Chapter 132 His Highness will stand up for us.
"Oh!"
Just then, a soft, unmistakable shout suddenly rang out, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Chu Yu had been standing not far away at some point.
He stood beside a clump of green bamboo, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe. His face was handsome and his demeanor was noble. He exuded a composure and aloofness that came from someone who had long held a high position.
His gaze swept calmly over everyone present, finally settling on Du Tingting's raised hand.
"Miss Du."
Chu Yu's tone was calm, yet it seemed to carry an invisible pressure.
"When did the poetry gathering, a place for literary exchange and friendship, become a place where people can start fighting at any time?"
Du Tingting's hand froze in mid-air, her face turning deathly pale.
She naturally dared not be presumptuous in front of His Highness the Crown Prince, and quickly knelt down to pay her respects: "This humble woman greets His Highness the Crown Prince."
As Du Tingting knelt down, the rest of the people present also reacted, getting down to pay their respects and saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The sounds of worship echoed throughout the hall.
Upon learning Chu Yu's identity, Shen Moyan was greatly shocked and quickly bowed his head, joining the others in paying their respects.
"Please, everyone, no need for formalities." Chu Yu's voice was indifferent, revealing no particular emotion.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Everyone responded in unison, slowly rose to their feet, and dared not say another word.
Du Tingting was eager to defend herself and spoke first, her voice trembling with tears: "Your Highness, please understand, it is not that I am being unreasonable, but that Miss Xiao of the Yongning Marquis's Mansion... she is shameless and seduced my fiancé in public. I was so angry that I lost my temper. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
Upon hearing this, a collective gasp arose from the surrounding crowd, their eyes gleaming with gossip.
Shen Moyan's face turned ugly, as if he had been stripped naked and thrown into the street.
Has this ignorant and foolish woman considered his reputation? After causing such a scene today, how will he maintain his standing in the court in the future?
He stepped forward, cupped his hands to Chu Yu, and said, “Your Highness, this matter is purely a misunderstanding. Just now, I only met Miss Xiao here by chance and exchanged a few pleasantries. There was absolutely no overstepping of boundaries. Miss Du… she was just confused by her concern and misunderstood for a moment, which is why she spoke without thinking and disturbed Your Highness. It is my fault, and I beg Your Highness to punish me.”
He tried to calm things down and end this farce as soon as possible.
However, Du Tingting was in a fit of anger, and to her ears, these words meant that Shen Moyan was protecting Xiao Lingxi and trying to exonerate her!
"Misunderstand?"
"I saw it clearly. The two of you were standing so close together, pulling and tugging at each other. How could it be a misunderstanding?"
"Chen Lang, don't be afraid. His Highness the Crown Prince is the most fair and just. He will definitely stand up for us! It must be that Miss Xiao is resentful because she saw that you became the top scholar and have a bright future. She is also resentful that you abandoned her and chose me. She is deliberately pestering you and trying to ruin our marriage!"
The more Du Tingting thought about it, the more convinced she was that her guess was correct.
Shen Moyan's face turned visibly ashen, and he cursed Du Tingting in his heart no less than a hundred times!
That stupid woman is utterly hopeless!
Do you have to destroy him to be satisfied?
Chu Yu took in the expressions of the two men, remaining noncommittal, and instead turned his gaze to Xiao Lingxi, asking:
"Miss Xiao, is what she said true?"
Xiao Lingxi bowed respectfully, her voice clear and composed, and replied:
"Your Highness, what Miss Du said is pure nonsense and malicious speculation."
She raised her clear eyes, her tone resolute: "As the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongning, I have been taught by my parents since childhood and know the importance of propriety, righteousness, and a sense of shame. How could I possibly do something so degrading as to entangle myself with someone else's fiancé?"
"As for Scholar Shen..."
She paused, looked at Shen Moyan, and said with undisguised disdain, "I have only met her a few times and can hardly be considered familiar with her. Moreover, he is Miss Du's fiancé. Even if I am a bit arrogant, I would never look down on someone like him... who is already engaged but still does not know how to avoid suspicion and whose behavior is inappropriate."
"Miss Du has slandered the Marquis's mansion's reputation without distinguishing right from wrong. I must demand an explanation from Minister Du."
These words were like a resounding slap across Shen Moyan's face.
He felt his face burning and extremely ugly.
Being publicly scorned like that made him feel more ashamed than any criticism.
Upon hearing this, Chu Yu's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile, which vanished in an instant.
When she looked at Shen Moyan, her eyes turned much colder.
"Scholar Chen Zhuangyuan".
With just that one title, Shen Moyan felt an immense pressure bearing down on him.
He bowed quickly, his voice strained: "Your subject is here."
"Now that you are engaged to Miss Du, you are burdened with family responsibilities. How can you be so entangled and entangled with a woman from another family in public? Is this the gentlemanly way you learned from the classics? What kind of example are you setting for all the students in the world?"
Shen Moyan was startled and immediately knelt down: "Your Highness, I...I..."
His voice was strained, his throat was dry, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.
"Considering this is your first offense, I will not pursue the matter further. I hope you will behave yourself, be careful with your words and actions, and not disappoint His Majesty's expectations, nor... disgrace the integrity of scholars!"
These words made Shen Moyan tremble with fear.
The crown prince did not punish him on the spot, but this public reprimand was more deadly than any punishment.
Because of this poetry gathering, the labels of "misconduct" and "moral failings" have been firmly attached to him.
Scholars value integrity above all else; this is tantamount to nailing Shen Moyan to the pillar of shame.
Shen Moyan kowtowed and replied, "Your subject... thanks Your Highness for your grace. I will remember Your Highness's teachings and never repeat this mistake."
Belatedly, Du Tingting realized that she seemed to have caused Shen Moyan trouble. And quite a bit of trouble at that.
A sense of panic welled up inside her, but she couldn't bring herself to apologize to Shen Moyan in public and admit that she had acted impulsively and made a mistake. Instead, she blamed everything on Xiao Lingxi.
Yes! It's all Xiao Lingxi's fault!
Thinking of this, Du Tingting seemed to regain her confidence, so she mustered her courage, stepped forward, and reported to Chu Yu:
"Your Highness is wise! Scholar Shen... he knows he was wrong, but this whole affair was caused by Miss Xiao's improper behavior. If she hadn't actively harassed him, the subsequent turmoil wouldn't have occurred. She is also at fault!"
"We implore Your Highness to handle this matter impartially, otherwise it will be difficult to convince the public!"
After he finished speaking, a deathly silence fell over the surroundings.
Some people admire Du Tingting's courage for daring to question His Highness the Crown Prince in public.
Some people think she's stupid, incredibly stupid!
Oh, His Highness the Crown Prince has already let Shen Moyan off the hook. As his fiancée, instead of trying to settle things peacefully, she's escalating the situation again because of some petty squabbles between young women, and now she wants the Crown Prince to punish Xiao Lingxi!
As everyone knows, the Yongning Marquis's mansion is part of the Crown Prince's faction, and the Crown Prince is on good terms with Xiao Jingheng. How could they possibly punish Xiao Lingxi in public?
As a result, some people looked at Du Tingting with the same eyes they would give someone with an intellectual disability.
However, Du Tingting didn't seem to have this awareness; instead, she gave off a feeling of being the only one who was sober while everyone else was drunk.
Upon hearing this, Chu Yu's gaze finally fell on Du Tingting. Looking down at her, he seemed to be able to see through all her thoughts.
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