Chapter 633 The Struggle Among Noble Ladies
Unlike everyone in the Wei Rui Xuan who were focused on Xia Linyuan, the noble ladies in the waterside pavilions across the water had two other things on their minds.
One is Princess Liyang, and the other is Qiao Ning, who has gone missing.
The attention given to Princess Liyang was naturally because everyone knew that the imperial court favored her for a political marriage. Therefore, everyone wanted to see Princess Liyang's attitude.
A princess of noble birth was forced to marry a foreign ruler. Some felt sorry for her, some thought it was unfair, but most were simply enjoying the spectacle.
Who told Princess Liyang to have a rebellious mother!
Of course, these people were also secretly relieved.
Since Princess Liyang was going to marry a foreign ruler, they didn't need to go.
After all, it's better to die for your fellow Daoist than for yourself.
However, upon seeing Princess Liyang still appear noble, elegant, calm, and composed, without showing any sign of dejection, grief, or resentment, many people secretly curled their lips, feeling that she was putting on a brave face, and lost interest in paying attention to her any further.
When news of Qiao Ning, the young lady of the Qiao family, going missing came, everyone's attention shifted back to Qiao Ning.
"Who is Qiao Ning?" Most people didn't know Qiao Ning, hence the question.
"Qiao Ning...I don't know her."
"Could the surname Qiao be related to the Qiao family in Nancheng?"
"That's right, Qiao Ning is the grandniece of Madam Qinghe from the Qiao family in Nancheng."
The one who answered everyone's questions was the fifth young lady of the Liu family.
"Does Miss Liu know Qiao Ning?" someone asked.
Then someone cast a meaningful glance at the person who asked the question.
Miss Liu is the future Princess Consort of Qi, while the original Princess Consort of Qi was Miss Sun of the Qiao family in Nancheng.
There were rumors that it was Lady Liu, a concubine of the Prince of Qi from the Liu family, who murdered the original Princess of Qi, thus vacating the position of Princess of Qi.
Otherwise, how could Miss Liu possibly be engaged to the Prince of Qi?
Haha, the relationship between these two families is quite special.
Of course, only a minority knew these things. Most people were still looking at Miss Liu, waiting for her to give them an explanation.
Then Miss Liu said with a smile, "It's quite a coincidence. When I came here, I ran into people from the Qiao family in the South City at the hanging flower gate. At that time, Qiao Ning was with Madam Qinghe."
"I see."
"But how could Qiao Ning have just disappeared?"
"Heh, you actually believed them when they said they were missing?"
"If it's not missing, what else could it be?"
At this point, someone said with ill intent, "Of course he's gone to climb the social ladder!"
If Qiao Yuanyao and Qiao Ning were present, they would have noticed that the person who said this was one of Wen Xi's henchmen.
"Climbing the social ladder!?"
The man continued to guide the conversation: "A merchant's daughter, shamelessly attending the flower banquet at the Yongchang Marquis's residence, what are you all up to? Can't you see it?"
Upon hearing this, everyone showed a look of disdain.
The man then reminded them, "Don't forget who these people are at the banquet today."
Everyone thought that aside from the fact that the people on this side of the waterside pavilion were all women, the people accompanying the Crown Prince on the other side were either young masters from prominent families in the capital or young scholars who had passed the imperial examination.
Regardless of which one she marries, it's all a blessing for a mere businesswoman.
Thinking of this, the disdain and mockery on everyone's faces intensified.
Of course, there were also some dissenting voices.
"It can't be that bad. In a situation like today, doesn't Qiao Ning have any reservations at all?"
"Exactly, doesn't she care about her reputation after doing this?"
Then someone else jumped out and sarcastically remarked, "Heh, reputation? Do you think the Qiao family of Nancheng still has any reputation to speak of?"
Others chimed in, "Exactly! That old lady of Qinghe abandoned her husband and children, betrayed her ancestors and forgot her roots. Does she still have any reputation left?"
"That's not all. That old lady Qinghe also used her husband's family's property to support the Qiao family. The widow of Qiao's nephew became the matriarch of the Qiao family, while her own daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter-in-law were sent back to their hometown!"
"The grandniece handed over by such a muddle-headed old lady is probably not a good person either."
"Tsk tsk, have you all forgotten that Old Madam Qinghe rose from being a concubine to where she is now?"
"Do you think Qiao Ning wants to follow in Madam Qinghe's footsteps?"
"Hehe, who knows! Maybe Qiao Ning was specially trained by Madam Qinghe!"
"Speaking of which, Lady Enping also came from the Qiao family, what do you say..."
The crowd's discussions became increasingly absurd, yet their eyes grew ever brighter, as if they had already deduced the truth of the matter.
Li Jingyue sat by the window, listening to everyone's chatter.
She hadn't wanted to cause trouble, after all, she was already the subject of everyone's gossip. She was in an awkward position, possessing nothing but the empty title of princess. Nobody took her seriously.
But the more they talked, the more outrageous it became. Their words were full of belittling and humiliation of the Qiao family and Qiao Qinghe, and they even seemed to be implicating the Marquis of Enping's mansion.
Li Jingyue could no longer sit still and shouted angrily, "Shut up! How dare you talk about Lady Qinghe so casually? How dare you slander the Lady of Enping Marquis?"
"Speaking ill of others behind their backs, is this your upbringing?"
Upon hearing Li Jingyue speak, everyone admitted their mistakes.
However, everyone's faces clearly showed some disdain. But considering Princess Li Jingyue's status, they still gave her some face.
However, while some people cared about Princess Li Jingyue's identity, others were not afraid.
Just as everyone was apologizing, falling silent, and preparing to shut up, Wenxi, the eldest daughter of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, stepped forward with a smile.
“Princess, you are mistaken. It is human nature to join in the fun and gossip. If Lady Qinghe had not done anything, people would not have fabricated rumors about her out of thin air.”
"As the saying goes, 'If you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place.' Now that Madam Qinghe has done what she asked, shouldn't we let everyone talk about it?"
Wenxi looked at Li Jingyue with a provocative gaze.
Others may be wary of Princess Li Jingyue's status, but she doesn't care.
Her aunt was the Empress, her cousin was the Prince of Chu, her father was the Marquis of Yongchang, and her uncle was also highly valued by the Emperor.
Not to mention Li Jingyue, who was never favored by the Emperor and whose mother was assassinated for treason, there wasn't a single young lady present that she was afraid of.
Well, there's one exception. That's Princess Huaiyang, Li Sanqi.
But Li Sanqi is her cousin! She's on her side! What does she have to fear?
Seeing this, everyone echoed their agreement.
"Exactly, we were just stating the facts, not making trouble out of nothing!"
"The Qiao family did something shameful, are we not allowed to say anything?"
"Isn't the Sixth Princess being too domineering? She won't even let people speak?"
"The Sixth Princess is so protective of Lady Qinghe, could it be that she has a very close relationship with Lady Qinghe?"
"The Sixth Princess used to be frail and sickly, and it is said that it was Lady Qinghe who invited the divine physician Mu to cure her."
"No wonder! I was wondering why the Sixth Princess was so protective of Lady Qinghe! So that's how it is."
"Hehe, anyway, I think that those who can be on good terms with Madam Qinghe are not..."
"Shh! Shut up! How dare you say such things?"
...
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