different from before, but she couldn't pinpoint how.
However, she quickly thought, she's just a foolish woman, what could be different!
Seeing Gu Qianying remain silent, she continued, "With your maid being so ill-mannered, if she were to enter the palace, she would be beaten to death! Sister, please don't blame me, Lu Zhu is a maid I recently promoted, so it's normal for her to be ill-mannered."
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Qianying turned to Lu Zhu and said, "It was wrong of you to talk back to the Second Miss. Kneel down and apologize to the Second Miss."
Upon hearing this, Gu Mingyue's lips curled up, and she glanced at Gu Qianying with disdain.
See, Gu Qianying was still a coward, still afraid of her.
"Brat, why don't you quickly kneel and apologize to this Miss," Gu Mingyue yelled at Lu Zhu.
Lu Zhu was stunned.
Had she misunderstood her lady's intentions? Should she not have opposed the Second Miss?
Thinking this, Lu Zhu shifted forward. Kneeling in the confined space of the carriage was indeed difficult.
Lu Zhu bent her waist, her knees slightly bent.
At this moment, Gu Qianying slightly raised her palm, using her internal energy. A strong resistance surged towards Lu Zhu, preventing her from kneeling. Immediately after, the carriage swayed slightly.
A figure, with extremely agile movements, shot out of the carriage and rolled onto the ground.
"Ah!"
Gu Mingyue collapsed onto the ground, screaming in pain.
At this moment, she was completely bewildered.
She had been sitting properly in the carriage, so how did she fly out of it?
Lu Zhu, inside the carriage, watched in a daze.
This... this, she didn't seem to have bumped into the Second Miss, did she? Did she? Or not?
She was confused.
As Gu Mingyue suddenly rolled off the carriage, the groom quickly stopped the carriage.
The carriage stopped right outside the palace gates.
Gu Qianying, along with a bewildered Lu Zhu, alighted from the carriage.
Gu Kun and the First Madam heard the commotion and walked over. Before Gu Mingyue could start crying and complaining, Gu Qianying immediately said, "Father, Mother, Second Sister accidentally fell from the carriage. Please come and take a look."
After speaking, Gu Qianying, with Lu Zhu, moved a few steps to the side, her eyes focused on her nose and her nose on her heart, watching.
Gu Mingyue, having fallen and hurt herself, was crying with a handkerchief, her face streaked with tears. She had specifically worn a pleated skirt made of fine silk today.
Now, not only was her skirt dirty, but several of the purple jade pearls adorning its hem had also broken off when she landed. Her hair was disheveled, and she looked extremely disheveled.
"Father, Gu Qianying pushed me. My whole body hurts so much, Father. You must seek justice for me!"
Gu Mingyue had no idea how she had fallen from the carriage, but upon seeing Gu Kun, she immediately blamed Gu Qianying for everything.
Gu Kun frowned and looked at Gu Qianying, his voice tinged with anger, "Qianying, what exactly happened?"
Gu Qianying, who had already prepared her words, calmly replied, "As Father can see, Second Sister accidentally rolled off the carriage and ended up in this state."
"Father, Gu Qianying is lying! It was Gu Qianying who told her maid to push me off the carriage."
Gu Mingyue's ladylike demeanor was completely gone. She pointed at Gu Qianying in a fit of rage, insisting that her father, Gu Kun, punish Gu Qianying.
At this moment, in her disheveled state, she absolutely would not allow Gu Qianying to be more beautiful than her!
Gu Kun doted on Gu Mingyue the most, so he naturally wouldn't doubt her words in the slightest.
Just as he was about to reprimand Gu Qianying, Gu Qianying seized the initiative, "Father, our Emperor most values noble distinctions and the hierarchy between legitimate and illegitimate offspring. Second Sister calling me, her legitimate elder sister, by name is a major taboo in the palace. Father, are you going to let Second Sister, who is so ill-mannered, bring shame upon our Gu family?"
The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate offspring was a sore point for Gu Mingyue. She glared at Gu Qianying with venomous eyes, wishing she could sew Gu Qianying's mouth shut.
However, what Gu Qianying said was not wrong; the current Emperor did indeed place great importance on the rules of legitimacy.
Gu Mingyue wiped her face with her handkerchief and quickly added, "Father, Mingyue misspoke. It is because Eldest Sister has bullied me to this extent that Mingyue has broken the rules."
Gu Mingyue put on a show of extreme grievance, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice soft and pleading. This made Gu Kun look at Gu Qianying with increasing disapproval, seeing his eldest daughter as arrogant and overbearing, bullying the daughter he cherished—Mingyue—right in front of him.
"Qianying, Mingyue is your sister. She has always treated you the best. How could you push her?" Gu Kun reprimanded.
"Daughter did not push her."
"If you didn't push her, how could Mingyue have fallen from the carriage?"
Gu Kun firmly believed that Gu Qianying had pushed Gu Mingyue.
From Gu Kun's eyes, Gu Qianying saw his dislike for her.
Having lived through another life, Gu Qianying already had little affection for Gu Kun. In the eyes of a father who favored concubines over his wife, seeking sympathy from him was useless.
If she wanted her father to believe her words, the only way was to produce evidence to prove that she had not bullied Gu Mingyue. However, even with irrefutable evidence, her father would inevitably side with Gu Mingyue.
This meant that in her father's eyes, even if it wasn't her fault, all fault would lie with her.
At this moment, the only option was to find an outsider to be a witness. With this thought, Gu Qianying looked around.
Not far away, a carriage of luxurious appearance stood, its four sides draped with expensive and exquisite silk.
Outside the carriage stood a guard dressed in a black long gown, holding a saber.
After glancing at Gu Mingyue, Gu Qianying turned and walked towards the luxurious carriage parked not far away...
Before she could get close, she was stopped by the guard outside the carriage.
"Halt, who are you?"