In early November, the weather was getting colder day by day. The rumors in Shengjing City about Prince Lu and Miss Guan Liu being unable to get married were becoming more and more heated and more outrageous.
Qi Yuning's foot injury had finally healed, and he planned to recuperate in the palace for a few more days, so he had been checking the accounts at home.
Xiaoman heard a lot of rumors from outside and came into the study room full of anger.
"Princess, the rumors outside are too outrageous. They all say that the prince and Miss Guan Liu were in love, and you were the one who interfered and deliberately designed to let Qin Wuye get engaged to Miss Guan Liu, so that you could snatch Prince Lu away."
"Outside, they say that you drugged the prince to give birth to Lingling. In fact, the Lu family doesn't recognize Lingling at all..."
"It's because of you that the prince and Miss Guan Liu can't be together!"
Qi Yuning became more and more annoyed as she listened. She frowned and went to find Lingling, who was playing house with the little maid in the yard. "Lingling, mother will take you to the teahouse for tea."
Qi Yuning held Lingling in his arms and took her to Juxian Pavilion, a famous teahouse in Shengjing, which was also the place with the most sensitive news about the aristocratic families in Shengjing City.
Qi Yuning went inside and ordered a plate of butterfly cakes for Lingling. Sure enough, he had heard all the rumors about her.
"At a poetry gathering not long ago, someone saw with their own eyes that Prince Lu and Princess Qi were close. Also, at the wedding banquet at the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, many people saw with their own eyes that Princess Qi's little daughter looked exactly like Prince Lu. She must be Prince Lu's daughter!"
"I don't think so either. Don't you think that if Princess Qi's daughter is Prince Lu, how could Princess Qi be engaged to Prince Lu?
Even if she is really the daughter of the Lu family, it was Princess Qi who used some trickery to get her, otherwise why would Prince Lu still not acknowledge this daughter?"
"Princess Qi had previously been engaged to Prince Lu, but I'm afraid she can't be Lu Ze's wife. She also wants to marry into the Lu family so she can meet Prince Lu."
"It's said that Master Lu doesn't like Princess Qi, but likes Miss Guan Liu. Miss Guan Liu is so pitiful. She obviously has a loving husband, boating on the lake, playing the piano in the plum garden, but all of them were ruined by Princess Qi's jealousy!"
"After all, she is a princess in a high position with great power! No matter how pitiful Miss Guan Liu is, she can only hand over her beloved husband to him!"
"I heard that the old lady of the Lu family still wants Miss Guan Liu to be her grandson's wife..."
"Prince Lu must still be thinking about Miss Guan Liu. I heard that he ordered a very expensive headdress for her not long ago. What a pity. The princess has great power and influence."
The more Qi Yuning listened, the angrier she became. She never paid much attention to rumors outside.
But after hearing this today, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. What did it mean that Lu Ze was concerned about Miss Guan Liu? Hearing these two names together, she felt very unhappy.
Qi Yuning picked up Lingling, who was still eating butterfly cakes, and went to the Dali Temple in a threatening manner.
Even though the officials of the Dali Temple did not know Qi Yuning, they did not dare to step forward to stop her when they saw her wearing gold and silver and surrounded by servants.
Qi Yuning went straight to Lu Ze's office study. As soon as he entered, he saw Lu Ze discussing a case with his men. Qi Yuning coughed.
Lu Ze was surprised to see Qi Yuning at the door when he heard the voice, "Princess, is Lingling making trouble?"
Lu Ze saw Lingling eating pastries beside Qi Yuning, and she didn't seem to be making a fuss.
"Daddy, Lingling is very well behaved and didn't make any noise!"
The men were stunned when they heard the little girl's call.
Lu Ze coughed lightly and said, "You guys go down first."
After waiting for the Dali Temple subordinates to leave, Qi Yuning said to Lu Ze unhappily: "Have you ever been boating on the lake with Guan Zhiyi? Have you ever bought her a headdress?"
Seeing Qi Yuning angry, Lu Ze asked, "What's wrong?"
Qi Yuning said unhappily, "There have been all kinds of rumors about you and Guan Zhiyi's love affair in recent days, but you don't care about them?"
Lu Ze said: "It's just a rumor, don't take it seriously."
Qi Yuning frowned and said, "Although it can't be taken seriously, this princess just doesn't want to hear rumors about your love affair with Guan Zhiyi!"
Lu Ze stood up and smiled faintly, "It's easy for the princess to dispel this rumor. Just ask me to admit that Lingling is my daughter. If the Lu family recognizes Lingling, those rumors outside will be dispelled."
Qi Yuning frowned and said, "Lu Ze, I don't want to hear any more rumors about you and Guan Zhiyi meeting in the Plum Garden while boating on the lake. Since you are the Minister of the Dali Temple, it should be easy to find out where this rumor came from.
This princess will give you three days to find out the origin of the rumor about your love affair with Guan Zhiyi and clarify it. If you can't find it out, you will never be able to have Lingling call you daddy in this life."
"Ah?" Lingling looked up at Qi Yuning in surprise, her little peach blossom eyes full of confusion, "Mom, if Lingling doesn't call me daddy, what should I call you?"
"Lingling, you can call him uncle from now on!" Qi Yuning said unhappily, "Lucky Lu Yun just became a monk, and my engagement with him hasn't been cancelled yet."
Lu Ze frowned slightly, "Princess..."
Qi Yuning said: "Lingling, call me uncle first."
Lingling looked into Lu Ze's eyes and whispered, "Uncle?"
When Lu Ze heard Xiao Lingling really say that, he took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry, Princess. I will find the person who spread this rumor within three days!"
Qi Yuning said: "It's better this way."
Qi Yuning picked up Lingling and said, "Let's go back home."
Lingling waved to Lu Ze and said, "Goodbye, uncle."
Lu Ze: “…”
After Qi Yuning left, Lu Ze did not dare to neglect and called his men to investigate.
It would be impossible for a rumor to be so widespread and so true without someone spreading it. Although three days is a short time, it is enough for the Dali Temple.
In just two days, Lu Ze found out that it was the Qin family who were behind the incident, which was not surprising to Lu Ze.
However, the real rumor about boating on the lake came from two Shengjing thugs.
Lu Ze sent someone to call Qi Yuning to the Dali Temple.
Seeing the two hooligans in front of him, Lu Ze said coldly: "Why did you spread the rumor that I and Miss Guan Liu were in love? Do you know how serious it is to spread rumors about an official appointed by the court?"
The two gangsters didn't expect that the rumor which happened almost half a month ago would be pursued by Master Lu now. They were so scared that they were trembling.
"Lu, Master Lu, we took the money at that time. A girl wearing a veil gave us silver and asked us to go to Master Qin Wu and tell him that you really like Miss Guan Liu. We only told Master Qin Wu twice."
"Maybe someone else heard it and caused a big uproar. We are just doing the work for money."
Qi Yuning frowned and asked, "A girl wearing a veil? What does she look like?"
The fatter thug said, "The girl is very short, wearing plain clothes and a veil, so it's hard to tell what she looks like."
Lu Ze drew Guan Zhiyi's face on the rice paper beside him based on his memory, and covered the area under her eyes with ink. "Does she look like this?"
"Yes, yes, yes, that's what she looks like. She gave us money and asked us to help her with something."
Qi Yuning took a look at the painting and said to Lu Ze, "Master Lu only took one look at Miss Guan Liu, but he memorized her face by heart. Can he draw it with just a few strokes?"
Lu Ze chuckled and said, "I have always had a photographic memory. Does the princess smell something sour? I wonder who is jealous?"
Qi Yuning snorted and looked at the two thugs below and said, "Get lost!"
The two thugs were afraid that Lu Ze would pursue them, so they quickly retreated from the Dali Temple.
Lu Ze looked at Qi Yuning and said, "Don't you want to clarify? The source of this rumor is Guan Zhiyi, so it's just right to let these two hooligans clarify it..."
Qi Yuning said: "Guan Zhiyi spread this rumor just to make Qin Zhen think that you care about her. She is a pitiful person after all, so don't bother her."
Lu Ze said: "I didn't expect the princess to be so kind."
Qi Yuning said: "I just think Guan Zhiyi is pathetic, why bother to add insult to injury. What do you mean by this? In your heart, am I not kind?
Haha, I guess Master Lu wants to hear Lingling call you uncle more often, right? "
Lu Ze said to Qi Yuning, "The princess is kindhearted, and she is even more kindhearted than a living bodhisattva because she can repay evil with kindness. I will ask my mother to go to the palace tomorrow to cancel your engagement with Lu Yun."
He never wanted to hear Lingling call him "uncle" again in his life.
It is true that after Lu Yun became a monk, the engagement had not yet been officially cancelled.
(End of this chapter)
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