Chapter 30

It wasn't that no one present felt that the affairs of the court were unrelated to Princess Yu; it was just that everyone wisely chose to remain silent.

They either didn't want to get involved, or they wanted to take this opportunity to strike at Prince Yu. In short, various reasons kept them silent, which led to the current situation.

But Pei Li deliberately stood out, causing the great scholar who had just admired him to frown deeply, feeling that he was too young and impulsive.

Pei Liling was fearless and calmly accepted all gazes.

Soon, someone shouted, "I think you're just after that vixen's beauty!"

Then came a chorus of agreement, "Who would have thought Brother Pei was such a lecherous scoundrel?"

"We would not be ashamed to associate with you!"

"That enchantress is indeed powerful; she even managed to bewitch Pei Jieyuan?"

Those who were jealous of Pei Li were even more vocal, wishing they could send Pei Li to hell so they would have one less competitor.

"Pei Jieyuan is of questionable character and unfit to be an official! How can he be a good public servant if he doesn't understand the suffering of the people?"

"Pei Li's academic degree should be erased, and he should be sent back to his hometown!"

......

In the blink of an eye, the angry condemnation shifted from Rong Rong to Pei Li. Rong Rong looked at Pei Li with worry, only to see that he still stood tall and straight as a pine tree.

Ren Wu was so anxious that he tugged at Pei Li's clothes, "You'd better change your tune and apologize!"

"I stand by my opinion!" Pei Li said without changing his expression.

Ren Wu was anxious and had already given up hope for Pei Li, but suddenly someone shouted, "Slay the witch! Save Prince Yu and Pei Jieyuan! Restore peace and order to our Great Gan Kingdom!"

The topic was brought back to Rong Rong.

"Yes! Kill the demoness! Once the demoness is dead, there will be no more people like Pei Jieyuan who have been bewitched!"

"Slay the demon! Kill the demon queen!"

......

Anger was reignited and spread like wildfire throughout the entire Hefenglou.

Even people on the second floor responded through the windows. Suddenly, everyone regarded Princess Yu as a witch who would destroy the country, and everyone wanted to kill her!

This was the conspiracy meticulously planned by Princess Ronglu. She wanted to create public opinion and use the power of scholars across the land to launch a campaign against Princess Yu.

She had long ago arranged for people to spread rumors in the capital that Princess Yu was a witch, and just now she even sent people to hide in the crowd and shout first, inciting people's emotions and guiding the direction of public opinion.

With Prince Yu by her side, she can't harm Princess Yu, but what if the whole world wants to kill Princess Yu?

Can Prince Yu protect the other party? Perhaps, if he makes a wrong move, even Prince Yu will be mired in trouble.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" Princess Ronglu threw her head back and laughed wildly, her expression no less frenzied than the crowd outside.

"Your Highness, we must leave immediately!" Ping An said urgently, grabbing Rong Rong's arm before she could reply and leading her out of the room.

At the same time, the men arranged by Princess Ronglu were shouting, "The demoness is in the top-tier room! Everyone, follow me and kill the demoness!"

"Yes! Kill the witch!"

"Today I will act on behalf of Heaven!"

The angry crowd surged to the stairs and rushed upstairs, while Rong Rong had only been escorted out of the room by Ping An not long before.

In the blink of an eye, the two groups met in the corridor. The guards of Prince Yu's mansion immediately drew their swords and stepped forward to protect Rong Rong behind them, watching the approaching crowd warily.

If they couldn't go forward, they would try going backward. Ping An grabbed Rong Rong and turned around, but after taking only two steps, a group of people surged up from the back of the corridor, blocking their retreat.

The guards moved quickly and surrounded Rong Rong in the center, while Rong Rong and her companions were blocked in the corridor by two groups of people.

The doors to the rooms on the second floor had also been opened, and some people rushed out to join the fight to kill Rong Rong, while others simply watched the spectacle.

The scene was tense and the air thick with tension.

"Get out of the way! Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!" Ping An roared, raising his knife to clear a path. People were intimidated by Ping An's murderous aura and unconsciously retreated.

Just as Rong Rong and her group were about to force the crowd away, someone in the shadows shouted, "We are all future disciples of the Emperor, he wouldn't dare touch us!"

"Does Prince Yu intend to make an enemy of all the scholars and officials in the land?"

"Prince Yu is incompetent; we cannot back down!"

"Death is inevitable for everyone, but some deaths are as light as a feather, while others are as heavy as Mount Tai. To die for the country and its people is a worthy death!"

A few shouts instantly instilled a sense of mission, ignited passion, and made people's heads spin. The moment to go down in history had arrived!

"Let's give it our all!"

Immediately, someone rushed towards Rong Rong and the others.

Ping An frowned and quickly sheathed his sword. The guards followed suit, putting away their swords and facing the newcomers with their bare hands.

The man was right. The Prince Yu's mansion could not possibly kill these examinees, nor would it dare to antagonize the entire aristocratic clan.

They didn't kill people, but they could beat them. Every single candidate who rushed forward was injured and left aside by Ping An and his guards.

Even Qingluo, who was by Rongrong's side, would occasionally punch and kick, giving a good beating to anyone who tried to get close to Rongrong.

And so, though slowly, Ping An and the others managed to lead Rong Rong through the corridor, down the stairs, and onto the first floor.

As soon as Rong Rong and her group arrived in the lobby, the remaining candidates who hadn't rushed upstairs all turned to look at them.

Pei Li's gaze sharpened, and he unconsciously murmured, "It's her?"

Although Rong Rong wore a veil, Pei Li had only seen her eyes once and could never forget them; she was the girl he met in Tongcheng that day.

"Who? Do you know them?" Ren Wu asked curiously. Jiangnan is never short of beauties, and Ren Wu loved to join in the fun.

He had visited all the famous beauties in Jiangnan, and to be honest, each one was beautiful in her own way, truly possessing a thousand different styles and myriad charms.

All he wanted to say was that there is no single best beauty; everyone has their own unique charm.

However, even before the Princess Consort of Yu appeared, she gave Ren Wu a stunning beauty that surpassed all others. One can imagine how captivating the Princess Consort of Yu must be under the veil.

"No wonder Brother Pei spoke up for Princess Yu." Ren Wu clicked his tongue in surprise. "I thought Brother Pei was truly indifferent to women, but it turns out he's seen the most beautiful one yet?"

"No!" Pei Li denied. Of course, he didn't speak up for Princess Yu because he knew who Princess Yu was.

Pei Li was too lazy to explain further, his gaze always following Rong Rong in the crowd. Upon seeing her again, he felt that the poems he had written for the beauty were simply unbearable.

No one can describe the other's beauty, not even the great poet Li Bai himself.

"I understand!" Ren Wu's gaze followed Rong Rong the whole time. At this moment, he seemed to understand Prince Yu and Yang Yan a little.

Rong Rong stood indifferently in the middle of the crowd, as if she were detached from the world and out of place with everything around her.

She exudes a detached and aloof beauty that makes people sigh in admiration.

His once smiling black eyes lost their smile, becoming as deep and silent as a frigid night, captivating anyone who looked into them.

Unbeknownst to many, quite a few people had gradually fallen silent, seemingly captivated by Rong Rong's beauty, or perhaps ashamed of their own ugliness.

On the second floor, Princess Ronglu watched with glee as everyone shouted and threatened to kill Princess Yu. Seeing that the scene was cooling down, she quickly made a gesture to someone in the shadows.

Those candidates were useless; they were all talk and no action, but when it really came down to it, they were completely useless. Luckily, she was prepared.