The princess's residence was adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, its palaces and halls towering majestically.
After walking for a while in the long corridor, the group finally arrived at the flower hall.
Princess Ruining sat at the head of the table, holding a white jade teacup with gold thread and tortoiseshell in her hands, savoring the tea.
Sitting below her was someone Gu Yaoniang never expected—Lu Zhaoan.
I only saw Lu Jing'an earlier, but not Lu Zhao'an, so I guessed that he had gone elsewhere. I never expected that he would be here.
Lu Zhaoan was also sitting, quietly sipping the tea in his teacup.
Linlang and Bitao remained outside the flower hall.
Upon seeing Yao Niang enter, Princess Ruining and Lu Zhao'an both put down their teacups and looked in her direction.
Lu Zhaoan remained expressionless, and nodded slightly to Yao Niang as a gesture of greeting.
Yao Niang crossed her arms and curtsied to Princess Ruining, but Princess Ruining did not dismiss the curtsy before she had finished, as she had done before.
Princess Ruining sat upright at the head of the table, receiving Yaoniang's full courtesy. She then gazed intently at Yaoniang for a moment before calling her to rise.
Even if Yao Niang was slow to notice, she could sense that something was wrong.
Princess Ruining never put on airs, and she treated me with great courtesy before the flower banquet today, even asking Wang Zhilan and Xie Danqiu to accompany me.
But at this moment, he made no attempt to conceal the oppressive aura emanating from her.
Gu Yaoniang felt somewhat helpless and confused.
She pondered what had happened in between, and suddenly an idea blossomed in her mind!
Xie Danqiu!
Since Yao Niang returned to the banquet, she has neither seen Xie Danqiu nor Qin Yuxiu. Meanwhile, Lu Zhaoan, one of the witnesses to her argument with Qin Yuxiu, was leisurely drinking tea in the flower hall.
Could it be that Princess Ruining already knows?
Even if you know the truth, can you really wrong yourself without asking questions?
In Gu Yaoniang's heart, Princess Ruining was approachable, wise and reasonable, and because of her, countless women in the world are now blessed.
Princess Ruining should not be an arbitrary person who uses her power to oppress others.
She couldn't help but feel a little wronged.
Seeing that Gu Yaoniang seemed puzzled, Princess Ruining asked:
"Yao Niang, where did you go after leaving the banquet today?"
When Gu Yaoniang heard Princess Ruining still calling her by her maiden name, she felt somewhat reassured.
She glanced up at Lu Zhaoan. Lu Zhaoan remained expressionless, and when he saw her looking over, he nodded almost imperceptibly.
I wonder if Yao Niang noticed it.
She carefully began, "I'm not a good drinker. Today I indulged in some peach blossom wine and felt a bit dizzy, so I left the table and went to the riverbank on the west side of Jingyuan."
Yao Niang carefully observed Princess Ruining's expression and saw that she remained expressionless, listening quietly. She couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Seeing that Gu Yaoniang hesitated and didn't continue, Lu Zhaoan kindly reminded her, "Did you encounter anyone?"
Yao Niang was surprised that he would speak, and after hearing this, she understood that Princess Ruining probably already knew what had happened.
He stopped hesitating and simply told her everything, including the argument he had with Qin Yuxiu and how he had hurt Qin Yuxiu.
The conversation was omitted, and the details of their previous engagement were not mentioned. It was simply glossed over with the phrase "they had an argument".
Princess Ruining tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, looking at her with a half-smile, and asked:
"Did you know that Lord Qin said he had suddenly fallen ill and left the banquet midway through? When A Qiu heard about it, she also took some people and went to his residence."
Gu Yaoniang was stunned.
A sudden, serious illness? It's truly remarkable that Qin Yuxiu could come up with such a thing.
It seems I was a bit too harsh back then. But he deserved it!
The young woman looked somewhat embarrassed: "I only kicked once..."
Princess Ruining suddenly shouted in a fierce voice, "You dared to injure a sixth-rank compiler of the Hanlin Academy in my residence! What else wouldn't you dare to do! Yaoniang, how dare you!"
Lu Zhaoan had not expected Princess Ruining to suddenly become so furious, and a look of surprise appeared on his usually calm face. However, he did not say anything and remained seated steadily in his chair.
Gu Yaoniang was startled.
She was already upset about Qin Yuxiu's matter today, and although she felt a little better after meeting Lu Jing'an, she was still not truly happy.
Now, being scolded by Princess Ruining, whom she considered somewhat close, she felt both fear and grievance.
Seeing that Princess Ruining seemed genuinely angry, she was at a loss and quickly got up from her seat and knelt in the center of the flower hall.
Since arriving in Shuojing, Yaoniang had not encountered any real difficulties. In fact, none of them were minor setbacks; the biggest obstacle was Qin Yuxiu.
Now she clearly doesn't think she was wrong; the one who was wrong was Qin Yuxiu, and she was merely retaliating out of desperation. But because she hurt Qin Yuxiu, this unfaithful man who was already working in the Hanlin Academy, she could only kneel down and beg for forgiveness from her superiors.
For the first time, she felt the terrifying power so clearly.
The old adhering principle of "right is right, wrong is wrong" seems utterly meaningless before royalty. As long as one still knows fear and wants to live well, it's impossible to be truly fearless; one can only sheathe one's edges and sharpness.
But ultimately, he was unwilling to admit his mistake without offering any explanation.
Yao Niang boldly said, "Although I injured Lord Qin, it was Lord Qin who tried to hurt me first. I was just unable to break free and had no choice but to retaliate."
She pleaded, "Princess, just because he is the newly appointed top scholar and a compiler in the Hanlin Academy appointed by the Emperor, does that mean I have no choice but to endure it if he wants to harm me?"
She raised her head and looked at Princess Ruining.
Princess Ruining sat at the head of the table, the candlelight flickering, casting a dim glow on her face, obscuring her features, and she seemed unmoved.
Lu Zhaoan watched Gu Yaoniang from the side.
He had seen her in many different ways: her dreamy and gentle self, her clever and quick-witted self, and now, her aggrieved yet stubborn self.
At this moment, she must have felt incredibly wronged, but Ruining, the princess she trusted and respected, began to blame her without asking why.
Although he knew the reason behind it, he still felt a little reluctant.
Lu Zhaoan spoke up, "Did you have any past grievances with Lord Qin? And why did you argue with him today? If there is any hidden reason, tell me. The princess will not wrong you."
He seemed to be questioning her, but he was actually reminding Yao Niang.
If you feel wronged, speak up. Don't be afraid; Princess Ruining is not indiscriminate in distinguishing right from wrong.
Princess Ruining glanced at him upon hearing this, but did not speak. She then turned to look at Yaoniang.
Yao Niang was torn.
She was afraid that if she revealed her previous engagement with Qin Yuxiu, what would become of the Gu family?
Could Qin Yuxiu's deception of the emperor cause the Gu family to suffer an undeserved disaster?
But if the engagement isn't mentioned, what reason can be used to smooth things over after today's conflict with Qin Yuxiu?
She just pursed her lips, hesitating to speak.
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