"So it's Miss Lan Qingqing, wasn't she sent to the countryside by His Highness the Ninth Prince?"
"Can't someone return from the countryside? Didn't you just hear? Not a virgin!"
"Ah, who are they talking about, this..."
"Naturally, that one..."
The servants surrounding them, attending on the side, whispered amongst themselves.
At this moment, Lan Qingqing was dressed in plain clothes, her black hair cascading to her waist. The ends of her hair were unadorned, save for a single, dull jade hairpin.
As she entered with her personal maid, she was followed by a monk dressed in green.
The monk was not tall but had a delicate and handsome appearance, pleasing to the eye.
As the crowd whispered, their gazes all fell upon Lan Qingqing and the two others, seemingly waiting for Lan Qingqing's explanation of "not a virgin."
However, before Lan Qingqing could speak, the monk behind her suddenly looked at Gu Qianying, who was veiled by a red bridal veil.
"Qianying, I've finally found you, this is wonderful!"
The monk's face was full of joy, and his words stunned everyone present.
"They address each other so intimately, could it be that these two know each other?"
Everyone was filled with doubt.
Gu Qianying snatched off the red veil, revealing her exquisitely beautiful face.
Gu Qianying looked at the monk standing before her, her delicate brows furrowed, "Who are you? I don't know you."
The monk, at this moment, seemed to notice Gu Qianying was wearing a red wedding dress. His face was filled with grief, "Qianying, why don't you recognize me? I am your lover!
Qianying, do you know that after you mysteriously disappeared that day, I searched for you for a long time. Later, they said you were dead, and I was heartbroken for many days. Unable to bear the longing for you, I entered the Ten Thousand Spirits Temple, shaved my head, and vowed to love only you for the rest of my life.
But, Qianying, I never expected that you were not dead and had become someone's Ninth Princess Consort. Qianying, how could you be so heartless? Have you thought of our child who lived for only a year and a half? Have you thought of me, who fell ill from missing you!"
The monk's sorrowful and accusatory words, upon reaching the ears of the crowd, caused another stir.
Among these people, some had only heard that His Highness the Ninth Prince, Nangong Mo, was to be married today and had rushed to offer gifts.
Since it was a joyous occasion, some court officials naturally brought their wives to attend.
And among the many ladies, those who already had a poor impression of this eldest daughter of the Gu family, Gu Qianying, who, disregarding her grandfather and brother, was eager to find a new patron, now, witnessing such a "scandal," their impression of Gu Qianying worsened.
The insults gradually grew louder.
"What? Had an affair with this monk, and they have a child together? Is this eldest daughter Gu so promiscuous, it's too shameless?"
"Indeed, for a young lady to do such a shameless thing, it is truly a disgrace to her virtue and reputation. And she still wants to be the Ninth Princess Consort, dreaming!"
At this moment, Nangong Mo, sitting in his wheelchair, clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hands standing out exceptionally.
"Who is this babbling rogue? Drag him out immediately and have him beaten to death!"
Nangong Mo looked at the monk, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, his entire being enveloped in an endless chill. The way he looked at the monk was as if he were looking at a dead man.
He absolutely refused to believe that the person he fancied would commit such a shameful act.
The monk, startled by Nangong Mo's icy gaze, trembled, his back chilling. But remembering what Miss Lan had promised him, he mustered his courage and, with a thud, knelt at Nangong Mo's feet, kowtowing heavily, "Please, Your Highness the Ninth Prince, discern the truth. I am not speaking nonsense; every word I say is true. If Your Highness does not believe me, you can send someone to investigate. The eldest daughter of the Gu family by your side has indeed had relations with me, and we have a child who has unfortunately passed away. I beg Your Highness to show mercy and allow the eldest daughter of the Gu family to leave. I truly cannot live without her."
The monk's words were spoken with deep affection, and he deliberately painted Gu Qianying as a heartless and shameless woman who had "played with him and then abandoned him."
The guests present immediately looked at Gu Qianying with increased disgust and disdain.
"Why are you still standing there? Someone, drag him out and beat him to death!"
Nangong Mo commanded coldly again.
Two guards approached.
Lan Qingqing, at this moment, looked at Nangong Mo with a voice as gentle as flowing water, "Your Highness, wait a moment. Perhaps this person is not lying. I met him on the way back to the manor. He insisted he knew the eldest daughter of the Gu family and claimed that although they had no formal marriage, they had consummated their relationship. He also told me some of the things that happened between him and the eldest daughter of the Gu family.
Originally, I didn't believe him, but then he produced their token of love. Here, it is this..."
Saying this, Lan Qingqing took the red bellyband, engraved with the character "Ying," from her personal maid and presented it to everyone.
"This is a private item, and I, Qing'er, should not have taken it out. But this gentleman insisted that this item is their token of love, a gift specifically given to him by the eldest daughter of the Gu family, and that he wears it on his person daily."
"A bellyband? How utterly shameless!"
The ladies present cursed, their disgust towards Gu Qianying growing.
As for the gentlemen present, upon seeing what Lan Qingqing held, some quickly averted their eyes, their faces flushing.
Some looked at Gu Qianying, their eyes changing color as they did.
Women's personal items were all made by the embroiderers in their own households. To facilitate identification, they would specially embroider the names of their young ladies in inconspicuous corners of the bellybands, and these procedures were well known to the ladies present.
For this reason, no one doubted the truth of the monk's words.
After all, the character "Ying" belonged to Gu Qianying's "Ying," and how could a woman's private item be casually taken out by another?
Holding the woman's personal bellyband, Lan Qingqing deliberately feigned a blushing and shy demeanor, specifically presenting herself as a pure and chaste woman who had not experienced carnal relations.
Her demeanor stood in stark contrast to Gu Qianying, who shamelessly used a personal bellyband as a token of love.
The ladies present, intending to continue their insults, swallowed their curses towards Gu Qianying when they saw Nangong Mo's eyes filled with coldness.
Meanwhile.
After Lan Qingqing finished delivering her prepared speech to Nangong Mo, she turned to Gu Qianying and spoke with the gentlest tone, uttering the most venomous words, "Eldest Miss Gu, Qing'er understands your desire to climb the imperial branches and become a phoenix. However, you should not have harmed my Prince after having consummated your relationship with this gentleman."
"Qingqing, shut up!" Nangong Mo was furious.
"Heh heh!" Gu Qianying, however, laughed.