Chapter 373 Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

Lu Youming, haven't you been holding back for years? Why did you lose your temper so quickly?

As Yun Yichen was thinking this, Gu Jin couldn't help but lean closer to him and say in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Why are you so angry with him? He's had a tough day."

"It's because he's always thinking about Shushu and trying to use her to gain the support of the Marquis's Mansion and the General's Mansion. If I don't avenge Shushu, how can I live up to Shushu's trust?"

Yun Yichen no longer holds back when speaking to Gu Jin; after all, they'll be family from now on, so there's nothing to hide.

"His Highness seems very sad."

The women naturally saw Lu Youming leave, especially the way he almost fell. In the eyes of these young ladies, it was as if he was heartbroken and couldn't stand up straight.

"How could he not be heartbroken? The Third Prince, a man of great stature, was already humbling himself by coming to propose marriage, and then he encountered something like this. Anyone would be devastated."

Some people echoed his sentiments, and for a time there were sympathizers and admirers, all of whom undoubtedly showed their utmost pity for the Third Prince.

If Lu Youming hadn't already left, seeing everyone's gazes at him now, he probably would have been so angry he would have vomited blood.

Although Gu Shuyan, who was standing at the front row, knew that Yun Yichen would come to present the betrothal gifts, she never expected that there would be as many as ninety-nine tables.

She looked up in Yun Yichen's direction, and just then Yun Yichen was also looking at her. Their eyes met, but they looked away after a moment.

Even such a subtle movement was noticed by Sun Ruoyun.

"Are Miss Gu and Lord Yun old acquaintances?" Sun Ruoyun suddenly asked.

Gu Shuyan turned to look at her and nodded frankly: "The Yun family is right next to the Marquis's residence, so the two families naturally have some relationship."

Gu Shuyan could usually chase after Yun Yichen, calling him "Brother Yun" and clinging to his clothes, acting coquettishly and spoiled, but today was different.

Today, Yun Yichen came to the Marquis's residence to propose marriage. If Gu Shuyan admits that the two are acquainted, it will only give people something to gossip about and allow them to spread rumors.

"What about before? Before the Yun family moved next door, did Miss Gu and Lord Yun know each other?"

Gu Shuyan had already denied it, but Sun Ruoyun continued to press for answers.

Seeing this, Gu Shuyan looked at Sun Ruoyun in confusion. Sun Ruoyun let Gu Shuyan look at her without showing any sign of anything amiss. Seeing that she couldn't tell anything from her face, Gu Shuyan shook her head and said, "We don't know each other."

Gu Shuyan remained calm, while Sun Ruoyun said apologetically, "It was Ruoyun who was too curious. Please don't take offense, Miss Gu."

Sun Ruoyun's frank apology left Gu Shuyan speechless for a moment.

The singers continued to sing loudly, but those present felt embarrassed to leave after watching the performance and had no choice but to listen to the chants.

Seeing that everyone was somewhat uninterested, Madam Ji instructed Wu Mama to stay and keep an eye on things before leading everyone back to the living room.

However, due to the previous incident, the living room was no longer as lively as before.

The banquet ended early. After leaving the Marquis of Yi'an's residence, Sun Ruoyun and Luo Yuying did not leave separately. Instead, Sun Ruoyun invited Luo Yuying to ride in the Sun family's carriage together.

"Does Miss Sun suspect that Gu Shuyan deliberately orchestrated today's events?"

Luo Yuying was not as composed as Sun Ruoyun. After sitting in the carriage for a while, seeing that Sun Ruoyun did not speak for a long time, Luo Yuying asked the question herself.

Upon hearing this, Sun Ruoyun shifted her gaze to Luo Yuying and smiled gently, "Why do you say that, Miss Luo?"

Luo Yuying hadn't expected that it would just be the two of them, and that Sun Ruoyun would still be acting all high and mighty. If she hadn't had her own suspicions, why would she have invited her to ride in the Sun family's carriage?

However, since she is unwilling to say, it is the same as me saying it myself.

"Today, the Third Prince came to propose marriage, and was just rejected. Then Lord Yun arrived with betrothal gifts, and the matchmaker he hired was the same one the Third Prince hired. If the proposal and betrothal were just coincidences, how many matchmakers are there in the capital? Why did he have to hire just one? So the reason why the Third Prince was repeatedly humiliated is probably not just a coincidence no matter how you look at it."

Although Luo Yuying can be a bit impatient at times, she's not stupid.

Just the fact that she could guess that her second brother's death was intricately related to Gu Shuyan shows that she is not just a pretty face.

Seeing that Luo Yuying's analysis was well-organized, Sun Ruoyun nodded and said, "Miss Luo is right. Today's events were probably a trap set from beginning to end, just waiting for the Third Prince to fall into it!"

Although the Marquis of Yi'an's mansion did not invite many people today, if one observes carefully, one will surely find that the most gossipy ladies and young ladies in the circle are all among them.

Therefore, once today is over, the news of the Third Prince losing face will spread throughout the capital, which is not a good thing for Lu Youming, who has just gained some fame.

"But why would Gu Shuyan treat the Third Prince like this?"

Luo Yuying couldn't quite understand it. In her view, Lu Youming and Gu Shuyan were already in the same boat. She even guessed that Gu Shuyan would naturally accept Lu Youming's marriage proposal.

But everything that happened today was too unexpected for Luo Yuying, to the point that it overturned her previous guesses about her second brother's death.

If Gu Shuyan truly dislikes the Third Prince, does that mean there's more to the story than meets the eye regarding the Second Brother? If the Third Prince was also involved in the scheme back then, then who truly orchestrated that event…?

As Luo Yuying pondered, she took a deep breath. When she looked up at Sun Ruoyun, she saw that the other woman was looking at her with a pair of clear eyes.

"It's Gu Shuyan. I never expected it to be her."

Seeing that Luo Yuying had already figured it out, Sun Ruoyun slowly said, "We all underestimated this young lady from the countryside. When the Second Young Master Luo and my elder brother got into trouble, I immediately thought of the maid who had testified against them. Unfortunately, by the time I sent people to look for her, she had vanished into thin air, disappearing from this vast capital city."

Before coming today, Sun Ruoyun was still a little confused as to why Gu Shuyan would invite her to her birthday banquet. After all, the banquet was said to be for some familiar ladies, and she and Gu Shuyan had only met once, so they couldn't really be considered familiar with each other.

But it wasn't until Sun Ruoyun watched Lu Youming walk step by step into the trap and suffer repeated humiliations in front of everyone that she understood what Gu Shuyan really meant.

Making an example of someone to scare others—thinking about why Gu Shuyan first became famous in the capital, it seems she really likes this tactic!

"I never expected Gu Shuyan to be so scheming; she even fooled me."

Luo Yuying gritted her teeth. After all, she was a well-known talented woman in the capital, and her intelligence had been recognized by her father. Now, however, she was being led by the nose by someone who had returned from the countryside.