Chapter 87 The young widow is a jinx; she can't get married.

Princess Yong left first, while Ji Qingwu and the others wandered around the bell tower in the temple.

Once outside, they saw a crowd gathered at the main entrance. They had to squeeze through the throng to get out.

Ji Qingrong was pregnant and easily fatigued, and Ji Qingwu wasn't one to watch the excitement, so the group walked towards where the carriage was parked.

Suddenly, Ji Qingwu heard a familiar voice.

"I am carrying my husband's child, how can you abandon me..." Her tone was gentle and sorrowful, and her words seemed familiar.

Ji Qingwu's mind raced; even without seeing the woman's face, she knew who she was.

Someone angrily shouted, "You little harlot, how dare you come to this sacred Buddhist place! If you don't leave, I'll report you to the authorities and have you thrown in jail!"

A woman in her forties said with disgust, "Has she gone mad? These past few days, she's been grabbing any handsome guy on the street and calling him 'my husband,' then clinging to him and refusing to leave."

The old woman beside her shouted even louder, "Today she's hooked up with the young master of the Left Censor-in-Chief's family again! Shameless! Bah! You lowly hussy from the brothel!"

......

This woman has angered the crowd, and some have already thrown offerings of fruit at her.

But she didn't say a word, just stood in the middle of the crowd with her head down, neither hiding nor avoiding.

Ji Qingwu stopped in her tracks, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Big sister, I left something in the pavilion. I'll go look for it and come right back. You take Qiuqiu to the carriage first."

"Would you like Chunxing to come with you?" Ji Qingrong asked.

"No need, you and Qiuqiu need someone to take care of you more. I'll be right back."

Ji Qingwu turned around and walked towards the crowd, which was already in the process of being surrounded. She pushed aside a woman who was shouting loudly and throwing cakes in her hand.

The woman dressed in a fragrant autumn-flower-patterned gauze dress, with a figure like a willow branch, was none other than Mo Lingling, the maid of Liangxiang Pavilion who had entangled him by the river on the night of the Dragon Boat Festival.

At this moment, the man Mo Lingling had been entangled with had long since left. She stood alone in the crowd, her expression dazed as she endured the angry accusations from everyone.

Someone deliberately threw a big, round pear at her stomach, but Ji Qingwu caught it with quick reflexes.

She turned her head and raised an eyebrow, saying, "I was thirsty and wanted to eat a pear, thank you."

Hearing the gentle voice instead of insults and abuse, Mo Lingling looked up with a dazed expression.

Ji Qingwu tilted his head and waved to her: "What are you standing there for? Come over here."

Her tone was gentle, and she had a smile on her face, showing no disdain whatsoever. Mo Lingling snapped out of her daze, her nose stung, and she took a few steps forward.

"And who are you, meddling in other people's business? Are you also a prostitute from Liangxiang Pavilion?"

Upon hearing the woman's words, Mo Lingling retreated, not wanting the woman to suffer the insults along with her.

Ji Qingwu stood there, listening to their gossip about him with a calm and composed demeanor.

"Isn't this the fifth young lady of the Ji family, the one who was just brought home six months ago?"

"It's her. No wonder, birds of a feather flock together."

"The Ji family isn't a wealthy or powerful family, so how could they be involved with prostitutes?"

"It's... a young widow... a jinx... who can't get married..." Although they deliberately lowered their voices, Ji Qingwu still heard many key words.

Mo Lingling had also heard rumors about this Miss Ji, but she never expected that it was this seemingly delicate and frail girl in front of her.

Seeing that she dared not approach him, a stark contrast to her behavior that night, Ji Qingwu felt a sense of unease.

Then, ignoring the gossipy women's chatter, she grabbed Mo Lingling's wrist.

He blinked and said, "If you stay here any longer, you could set up a fruit and pastry stall right under your feet."

Mo Lingling struggled a few times, but Ji Qingwu held her tightly. Her strength was no match for the emperor's, but it was more than enough to subdue an ordinary woman.

She forcefully pulled her out of the crowd and stopped her only when they reached a secluded pond behind Hanshan Temple.

Ji Qingwu released her grip and looked down to see that Mo Lingling's wrist was all red. She said apologetically, "I was in a hurry and lost control of my strength. Are you alright?"

Mo Lingling touched her wrist bone and asked warily, "Why are you helping me?"

In the past few days, she has been entangled with at least eighty or a hundred men, but she is unwilling to get too close to women.

It was because she knew her own identity that she would only be disliked by these ladies and young women from aristocratic families.

The Ji family is the maternal clan of the Empress Dowager. Even if Miss Ji the Fifth had been married ten or a hundred times, she still couldn't compare to her.

Seeing her dejected expression, Ji Qingwu said directly, "On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, by the Lantern Market River, Miss Mo attempted suicide but was saved by me. She even said she would repay me with her body. Why are you so cold to me now?"

Mo Lingling froze, her big eyes narrowing as she scrutinized her features from head to toe, exclaiming in astonishment, "You, it really is you! Are you gay, or do you have a cross-dressing fetish?"

Homosexuality? Where does this idea come from?

Ji Qingwu spread his hands and said, "Neither. I am a woman, just like you."

Mo Lingling suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her chest.

Ji Qingwu was startled by her movement and stepped back, hugging his chest with both arms.

Mo Lingling looked at her hands; they felt soft and supple, confirming that she was indeed a genuine woman.

She pouted, not at all feeling that what she had done was offensive, and said boldly, "At worst, I'll let you touch me again, touch me as much as you want, but it won't be as soft as yours."

Ji Qingwu's lips twitched involuntarily: "I don't have that kind of fetish."

Mo Lingling snorted lightly, speaking self-deprecatingly with a proud expression.

"Why did you drag me here? Everyone else would rather stay as far away from me as possible, afraid that breathing the same air as a brothel person like me would tarnish their reputation."

Ji Qingwu raised an eyebrow and said, "I was just curious."

"What are you curious about, young lady? Just as they say, I am a maid of Liangxiang Pavilion. Women would rather avoid me than see me. You are willing to get involved with me, which makes me even more curious."

Ji Qingwu looked at her waistline beneath the gauze dress, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

"If you really want to find a father for the child in your belly, it shouldn't be difficult for you with your looks alone."

To become a lady-in-waiting in the Liangxiang Pavilion, one must not only be beautiful but also adept at navigating relationships with various important figures; she must not be a foolish or stupid woman.

She wasn't greedy for money. Last time, Mo Lingling said that she could redeem herself and leave Liangxiang Pavilion, which clearly showed that she had no intention of relying on powerful people to redeem her.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Mo Lingling's expression showed a hint of impatience.

Ji Qingwu calmly analyzed, "The men you've been pursuing are all upright and polite Confucian scholars. Take, for example, the fifth young master of the Left Censor-in-Chief's family today. He's known in Lin'an for his strict adherence to rules. He won't even make eye contact with women on the street. You already knew he would reject you."

Ji Qingwu stared at her intently.

Mo Lingling's eyes began to dart away; she had guessed it all...