Chapter 442 They were truly a match made in heaven.

The words of Lady Anyuan suddenly silenced the somewhat noisy scene. Not because of the content of her words, but because of the surprise mixed with anger emanating from her. And also because of the disgust that erupted from the Duke of Chu after she finished speaking.

Among the officials and women present, few knew who Pei Tinglan was. However, judging from the attitudes of the Marquis of Anyuan's wife and the Duke of Chu, it seemed that "Pei Tinglan" had some kind of grudge against the Duke of Chu's mansion and the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion.

All eyes were on them. Pei Tinglan looked flustered, while the King of Lingnan and Zhu Junning quickly regained their composure after a brief pause.

Zhu Junning supported Pei Tinglan's arm and smiled at the Lady of Anyuan Marquis, saying, "Madam, you have mistaken me for someone else. My grandmother's surname is Mei."

Lady Anyuan still looked unconvinced. Her aged eyes lingered intently on Pei Tinglan's face before she finally said, "The Princess Dowager of Lingnan looks so much like the Prime Minister's younger sister, Pei Tinglan."

Jiang Yu smiled apologetically at the Prince of Lingnan, then said to the Lady of Anyuan Marquis, "More than forty years have passed, how can you still remember what that person looked like?"

"The incident back then caused such a big fuss, and I've seen Pei Tinglan many times, how could I not remember?" She glanced at Pei Tinglan again and said, "I hope Your Highness will forgive me, this old woman's eyesight is not good, I mistook you for someone else. But Your Highness, you really do look too much like Pei Tinglan."

Pei Tinglan forced a stiff smile as Zhu Junning gripped her arm tightly, saying, "It's nothing."

Lady Anyuan seemed particularly eager to confide in someone at this moment. She sighed and said, "Your Highness, you are far away in Lingnan and do not know about the affairs of the capital. Pei Tinglan is the Prime Minister's younger sister. More than forty years ago, the Prime Minister had just passed the imperial examination and was a poor scholar."

My father-in-law, the old Duke of Chu, somehow became infatuated with Pei Tinglan and insisted on marrying her. But think about it, he was the heir apparent of the Duke of Chu at the time, while Pei Tinglan was just the sister of a poor scholar who had passed the imperial examinations—their social statuses were worlds apart!

Her shameful secrets had been revealed in public, and even though she was now disguised under a different identity, the anger inside her made it hard for her to breathe. Pei Tinglan took several silent breaths, her aged hands clenching painfully. But the Lady of Anyuan Marquis seemed oblivious to her distress, continuing to chat with her familiarly.

"My in-laws are very stubborn. They knelt in the ancestral hall for three days and three nights, refusing to eat or drink. They threatened to starve themselves to death if they didn't agree to his marriage with Pei Tinglan." Lady Anyuan sighed again and continued to Pei Tinglan, "Parents can't always persuade their children otherwise. The Duke and Duchess of Chu at the time had no choice but to reluctantly agree to the marriage. Pei Tinglan was like a sparrow flying to the top of a branch, enjoying immense fame for a time."

The mere mention of a sparrow flying onto a branch made Pei Tinglan lose her composure and almost explode. But Zhu Junning held her arm tightly, keeping her mind clear.

"Lady Anyuan, it's getting late, let's hurry to the palace." Zhu Junning tried to end Lady Anyuan's storytelling, but how could he possibly succeed?

Lady Anyuan smiled kindly at her, "This old woman has a special connection with your grandmother and would like to chat with her a little longer. I hope the princess won't find this old woman annoying?"

"No, how could that be?" Zhu Junning could only deny it with a smile and continue listening to the story told by the Lady of Anyuan Marquis.

"Alas!" Lady Anyuan sighed again and said, "That Pei Tinglan was also unlucky. She had married into a good family and would have been the mistress of a high-ranking household. But she never expected that she would fall into the water at a banquet and be rescued by a man."

Her clothes were soaked through and clung to her body, revealing her figure underneath. The man who rescued her, in his haste, pulled her into his arms, their skin touching. All the guests at the banquet saw this, and whispers and gossip spread like wildfire…”

Pei Tinglan's body had begun to tremble, naturally from anger.

But Lady Anyuan continued, "Pei Tinglan and my in-laws were never a good match. My in-laws were going to inherit the Duke's mansion, how could he marry a woman from a lowly family who had lost her reputation? This time, no matter how much my in-laws made a scene, the Duke of Chu at the time insisted on breaking off the engagement. Because of this, my in-laws even fell seriously ill, which can be considered as doing right by Pei Tinglan."

"So, was the engagement called off?" A thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl who had been listening attentively asked curiously. As soon as she finished speaking, she was glared at fiercely by her mother. The girl stuck out her tongue and bowed apologetically to the Lady of Anyuan Marquis.

Lady Anyuan smiled kindly at her, and the little girl's mother answered her, "Later, the wife of the old Duke of Chu was a young lady from the Tang family, a family of scholars. The old Duke of Chu's wife was kind-hearted, well-read, and understanding. I heard that she and the Duke of Chu never quarreled after their marriage, and the two lived a harmonious life together."

Everyone in the capital knew that the old Duchess of Chu had been kind to the Empress Dowager, so this lady was naturally willing to praise her in public.

These words made Pei Tinglan's expression even worse. She squeezed out a sound from her tight throat, "They really are a perfect couple."

"That's what everyone in the capital says," said Lady Anyuan, smiling as she looked at her pale face.

Pei Tinglan forced another stiff smile, at which point an old voice rang out, "More than forty years have passed, it's rare that Lady Anyuan still remembers things so clearly."

Everyone looked towards the source of the voice and saw the Prime Minister approaching with a somber face, his sharp gaze fixed on Lady Anyuan. Jiang Yu immediately stepped forward, blocking the Prime Minister's view. She raised the corners of her lips, looking at the Prime Minister's dark face, and said, "Doesn't the Prime Minister also remember what happened back then? Otherwise, how could he have been at odds with my grandfather for so many years?"

The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes. "Does the Duke of Chu want to reminisce about what happened back then?"

Jiang Yu did not answer his question, but instead glanced between the Prime Minister and Pei Tinglan for a moment before asking, "Whom is the Prime Minister trying to help out of this predicament?"

After saying this, without looking at the Prime Minister and Pei Tinglan's expressions, she took the arm of the Lady of Anyuan Marquis and said softly, "Grandmother, let's go."

The grandfather and granddaughter walked away, followed by Lu Yifang and the others. The group glanced at the pale-faced Prime Minister and the Prince of Lingnan's family before hastily departing. The Prime Minister frowned, looking at Pei Tinglan's tearful eyes, sighed, exchanged a few pleasantries with the Prince of Lingnan, and then quickly left.