Chapter 78 Someone fell into the water!

"Truly a direct descendant of the General's family, his innate temperament is extraordinary."

"Look at Madam Pei, she hasn't returned to Jinling for so many years, but she still has that unique aura. I heard that this second young lady was raised and taught by her personally, so how could she be anything but good?"

The old lady of the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion greeted her with a smile: "Sister, you've finally arrived! I'm so honored today. No one in the entire city of Jinling could invite you, but this old man is here to welcome you!"

Madam Pei warmly greeted her old friends and presented them with congratulatory gifts.

Li Qingluo also greeted them respectfully, and the old lady of the Marquis of Zhongyi gave her a good look several times.

When Li Qingluo was led to the group of girls, she heard someone say, "They say the original marriage agreement is going to fall on this second young lady's head..."

"It was supposed to be her. She was the one they were referring to back then!"

"But the General's Mansion is now on the verge of decline, and the Marquis of Zhongyi's Mansion may also face changes..."

Li Qingluo pretended not to hear anything and simply found a place to sit in the corner.

Madam Qu was also pulled away by a familiar lady and sat not far away. She kept glancing at Li Qingluo, fearing that she might do something embarrassing.

This was, after all, her first time attending such a banquet, and with so many things happening at the General's Mansion lately, she couldn't afford to lose face again.

Que'er took Li Qingluo's cloak and held it in her arms, while Cui'er took the tea that was served to her.

"Young lady, it's dry today, why don't you have something to moisten your mouth?"

Before Li Qingluo could reply, someone tugged at her from the side: "Have you really eaten and slept with pigs and chickens?"

Li Qingluo turned her head to look at the other party and saw a young girl with a childlike appearance and a timid expression.

Although she was adorned with jewels and flowers, her questions were so direct that it seemed she had no brains.

"Young lady, you are being extremely rude!"

Que'er couldn't help but step forward to protect Li Qingluo.

The young woman simply curled her lip, unconvinced.

The maidservant beside her bowed apologetically to Li Qingluo.

Li Qinglu noticed that the surroundings were quiet for a moment, it seemed that everyone wanted to know about her past.

She smiled indifferently and replied to the young woman, "Of course not. Pigs are omnivores. If you put a chicken in a pigsty, it probably won't live to see the next day."

"Also, I did sleep with poultry, but I slept above the pigsty."

"Because there weren't many houses in the family, my other sister, an aunt, and I slept together in the attic above the pigsty when we were young."

Li Qingluo's bluntness made many women hold their noses in disbelief.

It seems she still smells bad.

Even the young girl who had asked her the question frowned.

At that time, everyone was staring at her and gossiping.

Some people laughed out loud: "They're really lucky. Anyone can make it to this place."

"Yes, no matter how well it's decorated now, it still comes from the mountains, doesn't it? I feel like this hall smells like pig manure everywhere."

"It stinks. Let's go outside!"

Four or five girls got up and went outside for some fresh air, looking quite disgusted with Li Qingluo.

Sparrow clenched her fists in anger: "Girl, they've gone too far!"

A young woman standing nearby explained, "Please don't be angry. These women used to be on good terms with the eldest daughter of your household, so they did this on purpose to upset you."

Li Qingluo: "Oh. Thank you. You... don't mind?"

The woman laughed and said, "Why should you mind? I think that's just your past. Don't you smell quite nice now?"

"Furthermore, you're the one who was wronged. If your identity hadn't been switched, Li Qingzhu should be the one sleeping in the pigsty!"

Li Qingluo nodded: "What you said makes a lot of sense."

The woman's eyes lit up: "So, you really are the Li family's own flesh and blood who were switched out?"

Li Qingluo: "The rumors are true."

Her bluntness made the Qu family, who was not far away, tremble with anger.

She actually blurted out the truth!?

Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the Li family's previous statements to the outside world?

Who gave her such audacity?

Although she was somewhat surprised and felt a little heartache when she heard Li Qingluo say that she slept in the pigsty, she was still surprised that she would directly reveal Zhu'er's background. Even if Zhu'er died, she would definitely be criticized and gossiped about!

Thinking of this, Qu felt heartbroken and wished she could teach Li Qingluo a lesson on the spot!

She's really arrogant now!

Does being raised by the old lady give one the right to be so narrow-minded, selfish, and vicious?

Pearl is already dead, yet she still insists on arguing with her!

Madam Qu's face was grim. A woman beside her asked, "Sister, are all those rumors outside really true?"

Qu's expression stiffened for a moment: "No, that's not it."

She didn't want to come to this troublesome place today, knowing that if she came, she would be bombarded with questions.

However, when the master learned that his wife was bringing Li Qingluo along, he insisted that she come along to take care of her as well.

How could she not know what the master was thinking?

All she wanted was to finalize her engagement with the Marquis of Zhongyi's family as soon as possible!

Although the thought that the marriage should have been Zhu'er's caused Qu Shi some heartache, now that Chuan'er was in trouble, there were countless people in the entire city of Jinling who wanted to see their General's Mansion make a scene.

Therefore, they must finalize this marriage, otherwise the General's Mansion will truly become a laughing stock in Jinling City!

“Of course, these are all lies…! Chuan’er has suffered so much, and now he’s like this. Zhu’er is dead, yet these rumors still slander them! As his mother, I am heartbroken. But faced with such absurdity, I am utterly powerless to defend myself…”

Qu's greatest advantage was her seemingly weak and fragile appearance, which made her appear to be constantly crying.

Who wouldn't feel pity and sympathy for her after hearing this?

Li Qingluo showed no expression, and didn't even bother to pretend to get up and go to her mother's side to comfort her.

The woman standing nearby glanced at her, then lowered her head, covered her mouth, and chuckled, "You're really something. I'm Pei Shier Niang, my given name is Nan Jia. And you?"

Pei?

Li Qinglu noticed the surname and thought to herself: Could it be that her luck is really that good today?

She smiled slightly and replied, "My name is Li Qingluo. Are you, Pei Shierniang from the Pei State Duke's Mansion?"

Pei Nanjia nodded: "Yes. However, I am just a concubine's daughter, you won't mind if I look down on you, will you?"

Li Qingluo warmly reached out and quickly grasped Pei Nanjia's hand: "I'm just a wild girl who came back from the mountains. You don't mind my past, so how could I?"

Both of them knew the nature of the relationship between the two families, but neither of them mentioned it.

They felt an inexplicable attraction to each other, and after exchanging only a few words, a sudden commotion broke out outside.

"Someone has fallen into the water—!"

Who is it?

"It seems to be Princess Nanping!"

Pei Nanjia grabbed Li Qingluo's hand and rushed out.

There was indeed a lake outside the hall where these women rested.

At that moment, a figure was struggling violently in the lake.

However, the surrounding crowd was full of onlookers, and not a single person went into the water to save the person.

The young man and the women were staying in separate places, and the farm's servants had not yet come over.

Li Qingluo knew this was an opportunity for her, so she immediately plunged into the water without hesitation—